Describes Montessori's vision of young children as natural linguists and how home and school can support children's natural abilities in one or more languages. Presents five basic principles of second-language acquisition--related to educational environment, the acquisition process, components of proficiency, and cultural context and time--and…

Introduces the technique of computer-aided error analysis, a new approach to analyzing learner errors in second-language learning. Data used to demonstrate the technique consist of a 150,000-word corpus of English written by intermediate and advanced-level French-speaking learners. The study concludes that error analysis is worthwhile,…

Secondary school teachers invented a context for Louisiana's Eighth Grade French and Spanish Proficiency/Credit Exams based on real-life situations students would encounter on class trips to Disney's EPCOT Center. Test activities assess performance in four language skills areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students' reaction to this…

Reports on a preliminary stage of a project funded by the Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland to gain insights into physician-patient communication regarding Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and apply findings to their teaching programs. Particular focus is on aspects of communication relating to primary prevention of HIV and…

Reports on the Minnesota Articulation Project, providing an overview of the projects' three principal working groups: political action, curriculum, and assessment. The article then outlines the theoretical underpinnings of the proficiency-based assessment instruments developed in French, German, and Spanish and describes in detail the content and…

Describes how the author used writers' notebooks with her students (grades 6-8), all Chinese immigrants, to find and express their memories and dreams, to find meaning in their experiences of change and loss; develop voice and a sense of audience; develop fluency in English; and find a growing sense of control over their new language and their new…

In response to a study of functions of first-language usage in the second-language classroom, it is suggested the findings extend the scope of sociocultural theory by complementing studies in which language is seen to mediate the learning of concepts, in this case the second language, and gives insight into issues currently under vigorous…

Based on experience teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to primary school children, the author finds the "ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students" outlined by the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages do not define ESL progress as specific skill levels but offer open-ended descriptors and sample progress indicators…

Describes a reflective language learning experience that is part of one Hong Kong university's preservice program based on a reflective approach to teacher education. Participants study a language that is totally new to them. This lets them reflect on language teaching from the perspective of the learners whom they will teach when they become…

Investigated incidental language-learning by subjects using multimedia as a self-study and mandatory component of an undergraduate module. Language items recalled and reused while subjects were engaged in a meaning-focused task were compared with those in two multimedia applications for evidence of incidental learning. Analysis compared language…

Examines the acquisition of tense and agreement by L2 learners of French. Interviews were conducted with English-speaking children acquiring French as a second language and with grade-matched native French-speaker controls. Results revealed that items encoding agreement emerged before items encoding tense, suggesting that the abstract grammatical…

This study explores whether online peer review can be a worthwhile alternative to face-to-face peer review. It was conducted in two pre-college English-as-a-Second-Language writing classes at a community college to examine students' responses in both modes of peer review, and to see whether online peer review could become a viable option.…

Examines the role of tone choice in the classroom communication of international teaching assistants. Compares the tone choices of native-English speaking and nonnative ITAs during their classroom presentations, finding important differences in both the numbers of tone choices and the way tones are used. (Author/VWL)

Reports a comparison of two MA-TESOL programs and suggests some implications of the findings for the TESOL profession. Based on interviews, observations, and written documentation, characteristics of two of the programs are identified that are associated with the larger departments in which the programs are housed. (Author/VWL)

Summarizes a report of a study that explored what the United States could learn about foreign language teaching from other countries. The project reviewed comparative language education studies and conducted interviews with language education professionals in countries where policies and practices could inform the United States. (Author/VWL)