A panel of classroom teachers and a Department of Education inspector respond to questions from participants in a conference on methodological advances in modern language teaching held in Ireland. The questions and answers address the following topics: (1) the usefulness and selection of cloze tests; (2) maintenance of high written language standards while achieving the objectives of the communicative approach; (3) integration of literature into coursework; (4) combatting passivity promoted by video- and tape-recorded materials; (5) coping with mixed-ability students in an upper-level class; (6) plans for inservice education in the use of new methods and materials; (7) developing new skills and transferring old skills to new teaching methods; and (8) the capacity of new methods to satisfy the educational needs of less able students. (MSE)