Outlines three major phases of development experienced by student teachers: mastery of basic instructional techniques, developing sensitivity to pupil-teacher interaction, and overall analysis and evaluation of teaching effectiveness. Activities and techniques are presented for preservice training or inservice self-evaluation. (Author/AM)

A preliminary set of principles of judging the pedagogical utility of proposed grammar rules is offered. The goal is the inclusion in teaching materials of only those rules which are linguistically accurate, pedagogically sound, and relevant to specified instructional objectives. (Author)

In the rush to activate French immersion programs in Canada, the training of immersion teachers has been overlooked. To insure the programs' continued success, a course designed to better prepare primary immersion teachers is outlined, and general implications for the training of these teachers is discussed. (Author/DJD)

Presents the 1986 proficiency guidelines for Russian developed by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The guidelines cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills for the levels of novice, intermediate, advanced, and superior. (CB)

Explores the verbal and behavioral strategies necessary to participate easily in conversations in French and German. Suggests methods for teaching discussion skills through observation and analysis of seminar-type discussions between native speakers and listeners. (Author/BK)

Analyzes use of passe compose and the imperfect in French. Gives examples of effective teaching and testing devices of pastness. (Author/BK)

Illustrates use of the vocabulary-in-context and the question-and-answer exercises to enhance reading and understanding of literary texts for advanced high school second language classes. Suggests these exercises prepare students to progress from written exercises to the teacher's oral presentations to classroom discussions. (Author/BK)

Describes the Strategic Interaction Approach, which is built around the use of scenarios, rather than a grammar syllabus, and requires students to work through communication problems. Discusses its usefulness for short term courses aimed toward training professionals to gain working knowledge in specific fields. (EKN)

Discusses the pros and cons of the Dartmouth Intensive Language Model (DILM) and offers some advice on introducing such a program in any language. Concludes that DILM-trained students do learn to communicate more effectively than traditionally taught beginners. (EKN)

"El Interprete," a communicative activity designed for third- or fourth-semester Spanish language students, promotes communicative competence through: (1) lowering stress; (2) having students work in pairs; and (3) helping students concentrate on the transmission of real messages. These activities are appended with suggestions for creating,…

Presents the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' provisional generic descriptions for nine levels (novice-low, novice-mid, novice-high, advanced, advanced plus, and superior) in the following areas: (1) speaking, (2) listening, (3) reading, (4) writing, and for six levels in culture. (SED)

Findings of sociolinguistic research that can be used by language teachers to elicit meaningful and authentic communication from their students are reviewed, including such factors as nonverbal cues, situation, intent, mood, and cultural norms. (MSE)

Presents the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language Chinese Proficiency Guidelines, detailing stages of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. (CB)

Answers 20 frequently asked questions regarding implementation of elementary school foreign language immersion programs, including consideration of program goals, staffing, total versus partial immersion, student participation, effects on other programs and learning, and parent involvement. (CB)

Guidelines for a workshop to make teachers aware of the need to set standards for oral proficiency in the classroom are presented. Oral communication skills must be considered separately from other forms of class participation to facilitate a more objective evaluation. (Author/LMO)