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A collection of papers presented at a seminar conducted at the Regional Language Centre (Singapore) on communicative language teaching includes: "Integrating the New and the Old in a Communicative Approach" (William T. Littlewood); "Communicative Competence and Language Teaching: Second Thoughts" (Christina Bratt Paulston); "Communicative Teaching: 'Communicative' in What Sense?" (N. S. Prabhu); "Silence in the Communicative Curriculum" (John Gibbons); "Theory and Methodology: Do We Do What We Are Knowing?" (J. D. Willis); "The Status of Grammar in the Language Curriculum" (Jack C. Richards); "Communicative Language Teaching in the Rural Areas: How Does One Make the Irrelevant Relevant?" (Andrew Gonzalez); "Teaching for Communicative Competence in a Second Language" (Bonifacio P. Sibayan); "Opportunities for Learning through the Communicative Approach" (Paul Nation); "UMSEP and the Deep End-Support-Performance Approach to Language Learning" (Khong Chooi Peng); "The Communicative Approach: Questions Arising from Materials Writing in a TEFL Situation" (P. W. J. Nababan); "The Role of Communicative Language Teaching in Secondary Schools -- with Special Reference to Teaching in Singapore" (T. A. Kirkpatrick); and "Learning Language on the Worksite: Some Implications for Pedagogy" (Bikram K. Das). (MSE)

This paper looks at the state of education in knowledge management (KM). It reports findings from a study of knowledge management courses included in the curriculum of academic disciplines of business, computing, and information that was conducted at the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Based on a review of course descriptions selected from Web sites of universities in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the paper describes levels of courses, curriculum areas and topics, and differences in emphasis in teaching KM courses in different departments and schools. A table presents data on the details of KM courses for each university, including the school/department, course title, level, and academic program. A second table lists topics in KM courses for several curriculum areas, including foundations, technology, process (codification), applications, and strategies. (MES)

The designing of multimedia chemistry courseware is a complex and challenging task for many instructional developers and writers especially in the initial stage of the prototype to be developed. As such, this paper provides insights gained into some practical design considerations in developing a multimedia courseware in chemical education at secondary school level. It concentrates on the early stage of the development process and specific design tips or guidelines based on practical pedagogical experiences in courseware design and storyboard. Among the seven major chemistry topics covered by the courseware as modules, two important modules, namely organic chemistry and experimental techniques are selected to illustrate some salient design issues that are related to certain important learning principles. The three understanding levels (macro, micro, and symbolic) related to learners' difficulties in learning chemistry will also be addressed in the development of the courseware. Implications for designing chemistry courseware, which emerge as a result of the design issues considered will also be discussed in the context of both the multimedia producer and writer. (Contains 21 references and 4 figures.) (Author/SAH)

Defining cooperative learning (CL) as a collection of concepts and techniques for enhancing the value of student-student interaction, this paper describes a workshop presenting key CL concepts. It describes two CL techniques that can be used in the teaching of reading and highlights connections between CL concepts and these two techniques. The paper provides activities using the techniques with four inter-related texts on the environment for the workshop participants. Contains 9 references; 4 appendixes contain Internet resources on cooperative learning, reading passages and questions used in the workshop; and other learning technique illustrations. (SC)

This paper presents suggestions for writing and publishing articles in second language teaching journals, focusing on three areas: getting started (appreciating the benefits of writing for publication, starting with good ideas, efficiency, considering options beyond the typical article, choosing a good topic, replicating research, cooperating with other professionals); putting the ideas in writing (connecting ideas, reader-friendliness, use of data, use of visuals); and collaborating with editors (choosing the right publication, following the directions given in the guide for contributors, including a cover letter, having patience, accepting that not everyone will agree, treating editors as colleagues). The suggestions are specific, and are presented in outline form. A brief article on attention to detail is appended. (Contains 10 references.) (MSE)

