Search

DESPITE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING, CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS REMAIN UNRESOLVED BECAUSE NO INTEGRATED NATIONAL EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO CONSOLIDATE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE AND OFFER IT IN USABLE FORM TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS. ONE SUCH PROBLEM IS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. A 1965 CONFERENCE ON DEFINITIONS OF LEVELS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING PROPOSED A 3-YEAR PROJECT TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES INTO A COHERENT PLAN FOR CURRICULAR REFORM WHICH WOULD PROVIDE FOR BOTH SHORT-RANGE CHANGES AND BASES FOR RESEARCH. A SET OF TOOL PUBLICATIONS WOULD BE PUBLISHED, INCLUDING A BASIC "CURRICULUM RATIONALE" TO DETAIL THE LANGUAGE CURRICULUM'S RELATION TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND TO OTHER DISCIPLINES, THREE "CURRICULUM PLANNING GUIDES" TO RESPOND TO THE SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF FRENCH, SPANISH, AND GERMAN, AND A "DOCUMENTATION BANK" WHEREIN ALL BIBLIOGRAPHIES WOULD BE RECORDED AND CLASSIFIED FOR REFERENCE IN FUTURE RESEARCH. ALSO IN THE SCHEDULE ARE PLANS TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS FOR RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION, TO ENCOURAGE INSTITUTES FOR CONSULTANTS, TO INITIATE A NEWSLETTER, AND TO STAGE A CONCENTRATED INFORMATION CAMPAIGN. INCLUDED IN THIS PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ARE A DETAILED STATEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES AND ISSUES IN THE "RATIONALE" AND AN OUTLINE OF A SAMPLE "CURRICULUM PLANNING GUIDE." (AS)