Category: Books

Crosslinguistic Influence in Second Language Acquisition – This volume provides an unprecedented insight into current approaches to crosslinguistic influence (CLI).

The collection investigates a range of themes including linguistic relativity, the possible contributions of neurolinguistics, the problem of cognitive development and the role of the frequency of structures in acquisition from distinct, overlapping and complementary perspectives. The chapters on Crosslinguistic Influence in L2 Acquisition focuses on vocabulary, morphosyntactic categories, semantic structures, and phonetic and phonological structures feature in the volume.

As do over 20 languages, in order to offer new insights into both theoretical and empirical issues in CLI, including the consequences of great or little similarity in structures between languages. The relevance of CLI research for teaching is discussed in a number of chapters, as is the phenomenon of multilingualism. The collection will appeal to researchers, graduate and postgraduate students, teachers and professionals interested in the field of CLI in SLA.

After reading “Crosslinguistic Influence in L2 Acquisition” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Key Questions in Language Teaching: An Introduction – Innovative and evidence-based, this introduction to the main concepts and issues in language teaching uses a ‘key questions’ structure, enabling the reader to understand how these questions have been addressed by researchers previously, and how the findings inform language teaching practices.

Grounded in research, theory and empirical evidence, the textbook provides students, practitioners and teachers with a complete introductory course in language teaching. Written in a clear and user-friendly style, and avoiding use of jargon, the book draws upon real-life teaching experiences and scenarios to provide practical advice. A glossary of key terms, questions for discussion and further reading suggestions are included. The book is perfectly suited to language teaching modules on English language, TESOL and applied linguistics courses.

After reading this article you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

The new edition of Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition defines the key terminology within second language acquisition, and also provides accessible summaries of the key issues within this complex area of study.

The final section presents a list of key readings in second language acquisition that signposts the reader towards classic articles and also provides a springboard to further study. The whole book has been updated and expanded to take into account a wider range of theories and developments since the first edition. It remains at the top of its game.

After reading “Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Serious Games for Global Education: Digital Game-Based Learning in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classroom – In the last few years, global education has become a key concept within the TEFL domain, suggesting competences, topics, and methods that enable students to become responsible and knowledgeable participants in a globalized world.

With the help of a triangulated blended learning study conducted in five different middle school EFL classes, and an additional small group study, the author investigates the potential of digital plays that have an educational purpose, so called serious games, for education when used in EFL scenarios. The results show a clear contribution of serious plays to global education when used with EFL learners, leading to a reference model of digital game-based learning in the EFL classroom.

After reading “Serious Games for Global Education” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Language in Education: Social Implications – Teachers in any subject area must have a basic understanding of how language is learned and used in educational contexts because language impacts teaching and learning across all subjects.

This book is written specifically for those teachers and teacher trainees learning to teach who want to know more about language learning and use in educational contexts and, especially, those who care about the social implications of language in education. Chapters address crucial questions that teachers must address: How is language structured? How is language learned at home and in school, by first, second and bilingual language learners? How is language used in classrooms to shape learning? How does language vary in different regions and due to social characteristics of users? How can language be used to make meaning in different modes (oral/written) and contexts? How do language policies intersect with education policies, and how do these impact teachers? The chapters are full of examples of language use in educational contexts to help readers understand language in action.

The examples not only highlight key points, they also provide opportunities for readers to deepen their understanding by experiencing analysis of language. Each chapter closes with a discussion of relevance to educational settings and questions which can be used for in-class discussion or personal reflection. Suggestions for further readings and online viewing are included, and a comprehensive companion website is available.

After reading “Language in Education Social Implications” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Usage-inspired L2 Instruction – This book presents a set of compelling essays collectively making a persuasive case for why a usage-based perspective on language is fast becoming a leading theoretical framework for investigating second language (L2) learning and the foundation for effective, innovative, engaging pedagogy.

