About the Book
'Common Ground is accessible to teachers at all levels yet firmly rooted in current questions of second language acquisition (SLA). One of its primary strengths is the authors themselves, both of whom are accomplished language teachers who understand the challenges and opportunities in communication-focused language teaching. Their experience, expertise, insight, and enthusiasm for language teaching translate into a book that is refreshingly practical for teachers, especially teachers who are striving to break from traditional drills commonly presented in textbooks. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of every language teacher who is looking for concrete examples of how SLA principles meet the realities of the classroom.' - Stacey Margarita Johnson, Vanderbilt University
'There is so much to know and to consider when learning to teach a language, and Common Ground presents, in a straightforward and simplified way, the most important concepts, based on SLA research. Students are more likely to retain and apply this important information when it is presented concisely, with many specific examples, as it is in this book. Common Ground has a logical organization that is easy to follow, both in terms of chapter order and the sequencing of information and activities within each chapter. The content is accurate, current, concise, readable, and easy to understand. The number of sample activities in the second half of each chapter is wonderful--they serve to illustrate the concepts in the first half of the chapter and provide students/teachers with a wealth of ideas that they will be able to adapt and use in their own classrooms. The companion website will be a great resource and a good way to update the book more regularly than producing subsequent editions, especially with respect to tech tools, webinars on teaching with technology, etc. I will definitely adopt this book into my courses; I think others will too, because of the high quality of the authors' work, the conciseness of their writing, the numerous useful examples, and the low cost of the book to students.' - Tammy Jandrey Hertel, University of Lynchburg, and author of El cine documental: Spanish Language and Culture through Documentary Film (Hackett, 2015)
'Henshaw and Hawkins offer a forward-thinking approach to find the 'common ground' through the very heart of language teaching: principled-based, well-informed tasks to create effective learning experiences. Explaining how SLA is translated into materials is perhaps one of the most effective ways to empower teachers. The authors have nailed it!' - Claudia R. Fernandez, University of Illinois Chicago
'Henshaw and Hawkins's Common Ground is a delight! The authors distill SLA's big ideas down into bite-sized chunks, then provide concrete suggestions and examples to help teachers implement these ideas in the classroom. This book's conversational tone and practical advice set it apart, making it accessible and informative for preservice teachers and veteran teachers alike. In short, if you're a language teacher or even a soon-to-be one Common Ground merits a spot in your professional library.' - AnneMarie Chase, Douglas High School, Nevada
About the Author :
Dr Florencia G. Henshaw is the Director of Advanced Spanish at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Maris D. Hawkins teaches Spanish at the Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, D.C.
Review :
"There is so much to know and to consider when learning to teach a language, and Common Ground presents, in a straightforward and simplified way, the most important concepts, based on SLA research. Students are more likely to retain and apply this important information when it is presented concisely, with many specific examples, as it is in this book. Common Ground has a logical organization that is easy to follow, both in terms of chapter order and the sequencing of information and activities within each chapter. The content is accurate, current, concise, readable, and easy to understand. The number of sample activities in the second half of each chapter is wonderful—they serve to illustrate the concepts in the first half of the chapter and provide students/teachers with a wealth of ideas that they will be able to adapt and use in their own classrooms. The companion website will be a great resource and a good way to update the book more regularly than producing subsequent editions, especially with respect to tech tools, webinars on teaching with technology, etc. I will definitely adopt this book into my courses; I think others will too, because of the high quality of the authors’ work, the conciseness of their writing, the numerous useful examples, and the low cost of the book to students."
—Tammy Jandrey Hertel, University of Lynchburg, and author of El cine documental: Spanish Language and Culture through Documentary Film (Hackett, 2015)
"Henshaw and Hawkins offer a forward-thinking approach to find the 'common ground' through the very heart of language teaching: principled-based, well-informed tasks to create effective learning experiences. Explaining how SLA is translated into materials is perhaps one of the most effective ways to empower teachers. The authors have nailed it!"
—Claudia R. Fernández, University of Illinois Chicago
"Henshaw and Hawkins’s Common Ground is a delight! The authors distill SLA's big ideas down into bite-sized chunks, then provide concrete suggestions and examples to help teachers implement these ideas in the classroom. This book’s conversational tone and practical advice set it apart, making it accessible and informative for preservice teachers and veteran teachers alike. In short, if you’re a language teacher—or even a soon-to-be one—Common Ground merits a spot in your professional library."
—AnneMarie Chase, Douglas High School, Nevada
"This text is short and concise. It is organized in a manner that facilitates either a quick read or a more in depth one. The tone of the text is engaging; it is humorous and relatable, and hard to put down. If your goal is to develop learners’ proficiency, this text provides a roadmap to help get them there. If the goal is to train future language teachers, this book should be a required text for that course. If the goal is to improve or move to a proficiency-based curriculum, this is the book to read. It gives us language and research so we can more successfully advocate for curricular changes that will get learners speaking the target language. A colleague recently expressed that reading the book helped them to understand that the changes we are discussing are coming from a place of research and understanding. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone involved in language learning experiences."
—Amanda Romjue, Emory & Henry College, for The FLTMAG
"I have every expectation that [Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Goes to the Classroom] will become a standard resource for Latin and Greek teachers who wish to start (and deepen) their engagement with SLA.
"In sum, this is a remarkable book. In under 200 pages, it introduces the language educator to the very best of the available SLA research, provides helpful, practical, ready-made classroom strategies, tasks, and assessments for the practicing world language educator, and asks each of us to reflect carefully on what we’re learning. It asks us to ask some of the most fundamental questions about language instruction and why we do it. It is a perfect complement to conversations that have been occurring in Classical languages for decades."
—Evan Dutmer, Culver Academies, in Journal of Classics Teaching
