Language Acquisition Made Practical


Book Description

It can be done! You can successfully learn a new language if three conditions are met: 1. You live where the new language is spoken. 2. You are motivated to learn the new language. 3. You know how to proceed with language learning, step-by-step and day-by-day. This manual assumes that the first and second conditions are met. It is a simple guide planned to help you, the learner, proceed without boredom or frustration, through manageable steps, so that you can become proficient in your new language. The objective of this manual is to help guide you in your daily activities of language learning. - Preface.




Speaking and Instructed Foreign Language Acquisition


Book Description

This book investigates various aspects of speaking in a foreign language. It is unique in considering this key skill from both psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives, and in focusing entirely on instructed foreign language contexts. The book demonstrates how theory and research can be translated into classroom practice.




Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching


Book Description

This book offers an in-depth explanation of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the methods necessary to implement it in the language classroom successfully. Combines a survey of theory and research in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) with insights from language teaching and the philosophy of education Details best practice for TBLT programs, including discussion of learner needs and means analysis; syllabus design; materials writing; choice of methodological principles and pedagogic procedures; criterion-referenced, task-based performance assessment; and program evaluation Written by an esteemed scholar of second language acquisition with over 30 years of research and classroom experience Considers diffusion of innovation in education and the potential impact of TBLT on foreign and second language learning







Second Language Acquisition in Action


Book Description

Despite the key role played by second language acquisition (SLA) courses in linguistics, teacher education and language teaching degrees, participants often struggle to bridge the gap between SLA theories and their many applications in the classroom. In order to overcome the 'transfer' problem from theory to practice, Andrea Nava and Luciana Pedrazzini present SLA principles through the actions and words of teachers and learners. Second Language Acquisition in Action identifies eight important SLA principles and involves readers in an 'experiential' approach which enables them to explore these principles 'in action'. Each chapter is structured around three stages: experience and reflection; conceptualisation; and restructuring and planning. Discussion questions and tasks represent the core of the book. These help readers in the process of 'experiencing' SLA research and provide them with opportunities to try their hands at different areas of language teachers' professional expertise. Aimed at those on applied linguistics MA courses, TESOL/EFL trainees and in-service teachers, Second Language Acquisition in Action features: · Key Questions at the start of each chapter · Data-based tasks to foster reflection and to help bridge the gap between theory and practice · Audiovisual extracts of lessons on an accompanying website · Further Reading suggestions at the end of each chapter




Fluent Forever


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick. “A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages.”—Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn’t learn them in school—who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources—and here he wants to show others what he’s discovered. Starting with pronunciation, you’ll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You’ll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you’ll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you’ll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.




Capitalizing on Language Learners' Individuality


Book Description

This book closes the gap between theory and practice for teachers and researchers wishing to capitalize on learners' individuality in second or foreign language learning. Issues of content are targeted through a description of the variables of anxiety, beliefs, cognitive abilities, motivation, strategies, styles and willingness to communicate.




How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately


Book Description

This book provides a unique set of tools designed to enhance an individual's success in communicati0n in a foreign language environment. The devices presented allow the speaker of a foreign language to demonstrate the level of his/her language more impressively. These techniques were developed and tested by the author with adult professionals in such varied fields as journalism, diplomacy, government, and international business.




Strategies for Success with English Language Learners


Book Description

Approximately 4.7 million designated English language learners attend public schools (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2002). It is predicted that by the 2030s, English language learners will account for about 40 percent of the school-age population. Yet very few teachers have been trained to address the needs of these students, and the questions they ask are the same as they asked decades ago: Who are English language learners and what are effective ways for schooling them? What kind of educational program brings about the best results? What are sound practices for facilitating English language acquisition? How can English language learners have academic success in subject areas? How do we teach English language learners in our classrooms? - p. 5.




On Being a Language Teacher


Book Description

On Being a Language Teacher provides an innovative, personal approach to second-language teaching. Through illustrative personal anecdotes, this text guides new and aspiring language teachers through key pedagogical strategies while encouraging productive reflection by classroom veterans. An ancillary website provides online videos to complement the text by showing an experienced teacher applying the book’s lessons. In a market dominated by dense theoretical approaches to language pedagogy, this text provides an instantly accessible, practical set of teaching tools for educators at all levels. Its accessible style and affordability give it the flexibility to serve as either a primary or a supplemental text for teaching assistants, students in credential programs, or undergraduates in applied linguistics courses.