This paper is divided into three parts. The first explains concepts in the design of group activities that encourage learner cooperation, and ways in which they differ. Activities are distinguished by: (1) whether or not they involve learner time for planning language use before interaction; (2) whether they have one predetermined correct answer or set of answers or have no single answer or set; and (3) whether group members need to share information, in either one-way or two-way exchanges, to complete the activity. Following this, five sample activities are described as they appear in a teaching guide, then according to the three characteristics noted above. Suggestions are made for adapting the activity. The third part presents two activities and challenges the audience to analyze and adapt them similarly. Contains 10 references. (MSE)

This paper shows how satellite television programs can be used to advance Asian students' listening ability in English. Particular focus is on news broadcasts. The paper is divided into three sections, an introduction, some concluding remarks, and the substantive discussion headed "Using News Broadcasts in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Classroom." The discussion answers the following questions: (1) What are the advantages of using the news for language learning?, (2) What can students do to become better news listeners?, (3) What kinds of stories should I choose?, (4) How can I teach a videotaped news broadcast?, and (5) Can I use other news and information programs? It is concluded that if teachers help students to learn effective ways of using language to get information or to do the things they find interesting, they will continue to learn and to enjoy learning long after they leave their classrooms. (AB)

Drawings on a set subject by Singaporean children were analyzed for correspondence with, or deviation from, the 14 categories used by Elliot Eisner in his 1967 study "A Comparison of the Developmental Drawing Characteristics of Culturally Advantaged and Culturally Disadvantaged Children." Masami Toku's 20 Categories of Spatial Treatment in Children's Drawings was also applied. The study sought to ascertain the incidence and type(s) of universal schema and the possible presence of any localized sociocultural influences. Data were gathered from a 200-strong sample of Secondary Two students (average age was 14) at a Singapore single-sex (boys) autonomous state school, which admits students of above-average academic ranking. The majority of the students were ethnically Chinese, with ethnically Malay and Indian also represented. Students were asked to make two drawings with a 2B pencil, each drawing to be completed in a 30-minute period. A Singaporean modified version of the Clark-Garen Drawing Instrument was used for evaluation. The results are discussed. (BT)

An essay on use of cooperative learning (CL) techniques in the second language classroom looks at the benefits of CL, examines the current status of their use, particularly in Singapore, and makes recommendations for implementing CL techniques in second language reading instruction. The discussion begins with a review of literature on group instruction and group activities in second language teaching, and looks at how group activities are, first, incorporated into second language curriculum plans and instructional materials and then implemented in the classroom. Singapore's situation is highlighted here. A second section looks at what distinguishes CL group instruction approach and its potential to improve group activities. Five advantageous features of CL are noted: positive interdependence; individual accountability; collaborative skills; use of group time to process interactions; and heterogeneous grouping. Variables in task design that affect language learning are also discussed briefly. Three ways to increase the use of CL in reading instruction are outlined and explored: (1) inclusion of CL in pre- and inservice teacher education; (2) incorporation of CL activities in teachers' instructional materials; and (3) inclusion of CL activities in student materials. Several specific classroom techniques and procedures are noted. Contains 19 references. (MSE)

While teaching mechanical aspects of writing in English as a second language (ESL) to ten- and eleven-year-olds has been found to be relatively simple, the most difficult thing to teach, and the first to break down when guidance is removed, is logical information sequencing. Without guidance, most children will produce random sentences, but when provided with appropriate techniques and some assistance, they can plan the sequence of information to be written. Most teachers of ESL are trained in creative writing, not in expository writing or written discourse analysis; consequently, they are underprepared for teaching this kind of information presentation. Three methods for teaching information organization have had some success: (1) brainstorming followed by reorganization of ideas; (2) a study of reading passages leading to parallel writing; and (3) constructing matrices for discourse organization. Preparing students in these ways for writing tasks can be enjoyable and can prevent frustrating revision of unsatisfactory writing. Instructional plans and materials should include more information-based functional writing and fewer narrative topics, more reading for information analysis, more parallel writing activities, and more information transfer activities, such as matrices, as the basis of writing activities. (MSE)