bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lafayette in Delaware
Authors: Nichols Pamela T.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  During an eight‐week period, a small high school French IV class did a Bicentennial research project which resulted in a bilingual pamphlet about Lafayette in Delaware for distribution to all the French and Social Studies Departments in the state. They then prepared a “Lafayette Day” at a local museum, including a slide show, fashion show, and skit. Since the class involved both history and French in a successful educational project for the community, favorable public attention was given to our school and foreign language department. Student enthusiasm, engendered by researching a famous foreigner and his influence on our community, was high, and “Lafayette Day” proved to be the type of exhilarating learning experience which affects a student's attitude.
A French‐Canadian Live‐In
Authors: Kilzer Helen A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article explains how one teacher tried to meet in minimal time the challenge of maximizing students' cultural awareness and linguistic competency in French. A three‐week live‐in with Frenchspeaking Canadian families and an opportunity to assist teachers in a bilingual elementary school formed the nucleus of the experience, which served to deepen and prolong the facility acquired in a typical language course. A step‐by‐step description of the experiment and its effects on both the students and the participating community lead the author to believe that interest, coupled with a satisfying cultural experience, can give even those students who have not had the advantage of early foreign language exposure a chance to survive the current pressures for ‘professional’ education at the expense of liberal education.
Esperanto: Threat or Ally?
Authors: Goodman Thomas H.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Esperanto is a language whose characteristics and applications are not understood by most language teachers. Its predominantly Romance language vocabulary and simple, logical grammar make it ideal as an introduction to the study of other languages, especially French and Spanish. In recent years, Esperanto has been discussed at various conferences and used in innovative programs. In 1975, Maryland began training teachers who wished to experiment with Esperanto in their classes, usually as part of an exploratory course in a foreign language appreciation program. Teachers have observed a marked increase in motivation among students exposed to Esperanto. Perhaps more formal measurement of its impact on learning foreign languages will be possible through a later study.
Coping with ‘Innovative Overchoice:’ A Curriculum Model*
Authors: Lafayette Robert C.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  During the last ten years, the second language teacher has been presented with a plethora of innovative ideas, many of which suggest additions to an already crowded curriculum or demand more work from an already overworked teacher. This paper presents a model to help teachers cope with this problem. Called “Core Plus Open Time,” the model includes the definition of basic content for all students, followed by diagnosis, which in turn leads to a series of reinforcement and enrichment activities. Variations of the basic model are applied to three levels of instruction. There is discussion of how best to define the core content, as well as suggestions concerning effective instructional modes.
Amateur Radio as an Aid to Foreign Language Learning
Authors: Richmond Edmun B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The campus amateur radio station presents an ideal way for students to communicate with a native speaker in a foreign country by utilizing two‐way shortwave radio. These contacts provide the language learner with ‘live,’ personalized conversations with someone other than the teacher. A pilot study was conducted with third‐quarter, beginning, German students utilizing the campus amateur radio station. Contacts were maintained with five German‐speaking stations. Attendance was purely voluntary; however, the attendance rate rose steadily during the study. Participating students expressed enthusiasm for the radio sessions and appeared to generate more classroom interest in the German language and culture.
On Asking Questions and Getting Answers
Authors: Hatton Robert W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The question‐answer technique has long been a basic, essential part of the second language class. Spoken communication, however, does not exist solely of questions and answers. This article describes a question‐answer technique based on authenticity of form and content which has applicability at virtually all levels of instruction. In a carefully sequenced, step‐by‐step process, students are led from the initial automatic response stage to the point where they are capable of providing definitions, rephrasing content, or expressing opinions in the second language. This technique also provides for total class involvement in a relaxed atmosphere.
Love and Marriage: A Modern Approach to Conversation
Authors: Sinka Margit M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Most conversation courses in a foreign language, centered on reading selections and speeches prepared by students, lack animated discussions. In order to ensure personal involvement in and eagerness for verbal communication, the German intermediate conversational course at Clemson University centers on love, marriage, and family life. Students fill out ‘computer dating sheets,’ are matched with each other, have dates, prepare wedding ceremonies for class, and enjoy a few weeks of blissful marriage‐related activities until they undergo marital crises and divorces. In the final class session, they pose as old people imparting wisdom to the young. Student proficiency in German improves remarkably, and the course generates enthusiasm as well as self‐awareness and awareness of others.
