This book is intended for graduate teaching assistants and undergraduate teacher education majors who might benefit from a directed exploration, reflection, and application of particular topics related to communicative language teaching and for practicing teachers who need a resource manual for developing tasks and materials for their classrooms.…

This interview with Glenn H. Nordin, Assistant Director of Intelligence Policy (Language and Training), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, explores in depth the officially perceived language needs of the U.S. military in the foreseeable future. Questions and answers include the following: How has the end of the Cold War affected…

During the 1994-1995 school year, the town of Sierre/Siders implemented and evaluated the first bilingual kindergarten class in the Valais canton of Switzerland. The following year the towns of Sion/Sitten and Monthey in the same canton also launched bilingual education classes. In these bilingual classes German is introduced as a second language…

Ontario students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) face serious challenges and inequities. Students are ineligible for ESL support after having been in Canada for 3 years, regardless of their ability to communicate (although the government's own ESL curriculum states that students may require from 5-7 years to acquire sufficient English…

This paper explains how, in 2001, failing rates on the writing and oral sections of the first Language Proficiency Assessment Test for Hong Kong's inservice or prospective English teachers shocked the Education Department and the public, creating general concern about failing English standards among Hong Kong students. Government officials and…

This guide provides teachers and administrators with advice on implementing Alberta Learning's five-level English-as-a-Second- Language (ESL) Senior High School Program of Studies in their classrooms and schools. It draws from the collective expertise of senior high school ESL specialists and classroom teachers and from classroom-based research in…

These six issues of a periodical intended for teachers and tutors of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students offer articles and features including the following: readers' comments and questions; in-class map practice ideas; songs for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learning; suggested films to show in class; conversation activities;…

This document evaluates the effectiveness of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Academic English Mastery Program, a program designed to serve students whose lack of proficiency in standard American English is an impediment to academic performance. This study used random sampling, experimental and control groups, and three principle data…

This article paints an optimistic picture of the role we second language teachers can play not only in improving our students' language proficiency but also in infusing global education into our classes as we join with our students to address global concerns, such as peace, prosperity, environmental protection, and human rights. The article is…

Reviews impact of Canadian French immersion research on theoretical conceptions of bilingualism and biliteracy and identifies four major issues: effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive and academic development; effects of intensity of school exposure to the second language; the "optimal age" issue; and the suitability of a…

Compares five commonly used English-Spanish language dominance instruments according to area of language measured, domain assessed, developmental comparability, and language variety or dialect. Examines the proficiency information provided and the validity, reliability, and norming of the instruments. Concludes that the tests are not comparable…

A memorandum is presented that summarizes the conclusions of a group of officials on bilingual education policy and the role of bilingual education in the overall language competence of Americans. A letter to Secretary of Education Terrel Bell outlines suggestions for specific actions. (MSE)

Examines the effects of audience adaptation and social cognitive ability on the syntactic strategies employed by four different age groups in the writing of persuasive discourse. (EKN)

Long exposure to French, verbal ability in one's native tongue, general intelligence, and ability grouping were correlated with competence in French as a foreign language. The Swedish policy of mixing beginning French students who vary in ability and motivation was questioned. (CP)

Proposes a method of individualizing instruction in scientific or technical fields in an institution of higher learning where the language of instruction is French but the students have varying levels of proficiency in the language. (AM)