Publisher 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

A clear and practical introduction to second language acquisition, written for students encountering the topic for the first time.

Whether we grow up with one, two, or several languages during our early years of life, many of us will learn a second, foreign, or heritage language in later years. The field of Second language acquisition (SLA, for short) investigates the human capacity to learn additional languages in late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, after the first language --in the case of monolinguals-- or languages --in the case of bilinguals-- have already been acquired. Understanding Second Language Acquisition offers a wide-encompassing survey of this burgeoning field, its accumulated findings and proposed theories, its developed research paradigms, and its pending questions for the future. The book zooms in and out of universal, individual, and social forces, in each case evaluating the research findings that have been generated across diverse naturalistic and formal contexts for second language acquisition. It assumes no background in SLA and provides helpful chapter-by-chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. Ideal as a textbook for students of applied linguistics, foreign language education, TESOL, and education, it is also recommended for students of linguistics, developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science. Supporting resources for tutors are available free at www.routledge.com/ortega.

Forget everything you’ve heard about adult language learning: evidence from cognitive science and psychology prove we can learn foreign languages just as easily as children. An eye-opening study on how adult learners can master a foreign lanugage by drawing on skills and knowledge honed over a lifetime. Adults who want to learn a foreign language are often discouraged because they believe they cannot acquire a language as easily as children. Once they begin to learn a language, adults may be further discouraged when they find the methods used to teach children don't seem to work for them. What is an adult language learner to do? In this book, Richard Roberts and Roger Kreuz draw on insights from psychology and cognitive science to show that adults can master a foreign language if they bring to bear the skills and knowledge they have honed over a lifetime. Adults shouldn't try to learn as children do; they should learn like adults. Roberts and Kreuz report evidence that adults can learn new languages even more easily than children. Children appear to have only two advantages over adults in learning a language: they acquire a native accent more easily, and they do not suffer from self-defeating anxiety about learning a language. Adults, on the other hand, have the greater advantages—gained from experience—of an understanding of their own mental processes and knowing how to use language to do things. Adults have an especially advantageous grasp of pragmatics, the social use of language, and Roberts and Kreuz show how to leverage this metalinguistic ability in learning a new language. Learning a language takes effort. But if adult learners apply the tools acquired over a lifetime, it can be enjoyable and rewarding.

A review of the literature on learning strategies, describing and classifying learning strategies in second language learning.

Academic Success for English Language Learners: Strategies for K-12 Mainstream Teachers, edited by Patricia Richard-Amato and Marguerite Ann Snow, is dedicated to helping teachers meet the sociocultural, cognitive, and academic language needs of today's English Language Learners (ELLs). Designed for mainstream teachers, this anthology demonstrates how students can leverage their backgorund knowledge and skills to function successfully in content-area classes. Balancing conceptual foundations with practical strategies, the book's four-part format includes chapters written by some of the field's most respected researchers and teachers. It offers a solid reeprtoire of techniques for creating a positibve instructional environment. Part I: Theoretical Considerations -- Pesents a variety of ideas to stimulate thinking and help teachers develop their own theories of practice. Part II: Sociocultural Issues and Implications -- Focus on sociocultural concerns and their implications in the classroom. Part III: The Classroom: Instruction and Assessment Practices -- Presents a wide range of pedagogical and classroom management strategies. Part IV: Readings In Specific Content Area -- Relates many of the preceding strategies and issues to specific content areas across grade levels, including math, literature, social studies, science, physical education, music, and art. New! Also by Patricia A. Richard-Amato: Making It Happen, Fourth Edition: From Interactive to Participatory Language Teaching -- Evolving Theory and Practice

How to Learn a New Language in as Little as a Few Months – and Have a Boatload of Fun Doing It Let me make a prediction. I predict that many, many hundreds of people who will read this description will close this page in a few seconds. “Learn a new language in a few months? Are you out of your mind?” they’ll say. “It’s just too good to be true.” And they will go back to their old language learning methods. You know which methods: toiling away at mind-numbing grammar exercises, learning words nobody uses, and, most importantly, never actually using your skills to communicate with another person. If you’re still with me, I expect you to be different. You think there must be something better. After all, how could people master more than one foreign language in their lives if it usually takes a regular person several years just to learn the basics? The answer is simple – in one way or another, they follow the methods I share in How to Learn Any Language in a Few Months While Enjoying Yourself. They not only learn up to ten times faster than other people, they also have a lot of fun while doing it. How to Learn Any Language in a Few Months While Enjoying Yourself is for you if you want to learn: - without this one thing, you’ll never learn a new language in just a few months. Learn what it is and how to apply it to your everyday life to practice your skills while doing your daily activities. - a completely free way to get native speakers to proofread your writings (and even explain to you all of your mistakes). This one site alone can dramatically improve your writing skills. - an extremely easy way to find a native speaker willing to help you learn her mother language. It’s almost like having a private tutor. - the proper way to improve your listening skills while watching movies. Most people learning a foreign language do it the wrong way and it does nothing to improve their abilities. - how to achieve more with less when learning languages. You don’t have to spend hours and hours cramming every single word and grammar rule. In fact, it works to your detriment. Learn what to do instead. - 9 common mistakes to avoid when learning languages. Reading this chapter alone can save you years of ineffective studies – especially mistake #3, so common among language learners. - a 5-step process to improve your reading skills. You can make your learning process much more enjoyable and effective by choosing the right things to read. Learn what these things are. - a fun idea to learn how to write the way native speakers do. You too can learn the slang and phrases only native speakers use – and know the language better than many academic professors. - how to dramatically improve your language skills when traveling. While it isn’t necessary to go abroad to learn a language, it’s a powerful way to cram a lot of learning into just a few days. - 5 common challenges of language learners and how to deal with them. Learn how to get over the fear of communicating with native speakers. Discover how to find more time to learn and practice your skills. Read three tips on how to deal with discouragement. If you’re ready to supercharge your progress and become fluent in a foreign language in as little as a few months, click the buy button. Why kill yourself doing things the old, non-effective way, if you could make the process much easier and enjoy it more, too? P.S. As a gift for buying my book, you’ll get a resource list with my favorite language learning sites. Keywords: learn a language in 3 months, learn a foreign language, learn another language, learn any language, become fluent in any language, be fluent in 3 months, learning languages, learn languages, learn languages fast, language learning methods, learning a new language, learning a language, learning foreign languages, learning another language, how to learn a new language, how to learn a foreign language

Using an innovative framework, this book provides the rationale, strategies, and tools to create optimal blended language learning courses.