The Guichard Family: A Framework for Teaching Conversation Skills
Authors: Arnold Donald G.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The Guichard technique is a response to the need for lively, sustained conversation in the level II language class. Referring to simple blackboard drawings by the non‐artist teacher, students create people and situations involving an imaginary French family whose activities are followed at home, at school, on vacation, and during holidays. Examples are given for the presentation of the tableaux, including strategies for eliciting student involvement. Compositions and miniskits are further extensions of the conversations. The method is applicable to any textbook and has been successful in developing speaking and writing skills, improving student confidence, and providing a basic understanding of everyday French culture.
Reading Is Communication, Too!
Authors: Phillips June K.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The communicative aspect of the reading skill resides in the ability to interpret culturally authentic messages in the foreign language environment, that is, to be functionally literate in the second language. A task‐analysis procedure is useful in three areas: identification of appropriate communicative materials, strategies effective for the decoding process, and evaluation techniques that capitalize on the communicative aspect of the situation. Within thematic units developed in textbook lessons, teachers can provide guidelines that expand the reading materials to exploit communication between written messages and learners by encouraging the guessing process that the independent reader must develop. This type of activity serves to bridge the gap between controlled and liberated reading situations. A combination of language skills and contextual expectations works together so that the reader interprets the realia of the foreign culture.
The Grass Is Always Greener: A Teacher Exchange Experiment
Authors: Link Eleanor A. , Mitchell Jane Tucker
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The monotony of unvarying schedules occurs in secondary schools and higher education. This article concerns an effort to modify the classroom situation temporarily through a teacher exchange experiment between a university methods instructor and a high school French teacher. Both participants share their impressions of their new roles and agree that this type of experience should be encouraged. The methods instructor tests her theories and experiences some of the same problems as her student teachers; the high school teacher gains a renewed appreciation for her classroom and an awareness of her value as a professional. Both conclude that the cooperating teacher is the key to the student teaching program.
The Language Connection, Or Talk Is Not Always Cheap*
Authors: Altman Howard B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Although language is our professional ‘connection,’ it also has the capacity to function as our ‘disconnection’ in two ways: on the one hand, teachers of different languages disconnect themselves from one another, resulting in a highly fragmented profession; on the other hand, the language we use, and the ways in which we use it, in communicating with one another, with our students, and with educational decision‐makers has the effect of disconnecting us from ourselves and from those we most need to impress. In Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk, Postman illustrates how our use of language often works against us. Crazy talk is talk which has bad or unachievable purposes; stupid talk is talk which is ineffective in achieving its purposes. By examining our professional discourse, various examples of crazy talk and stupid talk in our journals and our interactions with one another are illustrated. It is hoped that an awareness of the impact of our use of language will allow it to serve as our ‘connection’ instead of our ‘disconnection.’
Foreign Languages in the Real World
Authors: de Johnson Teresa H.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  If students are to continue with foreign language courses, there must be articulation between levels of instruction and coordination with other areas of study. College‐level offerings which build on high school courses, such as Certificate of Proficiency programs and specialized courses (Business French, Russian Scientific Translation, etc.) have greatly aided articulation and coordination. The author also discusses the development of an information dissemination system to acquaint students, faculty, counselors, and parents with the choices available and the reasons for their existence. A tailor‐made presentation, using slides and commentary, has facilitated a two‐way system of communication: a situation where courses reflect needs and interests, and where school and community appreciate the many uses and applications of foreign language study in the real world.
Increasing Upper‐Division Language Enrollment Through Intensive Language Learning
Authors: Benseler David P.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This essay presents selected aspects of the evolution of a highly successful intensive language course for undergraduates, one which could be duplicated by any language department. The author describes both the rationale which led to the course's establishment and the impact of the concept on upper‐division German enrollment at Washington State University.
Into French and the World via Short‐Wave
Authors: Rorke Robert Cornelius
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Short‐wave radio broadcasts provide a rich source of materials for foreign language teaching. The author reports on the introduction of French broadcasts in an intensive spoken French class. Students responded enthusiastically, appreciating the variety and authenticity of linguistic models and the exposure to world affairs. They also enjoyed the challenge of deciphering frequently complex radio messages, collaborating constructively in their efforts. Careful listening to the broadcasts guaranteed a readiness and willingness to speak in class. The dynamic, authentic content of international radio evoked a high level of student‐teacher involvement both in and out of the classroom. Students and instructor saw dramatic proof of improved listening and speaking skills. Class structure and testing are discussed, and suggestions for other applications of short‐wave materials at different levels are proposed.
