An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching

An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching provides an engaging, student-friendly guide to the field of foreign language learning and teaching. Aimed at students with no background in the area and taking a task-based approach, this book: introduces the theoretical and practical aspects of both learning and teaching; provides discussion and workshop activities throughout each chapter of the book, along with further reading and reflection tasks; deals with classroom- and task-based teaching, and covers lesson planning and testing, making the book suitable for use on practical training courses; analyses different learning styles and suggests strategies to improve language acquisition; includes examples from foreign language learning in Russian, French, and German, as well as English; is accompanied by a brand new companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/johnson, which contains additional material, exercises, and weblinks. Written by an experienced teacher and author, An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching is essential reading for students beginning their study in the area, as well as teachers in training and those already working in the field.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 BACKGROUND 1 Five learners and five methods 2 What is there to learn? 3 Some views of language and language learning Part 2 LEARNING 4 Learners and their errors 5 Input, interaction and output 6 Some learning processes 7 Individual language learners: some differences 8 Good language learners and what they do PART 3 TEACHING 9 Language teaching: a brisk walk through recent times 10 Contexts 11 Plans and programmes 12 Ways and means 13 Skills 14 Tests 15 When all has been said: preparing and managing lessons

About the Author :
Keith Johnson is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and Language Education in the Department of Linguistics and English Language, University of Lancaster, UK.

Review :
"This updated and revised book provides a thorough, entertaining and extremely well written introduction to current ideas and developments in TESOL and applied linguistics. The book is full of stimulating activities and ideas for reading and will be successful in prompting teachers to be both critical and reflective." Steve Mann, University of Warwick, UK "Keith Johnson has done an excellent job in making the work so accessible and engaging while providing readers with an in-depth theoretical perspective. The book is also full of good questions and useful activities which will help its readers become reflective and efficient language teachers." Qiuping Gao, Capital University of Economics and Business, China "I used to teach from the first, then the second edition of Johnson’s ‘Introduction’ in my pre- and in-service training courses. And now I’ll use the third one, which has been updated and substantially revised, whilst remaining thorough, wise and, above all, entertaining." Péter Medgyes, Eötvös Lorand University, Hungary