Examines effective ways of utilizing foreign currency from various countries whose official language is Spanish as means to promote conversation and enrich vocabulary in Spanish classes. Use of currency has pedagogical, cultural, and historical aspects. (Author/BK)

Discusses the aims of activity centers, the planning of interesting and motivating learning tasks, and grouping procedures for elementary school students learning French as a second language. Proposes a French program geared to small groups of students in order to meet individual needs and improve children's ability to communicate. (MES)

Outlines comparative approach to translation as flexible method which consists of comparing literary works from the target language word for word with several competent translations. Uses concrete example from Spanish literature. (BK)

Describes use of popular music in the target language as springboard for various pedagogical goals such as discussing grammatical forms, discussing content of songs, and comparing singing styles. Students also learn more about modern music of target language. (BK)

Discusses the theoretical foundations of both basic approaches to contrastive analysis, the predictive, "a priori" version, and the explanatory, "a posteriori" version. Analyzes problems in both approaches, and states that explanatory investigations must be divorced from "classical" contrastive analysis and used with a more realistic methodology…

Combines studies in cognitive psychology and language acquisition with observations of pedagogical materials and student performance to analyze foreign-language teaching from the perspective of what students and teachers need to understand about language learning and language before meaningful debate over methodology can be undertaken. (Author/MES)

Describes a French course for English-speaking students of journalism and mass communications based on a global approach to language teaching. The course aims to develop communicative competence as well as a critical attitude toward the media product. This approach stresses the functioning of language in a given context. (Author/MES)

Addresses problems that arise in applying functional/notional syllabus design to general-purpose academic courses. Proposes steps that attempt to solve three major problems: (1) how to link functional and linguistic categories; (2) on what basis to select and sequence materials; and (3) how to develop functional ability in all four skills.…

Examines directions suggested by studies in communicative competence, cognitive mapping of learning styles, and classroom interaction, seeking integration with a basically audiolingual approach to second language instruction. Suggests alternate ways of conducting classes to help teachers meet students' individual learning needs while still using…

States that a major source of frustration for the second language teacher is the difficulty of bridging the gap between the formal aspects of language and the exploitation of the language in authentic situations. Suggests steps that can be taken to overcome the problem and to meet students' expectations. (MES)

A student, who also appears to be a language teacher, reviews the highlights of a Spanish course, describes her teacher's approach, recalls classroom episodes, assesses her own and other students' reactions, the ebb and flow of motivation... all in the form of a letter to her former teacher. (MES)

Discusses recent changes in objectives of second language education including development of a more comprehensive theory, a set of communicative teaching strategies, and an increasing interest in the needs of the learner in the context of English as a second language project underway in the Modern Language Center of the Ontario Institute for…

Proposes a model of immersion strategy based on an emphasis on communication and on the use of a great variety of teaching techniques. (AM)

Proposes that second language instruction should give priority to the receptive skills of listening and reading and describes a project conducted in Sweden which sought to realize the development of these skills in a short course. (AM)

Discusses the use of visual materials in second language instruction to produce verbal utterances. (AM)