Culture via Airmail
Authors: Elton Maurice G.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Postage stamps from foreign countries are invaluable pictorial vehicles of communication which focus our attention on a particular nation's cultural history and heritage. When used in the language class or as an extracurricular activity, foreign stamps act as a springboard to an interdisciplinary study of a foreign culture. The article expains how, with relative ease, stamps can be collected, catalogued, photographed, arranged in thematic areas, and incorporated into a language curriculum or culture cluster.
Vowel Approximation Through Visual Display
Authors: Richmond Edmun B. , Barrett Clifford E. , Kraul Douglas R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT This article describes a prototype electronic device which is used in the foreign language classroom or laboratory to visually display pedagogical models and student articulations of target language sounds in real‐time. The sounds are displayed on the face of an oscilloscope cathode‐ray tube (CRT). The students match their production of a target sound to a pedagogical model of that sound which is placed on the CRT face. The pedagogical model and the student articulation are displayed simultaneously as the student produces the sound, thus assuring immediate, concurrent feedback to the student.
Communicating Correct Syntax Through Translation Activities
Authors: Anastos Perry
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The structure sheets presented in this paper offer translation activities to commmunicate correct syntax. Syntax mastered on the audiolingual level often cannot insinuate itself into students' minds when they are faced with translating or creating a sentence. They tend to ‘think in English.’ These structure sheets exploit this tendency, and the mechanical activities on English syntax lead the student to make a transition to the correct syntax in French. Throughout the year in a Level II class, such exercises were given to eliminate translating the present progressive and the past progressive (imperfect) word for word, and to develop more awareness of the reflexive construction, the imperfect tense, and the passé composé. The study described in this article observes the success of this approach. Working through the mother tongue to arrive at an understanding in the second language seems to be useful, in some instances, in the learning process.
The Answer: High School Foreign Languages Tutoring Program
Authors: Williford Mary L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT It is generally accepted by foreign language educators that the most favorable time to begin the study of foreign languages is during early childhood. The problem of including languages in the elementary curriculum has centered around the lack of funds to provide trained personnel in the elementary schools. The use of second‐year students to teach elementary students in the High School Foreign Languages Tutoring Program has accomplished the goal of acquainting elementary students with French, Spanish, or German. The program, begun in 1975 in Memphis City Schools, was expanded during the 1977–78 school year to involve eighty high school students and approximately fifteen hundred elementary students.
Developing Student Teacher Skills in Lesson Planning and Self‐Critiquing
Authors: Knop Constance K.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT During their practicum, student teachers seem to move through three phases of development, each requiring different types of training and guidance from the cooperating teacher and supervisor. In phase one, “Mastery of Basic Instructional Techniques,” student teachers feel inadequate about the mechanics of planning and presenting different kinds of lessons. Performance criteria for specific lessons will guide them in observing their cooperating teachers, in planning such lessons, and in classroom microteaching. In phase two, “Developing Sensitivity to Pupil‐Teacher Interactions,” when student teachers are concerned about teacher and student activity during an entire class period, they may use different instruments to analyze the dynamics, behaviors, interactions, and learning that occurred. Finally, in phase three, “Overall Analysis and Evaluations of Teaching Effectivenes,” gathering data on teacher/student activities and interactions will aid student teachers in looking for recurring patterns of behavior that need changing to improve learning and those behaviors that were effective. All the activities and instruments presented are useful for student teachers in their practicum training and for experienced teachers in self‐evaluation.
A Learning‐Teaching View of Second Language Instruction*
Authors: Hosenfeld Carol
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article proposes that the current teaching‐learning view of second language instruction be replaced by a learning‐teaching view. In the former, the focus is upon the teaching act, which is often imprecisely linked to an undescribed phenomenon called ‘learning;’ in the latter view, the focus is upon the learning act, and teaching procedures are generated by and support specific learning processes. The author argues for a teacher role in research on learning processes and views a teacher's task as twofold: (1) to discover what students do as they perform foreign language tasks, and (2) to implement procedures in which strategies of skillful students provide a basis for remediation of strategies of unskillful students.
Grand Prix Wagon Racing: Speaking the Language—Having Fun
Authors: Alsop Thomas W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article presents guidelines directed at the organization of a Grand Prix wagon race. Such an event provides more visibility to the foreign language program. Parents and school administrators are able to observe the students speaking the foreign language. Interactions between parents, teachers, school administrators, and students improve. Students experience a new feeling about the language which they have studied in the classroom. The ultimate results of the race can be translated into increased enjoyment and appreciation of foreign languages.