Drawing on 20 years of research in psychology, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and linguistic theory, including discourse analytic approaches, the combined contributions paint a picture of theoretically-informed L2 pedagogy which emphasizes all facets of language as meaningful, embodied, and socially situated. The introduction and conclusion offer an outline of five foundational tenets essential to a usage-inspired pedagogy and a heuristic for developing usage-inspired L2 research and pedagogy. Each essay provides a unique vantage on usage-inspired L2 instruction and a demonstration of the efficacy of usage-based pedagogy. This volume will be invaluable for SLA researchers, graduate students, and classroom teachers interested in exploring usage-inspired L2 pedagogy.

After reading “Usage-inspired L2 Instruction” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Language Teaching: Linguistic Theory in Practice – How can theories of language development be understood and applied in your language classroom? By presenting a range of linguistic perspectives from formal to functional to cognitive, this book highlights the relevance of second language acquisition research to the language classroom.

Following a brief historical survey of the ways in which language has been viewed, Whong clearly discusses the basic tenets of Chomskyan linguistics, before exploring ten generalizations about second language development in terms of their implications for language teaching. Emphasizing the formal generative approach, the book explores well-known language teaching methods, looking at the extent to which linguistic theory is relevant to the different approaches. This is the first textbook to provide an explicit discussion of language teaching from the point of view of formal linguistics.

After reading “Usage-inspired L2 Instruction” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

A Course in Language Teaching: Practice of Theory -This important new course provides a comprehensive basic introduction to teaching languages, for use in pre-service or early experience settings. It can be used by groups of teachers working with a trainer, or as a self-study resource. It consists of modules on key topics, arranged into sections covering: The Teaching Process, The Teaching the Language, Content, Lessons, and Learner Differences. Modules can be used in sequence, or selectively. Each module presents practical and theoretical aspects of the topic, with tasks. Suggestions for classroom observation and practice, action research projects and further reading are included. Notes for the trainer with stimulating insights from the author’s personal experience complete the course.

After reading “A Course in Language Teaching” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Language Testing in Practice – This book relates language testing practice to current views of communicative language teaching and testing. It builds on the theoretical background expounded in Bachman’s Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing and examines the design, planning, and organization of tests.

The book is divided into three sections which discuss 1) objectives and expectations, the context of language testing, and the abilities to be tested; 2) the process of test development, including blueprints, resources, operationalization, and scoring methods; and 3) ten examples which illustrate the principles discussed in Parts One and Two. 

Advances in language testing in the past decade have occurred in three areas.  The development of a theoretical view that considers language ability to be multicomponential and recognizes the influence of the test method and test taker characteristics on test performance. In the applications of more sophisticated measurement and statistical tools, and the development of “communicative” language tests that incorporate principles of “communicative” language teaching.

After reviewing these advances, this paper describes an interactional model of language test performance that includes two components, language ability and test method. Language ability consists of language knowledge and metacognitive strategies, whereas test method includes characteristics of the environment, rubric, input, expected response, and relationship between input and expected response.

Two aspects of authenticity are derived from this model. The situational authenticity of a given test task depends on the relationship between its test method characteristics and the features of a specific language use situation, while its interactional authenticity pertains to the degree to which it invokes the test taker’s language ability. The application of this definition of authenticity to test development is discussed

After reading this article, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.

Task-based language teaching (TBLT)is an approach which differs from traditional approaches by emphasizing the importance of engaging learners’ natural abilities for acquiring language incidentally through the performance of tasks that draw learners’ attention to form.

Drawing on the multiple perspectives and expertise of five leading authorities in the field, this book provides a comprehensive and balanced account of TBLT. Split into five sections, the book provides an historical account of the development of TBLT and introduces the key issues facing the area.

A number of different theoretical perspectives that have informed TBLT are presented, followed by a discussion on key pedagogic aspects – syllabus design, methodology of a task-based lesson, and task-based assessment.

The final sections consider the research that has investigated the effectiveness of TBLT, addresses critiques and suggest directions for future research. Task-based language teaching is now mandated by many educational authorities throughout the world and this book serves as a core source of information for researchers, teachers and students.

After reading “Task-based language teaching” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.