Perspectives on Teaching Language and Content


Book Description

An overview of current issues and developments in foreign language education, designed for instructors of language, literature, and culture at any stage of their careers A contemporary guide to language teaching, this book presents the latest developments and issues in the field of applied linguistics. Written by scholars with expertise in theoretical linguistics, literary and cultural studies, and education, the book encourages readers to examine their beliefs about language teaching and to compare these perspectives with the tenets of current research-supported frameworks and approaches. It also leads instructors to make vital connections between theory and practice while linking language and content pedagogy so that they may develop innovative lesson plans, classroom activities, and course materials that align with the specific contexts in which they teach. Serving as a textbook for teaching methods courses, as well as a reference for instructors with varying levels of experience and diverse specializations, the book is applicable to all levels of instruction and provides guidelines and models that prepare instructors to teach in a rapidly evolving field.




Perspectives on Teaching Language and Content


Book Description

An overview of current issues and developments in foreign language education, designed for instructors of language, literature, and culture at any stage of their careers A contemporary guide to foreign language education, this book presents the latest developments and issues in the field of applied linguistics. It leads instructors to make vital connections between theory and practice and to develop innovative lesson plans, classroom activities, and course materials that align with the specific contexts in which they teach. A textbook for teaching methods courses, as well as a reference for instructors of language, literature, and culture at any stage in their careers, the book is applicable across all lower- and upper-level courses.




New perspectives on teaching and working with languages in the digital era


Book Description

This volume offers a comprehensive, empirical and methodological view over new scenarios recently emerged in language teaching and learning, such as blended learning, e-learning, ubiquitous, social, autonomous or lifelong learning, and also over some new (ICT-based) approaches that can support them (CALL, MALL, CLIL, LMOOCs).




The Content-based Classroom


Book Description

Shows how to apply the tenets of a content-based approach to language instruction. Explores practical models for teacher preparation, classrooms strategies and alternative models, research and assessment and the relationship between content-based instruction and other instructional approaches.




Teaching Content and Language in the Multilingual Classroom


Book Description

This book brings together research from six different countries across three continents where teacher educators and policy makers are addressing the under-preparation of content teachers to work effectively with multilingual learners. By highlighting this relatively young field of research at an international level, the book advances the research-based knowledge of the field and promotes international research relationships and partnerships to better support the education of multilingual learners and their teachers. The chapters represent high-quality empirical qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies about pre-service and in-service teachers. Comprising four sections, each represents a critical aspect of the equitable teaching of multilingual learners. All the research was conducted in countries that belong to OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) enabling the reader to compare contexts and outcomes. This book will be of particular interest to academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of language education, teacher education, and education for multilingual learners. It will be of great value to anyone concerned with equity and social justice for multilingual learners whose languages, cultural practices, and resources are often overlooked and/or marginalized in the schools they attend.







Language Education Programs


Book Description

This book delves into the realm of effective language education programs, examining them from both macro and micro-policy-making perspectives. It unravels the distinguishing features of exemplary language programs and explores how these programs are implemented in diverse international contexts. The book comprehensively explores various facets of language education programs, encompassing well-crafted language education policies, robust curriculum and syllabus design, impactful teaching materials, effective approaches to English for specific purposes (ESP), English as a medium of instruction (EMI), content and language integrated learning (CLIL), and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-informed instruction. The book also delves into fruitful school/institute-university partnerships, the judicious use of technology, strategies for teacher recruitment and professional development, as well as efficient policies for learner assessment, among other topics of significance. The contributions within this book are firmly grounded in data, incorporating findings from empirical studies. The insights provided draw upon valuable data obtained from a range of diverse contexts in which effective language education programs have been implemented.




The Action-oriented Approach


Book Description

This book presents the background to the current shift in language education towards action-oriented/action-based teaching, and provides a theorization of the Action-oriented Approach (AoA). It discusses the concepts and theories that paved the way for the AoA and explores their relevance for the way language education is conceived and implemented in the classroom. In the process, it revisits the concept of competence and discusses the dynamic notions of mediation and plurilingualism. The authors explain the way in which the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its recent update, the CEFR Companion Volume, broaden the scope of language education, in particular in relation to the actional turn. The book provides scholars and practitioners with a research-informed description of the AoA, explains its implications for curriculum planning, teaching and assessment, and elaborates on its pedagogical implications.




Testing the Untestable in Language Education


Book Description

The testing and assessment of language competence continues to be a much debated issue in foreign language teaching and research. This book is the first one to address the testing of four important dimensions of foreign language education which have been left largely unconsidered: learner autonomy, intercultural competence, literature and literary competence, and the integration of content and language learning. Each area is considered through a theoretical framework, followed by two empirical studies, raising questions of importance to all language teachers: How can one test literary competence? Can intercultural competence be measured? What about the integrated assessment of content-and-language in CLIL and teaching? Is progress in autonomous learning skill gaugeable? The book constitutes essential reading for anyone interested in the testing and assessment of seemingly largely untestable aspects of foreign language competence. "The title of this book is well chosen. Despite the apparent oxymoron, this collection of papers succeeds in addressing important issues of educational policy and theory with the precision born of empirical work combined with discussion of principles. This book will open new options for testers, for teachers and for those who make policy decisions." Michael Byram, School of Education, University of Durham, UK




Language Teachers and Teaching


Book Description

This volume gathers contributions from a range of global experts in teacher education to address the topic of language teacher education. It shows how teacher education involves the agency of teachers, which forms part of their identity, and which they take on when integrating into the teaching community of practice. In addition, the volume explores the teachers’ situated practice--the dynamic negotiation of classroom situations, socialization into the professional teaching culture, and "on the ground experimentation" with pedagogical skills/techniques.