Language is a dynamic process, the hallmarks of which are self-organisation, self-similarity and chaotic determination. Instead of seeking simple solutions to complex problems, teachers and syllabus designers should be reaching out beyond existing course books and methodologies to embrace the lessons learned by other scientific disciplines. The fractal approach envisages a new paradigm of language based on forms found in nature and indicates a goal-oriented method of developing teaching materials incorporating a holistic view of language acquisition. This book outlines the theory, presents guidelines for implementing it in the classroom and gives practical examples of the fractal approach in action. With this approach, Claypole 'steps away from ELT convention and offers a perspective from a very different world... His contribution to the field is definitely worth reading.' - Evan Frendo

This thought-provoking and informative collection of essays covers a broad spectrum of topics including: - Why the communicative approach is dead and what to do about it - How to implement blended learning in day-to-day English teaching - Virtual worlds and why English teachers should get a second life - The different roles played by the language teacher - The value of translation in language teaching - Whether native English speakers really make better teachers - Why you should NOT be teaching International English - A more effective way to teach Technical English - The truth about Superlearning and suggestopaedia - The secret to being a good English teacher - Teaching the language of sex. Also included are chapters on the author's unique insight into the issue of complexity in language teaching as manifested in the correlation between language, set theory and fractal mathematics - and the consequences for learners and teachers of English.

This Teacher’s Book is the companion to Academic Presenting and Presentations (ISBN 978-3-7347-8367-8), a training course designed to help students cultivate academic presentation skills and deal with the various presentation tasks they may be required to fulfil during the course of their university studies. The material is suitable for a global audience and can be used in a wide range of contexts in the fields of Communication Skills, English Language Teaching and English for Academic Purposes. In addition to providing valuable notes on each unit, the Teacher’s Book contains key information on the underlying principles, concept and structure of the course and sets out the rationale behind its design. Teachers, and through them their students, can benefit from the depth of the insights presented here, making the classroom experience a rewarding and enjoyable one. Academic presentations can be particularly challenging for non-native English speakers and consequently, the print material and the accompanying video recordings dovetail neatly to provide linguistic support and guidance as well as enhancing presentation skills and providing a forum for practice, feedback and ongoing improvement. However, broader topics of interest appropriate to a study-oriented context, such as research and plagiarism, are also dealt with in a unique balance of content that goes beyond the treatment of discrete language points and emphasises high-level task achievement whilst at the same time focusing attention on the specific requirements of addressing an audience in an academic environment.

IN A STRANGE LAND is a collection of four original short stories which provide teachers with motivating and engaging classroom material at the CEFR B2 to C1 level. This gripping young adult fiction encourages readers to use their imagination and interact with the texts. The stories are supported by creative tasks in which students can integrate all their language skills, use computer technology, practise learning strategies and exercise autonomy.

These proceedings from the 2013 symposium on "Chaos, complexity and leadership" reflect current research results from all branches of Chaos, Complex Systems and their applications in Management. Included are the diverse results in the fields of applied nonlinear methods, modeling of data and simulations, as well as theoretical achievements of Chaos and Complex Systems. Also highlighted are Leadership and Management applications of Chaos and Complexity Theory.

This edited volume brings together researchers and practitioners who work in various linguistic frameworks and EAP contexts, with contributions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the USA. It extends existing linguistic research further by applying theories and approaches and by investigating genres that have received little attention in EAP so far, such as Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, Grice's Cooperative Principle and the article comments and university seminar genres, amongst others. The volume provides linguistic description of both student and expert genres and provides clear pedagogical implications, in the form of teaching recommendations, suggested teaching activities, evaluation of teaching materials or a practical methodological approach. Overall, by focusing on new areas of linguistic research in EAP, the volume enhances teaching practice and inspires further research and scholarship.

This book presents the background to the current shift in language education towards action-oriented/action-based teaching, and provides a theorization of the Action-oriented Approach (AoA). It discusses the concepts and theories that paved the way for the AoA and explores their relevance for the way language education is conceived and implemented in the classroom. In the process, it revisits the concept of competence and discusses the dynamic notions of mediation and plurilingualism. The authors explain the way in which the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its recent update, the CEFR Companion Volume, broaden the scope of language education, in particular in relation to the actional turn. The book provides scholars and practitioners with a research-informed description of the AoA, explains its implications for curriculum planning, teaching and assessment, and elaborates on its pedagogical implications.

Second language acquisition (SLA) is a field of inquiry that has increased in importance since the 1960s. Currently, researchers adopt multiple perspectives in the analysis of learner language, all of them providing different but complementary answers to the understanding of oral and written data produced by young and older learners in different settings. The main goal of this volume is to provide the reader with updated reviews of the major contemporary approaches to SLA, the research carried out within them and, wherever appropriate, the implications and/or applications for theory, research and pedagogy that might derive from the available empirical evidence. The book is intended for SLA researchers as well as for graduate (MA, Ph.D.) students in SLA research, applied linguistics and linguistics, as the different chapters will be a guide in their research within the approaches presented. The volume will also be of interest to professionals from other fields interested in the SLA process and the different explanations that have been put forward to account for it.

This edited volume contributes to the creation of a comprehensive and a more inclusive understanding of an increasingly complex global ELT landscape across countries as well as across teaching and learning settings. The volume brings together inquiries from language teachers, educators and researchers from different backgrounds in the Global South and the Global North, who use their experiences of shuttling across borders to reflect on the shaping of their pedagogical, research and professional practices across higher education settings. The chapters weave the personal, professional and theoretical in a seamless manner, examining transnational identities and pedagogical practices formed and informed by both communities – ‘home’ and ‘host’ – and include narratives that are not unidirectional. The contributing authors also use a variety of qualitative research methods, along with reflexive writing and exploration of the authors’ own positionalities, to shed light on transnational identities and critique dominant pedagogical assumptions.

This book addresses a wide range of aspects of the study of language in a variety of domains such as cognition, change, acquisition, structure, philosophy, politics, and education. It offers a renewed discussion on normative understanding of these concepts and opens up avenues for a fresh look at these concepts. Each contribution in this book captures a wide range of perspectives and underlines the vigorous role of language, which happens to be central to the arguments contained therein. The uniqueness of this book lies in the fact that it presents simplified perspective on various complex aspects of language. It addresses a wide range of audiences, who do not necessarily need to have a technical background in linguistics. It focuses on complex relations between language and cognition, politics, education to name a few with reference to cognition, change, and acquisition. This book is for researchers with an interest in the field of language studies, applied linguistics, and socio-linguistics.