Betty Lou Leaver

Content-based instruction in foreign language education : models and methods

This book offers concrete and practical ideas for implementing content-based instruction - using subject matter rather than grammar - through eleven case studies of cutting-edge models in a broad variety of languages, academic settings, and levels of proficiency. The highly innovative models illustrate content-based instruction programs for both commonly and less-commonly taught languages - Arabic, Croatian, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Russian, Serbian, and Spanish - and for proficiency levels ranging from beginners to fluent speakers. They include single-teacher and multi-teacher contexts and such settings as typical language department classrooms, specialty schools, intensive language programs, and university programs in foreign languages across the curriculum. All of the contributors are pioneers and practitioners of content-based instruction, and the methods they present are based on actual classroom experiences. Each describes the rationale, curriculum design, materials, and evaluation procedures used in an actual curriculum and discusses the implications of the approach for adult language acquisition.

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency.

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.

Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition: Planning foreign-language study

Preview This chapter will ask you to think about a number of things that we associate with language study. With the exception of some “natural language learners,” students who succeed at language study usually plan their study in advance and check their progress along the way, fine-tuning as they go. They look at language learning not only as something that is accomplished in the classroom during a particular course, but as a lifelong activity, if not commitment, and as learning that they can work on in many places, even on their own. Some of the questions you will be asked to consider in this chapter are: Why am I studying this foreign language? You will benefit most from language study if you orient your learning activities around your reason for studying the language. You may, of course, over time discover other reasons for continuing to study. What is foreign language study? You probably know what a foreign language course is, in general, but have you thought of foreign language study in terms that go beyond the classroom and the textbook? How is studying a language as an adult different from studying it as a child? You may find that your experiences in your school classes differ quite radically from your university experiences. Some of that is because of educational level. There are other reasons, too, including, for example, the fact that in many ways adults learn differently from children. How should I plan my language study for this course? This is a very important question, because planning is often at the root of your success. Poor planning results in efforts that – while not wasted – could have been put to better use. […]

Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition: Learning styles and learning strategies

Preview This chapter introduces you to the concepts of learning styles and learning strategies. These are important concepts that we will refer to throughout this book and have, in fact, made allusion to in chapters 1 and 2. Learning styles and learning strategies affect the nature and quality of learning, whether or not the learner knows anything about these concepts or not. Therefore, it is better to have an understanding of them, so that you can consciously use this information to good advantage. Topics in this chapter include: Definitions of learning styles and learning strategies . Learning styles . Learning styles are habitual patterns of perceiving, processing, or reacting to information. Learning strategies . Learning strategies are the specific actions one takes and/or techniques one uses in order to learn. Kinds of learning styles . This chapter divides learning styles into the following categories: Sensory preferences . Sensory preferences refer to the channels through which we perceive information which consist of visual, auditory, and motor modalities, as a minimum. Cognitive styles . Cognitive styles refer to individualized ways of processing of information. Many models of cognitive styles have been proposed. This chapter presents the EL this particular model organizes most of the work on cognitive styles into one system of cognitive profiles. Personality types . These are another kind of learning style. Since they involve affective (emotional) factors, they are discussed in chapter 4, along with other affective variables. Learning strategies . In addition to memory strategies, which were discussed in chapter 2, and communication strategies, which will be discussed in chapter 10, there are comprehension strategies and production strategies. This part of the chapter is divided into the following subtopics:

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency: Programs

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency: Index

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency: Acknowledgments

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency: Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.

Developing Professional-Level Language Proficiency: Learners and users

Foreword Richard Brecht Part I. Principles, Practices, and Theory: 1. Principles and practices in teaching superior-level students: not just more of the same Betty Lou Leaver and Boris Shekhtman 2. Toward academic-level foreign language abilities: reconsidering foundational assumptions, expanding pedagogical options Heidi Byrnes Part II. Programs: 3. Contexts for advanced language learning : a report on an immersion institute Heidi Byrnes 4. Bridging the gap between language for general purposes and language for work: an intensive superior-level language/skill course for teachers, translators, and interpreters Claudia Angelelli and Christian Degueldre 5. Learning Chinese in China: programs for developing superior- to distinguished-level Chinese language proficiency in China and Taiwan Cornelius C. Kubler 6. Developing professional-level oral proficiency: the Shekhtman method of teaching communication Boris Shekhtman and Betty Lou Leaver with Natalia Lord, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, and Elena Ovtcharenko 7. The reading four project: applied technology at the higher levels of foreign language acquisition Catherine W. Ingold 8. In the quest for level 4+ in Arabic: training level 2-3 learners in independent reading Elsaid Badawi 9. Teaching high-level writing skills in English at a Danish University Tim Caudery 10. Heritage speakers as learners at the superior level: differences and similarities between Spanish and Russian student populations Claudia Angelelli and Olga Kagan 11. Teaching Russian language teachers in eight Summer institutes in Russian language and culture Zita Dabars and Olga Kagan Part III. Learners: 12. Understanding the student at the superior-distinguished threshold Madeline Ehrman 13. Achieving multilingualism: preliminary findings from a study of twenty distinguished-level language users Betty Lou Leaver and Sabine Atwell.