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Discusses the idea behind the European Community's recently published white paper on education and teaching, titled "To Teach and to Learn--Towards a Cognitive Society." The paper declares that Europe is undergoing a transition to a new type of society, describes the issues at stake, and proposes steps to encourage member States to assume their proper role in the new community. (Author/CK)

Two language teachers participating in an international seminar to develop methods for assessing second language communicative competence describe the experience, their reflections on its content, and an experiment in French writing instruction undertaken in Dutch-speaking Belgium. (MSE)

A survey of users of eight Moroccan centers for information on linguistic and teaching matters revealed patterns of reading of scholarly journals on teaching among students, fellows, teachers, and other educators. Two basic user types emerged: occasional and regular readers. Reader attitudes about journal content were also sought. (MSE)

Language teachers are encouraged to find innovative ways to teach vocabulary, particularly illustrating the relationships between words and spatial and temporal relationships in meaning. The concept of the teachable moment is also discussed briefly. (MSE)

The debate over financing private education with public funds in France is chronicled, beginning with a review of the issues's history since 1848 and examining events leading to and following a demonstration on January 14, 1994. Legislative testimony of Victor Hugo, modern political cartoons, and data from a recent newspaper are included. (MSE)

Classroom communication in the second-language class is examined from an ethnographic perspective, highlighting the role of students in helping each other learn. Turn-taking, patterns of addressing teacher and peers, and different kinds of interaction that promote learning: cooperative; didactic; competitive; theatrical; personalized. (MSE)

Problems associated with instruction in languages for special purposes, particularly French, are discussed. The central issue is the difficulty of tailoring instruction to the student's actual needs, which may vary widely according to the discipline, situation, and functions desired. Some promising methodological directions are seen. (MSE)

It is argued that, although significant progress has been made recently in the content, methods, and techniques of foreign language education, inadequate attention is given to the role played by the institutions, literal and figurative, of language instruction. These include program design, classroom environment, teacher education, and teacher motivation. (MSE)

A discussion of errors made in second-language learning focuses on the control that the speaker himself exerts over mistakes and argues that this would be a useful area for further research. Implications of such analysis for second-language instruction are considered. (MSE)

A discussion of the second-language classroom as a fertile environment for cultural contact looks at the teacher's role and the instructional potential of various kinds of social discourse, including classroom communication, the social sciences, official and nonofficial reports, surveys, mass media, social action, and signs and symbols. (MSE)

Five articles offer varied approaches to French second-language instruction through songs. Techniques for using songs include exploring their history, promoting French singers, and classroom exercises to develop a range of language skills. The ideas were contributed by educators in several countries. (MSE)

A discussion of current problems in French education focuses on the need for increased cooperation between business and education at secondary and postsecondary levels. A number of related resources are reviewed, including sources of information for development of cooperative education opportunities and business linkages, and three books on varied topics. (MSE)

It is suggested that, in secondary school level second-language teaching in the European Community, more effort should be made to take advantage of geographic proximity to language groups and to diversify the languages being taught and learned. Increased international exchange is urged. (MSE)

The role of a French-Japanese cultural institute in Japan is examined, and it is noted that, despite its relatively limited appeal within such a different culture, with careful work the institute has uncovered a significant audience who participate in French-related activities simply because they are pleasurable. (MSE)

Three problems of New York City (New York) schools--overpopulation, low academic standards, violence--are examined, and an effort led by parent and teacher organizations to improve conditions is described. Threatened closings (schools under registration review, SURR) and a program of violence reduction (Straight Talk about Risks, STAR) are noted. (MSE)

An interview with Guy Roy, adjunct minister of education and professional education in Manitoba (Canada), explores the role of French, French language instruction, and French-language education outside Quebec Province, and specifically in Manitoba. Issues discussed include language and cultural maintenance, immersion education, language attitudes, and language use patterns. (MSE)

It is proposed that, when individuals discover their own linguistic potential, they unlock the door to interpersonal and intercultural communication. An illustration: a situation in which young people from eastern and western European countries gather after a film festival to discuss what they have seen and immediately find rapport. (MSE)

A student exchange program in which Italian secondary students of French visited Lyon is described, including the impetus for the trip (a European Community initiative to promote international exchange), the search for an exchange partner institution, program design and planning, the trip itself, and evaluation of the effort. (MSE)

An analysis of recent French literature produces some frames of reference for understanding the "French identity," both for the individual and the nation. Included in the discussion are the issues of internal differences of conscience as they relate to group identity, the role of public opinion, and contrasts and comparisons with American culture. (MSE)

It is proposed that communicative approaches to second language instruction have neglected to provide students with some essential tools of speech, particularly pronunciation skills. The place of remedial phonetics within the new language teaching methods is examined, and a more rigorous approach to pronunciation instruction is recommended. (MSE)

Two questions are addressed: whether or not the revolutions in methodology realized in research have any real effect on classroom teaching and why there is a constant effort to find new methodologies. A new approach to the problem, focusing on changing the educational institutions themselves, is suggested. (MSE)

Serious problems in education in Latin America arising from political, economic, and social change periodically put in question the status, objectives, and manner of French second-language instruction. A number of solutions to general and specific pedagogical problems are proposed. (MSE)

Political, attitudinal, and administrative problems of teaching compulsory foreign languages in Colombia are described and discussed from the point of view of a French teacher in a system characterized by confusion and lack of student interest. (MSE)

There has been much discussion about the role of foreign languages, particularly French, in Netherlands secondary education reform. Any attempt to redefine objectives and learning approaches must consider social, political, educational, and linguistic influences. Most weight should be given to affective factors but new trends must be approached with caution. (MSE)

The debate over whether classroom verbal exchanges should be evaluated by pedagogical or discourse criteria, and how this evaluation should be accomplished in class, is reopened. An approach combining the two types of analysis through development of "communication profiles" is recommended as the best means of clearly viewing the phenomenon of classroom communication in foreign languages. (MSE)

It is suggested that the emphasis in second-language instruction be placed less on understanding what the target culture is and more on how to behave appropriately within that culture, because the latter and not the former is the key to true intercultural communication. (MSE)

The role of the French language in the European Community, whose membership increasingly includes countries where French is not prominent, is examined. The distinction between official language and the lingua franca of work is noted, and strategies for ensuring the future of French in a multilingual global community are considered. (MSE)

Bill Clinton's first hundred days in the presidency of the United States are reviewed, focusing on his stated objectives for public education and social change and on his actions in those areas. The educational and social situation and recent events in New York City (New York) are used for illustration. (MSE)