Training for ESL teachers should include linguistic training and application skills, cultural appreciation, second language teaching competencies, and the abilities to design and evaluate curriculum and to select or develop tests. Teacher specialization opportunities, support services, professional development, and the links between research and…

Current colloquial use of the simple past and present perfect shows a tendency of the former to encroach on the semantic field of the latter so that the two may be used in free variation in many contexts. The contexts in which this is not possible are defined, and implications for teaching English as a second language are discussed. (MSE)

Test results for final-year French students in Canadian universities show they have not mastered the gender of some of the most frequent French nouns. Two recommendations are to continue to seek simplification of the learning of gender and to require students to use the full range of syntactic transformations. (MSE)

Approaches taken in the United States and France to use of visual pedagogy are compared and discussed. The necessity of integrating semiotic theory and visual pedagogy is underscored, a semiotic model of visual literacy and decoding is outlined, and some advertisements are analyzed, giving suggestions for teaching use. (MSE)

Five elementary level language classroom games for teaching vocabulary, question-asking, and facts about Canada are described. They include 2 games of concentration, a game of discovery, a review of facts about Canada, and a game of 20 questions. Most are specifically designed for French language usage. (MSE)

The phenomenon of lexical neology and its applications in second-language instruction are discussed. A study of feminization of titles in the Canadian maritime provinces is reported, and teaching materials based on those observations are suggested, aimed at enabling college-level language learners to understand the phenomenon and its practical…

It is proposed that with increased immigration and resulting concern for minority rights and the preservation of cultural and language prerogatives, educators must be both committed and trained to support human rights and the implementation of non-biased educational programs. Strategies, techniques, and professional development topics for teachers…

A variety of French language classroom activities are described, including a game to familiarize immersion students with Canada; exercises using songs; a teacher-student competitive vocabulary game; communicative activities; three games to practice verb conjugations, previously learned structures, and vocabulary; and a whole-language activity…

Results of the first Canadian field-tested interactive video for language learners using real conversation demonstrate how simple technology, used properly, can increase students' motivation, drive, and effort. (25 references) (Author/MSE)

Intended as a practical reference for teachers and curriculum developers, the guide reviews options in student evaluation and considers the relevance of these for monitoring student learning in the context of a multidimensional curriculum for core French programs. Three categories of evaluation methods are examined: language tests; observation and…

Argues that in Ontario's French-medium schools, reading is often a challenge, particularly for those in readiness classes who speak little or no French. A model for early intervention in reading is recommended, combining reading and writing to address the linguistic challenges of students in a minority-language community. (Author/MSE)

Examines how application of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and information technology can be used to overcome "grammar deficit" seen in many British undergraduate German students. A combination of explicit, implicit, and exploratory grammar teaching approaches uses diverse resources, including word processing packages,…