Describes an alternate view of language learning strategies that limits their application to those behaviors that are intentional and freely chosen. A model is presented that postulates that for strategies to be used, students must be aware of one or more appropriate strategies, have reason to use them, have no impediments to their use, and should…

Chronicles the steps taken in developing a curricular project to design, implement, and evaluate a simulation business course for beginners learning Japanese at the university level. The steps in developing the program, from the selection of materials to the evaluation of the entire project, are presented together with insights gained from the…

Measured whether beginning foreign language classes are more communicative now than they were 17 years ago. Two sets of classroom observations looked at the types and amounts of speaking activities in which beginning foreign language students engage in order to determine how and to what extent students practice the language artificially and as a…

Describes "concoctions," a style of small group and pair activities that has proved highly successful in stimulating language interaction in a wide variety of instructional settings. Along with a theoretical discussion, numerous concoctions are included in the text and appendix. (JL)

Recent research has recommended increased use of the target language; the use of cognitive, metacognitive, and prosocial strategies; and cooperative learning to help achieve oral proficiency and communication within the classroom. This paper describes a 21-day research action project involving 2 Spanish 2 honors classes and several cooperative…

Presents an example of a multimedia program for French-as-a-Foreign-Language instruction developed at Penn State University using a videodisc selection that illustrates the use of authentic materials with potential for adaptations for various levels, tasks, and media. (JL)

This article describes using dialog journals as part of a teaching-methods course in a summer program in Spain. Participants were teachers of Spanish with a range of experience and language proficiency. (JL)

This study investigated the nature of progress made in learning Chinese as a Foreign Language by adult learners in an intensive summer program in an American university setting. Chinese language ability of 22 students was measured by a multiple choice test and an interview test. Data are interpreted and discussed in terms of implications for…

This paper focuses on the pedagogical beliefs and practices of immersion teachers in a large midwestern city. (JL)

This article describes a nine-week collaborative project involving the training of secondary school language teachers in the use of process approach, holistic assessment, and positive feedback of writing in the second-language classroom. A description of the three workshop sessions over the nine-week period is provided. (JL)

The question of the sequencing of skills is an important issue in language policy and curriculum design in general, and even more so in the case of a diglossic language such as Arabic. This paper tries to investigate the implications of diglossia on the order of linguistic skills acquisition in Arabic among Hebrew speakers in Israel. (JL)

This study looked at current reading strategies used by Spanish learners in fourth- and fifth-semester college Spanish. Students ranked strategies they found most useful. No single strategy was chosen by an overwhelming majority of students; however, a mean ranking revealed that instruction in skimming and word guessing proved most useful to…

Three examples of conversation and composition courses that work well because of a large amount of preparation and coordination are outlined in this article. Courses in German, French, and Spanish are included that are concrete examples. (JL)