This book provides both principles and practical guidelines for Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) teachers of all levels and languages to transform raw materials into activities for the language classroom. Grounded in research, the author lays out a series of principles that serve to remind teachers of the possibilities that exist when they consider using authentic materials in the classroom. Each principle in the book is accompanied by numerous practical examples in a wide variety of languages created by the author and by teachers who have participated in a summer institute led by Bill Johnston and Louis Janus at CARLA since 1999.

A step-by-step guide to designing materials for learning world languages, from expert instructional designers Many teachers of less commonly taught languages, or LCTLs, find themselves in the position of needing access to quality language teaching and learning materials where none exist, or where those that do are extremely outdated. Designing Effective Language Learning Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages is a concise guide for language instructors or anyone with an interest in developing language learning materials. While leading instructors through the development process using the ADDIE model of instructional design (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation), Özçelik and Kent present examples from many different languages, provide reflection questions for readers to consider at the end of each chapter, and give concrete strategies and tips throughout the process. Readers will come away from the book with a more comprehensive understanding of how to develop materials for world language learning in general, and LCTL learning in particular, and a clear roadmap for doing so. Simply written and free of overly complicated jargon or rhetoric, Designing Effective Language Learning Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages will be an invaluable reference for novice and experienced instructors alike, as well as directors of language programs.

This edited volume highlights how institutions, programs, and less commonly taught language (LCTL) instructors can collaborate and think across institutional boundaries, bringing together voices representing different approaches to LCTL sharing to highlight affordances and challenges across institutions in this collection of essays. Sharing Less Commonly Taught Languages in Higher Education showcases how innovation and reform can make LCTL programs and courses more attractive to students whose interests and needs might be overlooked in traditional language programs. The volume focuses on how institutions, programs, and LCTL instructors can work together, collaborating and thinking across institutional boundaries to explore innovative solutions for offering a wider range of languages and levels. With challenges including instructor isolation, difficulty in offering advanced courses or sustaining course sequences, and minimal availability of pedagogical materials compared to commonly taught languages to overcome, this collection is a vital resource for language educators and language program administrators.

The Routledge Handbook of Materials Development for Language Teaching is the definitive resource for all working in this area of language and English language teaching. With 34 chapters authored by leading figures from around the world, the Handbook provides an historical overview of the development of language teaching materials, critical discussion of core issues, and an assessment of future directions. The contributions represent a range of different international contexts, providing insightful, state-of-the-art coverage of the field. Structured in nine sections, the Handbook covers: changes and developments in language teaching materials controversial issues in materials development research and materials development materials for language learning and skills development materials evaluation and adaptation materials for specific contexts materials development and technology developing materials for publication professional development and materials writing Demonstrating throughout the dynamic relationship between theory and practice, this accessible Handbook is essential reading for researchers, scholars, and students on MA programmes in ELT, TESOL, and applied linguistics.

Language teaching approaches, methods and procedures are constantly undergoing reassessment. New ideas keep emerging as the growing complexity of the means of communication and the opportunities created by technology put language skills to new uses. In addition, the political, social and economic impact of globalisation, the new demands of the labour market that result from it, the pursuit of competitiveness, the challenges of intercultural communication and the diversification of culture have opened new perspectives on the central role that foreign languages have come to play in the development of contemporary societies. This book provides an insight into the latest developments in the field and discusses the new trends in foreign language teaching in four major areas, namely methods and approaches, teacher training, innovation in the classroom, and evaluation and assessment.

International Education and Foreign Languages reviews the Department of Education's Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Programs, which provide higher education funding for international education and foreign language programs. This book offers a timely look at issues that are increasingly important in an interconnected world. It discusses the effect of the nation's lack of expertise in foreign languages and cultural knowledge on national security and global competitiveness and it describes the challenges faced by the U.S. educational system and the federal government in trying to address those needs. The book also examines the federal government's recent proposal to create a new National Security Language Initiative, the role of the Department of Education, and current efforts to hold higher education programs accountable. This book provides information and recommendations that can help universities, educators, and policy makers establish a system of foreign language and international education that is ready to respond to new and unanticipated challenges around the world.

This wide-ranging survey of issues in intercultural language teaching and learning covers everything from core concepts to program evaluation, and advocates a fluid, responsive approach to teaching language that reflects its central role in fostering intercultural understanding. Includes coverage of theoretical issues defining language, culture, and communication, as well as practice-driven issues such as classroom interactions, technologies, programs, and language assessment Examines systematically the components of language teaching: language itself, meaning, culture, learning, communicating, and assessments, and puts them in social and cultural context Features numerous examples throughout, drawn from various languages, international contexts, and frameworks Incorporates a decade of in-depth research and detailed documentation from the authors’ collaborative work with practicing teachers Provides a much-needed addition to the sparse literature on intercultural aspects of language education

‘Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part One) offers a groundbreaking introduction to Arabic as it is written and spoken by native speakers. It combines a progressive and rigorous grounding in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) – the form employed for reading, writing and formal speaking – with an innovative integration of the spoken Levantine variety used in everyday situations in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. Introducing the two simultaneously ‘Arabiyyat al Naas (Part One) uses each in its proper context: Levantine for conversations and MSA for reading and writing activities. In this way, the course efficiently prepares students for the practical realities of learning and "living" Arabic today. Features include: 21 theme-based units covering all the core topics expected in a first-year Arabic course, such as countries, clothes, colors, family and professions a broad range of stimulating activities and exercises fostering active engagement with the course and the development of comprehension and communication skills comprehensively covers the 5 Cs: communication, culture, connections, comparisons and communities free downloadable resources filmed on location in Jordan, presenting over 40 videos and incorporating a wide variety of entertaining and realistic scenarios a free companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/younes) offering a wealth of additional instructor and student resources, including a teacher’s guide, an introduction to the letters and sounds of Arabic (with audiovisual aid and writing demonstrations), audio recordings of songs and listening passages, video clips, sample tests, an answer key and language games clear explanations of grammatical structures and concepts as they occur in the reading and listening materials to encourage progressive learning and active interaction with the text a user-friendly and vibrant full colour text design, richly illustrated throughout with over 200 illustrations and photographs songs with simple lyrics tied to the themes of the course to help advance vocabulary acquisition and understanding of basic grammatical structures. Written by a dynamic author team and tested over a number of years at Cornell University, ‘Arabiyyat al-Naas (Part One) will be an essential resource for students beginning to learn Arabic. While primarily designed for classroom use, the accessibility of the course and website also renders it highly suitable for independent study. The materials are designed to bring students from the novice low level to the intermediate low level on the ACTFL scale (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), and from A1 to A2/B1 on the CEFR scale (Common European Framework Reference). This volume is the first in an exciting three-part series of Arabic textbooks which together provide a complete three-year undergraduate language program.

Comprehensively revised and updated to take account of the impact of technology on the field of materials development