ERIC Number: ED252071
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1985-Feb-2
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Oral Proficiency: A Curriculum Response of a Community/Junior College.
Harper, Jane
In response both to interests within the foreign language teaching profession and to a new Texas law mandating oral proficiency standards for foreign language teachers, Tarrant County Junior College developed a number of curriculum changes in French, German, Spanish, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. The primary first-year emphasis and continuing major emphasis in the second year of these programs are oral communication skills, listening comprehension, and speaking. These skills continue to be stressed in third-year French and Spanish civilization courses. In addition, one-credit elective courses are offered that are important components of the programs of students seeking oral proficiency. Some are specifically designed for particular aspects of oral proficiency. In each language there are also multiple levels of conversation courses. Some courses whose primary emphasis is the development of reading and writing skills also include consistent listening and/or speaking practice opportunities. Also, in direct response to the state mandate, two new courses each in French, German, and Spanish have been developed. One is a conversation course for high school students who have completed at least one year of high school language study, and the other is a conversation course for teachers needing to develop or maintain fluency in oral skills. The courses have proved to be very popular. (MSE)
Descriptors: Classroom Techniques, College Second Language Programs, Community Colleges, Curriculum Development, Elective Courses, English (Second Language), French, German, High School Students, Higher Education, Language Proficiency, Oral Language, Second Language Instruction, Spanish, Speech Skills
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A