Le Passé Simple Sans Peine
Authors: Benedict Marjorie A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The author describes how all irregularities of all common verbs in French can be reduced to five types in the passé simple: (1) Irregular stems and endings; (2) Regular stems, irregular endings; (3) Irregular stems, regular endings; (4) Stem from third person plural, regular endings; and (5) Stem from the past participle, regular endings: common irregular verbs whose past participles end in “u” and those whose past participles are identical to the first person singular of the passé simple. The system facilitates learning the tense with no need to memorize each irregular verb individually.
Introducing Culture in the High School Foreign Language Class
Authors: Hendon Ursula S.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In the past, humanists have viewed language as an intellectual discipline. Today language has been redefined as an integral part of the culture with which it is connected. In an anthropological sense, the term “culture” refers to the behavioral patterns or lifestyles of a people. A knowledge of the codes of behavior of another people is important if today's foreign language student is to communicate fully in the target language. Therefore, the study of culture should be undertaken from the very first day of foreign language instruction. This article discusses various methods of teaching culture in the high school foreign language classroom.
Two Visuals to Accompany Albert Valdman's Langue et Culture
Authors: Polly Lyle R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Albert Valdman's Langue et Culture is a very popular first‐year French text. Two easily made visuals can provide sufficient material to introduce and to reinforce many of the grammatical concepts taught from this text in an average first semester French course.
Using the Situation‐Oriented Miniplay and the Videotape Recorder in Advanced Conversation Classes
Authors: Keilstrup Duane V.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article presents a three‐stage approach for teaching advanced conversation. Students progressively master selected source materials, write and perform miniplays based on the sources, and finally “survive” in a real situation based on the material in the miniplays. Use of the VTR in this systematic progression toward an acceptable level of survival fluency can bring added motivation and better performance. Techniques, advantages, and disadvantages in the use of the VTR are discussed.
German Via the Airwaves, Phase Two: On the Beam with CB Radio
Authors: Richmond Edmun B.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In a continuing effort to utilize two‐way radio contacts as a means of generating conversational skills in the foreign language class, a treasure hunt game using hand‐held walkie‐talkie radios has been developed and implemented at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The game consists of a base team and a field team, which must work together in the target language in order to locate a hidden message. The message must be found and decoded before the adversary teams have done the same with their messages. The game can be utilized at any level of language instruction, and the equipment is readily available and relatively inexpensive.
The Dicto‐Comp Revisited
Authors: Kleinmann Howard H. , Selekman Howard R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The dicto‐comp exercise has generally been used as a technique to stimulate writing. Based on auditory memory expansion, it consists of a passage which is read to students several times. After the final reading, students are asked to reproduce the passage, adhering to the original version as closely as possible. The technique is designed to tap students' ability to write both a dictation and a composition. The present paper discusses and illustrates the structured use of the dicto‐comp where the focus is on composition rather than auditory memory expansion. Our concept of the dicto‐comp entails the following features: (1) A dicto‐comp exercise occurs within an orderly sequence of teaching/learning events in the composition classroom; and (2) each dicto‐comp exercise has a specific teaching point, either a particular syntactic pattern or a particular rhetorical pattern. Recent classroom experiences with the use of the dicto‐comp are discussed.
Commercial French Radio in the Classroom
Authors: Melpignano Richard J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Among the many activities instructors use to help students improve their listening comprehension in French, commercial radio remains a relatively unexplored territory. Canadian radio, being accessible to much of the northern United States, can be exploited and utilized profitably by the imaginative instructor. This article describes several techniques that can be used successfully in high schools and colleges. News, weather, and sports broadcasts, as well as popular songs, provide the major components in a program designed for sharpening the listening comprehension skill.
The Drama Workshop: A Lab Alternative
Authors: Cernyak Susan E. , Reimer Robert C.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The German staff at UNCC, in an attempt to give greater appeal to the language lab, restructured the lab component of the second year and started offering several options to attendance at electronic lab. The most popular of the options is the drama lab, which is described in the article. Started in 1972, the drama lab has operated for ten semesters with great success. The objective of the lab is improvement in language ability, including pronunciation, intonation, and stress patterns. It also serves to create an environment in which students feel at ease in using the German language. Performance is not the goal of the language lab, but because of student enthusiasm for performance, plays have been performed at the Clemson Dionysia Drama Festival, for local high schools, and have been recorded on video and audio tape.
