Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is an innovative approach to language teaching which emphasises the importance of engaging learners' natural abilities for acquiring language incidentally. The speed with which the field is expanding makes it difficult to keep up with recent developments, for novices and experienced researchers alike. This handbook meets that need, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the field, written by a stellar line-up of leading international experts. ...

Second language acquisition has an identity problem. It is a young field struggling to emerge from the parent fields of education and applied linguistics. In his new book, Problems in Second Language Acquisition, Mike Long proposes a way to help second language acquisition develop a systematic and coherent focus using the philosophy of science as the lens.The volume is neatly organized into three parts--theory, research, and practice. This structure allows a focus on areas...

Understanding how people learn and fail to learn second and foreign languages is increasingly recognised as a critical social and psycholinguistic issue. Second languages are vitally important to diverse groups of people, ranging from refugees to college students facing foreign language requirements. This book provides a synthesis of empirical findings on second and foreign language learning by children and adults, emphasising the design and execution of appropriate research.

Bringing together an international and interdisciplinary team of contributors, this Handbook is a wide-ranging and invaluable reference guide to language teaching.A comprehensive reference work on language teaching, which combines the latest research findings, coverage of core topics, and examples of teaching experience from a variety of languages and settingsProvides a unique breadth of coverage, including: the psycholinguistic underpinnings o...

Now in its fifth edition, the award-winning How Languages are Learned has established itself as an indispensable introduction to research in language acquisition and its relationship with classroom practice. Patsy Lightbown and Nina Spada have worked for over four decades in second language research and education. They are highly respected worldwide for making theory and research about language learning accessible and relevant to classroom teaching. This widely acclaimed book remains essen...

Teaching is changing. It is no longer simply about passing on knowledge to the next generation. Teachers in the twenty-first century, in all educational sectors, have to cope with an ever-changing cultural and technological environment. Teaching is now a design science. Like other design professionals – architects, engineers, programmers – teachers have to work out creative and evidence-based ways of improving what they do. Yet teaching is not treated as a design profession.Every d...

In the 30 years since Rod Ellis first published the award-winning Understanding Second Language Acquisition, it has become a classic text. This new, fully updated edition continues to provide an authoritative and highly readable introduction to key areas of theory and research in second language acquisition. Ellis presents a comprehensive overview of the different theories in this field and examines critical reactions to them. The book reflects recent trends in looking at cognitive and soc...

A BestsellerAttachment Theory shows scientifically how our earliest relationships with our mothers influence our later relationships in life. This book offers an excellent introduction to the findings of attachment theory and the major schools of psychoanalytic thought."The book every student, colleague, and even rival theoretician has been waiting for. With characteristic wit, philosophical sophistication, scholarship, humanity, incisiveness, and ...

Providing a solid foundation in second language acquisition, this book has become the leading introduction to the subject for students of linguistics, psychology and education, and trainee language teachers. Now in its third edition, the textbook offers comprehensive coverage of fundamental concepts, including second language acquisition (SLA) in adults and children, in formal and informal learning contexts, and in diverse socio-cultural settings, and takes an interdisciplinary approach, e...

Materials and Methods in ELT is an essential resource for teachers or for those engaged in taking professional courses relating to all aspects of English language teaching.Now available in its 3rd edition, this popular teachers’ guide offers a comprehensive and useful introduction to the principles and practice of teaching English as a foreign/second language. It examines the ideas behind current methodology and teaching materials, in addition to offering a practical guide...

The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism presents a comprehensive introduction to the foundations of bilingualism, covering language processing, language acquisition, cognition and the bilingual brain.This thorough introduction to the psycholinguistics of bilingualism is accessible to non-specialists with little previous exposure to the fieldIntroduces students to the methodological approaches currently employed in the field, including observation, experimenta...

Psychology for the Classroom: Constructivism and Social Learning provides a lively introduction to the much debated topics of talk and group collaboration in classrooms, and the development of interactive approaches to teaching. The authors provide a background to research in constructivist and social learning theory, offering a broad and practical analysis which focuses on contemporary issues and strategies, including the use of e-learning and multimedia. Throughout the book theo...