Subscribe Now! With Rhyme and Reason Christine Rossell evaluates the programs used to teach young learners whose first language is not English. Charles Glenn examines the issues at stake in schooling language minority students. Alan Seaman evaluates the differences between "pod" and "pull-out" programs organized for young language learners. Tina Edstam advises elementary school ESL teachers on an idea used in the private business and non-profit sectors. Steven Donahue explores the various ways that Mother Goose rhymes can be used in the ESL classroom. Carolee Drake discusses a new program that assists students in learning to read and reading to learn.

The September October 2000 issue offers you:

ADULT ESL - MaryAnn Cunningham-Florez discusses the contentious debate on the use of native languages adult ESL classes and the impact it may have on students learning.
What is the role of native languages in the adult classroom? Do they have one? In several of my recent teaching experiences, I have faced beginning level classes consisting solely of Spanish speakers. Since I speak Spanish myself, one of the first issues that invariably comes to the surface is the use of the Spanish language in our English class. It has prompted me to think critically about native language use in English language classrooms and how it impacts my instruction, my interaction with my learners, and their interactions with each other.

Special Report - Arizona voters are being asked to banish bilingual programs from the state's schools. Michael Howard weighs up the arguments for and against the measure.
Most teachers, parents and politicians agree: Bilingual kids are a bonus. But future generations of children in Arizona may be denied the opportunity of a bilingual education if voters approve a ballot measure this fall.

PUBLISH OR PERISH - Andy Martin looks at the different directions publishers are taking in the competitive book world of ESL and EFL.
They say what goes around comes around, and nowhere is this more true than in the field of education in general and ESL specifically. ESL teachers have always been on a quest for the perfect book, method or guru-remember Suggestopedia, or Gattegno? These days, prescriptive methodologies are pretty much out of favor-but don't worry, they'll be back. Whole Language had a pretty good run and affected a broad range of disciplines, including ESL. Unfortunately for its devotees, the "back-to-basics three 'R's'" folks have come back real strong and are now in control of public K-12 public education in the United States.

DIALECTS - Bag school and chew on a hoagie with Claudio Salvucci, who reports from the pavements of native Philadelphia.
One day my linguistics professor singled me out for a question. "What," she said, "does a Philadelphia accent sound like? How would you describe it?" I was stumped.

NEW TEACHERS - Thomas Kane examines the role teachers play in helping foreign students learn a new language.
This is my 40th anniversary as a language educator; I am convinced that our classrooms should not be a substitute for sensitivity sessions or group therapy. However, the language teacher is in a very influential position to enhance the learner's self-esteem. It is possible to create an ambiance where affirmation of the learner is of significant value.

EXAMS - Gena Netten reports on the introduction of TOEFL computerized tests in Asia and the impact the move will have on the exam's author, Educational Testing Service.
In October 2000, Educational Testing Services (ETS), which develops the TOEFL exam, will introduce the computer-based version of the (CBT) in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The paper-based version will continue to be given in the People's Republic of China.

ELECTRONIC EDUCATION - Jim Duber talks to Barry Bakin about his innovative use of technology in creating software for ESL learners.
You are perhaps most well known for the "cutting edge" work with technology and language instruction, displayed on your website "Cutting Edge Call Demos". It showcases several samples of language lessons that can be created using latest development software. Can you tell us a little bit about the historical development of the site?

Michael Howard interacts with four of the latest phonics multimedia software titles to enter this language market.

LANGUAGE TRAVEL - Adventurous students can practice their Spanish and even some Quechua when they travel the high roads in Peru. Josette Bonafino and Ian Cross report.
"I wanted my students to see that there is more to the Spanish-speaking world than just Spain and Mexico," explained Colleen Hoffman, an Illinois foreign language teacher, who accompanied 15 Spanish students from Rockford East High School to Peru in June 1998. The highlights of their nine-day odyssey included Machu Picchu, the mysterious Lost City of the Incas, and the remote, floating reed islands of the Uros Indians on Lake Titicaca. "My students were fascinated by numerous similarities and contrasts between both our culture and Peru's, as well as within the diverse cultures of Peru," Hoffman said.

PROFILE - Nancy Ichinaga, newly retired principal of Bennett-Kew Elementary School in Inglewood, has brought unprecedented success to the California school in her 26-year leadership. Here she talks to Michael Howard and Chung Han about her controversial teaching methods.
For the first time in over a quarter of a century, Bennett-Kew Elementary will open its doors for the new school year with high expectations but without the leadership of Nancy Ichinaga.

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