The Limitations of Self‐Paced Instruction in Latin
Authors: Lacey Douglas N.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  After four years of experimentation with self‐paced instruction in elementary and intermediate latin at The Ohio State University, evidence has demonstrated that this mode of instruction works quite well at the skill‐building levels of the language, but becomes unwieldy and ineffective at the intermediate levels. Part of the reason for this result is the fact that most Latin programs expect to have the students reading continuous prose by at least the third or fourth term of study. The transition from grammar and syntax to reading comprehension seems to work best in the classroom, where students can learn more from a group effort than they could from a one‐to‐one meeting with an instructor. Likewise, the self‐paced program at the intermediate levels becomes much more of a tutorial, in which time is consumed in a most inefficient manner, since the same material will have to be covered by an instructor with individual students rather than with groups.
New Potential for the Old Dictation
Authors: Smith Paul C.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  For spot‐dictation purposes, song lyrics can be duplicated with blanks for the words or structures that are desirable to emphasize. Lyrics quite often have repetitious structures and vocabulary, and thus lend themselves to reinforcing new forms or concepts. This procedure can encourage general listening comprehension in an agreeable format, while highlighting one particular language feature. Examples are taken from traditional folklore, songs performed by Joan Baez, and Antonio Machado poems sung by Serrat.
Let's Try a Positive Approach
Authors: Hahn Sidney L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article presents a theoretical base for combining humanistic and cultural study, and offers ideas for implementation. Emphasis is placed initially on discovering similarities and common points of reference. Building empathy for another culture begins with sharing perceptions and acquiring a foundation of likenesses before dealing with contrasts and differences. A sampling of classroom tested activities illustrates the positive approach suggested.
Create Culturally Authentic Christmas and Greeting Cards
Authors: Seng Mark W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  Authentic pictures or drawings from the target culture provide the illustrations for Christmas and greeting cards teachers and students can make. New copy machines make copies hardly distinguishable from the original. They can reduce an easily made original to an excellent copy—on card stock if desired. Students of any age, but especially young bilingual‐bicultural students enjoy coloring the illustrations in vivid, authentic hues. The finished cards prove so attractive that students find them easy to sell to support language club projects. However, perhaps the greatest strength derives from the excitement language students feel creating something that is valued by family and friends, and that reflects another dimension of the target culture.
Opera as a Motivating Device
Authors: Brady Arthur D.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  This article describes a non‐technical approach to the classroom presentation of opera. Opera, which is rapidly gaining in popularity throughout the country, can be a valuable learning and motivating device in the foreign language classroom. Since one of the functions of art is to give pleasure, the technique herein described will show high school students a method of deriving pleasure from using the language they are studying. The opera Manon, by Jules Massenet, serves to illustrate this method, which teachers of other languages can easily adapt. The basic elements of this technique include annotation of the libretto by the teacher, preparation of useful documents, presentation of the recorded work to the class, preparation of a student take‐home assignment, and classroom discussion. An optional classroom activity is suggested in which the class may study the literary source of the opera.
Songs as a Linguistic and Cultural tesource in the Intermediate Italian Class
Authors: Gatti‐Taylor Marisa
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  In teaching Italian language at the college level, one incurs a special challenge at the point of transition between the elementary and intermediate courses. The passage from structured exercises to relatively free speech and composition can be facilitated by the introduction of songs toward the end of the first year, when the students' knowledge of vocabulary and grammar enables them to cope with simple lyrics. Regular discussion and memorization of carefully chosen songs develop the students' aural understanding as well as their pronunciation and sensitivity to the poetic use of language. Moreover, continued use of songs at the intermediate level provides a variety of insights into Italian culture. This article explains how songs enliven and broaden the study of language. It outlines a simple procedure that does not interfere with regular classroom work yet allows for the study of at least six songs in a semester. It concludes with a summary of the comments given by students answering a questionnaire at the end of semesters in which songs were included as part of the curriculum.
Ethnography for Language Learners
Authors: Hickey Leo
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  If language is part of culture, there is also a sense in which culture is a component of language. When going abroad to learn or practice a foreign language, students should have some awareness of the target society's ethnography. If they adopt the role of ‘foreign tourist,’ they may be treated as outsiders, whereas a basic acquaintance with proxemics, kinesics, and sociology will help them play a more profitable role. The move from one society to another may not simply be horizontal, but may also involve diagonal change from one class or status to another, without the subject's realizing it. Some familiarity with elicitation techniques, especially in distinguishing implicit background information from the surface messages in which it is embedded, can help in learning how a language is used.
Teaching Reading Skills through Linguistic Redundancy
Authors: Weible David M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT  The following article describes the development of a computer program which teaches high frequency vocabulary, basic syntax, and reading skills entirely through the inferring of meaning from contextual indicators (inferencing). This approach is made accessible to students wholly unfamiliar with the target language by initial reliance on a largely native language context.
The ACTFL Survey of Successful Programs
Authors: Hammond Sandra B. , Sims William D.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT ACTFL is currently studying successful language programs in schools throughout the nation. This project, supported by the Department of Education, involves the identification, description, and analysis of fifty exemplary programs in American secondary schools. Selection criteria include size of student enrollment, rate of completion of course sequences, and degree of proficiency achieved by the students. In choosing programs we shall focus primarily on those whose successful features can be adopted in part or in toto by other schools.

Profiles of these exemplary programs will be published later this year in a sourcebook provisionally titled Prescriptions for Success. We offer as a preview of the sourcebook the following brief description of the language program in the Edison (New Jersey) Public Schools.
Achieving Second Language Fluency Through Immersion Education
Authors: Hornby Peter A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The increasing need and appreciation for functional bilingualism has led to the rapid and widespread development of second language immersion programs throughout Canada. To date, research results indicate that programs in which children receive all their instruction during the primary grades in a second language are more successful than traditional approaches to second language instruction (e.g. FLESJ. In addition, evaluation of the overall development of children who are participating in such programs reveals no significant disadvantages, although there does appear to be a brief, temporary lag in the development of some aspects of native language functioning. Despite the general success of such programs, which are now beginning to gain wider interest in the U.S., there is a clear need for further research including such considerations as the broad range impact on overall development, the variety of individual differences among participating children, evaluation of alternative pedagogical techniques, and a more thorough evaluation of resulting second language skills.
Filling the Elementary Curriculum with Languages: What Are the Effects?
Authors: DiPietro Robert J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Language teachers do not need to be convinced that second language learning is an enriching experience. However, our feelings about the many benefits of knowing more than one language have been obscured in arguments about ‘relevancy’ over the past few decades. Now that the educational establishment has been exposed to bilingual schooling, new concerns have been expressed over the potential disruption to the regular curriculum caused by the introduction of languages other than English. While not classifiable as either a full bilingual program or a traditional second language course, the language project of the Teachers Corps at Key Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia, provides a useful model for other schools located in multilingual communities across the nation. The present study is an evaluation of the effects of the language project.
Major Surgery Due: Redesigning the Syllabus and Texts
Authors: Valdman Albert , Warriner‐Burke Helen P.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT In an attempt to develop higher levels of communicative ability on the part of high school and college foreign language students, some ill‐advised methodologists have advocated the replacement of the traditional situational‐structural syllabus by notional or “communicative” syllabuses. In this article we argue that the attainment of a higher level of communicative skills in regular foreign language courses requires instead clearer definition of objectives and limitation in the scope and content of features specified in syllabuses and introduced in textbooks. We also suggest four directions that should be taken to make the situational‐structural syllabus more compatible with the imparting of a minimal level of communicative ability. These are: (1) giving semantic and functional notions higher priority than surface grammatical features in the selection and ordering of grammatical features; (2) making the use of grammatical features subordinate to the achievement of communicative ends rather than teaching them for their own sake; (3) introducing features of spoken (as versus written) language discourse in textbooks and providing more authentic speech samples; (4) reducing grammatical apparatus to a strict minimum and accepting less than full‐formed utterances from beginning students. These new directions require not only a reduction in the scope of current textbooks but imaginative changes in their design and in the content and progression of syllabuses.
Realistic Communication Through Assertiveness Training Techniques
Authors: Walz Joel C.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The recent popularity of books and seminars on assertiveness training reflects a need for more open communication. Proponents of this field have developed self‐help activities which are designed to practice and improve communication. It is felt that these techniques can be adapted to the foreign language classroom since students also have trouble expressing themselves. This article proposes sixteen learning activities based on assertiveness training which can be used on all language levels to develop all four skills.
