Throughout most of the history of the United States, second-language teaching has had to justify continually its presence in the curriculum. Although the late fifties and early sixties were a welcome relief from this overall trend, current indications are that second-language education will not be so popular in the near future. Nor will any other academic subject. The teaching profession must work to prove its worth to young people whose primary needs revolve around two basic problems in modern society: acquiring self and social identity. Developing curricula that meet the individual needs of students requires much time and effort, but the results and rewards are worth the investment. The necessity of having to be concerned about offering worthwhile courses that attract students and that achieve desired goals can be considered nothing less than an impetus toward constant professional growth and quality curricula. Already the signs are encouraging. The profession is searching for ways and means of improving methods and curricula. New and interesting textual materials are being published. The vision of what constitutes good language teaching has expanded and is expanding considerably. In spite of the current situation, language teachers are doing the best job of teaching they ever have. The future offers tremendous potential, and the prospects look quite exciting.
DEFINITIONS
1. behavioristic psychology, p. 24
2. communicative skills, p. 34
3. competency-based education, p. 32
4. descriptive linguistics, p. 23
5. direct method, p. 21
6. eclectic approach, p. 23
7. faculty psychology, p. 20
8. grammer-translation, p. 22
DISCUSSION
1. Summarize briefly the principal characteristics of the society of each period. How did society's objectives change in each, and what effect did these changes have on the schools? Compare and contrast the different periods.