Using O'Dowd and Ritter's (2006) Inventory of Reasons for Failed Communication in Telecollaborative Projects as a barometer, this article details the considerations and procedures followed in a task-based, asynchronous email telecollaboration project between EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners in Japan and Chile. In a climate…

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has become increasingly recognized as an effective pedagogy, but its location in generalized sociocultural theories of learning has led to misunderstandings and criticism. The purpose of this article is to explain the congruence between TBLT and Expansive Learning Theory and the benefits of doing so. The merit…

Pragmatic competence is one of the essential competences taught in the second language classroom. The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB, 2012a), the standard document referred to in any federally funded program of ESL teaching in Canada, acknowledges the importance of this competence, yet at the same time notes the limited resources available to…

The Alberta K-12 ESL Proficiency Benchmarks are organized by division: kindergarten, grades 1-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, and grades 10-12. They are descriptors of language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The descriptors are arranged in a continuum of seven language competences across five proficiency levels. Several…

This longitudinal study tracked five public junior and senior high school Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) who were sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to study English and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) pedagogy at a host university in Canada. This qualitative case study found…

One of the central challenges of ESL teaching is striking the right balance between form and meaning. In pronunciation pedagogy, this challenge is compounded because repetitive practice, which has been shown to enhance phonological acquisition and promote fluency, is widely viewed as being incompatible with communicative principles. This article…

Discusses the implementation of communicative language teaching methodology in the English-as-a-Foreign-Language context in one institution in China. Suggests that a preliminary stage of content-based communicative curriculum development is necessary. Such a stage aims to investigate the context of an English language teaching program, ad then…

Offers communicative activities designed to enhance the cross-cultural awareness of Japanese university students whose language levels range from beginner to intermediate. The activities range from student-generated interviews of a guest speaker and e-mail exchanges with target language speakers to a mini-video ethnography project that focuses on…

Examines a number of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) grammar textbooks via an author-designed checklist to analyze how well they incorporate the findings from research in communicative language teaching (CLT) and in form-focused instruction (FFI). Concludes that although a few textbooks incorporate some of the research findings of CLT and…

Presents a discussion of two problems with communicative language teaching textbooks for English-as-a-foreign-language children in China. Provides an explanation of the rationale for the use of stories and sandwich stories, and gives a demonstration of sandwich stories being used in the classroom. (Author/VWL)

Reviews the case method from an historical perspective and explores why and how "decision" cases might be used by teacher educators in the professional preparation of teachers as reflective English-as-a-Second-Language specialists. Argues that the case method can enhance the critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills of novice and…

Reflects on the implications of the multifaceted role of an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adult educator. Notes that adult ESL educators act as change agents, bridges to Canadian society, and student advocates, and that their pivotal role consists of developing their students' communicative competence. Emphasizes that the development of…

Reports on a case study of a technique designed to increase adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' communicative competence by exposing students to real audiences in authentic settings. In the approach, students learn the subtle influence of cultural and social factors of speech in a manner difficult to duplicate in a classroom. (four…

Focuses on factors affecting timing in conventional communicative second-language classrooms, summarizes research evidence on the significance of timing, and identifies contexts where timing should be a consideration. The article argues for more use of time lapses, particularly deliberated silences, within the framework of classroom dynamics. (26…

Examines problems with improving oral language skills of limited-English-speaking adults and describes a university English as a second language course that is organized around issues in the women's movement. Topics are selected by the students, and a variety of approaches are used. A lesson plan and evaluative remarks are included. (AMH)