La quadrature du cercle: Comment combler les lacunes dans la competence en langue(s) etrangere(s) du public professionnel? (The Squaring of the Circle: How Can We Fill in the Gaps in the Foreign Language Competence of the Professional Public?).

N

16

Cognitive Style; Educational Needs; Foreign Countries; Independent Study; Individualized Instruction; Instructional Materials; Learning Processes; Media Selection; Models; Multimedia Instruction; Professional Occupations; Program Descriptions; Second Language Instruction; Second Languages

A model of foreign language instruction for professionals, particularly those with limited time and budget, is proposed. Principal components of the model include: (1) a detailed, diagnostic linguistic profile of the learner, including lexical, grammatical, sociolinguistic, and sociocultural characteristics; (2) an inventory of the learner's specific language needs; (3) knowledge of the individual's learning style and preferences; and (4) careful selection of instructional method and content to be learned, based on the first three components. Individualized, multimedia self-instruction in modules is recommended as a flexible and effective method. A Belgian program, Linguaplan Limbourg, designed to provide language instruction tailored to the needs of Limbourg's diverse professional population, is described as an illustration of this method's utility. (MSE)

1994

ED364096