Teaching Our Students Here with an Assistant from Over There
Authors: Garnett Norma A.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT A young graduate student from France, fluent in English, Italian, and French, was contracted by a foreign language department, public secondary school level, to assist in appropriate language classes for one school quarter. The objective was to increase the students' oral‐aural skills and their understanding of the cultural lifestyle of the target language. To measure the resulting effect on their attitude toward foreign culture and language, pre‐ and posttesting of attitude was part of the experiment. The effect was positive for the students, and in two measurements the difference was significant (belief in the necessity of language accuracy for better understanding and desire to speak the target language).
Foreign Language Teaching and Bilingual Education: Research Implications
Authors: Politzer Robert L.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Much of the recent research in second language acquisition has focused on the learner rather than on the teacher and has been undertaken not in foreign language teaching but rather in bilingual education context, in which second language acquisition takes place through functional use rather than through formal instruction. However, research findings suggest that primary school children exposed to bilingual immersion‐type programs which lack a second language speaking peer group tend to develop pidginized version of the second language. Therefore, formal foreign language teaching may be needed even in bilingual immersion programs for primary school children. Even in exposure to a peer group, second language teaching can make at least a short run difference in improving grammatical use and correctness. Data from a study recently undertaken at Stanford University show that certain types of language teaching behaviors (e.g., modeling, using visual aids, etc.) relate significantly to pupil achievement as measured by comprehension and production tests. A plea is made for (1) foreign language teaching research undertaken by foreign language specialists using behavioral categories related directly to the foreign language curriculum, (2) a combination of functional and formal approaches (e.g., bilingual education and second language teaching) to achieve second or foreign language proficiency.
An Introductory Course that Can Turn the Enrollment Tide
Authors: Ferguson John W.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Low enrollment continues to plague many foreign language programs, especially those without effective requirements. This article describes an introductory course called “Basic Conversational Spanish,” which has raised enrollment by more than forty percent in two years. Although it is not highly innovative, its success suggests that other programs would benefit greatly by offering similar courses. It is a three‐hour, one‐semester course designed especially for students who desire a basic knowledge of spoken Spanish but lack the time and interest required by traditional elementary courses. Its brevity accounts for most of its appeal to the impatient, fast‐food generation that vacillates considerably when confronted with any project requiring more than a few weeks. This course is also more attractive to fainthearted students whose fear of failure has prompted them to avoid foreign languages in the past. Many who take it enroll later in the regular elementary courses.
French Accent Through Video Analysis
Authors: Ecklund Constance L. , Wiese Peter
Published: January 2009

Abstract  Evaluating a student's accent in a foreign language is a complex process. Although it is obvious to the instructor whether or not the sound is correct, it is difficult for students both to hear the incorrect sound and to correct it. Too often the instructor merely tells the students that they have spoken incorrectly, expresses the sound properly, and then tries, often without lasting success, to have the students imitate. In a phonetically oriented course, diagrams are used as visual aids to teach correct articulation; but, especially at lower levels, it is difficult and often uninspiring for students to identify their speech production with such text figures. In a new method an improvised television “studio” captures the individual student's speech in an easily reviewable, permanent form on videotape. This visual, personal approach can make spectacular improvement in pronunciation, and the technique appears to be adaptable to any level of language learning.
Conversation: Another Approach
Authors: Gousie Laurent
Published: January 2009

Abstract  This article defines a method for teaching conversational language. It seeks to improve the pronunciation of the student, stresses the use of the target language during class meetings, introduces vocabulary needed to live in a country where the target language is spoken, exposes the student to various customs, and, in an attempt to instill confidence in the student, encourages the active use of all newly acquired language skills. This type of course may be especially useful for students intending to study, travel, or seek employment abroad.
American Translators Association
Authors: Berry Eva , Stern Charles M.
Published: January 2009

Abstract  The American Translators Association (ATA) had its twenty‐first anniversary this year. The first meeting was inspired by Alexander Gode. The Association, which now has 1500 members, presents a medal in his name once a year for outstanding achievements in language. The aims of the ATA are to achieve ever higher standards, to improve conditions and payment for translators, and to gain the respect merited for the translating profession. It publishes the ATA Chronicle throughout the year, and a Professional Services Directory. Members who have attended meetings of the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies urged better training for translators in the United States.
