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General Principles The Seven Styles of Learning: a chart about the seven types of learners, their likes, what they are good at doing, and how they best learn.  Motivation: what is motivation? external, behavioral features vs internal, attitudinal features; integrative vs instrumental motivation; conditions that strengthen motivation. Competence vs Communication: a graphic look at the balance between linguistic competence and communicative ability.  Processes Involved in Learning to Communicate: a graphic representation of skill- getting and skill-using. Skill-getting and Skill-Using: a schematic comparison and contrast of skill-getting and skill-using. Standards for Foreign Language Learning: taken from the Executive Summary of the national standards, a listing of the five goals (the 5 Cs) and the eleven standards for foreign language learning. The Framework of Communicative Modes: a very new look at communication. This model comes from the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Back to top	Speaking Student Strengths through the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: a schematic look at the different proficiency levels, a general description, and key characteristics of each level. A Checklist for Speaking Proficiency: a series of questions that can help a student identify his/her basic level of speaking proficiency. Characteristics of Simplified Input to Second Language Learners: general characteristics and examples of "teacher talk," i.e., how teachers alter their language when speaking with learners. When you talk with your students, do you ...? A series of 18 questions of things that teachers do inadvertently that discourage students from speaking. Error Severity and Error Correction: a graphic of when errors should be corrected + a quotation concerning why errors should be corrected. Bits and Pieces: a great series of 50 questions à la Barbara Walters that can get students talking. Speaking vs Writing: here is a brief view of the psychological, linguistic, and cognitive differences between speaking and writing. Back to top
Writing Why Do We Write?: a chart comparing the two basic purposes for writing -- as a support skill and as a communicative skill. Six Pedagogical Purposes for Writing: a helpful perspective on six basic purposes for having your students write. L1 and L2 Writing: essential differences between writing in one's own language and in a second language. Abilities Underlying Writing Proficiency: the four competencies - linguistic, discourse, strategic, sociolinguistic - that help describe writing proficiency. These competences are also applicable to other skills. Task-Oriented Writing: guidelines for teaching students to write by carrying specific tasks. Task-Oriented Exercise: here is an example of a task-oriented exercise given to a first-year French class. The exercise calls for using système-D. Five Hypotheses about FL Writing: five general hypotheses and comments about foreign language writing.  Revised Proficiency Guidelines for Writing: here is a look at the Preliminary Proficiency Guidelines — Writing Revised 2001. How to Write a Composition: adapted from an article about writing compositions in French, here is a two-column (French & English) set of guidelines for writing. A Developmental Approach to Teaching Writing: examples of types of topics for writing description, narration, exposition, and argumentation compositions. Holistic vs. Analytic Scoring of Writing: definitions of these two methods of scoring writing plus a sample grid for each. Speaking vs Writing: here is a brief view of the psychological, linguistic, and cognitive differences between speaking and writing. Back to top	Reading Reading and a Jar of Candy: a quotation that looks at the teaching of reading from a most interesting perspective. Four Types of Reading: brief definitions of skimming, scanning, receptive/intensive reading, and extensive reading. Top-down and Bottom-Up Reading: definitions of these two reading processes. Reading Strategies: although destined for the reader, these strategies can help teachers prepare, conduct, and assess reading activities. Back to top
Listening Selecting Authentic Materials: a helpful list of hints for choosing authentic materials for practice and teaching receptive skills - reading, listening, and viewing. Stages of the Development of a Lesson for Receptive Skills: based on schema theory, how and why can you develop a lesson plan for reading, listening, or viewing, including pre-activities, global activities, specific information activities, linguistic activities, and post-activities. Three Types of Schemata: brief definitions a schema, and of content, language, and textual schemata. The Listening Process: a schematic view of how raw speech is processed and stored in short-term memory, processed and stored in long-term memory, combined with intentions, and interpreted. Back to top	Assessment Comparison of Three Types of Classroom Assessments: for sizing up, for instructional purposes, for official purposes. Aspects of Testing: a look at the evaluative, practical, instructional, and theoretical aspects of testing. Schema for Assessing Characteristics of Test Items:  a modification of the "classic" schema for determining which type of test item you are dealing with (HINT: You want to work across the bottom of this schema in a proficiency-oriented classroom.) Realistic Tasks: realistic tasks in today's communicative classrooms Authentic Materials and Authentic Discourse (Un)modified Authentic Discourse Simulated Authentic Discourse Text Difficulty and Tasks Effective Materials and Techniques Memorization and Ability Appropriate Materials and Equitable Evaluation Evaluation and the Common Metric Hybrid Tests: achievement + proficiency-based tests Why Test?  Open-ended Testing > Flexible Grading Types of Tests: definitions of achievement, proficiency, hybrid, creative, and prochievement tests. Achievement Testing: Do we need to do away with achievement testing? Test Glossary: a glossary of basic testing terminology. Back to top
Technology Terry, Robert M. 2000. Technology Competencies for Teacher Certification: A Survey of the States. Technology Standards: a major document -- NCATE's Foundation Standards for Computer/ Technology Literacy. North Carolina Technology Competencies: Technology Competencies for All North Carolina Educators. Virginia Technology Standards: a draft document of Virginia's proposed technology standards for instructional personnel. How to Create a Web Activity for Foreign Languages: a handy series of suggestions for creating web-based activities. Technology Terms: a glossary of basic technology terms. A Communications Technology Module for the Foreign Language Methods Course: this is a link to a module developed by Jean LeLoup at SUNY Cortland. Although designed for methods courses, it is a wonderful primer on technology. Technology and Second Language Teaching: homepage of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (in French and English). It contains a wonderful compilation of information and resources for various languages. Click on "Technology and Second Language Teaching." Back to top	References   References: a listing of key references to books and articles on general pedagogy/ methodology, reading, listening, speaking, writing, evaluation/ assessment. Back to top