This edited volume offers an insightful theoretical conceptualization of issues central to 21st century foreign language learning and teaching. Drawing on research results obtained in the fields of pedagogy, social psychology and sociology of education, this book provides a comprehensive practical exploration of issues experienced by researchers in Poland and in Europe, and which can easily find far-reaching implications in other educational contexts. Part I, Focus on the Teacher, includes seven texts discussing topics relevant to teacher initial and in-service education, as well as the functioning of foreign language instructors in educational systems. The eight contributions included in Part II, Focus on the Learner, explore learner-internal and learner-external factors that affect the effectiveness of the language learning process. The exploration of key contemporary topics and the wide range of methodologies applied make this book of high relevance to Second Language Acquisition scholars, teacher educators, teachers, and language education policy makers.

This volume draws together all the articles published by the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning in its second year of publication (2010). As the use of mobile technology for personal and business applications continues to grow, it naturally follows that educators and researchers will investigate the use of mobile devices for knowledge sharing and learning. Refining Current Practices in Mobile and Blended Learning: New Applications provides perspectives on new approaches to learning theory and practice in increasingly mobile, immersive environments. Situated at the intersection of theory and practice, this book provides foundational research on the development and implementation of mobile games, the delivery of mobile and blended learning, and philosophical underpinnings of this emerging discipline.

This volume contains a selection of the papers, seminars and workshops presented in the First International Conference on English Language Teaching and Learning (ICELTL1), held at the University of Santiago, Spain, in September 2008, as well as a number of valuable original contributions by other specialists who were involved in the conference. It aims to represent the views of teachers, scholars, researchers, teacher trainers and curriculum developers from all over the world, from the USA and Japan to Europe. It is addressed to ELT teachers, researchers and professionals who want to reflect upon and develop their knowledge and practice of current issues in English language teaching and learning. Current problems in many of the areas of ELT are given different solutions depending on the context in which respective contributors conduct their work. It is precisely this international perspective that makes this volume unique and illustrative of different realities with a similar objective in mind: the implementation and improvement of English language teaching. The various contributions have been organised in four main sections that correspond to the major focal topics of the conference: teacher training and development, classroom management and practice, new technologies and language teaching, and research on learner language.

This volume demonstrates how various methodologies and tools have been used to analyze the multidimensional, dynamic, and complex nature of identities and professional development of language teachers in digital contexts that have not been adequately examined before. It therefore offers new understandings and conceptualizations of language teacher development and learning in varied digital environments. The collection of pieces illustrates a field that is recognizing that digital environments are the contexts of teacher learning, not simply the object of it, and that issues of identity and agency are central to that learning. As an excellent resource on digital technologies, CALL, gaming, or language teacher identity and agency, the book can be used as a textbook in various applied linguistics courses and graduate seminars.

While research into intercultural teaching has grown exponentially during the past two decades, the research has primarily resorted to the use of quantitative data collection instruments and the interpretation of scores calculated through them. As such, studies in the field can seem somewhat decontextualized, ignoring in some cases setting-specific parameters. Therefore, further study is needed to bring together theory, research, and practice demonstrating how this teaching is reflected in research design and how it is undertaken in different settings. Intercultural Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Contexts is an essential reference source that provides a series of rich insights into the way intercultural education is practiced in numerous international contexts and showcases practical examples of teaching situations and classroom activities that demonstrate its impact within the classroom. Featuring research on topics such as higher education, multilingualism, and professionalism, this book is ideally designed for educators, researchers, administrators, professionals, academicians, and students seeking pedagogical guidance on intercultural teaching.

This volume offers fresh perspectives on a controversial issue in applied linguistics and language teaching by focusing on the use of the first language in communicative or immersion-type classrooms. It includes new work by both new and established scholars in educational scholarship, second language acquisition, and sociolinguistics, as well as in a variety of languages, countries, and educational contexts. Through its focus at the intersection of theory, practice, curriculum and policy, the book demands a reconceptualization of code-switching as something that both proficient and aspiring bilinguals do naturally, and as a practice that is inherently linked with bilingual code-switching.

This book introduces a state-of-the-art model for second/foreign language language teacher education ─ Knowing, Analyzing, Recognizing, Doing, and Seeing (KARDS). Its goal is to develop prospective and practicing teachers into strategic thinkers, exploratory researchers, and transformative teachers.

For teachers of English, connecting with non-native students can pose significant problems, but communication technologies may offer a viable solution. Cases on Communication Technology for Second Language Acquisition and Cultural Learning provides educators with valuable insight into methods and opportunities for using technology to teach students learning a foreign language. Theoretical and pragmatic cases illustrate teaching strategies and methodologies, hardware and software development, administrative concerns, and cross-cultural considerations with respect to effective educational technologies. Educators and students, as well as administrators and developers, will use this book to improve the effectiveness of second language curricula across a variety of intercultural perspectives.

The role of technology in the learning process can offer significant contributions to help meet the increasing needs of students. In the field of language acquisition, new possibilities for instructional methods have emerged from the integration of such innovations. The Handbook of Research on Foreign Language Education in the Digital Age presents a comprehensive examination of emerging technological tools being utilized within second language learning environments. Highlighting theoretical frameworks, multidisciplinary perspectives, and technical trends, this book is a crucial reference source for professionals, curriculum designers, researchers, and upper-level students interested in the benefits of technology-assisted language acquisition.

This volume analyses the policymaking, expectations, implementation, progress, and outcomes of early language learning in various education policy contexts worldwide. The contributors to the volume are international researchers specialising in language policy and early language learning and their contributions aim to advance scholarship on early language learning policies and inform policymaking at the global level. The languages considered include learning English as a second language in primary schools in Japan, Mexico, Serbia, Argentina, and Tanzania; Spanish language education in the US and Australia; Arabic as a second language in Israel and Bangladesh; Chinese in South America and Oceania; and finally, early German teaching and learning in France and the UK.