Although many foreign language instructors assess oral skills in their program, many hesitate to incorporate multiple oral evaluations because of the perceived disadvantages of time-cost and added stress. This article underscores the significant advantages of oral assessments and encourages instructors toward that goal by presenting five types of…

Identifies areas that need improvement in teaching assistant training programs in the foreign languages if graduates are to be competitive in the job market, including course design, syllabus writing and identification and statement of curriculum and course objectives; design of content courses; materials development; articulation between the…

Argues for inclusion of more written input in first-year programs, and describes an experimental reading collection of children's books accompanied by guided tasks. The description includes results of a post-year survey that explored student perceptions of the cultural and linguistic benefits of working with children's books in a reading lab.…

Argues for the commencement of foreign-language instruction at the elementary school level or even at the kindergarten level. However, such instruction must consider the developmental stages of children of this age. Implications for early foreign language instruction are drawn from the similarities and differences between first- and…

Endeavors to make students aware of similarities between today's movie culture and the theater of the 18th century; parallels between a traditional drama and a movie script; and Schiller's understanding of the sublime. (36 references) (Author/CK)

Suggests an approach to compositions that addresses the special character of intermediate foreign-language writing through process assignments that involve strategic corrections and a series of interrelated, in-class writing activities, including expansion exercises intended for use during the revision period. This essay design also coordinates…

Since the publication of "Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century," the development of communicative competence both within and beyond the confined walls of the language classroom has become a national priority for the foreign language (FL) teaching profession. The literature on standards and proficiency suggests…