Concepts of Pastness: The Passé composé and the Imperfect1
Authors: Terry Robert M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT From the teacher's point of view, teaching the uses of the passé composé and imperfect tenses has been a frustrating experience. We have been relying on target‐language equivalents of English past tenses rather than stressing the concepts and implications of pastness inherent in these two French verb tenses. In this article, translation is not used and English equivalents are purposefully avoided. Meaning is stressed and time elements are conceptualized. Examples of effective teaching and testing devices, gathered from several sources, are offered.
Probing a Short Story with Language Exercises
Authors: Anastos Perry
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT In advanced high school classes, the Vocabulary‐in‐Context and the Question‐and‐Answer exercises illustrated in this article are used to enhance the reading and understanding of literary texts. The Vocabulary‐in‐Context exercise begins with activities in vocabulary building and comprehension and continues with an exercise on reading enrichment. The Question‐and‐Answer exercise enlarges the events and details presented in the Vocabulary‐in‐Context exercise. This enlargement is a preparation for reading and listening activities in which theme, character description, motivation, and the interpretation of events and relationships are dramatized by the teacher. In this oral presentation, he or she makes the subtle, elemental values of the story enter into the empathy and understanding of the class. The progression from the written exercises to the teacher's oral presentation prepares the students to express themselves articulately and perceptively during an unstructured discussion of the story.
The Participatory Classroom
Authors: Gaudiani Claire
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The “Participation Classroom” suggests a structured model for foreign language skill acquisition. This model builds in opportunities for students to participate in teaching, evaluating and goal‐setting. Based on initial self‐assessment of student needs and objectives, this approach to second language competence combines affective support for individual students with a noncompetitive teamwork approach to achievement. Students are systematically offered the challenge to develop general learning skills that will serve them well in this and future courses. This article outlines the instructor's role and the students' role in creating a successful teaching‐learning atmosphere.
The Student as Teacher Promoting Communication Skills Through the Use of Illustrations
Authors: Feeny Thomas Paul
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT An illustration treating the dialogue under study is given to all students. Except for the one chosen to act as student‐teacher in the next class, each must prepare at least six questions and six complete‐sentence answers on the illustration. The student to act as teacher prepares six questions and six false statements for the class to correct. Before the next session, the illustration is copied on the blackboard, and the instructor checks over the student‐teacher's material.
Developing and Using Cloze Materials to Teach Reading
Authors: Greenewald M. Jane
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Although better known as a testing device, the cloze technique can also be used to help word‐byword readers acquire more mature reading strategies. In this article, suggestions are provided for creating and using cloze exercises which vary in difficulty and instructional focus. Recommendations are also made for introducing and directing cloze training.
A Spanish and Latin American Evening in a Junior High School
Authors: Shoop Verena M.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT In order to encourage students to utilize language communication skills, students at Arbor Heights Junior High School (Omaha, Nebraska) were provided the opportunity to organize and implement a Spanish and Latin American evening. The students were invited to take total charge of the event. Committees were formed and plans were made for food and entertainment. The following article is a description of the organization and implementation of the “Fiesta” night. It provides suggestions on how to put together a student and parent evening through a junior high school foreign language department.
Contextualizing Pattern Drills: The “German Circle Games“
Authors: Smith Clyde R.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT Organizing the foreign language class into small groups provides the learners with more opportunities to speak the target language, a measure of autonomy, and a more relaxed atmosphere. One of the interesting ways to give such a group activity structure and direction is through games which combine rigorous grammar with theatrical techniques. The “German circle games” turn grammatical exercises into meaningful communicative activity by introducing pantomime, props, and pictures as a means of providing contexts. Students, working independently in small groups, drill specific grammatical features while communicating real information. This contextualization of pattern drills, in which sight, touch, and movement enhance the meaning of linguistic forms, makes both grammar and vocabulary more memorable.
Why Students Drop: A First‐Hand Report
Authors: Schwartz Paul J.
Published: January 2009

ABSTRACT The author, a language department chairman concerned about statistics showing that 50% of initially enrolled students do not finish the first year of language courses in his department gained insight into the reasons for this high drop rate when he himself enrolled in and eventually dropped a course in Chinese. A catalogue of his different reactions to the classroom experience produces several suggestions immediately applicable to his own teaching. In the final analysis, however, his abandonment of the course was not a direct result of the classroom experience but rather of his own lack of incentive. Relating his own experience to that of the students, the author concludes optimistically that growing recognition across the nation of the importance of language learning will lead to the creation of academic and economic incentives which will help to solve the problem of high drop rates.