Renate A. Schulz

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT: MLJ PERSPECTIVES 1916-1999

The preparation of U.S. foreign language (FL) teachers has been a frequently discussed topic during the past century. As the oldest, continuously published American journal devoted to FL learning and teaching, the MLJ provides an overview of the many issues pertinent to FL teacher education that the profession has grappled with. This historical review traces discussions and developments in teacher preparation and certification since the MLJ s inception in 1916. In three sections, each covering a quarter century of the Journal s publications, the article describes the most relevant discussions and events that have helped shape FL teacher education in the United States. Although many efforts —and doubtlessly many advances —have been made to assure a supply of qualified FL teachers for the nation s schools, many of the problems discussed more than 80 years ago still remain unsolved. The author hopes that a critical look at the past will help the profession to focus on those proposals that are finding emerging consensus and to prioritize those needs and activities that help effect meaningful change in improving the qualifications of FL teachers.

Learning Spanish as an older adult

To what extent can a highly motivated older adult acquire a new language? This question served as the focus for a case study of a 57-year-old womans endeavor to learn Spanish in an immersion setting. The learners experiences, as recorded in diary entries, are examined in relation to the literature on cognitive aging. An analysis of pre- and post-immersion tests of speaking and writing abilities provides indications that learning a foreign language as an older adult is still an achievable goal.

The FRG and the U.S. as Portrayed in Foreign Language Textbooks: A Comparative Study.

This paper is intended as a preliminary report on the Deutsch-amerikanische Schulbuchgesprdche zur landeskundlichen Darstellung in Sprachlehrbuchern which were begun in the fall of 1984 and are still in progress. The project is supported jointly by the Georg-Eckert-Institut fur internationale Schulbuchforschung in Braunschweig and the United States National Committee of the International Institute of Communications, Inc. in Washington, D.C. with funding from the U.S. Information Agency. Project participants from Germany are: