This book investigates some of the learning processes of students of French and German as they begin language learning at an advanced level, a stage which is frequently problematic. By looking at the learning strategies employed by both successful and less successful language students, the author elucidates some of the key cognitive and affective processes which facilitate advanced level language learning. The implications of this for the classroom are discussed in detail, leading to practical recommendations for learning and teaching strategies. A central theme is the need to teach explicitly the proficient use of learning strategies, and suggestions are made as to how this may be achieved in the language classroom.

This book seeks to help teachers teach listening in a more principled way by presenting what is known from research, exploring teachers' beliefs and practices, examining textbook materials, and offering practical activities for improving second language listening.

Improving Foreign Language Teaching provides teachers and teacher trainers with a research-based structure for the effective teaching and assessment of second languages. As well as outlining a model for teacher development, the book identifies and exemplifies eight key principles for effective language learning, which can be used to guide curriculum design and decisions about classroom pedagogy. Improving Foreign Language Teaching also presents practical activities, related materials, and guidance on how student progress can be monitored and recorded. Based on the research of the authors and other international experts, together with the work of a consortium established by the authors and teachers in a range of secondary schools, the book focusses on the development of language skills and communicative competence. It also proposes an assessment system which better reflects how learners progress in language learning than current models. Taking as its starting point the challenge of a curriculum in flux and complex pedagogical approaches, this book offers clear research-informed guidance for effective planning, teaching and learning. It will be essential reading for all those concerned with the improvement of language learning and teaching in the secondary classroom.

Multilingualism is integral to the human condition. Hinging on the concept of Creative Multilingualism - the idea that language diversity and creativity are mutually enriching - this timely and thought provoking volume shows how the concept provides a matrix for experimentation with ideas, approaches and methods. The book presents four years of joint research on multilingualism across disciplines, from the humanities through to the social and natural sciences. It is structured as a manifesto, comprising ten major statements which are unpacked through various case studies across ten chapters. They encompass areas including the rich relationship between language diversity and diversity of identity, thought and expression; the interaction between language diversity and biodiversity; the 'prismatic' unfolding of meaning in translation; the benefits of linguistic creativity in a classroom-seting; and the ingenuity underpinning 'conlangs' ('constructed languages') designed to give imagined peoples a distinctive medium capable of expressing their cultural identity. This book is a welcome contribution to the field of modern languages, highlighting the intricate relationship between multilingualism and creativity, and, crucially, reaching beyond an Anglo-centric view of the world. Intended to spark further research and discussion, this book appeals to young people interested in languages, language learning and cultural exchange. It will be a valuable resource for academics, educators, policy makers and parents of bilingual or multilingual children. Its accessible style also speaks to general readers interested in the role of language diversity in our everyday lives, and the untapped creative potential of multilingualism. As with all Open Book publications, this entire book is available to read for free on the publisher's website. Printed and digital editions, together with supplementary digital material, can also be found at www.openbookpublishers.com.

This book provides readers with the first comprehensive study of South Africa’s foreign policy conducted in a multilateral setting, by placing on record over 1000 of South Africa’s votes at the United Nations over a 20 year period. The study investigates consistency in terms of South Africa’s declared foreign policy and its actual voting practices at the United Nations. Democratic South Africa’s Foreign Policy: Voting Behaviour in the United Nations offers a compendium of South Africa’s United Nations behaviour during a poignant transitional period in the country’s recent history. In setting out a framework for analysing the conduct of other countries’ voting behaviour in parallel with this study, it can be used to advance the field as a useful comparative tool. This book presents the material needed for International Relations scholars and practitioners in the field to make a reasoned and reflective assessment of this dimension of South Africa’s foreign policy.

In this brief, authors Suzanne Graham and Lauren Provost examine whether attending a school in a rural, urban, or suburban community is related to children's mathematics achievement in kindergarten, and whether increases in mathematics achievement between kindergarten and eighth grade differ for children in rural, urban, and suburban schools. They also consider whether achievement differs by region of the country and for children of different racial and ethnic groups. Finally, they discuss the impact of a family's socioeconomic status, and the ways in which place and socioeconomic status together affect both early mathematics achievement levels and change over time. They report that rural and urban kindergarten students have slightly lower average mathematics achievement levels than their suburban peers. In addition, the average increase in mathematics achievement from kindergarten to eighth grade for rural and urban children is smaller than the increase for suburban children, resulting in a widening achievement gap over time. (Contains 5 figures, 1 table, 22 endnotes.).

Stories of princes and princesses abound. Nowadays there seems to be a princess to suit the personality of every young girl. Why are these stories so popular? Is it just because all the world loves a love story? or is there another reason? Why do the princes and princesses always live happily ever after? Archeology and ancient records reveal that the most ancient love story was written in hieroglyphic picture language with stars. Over time some of the constellation pictures have become distorted. By restoring the pictures, the ancient story can be understood and appreciated. "The Great Controversy in the Stars" is a restoration of the original epic story of the prince, the princess and the dragon. It is a large print, full color story book; including a list of names and meanings for the original 48 constellations and a colored sky atlas with easy to recognize figures. It is the first of a series followed by "He Calls His Stars by Name", which looks at the names and meaning of the individual stars.