A Practical Guide to Second Language Teaching and Learning

'The authors have succeeded in producing a book that is comprehensive, insightful, and engaging and one that will be a primary resource for teacher educators, language teaching researchers, and student teachers. The reader-friendly organization of each chapter with pre-reading activities, summaries of key theory and research, and post-reading follow-up tasks will provide both novice as well as experienced teachers with an extensive understanding of the disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge that are essential for today's language teaching professionals.' Jack C. Richards, Sydney University, Australia 'Any practical guide to language learning and teaching needs to address the interface between theory and practice. Loewen and Sato draw on their own practical experience as researchers, teacher educators and language learners to compile a comprehensive account of all the key issues in instructed language learning. This highly accessible text is an invaluable resource for students and teacher-educators alike.' Roderick Ellis, University of Auckland, New Zealand 'I wish I'd had this book years ago. Its bite-sized, yet thorough, presentations and accompanying activities throughout make it a teaching and learning joy. It covers everything a good SLA and ISLA course should be about … and then some. And it does all this in a way that makes practitioners' lives easy and students' learning enjoyable.' Graeme Porte, University of Granada, Spain 'Teachers can rejoice. Students entering the field will delight in this engagingly written and accessible book. It manages to be comprehensive, appropriately informed by scholarship, and practical without ever becoming dull. In a word, it's impressive.' John Macalister, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand 'With its blend of theoretical foundations and practical applications, this textbook is an essential resource for anyone delving into Second Language Acquisition research. Clear, engaging, and comprehensive, it equips instructors with useful materials. Authored by leading scholars, this all-encompassing guide not only enriches but also invigorates the learning experience with the fascinating field of Second Language Acquisition.' Yuichi Suzuki, Kanagawa University, Japan 'The book is an impressive achievement for its comprehensive coverage of critical topics in language teaching. It is an essential text for language teacher education programs and a great resource for language teacher educators who look for pedagogical ideas to inspire language teachers. The book is a must-read practical guide for language teachers.' Xuesong (Andy) Gao, University of New South Wales, Australia 'This easily accessible volume is a perfect textbook for undergraduate or beginning graduate courses in the area of Second Language Education. Underpinned by theory, the book aims to be a practical guide to L2 teaching, without being a methodology course. Empirical evidence sections will entice students who want to deepen their understanding of the basics of L2 teaching and learning.' Lies Sercu, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium 'This book is a wonderfully comprehensive overview of the field of language instruction. The focus on foundational knowledge in the most relevant linguistic disciplines as well as the numerous exercises make this volume particularly suited for use in higher-level undergraduate instruction. I look forward to using this volume to train emerging language teachers and researchers.' Conor Snoek, University of Lethbridge, Canada 'Loewen and Sato provide a comprehensive, clearly written volume covering the fundamentals of second language teaching and learning. In addition to excellent coverage of the field, the inclusion of 'recaps' throughout the chapter and end-of-chapter activities make this a complete package to support trainee teachers and researchers whether used in coursework on through independent reading.' Rita Elaine Silver, National Institute of Education, Singapore 'Grounded in the authors' impressively updated knowledge of research developments and disciplinary debates in the field, coupled with their attested engagement in building bridges between research and practice, this book will become an essential resource for newcomers to the field of L2 learning and teaching. In addition to the well-grounded and meticulously designed instructional materials, the book contributes a convincing articulation of the synergetic forces that may result from collaborative dialogues between researchers and practitioners.' Rosa Maria Manchon, University of Murcia, Spain 'Loewen and Sato have authored a clear and accessible text that provides a comprehensive overview of SLA as a study area. Focusing on the practical issues relevant to the L2 classroom, the book presents relevant content in a friendly manner, stressing the role of research in understanding SLA. I am looking forward to using this book and its additional online components with my own students.' Pawel Szudarski, University of Nottingham, UK 'In this informative, accessible, and user-friendly textbook, Loewen and Sato expertly weave research and practice to provide readers with a strong theoretical foundation in all aspects of the field along with a wide range of pedagogical strategies. I would not hesitate to use this thorough and well-organized book, with its many useful features, in my undergraduate SLA class.' Martin Boyne, Trent University, Canada 'This is an excellent textbook for introductory courses on second language learning and instruction. It covers key topics clearly and provides summaries of seminal research without overwhelming readers. The inclusion of pre-reading discussion questions, post-reading activities, supplementary resources, practical guidelines, and class assignments will undoubtedly foster active student involvement and a stronger connection between research and practical application.' Michael Leeser, Florida State University, USA 'A useful and accessible introductory guide for graduate TESOL students, which strikes a balance between second language acquisition theory and research and language teaching pedagogy. Its real value, though, lies in its very practical orientation, with tasks and activities threaded through each chapter.' Michael Hepworth, University of Sunderland, UK