Dialogue In Foreign Language Education

This volume is the first to explore links between the Russian linguist Mikhail Bakhtin's theoretical insights about language and practical concerns with second and foreign language learning and teaching. Situated within a strong conceptual framework and drawing from a rich empirical base, it reflects recent scholarship in applied linguistics that has begun to move away from formalist views of language as universal, autonomous linguistic systems, and toward an understanding of language as dynamic collections of cultural resources. According to Bakhtin, the study of language is concerned with the dialogue existing between linguistic elements and the uses to which they are put in response to the conditions of the moment. Such a view of language has significant implications for current understandings of second- and foreign-language learning. The contributors draw on some of Bakhtin's more significant concepts, such as dialogue, utterance, heteroglossia, voice, and addressivity to examine real world contexts of language learning. The chapters address a range of contexts including elementary- and university-level English as a second language and foreign language classrooms and adult learning situations outside the formal classroom. The text is arranged in two parts. Part I, "Contexts of Language Learning and Teaching," contains seven chapters that report on investigations into specific contexts of language learning and teaching. The chapters in Part II, "Implications for Theory and Practice," present broader discussions on second and foreign language learning using Bakhtin's ideas as a springboard for thinking. This is a groundbreaking volume for scholars in applied linguistics, language education, and language studies with an interest in second and foreign language learning; for teacher educators; and for teachers of languages from elementary to university levels. It is highly relevant as a text for graduate-level courses in applied linguistics and second- and foreign-language education.

Dialogue in foreign language education is a collection of studies that explore topics important in contemporary foreign language education, such as: academic discourse, intercultural communication, the use of information technology, critical reading, the development of communicative skills, anxiety in foreign language learning. Researchers from Poland and abroad discuss the interplay between various factors influencing foreign language learning and teaching. The publication consists of eleven chapters, each followed by comments in which their authors dialogue with the opinions expressed in the chapters. It is our hope that the book will inspire readers to ask questions and pursue new paths along “old, well known” topics concerning foreign language education. … an extremely valuable book; discussing issues that play a crucial role in contemporary foreign language pedagogy, in an interesting way presenting the voices of its contributors … I believe the publication will definitely be welcomed by foreign language teachers, pre-service and in-service trainers, academic teachers as well as teacher trainees and students of foreign language colleges. (translated by the editor) Prof. zw. dr hab. Hanna Komorowska Instytut Anglistyki, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Drawing upon convergences between translation studies and foreign and second language (L2) didactics that have emerged as a result of recent research, this volume continues the dialogue between the two disciplines by allowing for epistemological two-way traffic, marrying established, yet so far unrelated or under-researched, conceptual approaches, and disseminating innovative scientific evidence from different continents. A unique feature of the volume is the sub-section presenting the most recent empirical studies in the development of linguistic and other professional competences for translators, with suggestions for re(de)fining translation curricula. The contributors to this volume include representatives of various spheres, including academics, researchers and practitioners. Their underlying theoretical and empirical research is informed by multiple perspectives: linguistics, didactics, and translation-related. This book shows how integrating insights from translation studies into language teaching and vice versa can effectively respond to the challenges of contemporary language and translator teaching and training.

Reflective Dialogue presents professional educators with the necessary background and skills to engage in reflective dialogue with language learners effectively. It draws on work in the fields of advising in language learning, reflective practice, sociocultural theory, language learner autonomy, counseling, and life coaching to provide both an introduction to the field and guidance for researching advising in action. The book also includes a wide variety of practical ideas and over 30 sample dialogues that offer clear demonstrations of the concepts discussed in practice. This dynamic textbook’s practical approach illustrates how reflective dialogue can promote language learner autonomy and how language advising can be implemented successfully both inside and outside the classroom.

This book analyses an intercultural project undertaken by French and English 14-year-olds based on an exchange of materials created by the pupils and focused on the topic of law and order. The project was based on a view of learning as a dialogic process interacting with others. A first language and home culture is acquired through such interaction. This project sought to realise this dialogic process in a more meaningful way than is often the case in foreign language classrooms.

The term intercultural dialogue has become a buzzword at policy level, but there is a pressing need to synchronise the terminology of policymakers with that of academics. An overarching aim of this book is to explore the wide-ranging terminology relevant to intercultural dialogue in order to promote clearer consideration of the underlying issues. More specifically, this book reports the findings of a research project conducted in Japan that brought teaching practice to bear upon some of the main conflicting theoretical perspectives on how value judgment should be managed in foreign language ed.

The legacy of English teaching and Christian missionaries is a flashpoint within the field of English language teaching. This critical examination of the place of Christianity in the field is unique in presenting the voices of TESOL professionals from a wide range of religious and spiritual perspectives. About half identify themselves as "Christian" while the others identify themselves as Buddhist, atheist, spiritualist, and variations of these and other faiths. What is common for all the authors is their belief that values have an important place in the classroom. What they disagree on is whether and how spiritual values should find expression in learning and teaching. This volume dramatizes how scholars in the profession wrestle with ideological, pedagogical, and spiritual dilemmas as they seek to understand the place of faith in education. To sustain this conversation, the book is structured dialogically. Each section includes a set of position chapters in which authors explain their views of faith/pedagogy integration, a set of chapters by authors responding to these positions while articulating their own views on the subject, and discussion questions to engage readers in comparing the positions of all the authors, reflecting on their own experiences and values, and advancing the dialogue in fresh and personal directions.

Opening Dialogue examines the effects of classroom discourse on learning in 8th- and 9th-grade literature classes, with broad implications for all grade levels and subjects. Dozens of schools and thousands of students participated in this study, the largest in the field. Contents: Dialogic Instruction: When Recitation Becomes Conversation * The Big Picture: Language and Learning in Hundreds of English Lessons * A Closer Look at Authentic Interaction: Profiles of Student, Teacher Talk in Two Classrooms * What's a Teacher to Do?