Calling All Foreign Language Teachers

This book is a comprehensive guide to help foreign language teachers use technology in their classrooms. It offers the best ways to integrate technology into your teaching for student-centered learning.

This book is a comprehensive guide to help foreign language teachers use technology in their classrooms. It offers the best ways to integrate technology into your teaching for student-centered learning.

This book explores theories and pedagogies in the L2 classroom that have led to an understanding of how non-native languages are taught and learned. Featuring a diverse set of perspectives from researchers and language educators from around the globe, this book highlights important theoretical and practical underpinnings of the L2 classroom—discussions on what has worked and why. Some examples of these topics include: online and nonverbal communication, peace literacy, learning behaviors, high-impact practices, pragmatic awareness, study abroad, implicit and explicit teaching, motivation, and more. One mission of this book is to appreciate a diverse array of L2 teaching practices with sound theoretical underpinnings and universal implications for L2 classrooms. The chapter contributions are the result of an open call for studies that highlight practical innovative approaches in L2 teaching and learning and expand the avenues of exploration available within their theoretical frameworks. More specifically, the call for proposals sought to gather a diverse set of perspectives from researchers and language educators from various parts of the world in order to provide practical and thought-provoking insight on innovative approaches to L2 teaching. As such, the studies in this book all share a common goal that demonstrates the applicability of L2 teaching practices across languages, cultures, and regions. The book is intended to act as a valuable reference for language educators, practitioners, specialists, and anyone studying or wishing to gain an overview of successful teaching practices and learning nuances in the L2 classroom that cross all languages, cultures, and regions.

Provides detailed instructional strategies, sample lesson plans, and sample assessments so that foreign language teachers can make the best use of the additional time.

About twenty years ago, when I began to be interested in a reformation of the teaching of modern languages, there were not, as there are now, numerous books and articles on the subject, but merely scattered hints, especially in the works of Sweet and Storm. It was not long, however, before the movement found itself well under headway, especially in Germany. In Scandinavia it began at the appearance of the adaptation which I had made of Felix Franke’s capital little pamphlet, “Die praktische spracherlernung auf grund der psychologie und der physiologie der sprache.” At just about the same time, Western in Norway and Lundell in Sweden came forward with similar ideas, and at the Philological Congress in Stockholm in 1886 we three struck a blow for reform. We founded a society, of course, and we gave it the name Quousque tandem (which for the benefit of those not acquainted with Latin may be rendered “Cannot we soon put an end to this?”), that Ciceronian flourish with which Viëtor had shortly before heralded his powerful little pamphlet, “Der sprachunterricht muss umkehren.” Our Scandinavian society published some small pamphlets, and for a time even a little quarterly paper. But the movement soon reached that second and more important stage when the teachers began to put the reform into practice and when the editors of school-books began to give it more and more consideration, until at present it may be said that the reformed method is well on the way to permanent favour, at least as far as younger teachers have anything to say in the matter. What is the method, then, that I allude to? Well, if the question means, what is it called, I find myself in some embarrassment, for the method resembles other pet children in this respect, that it has many names. Though none of these are quite adequate, yet if I mention them all, I can perhaps give a little preliminary notion of what the matter is all about. The method is by some called the “new” or “newer”; in England often “die neuere richtung”; by others the “reform-method,” again the “natural,” the “rational,” the “correct,” or “sensible” (why not praise one’s wares as all dealers do in their advertisements?); the “direct” comes a little nearer, the “phonetical” indicates something of its character, but not nearly enough, likewise the “phonetical transcription method,” for phonetics and phonetical transcription is not all; the “imitative” again emphasizes another point; the “analytical” (as contrasted with the constructive) could perhaps also be applied to other methods; the “concrete” calls attention to something essential, but so does the German “anschauungsmethode” too; “the conversation-method” reminds us perhaps too much of Berlitz schools; words with “anti,” like the “anticlassical,” “antigrammatical,” or “antitranslation” method, are clumsy and stupidly negative—so there is nothing left for us but to give up the attempt to find a name, and recognize that this difficulty is due to the fact that it is not one thing, but many things that we have to reform, and that is of course the reason why the reformers themselves fall into so many sub-parties: the one lays all the stress on one point, the other on another point. However, there is certainly enough to do for any one who wants to get better results out of the teaching of foreign languages than have hitherto been the rule.

At a time when environmental humanities and sustainability studies are creating new opportunities for curricular innovation, this volume examines factors key to successful implementation of cross-curricular initiatives in language programs. Contributors discuss theoretical issues pertinent to combining sustainability studies with foreign languages, describe curricular models transferable to a range of instructional contexts, and introduce program structures supportive of teaching cultures and languages across the curriculum. Exploring the intersection of ecocritical theory, second language acquisition research, and disciplinary fields, these essays demonstrate ways in which progressive language departments are being reconceived as relevant and viable programs of cross-disciplinary studies. They provide an introduction to teaching sustainability and environmental humanities topics in language, literature, and culture courses as well as a wide range of resources for teachers and diverse stakeholders in areas related to foreign language education.

Computers play a crucial and rapidly evolving role in education, particularly in the area of language learning. Far from being a tool mimicking a textbook or teacher, Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has the power to transform language learning through the pioneering application of innovative research and practices. Technological innovation creates opportunities to revisit old ideas, conduct new research and challenge established beliefs, meaning that the field is constantly undergoing change. This fully revised second edition brings teachers and researchers up-to-date by offering: A comprehensive overview of CALL and current research issues Step-by-step instructions on conducting research projects in CALL Extensive resources in the form of contacts, websites and free software references A glossary of terms related to CALL Closely linked to other branches of study such as autonomy in language learning and computer science, CALL is at the cutting edge of current research directions. This book is essential reading for all teachers and researchers interested in using CALL to make language learning a richer, more productive and more enjoyable task. Ken Beatty has taught at colleges and universities in Canada, Asia and the Middle East. His publications include more than 100 textbooks for learning English as a Second Language, as well as various websites, CD-ROMs and educational videos.

Whilst this text for students presents a range of examples that deal with teaching English as a foreign language, the basic guidelines mean that the book offers a suitable introduction for student teachers of any foreign language.