Becoming a Language Teacher: A Practical Guide to Second Language Learning and Teaching

Abstract

Preface Part I * What Do Language Teachers Think About? 1 What Should I Know about Language Learners and Language Teaching Settings? Types of Language Learning Settings Learner Characteristics Younger Learners and Stages of Cognitive Development Identity and Language Learning 2 What Should I Know about Second Language Acquisition? Theories of Second Language Acquisition The Critical Period Hypothesis How the Theories Differ on Important Language Teaching Issues Implications for Language Teaching 3 What Should I Know about Language Teaching Methodologies? Language Teaching Methods What Is the Best Language Teaching Method? Content-Based, Sheltered-Immersion, Learner-Centered, and Task-Based Approaches to Language Teaching From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Approaches Part II * How Do You Teach a Language? 4 What Should I Know about Teaching Listening? The Importance of Listening Comprehension Obstacles to Teaching Listening Comprehension The Listening Process Some Guidelines for Developing Listening Activities Activity Ideas Assessing Listening Comprehension 5 What Should I Know about Teaching Speaking? The Importance of True Communication in the Language Classroom Obstacles to Teaching Speaking The Development of Speaking Ability Some Guidelines for Developing Speaking Activities Activity Ideas Assessing Speaking 6 What Should I Know about Teaching Reading? The Importance of Reading The Reading Process Types of Second Language Reading Learning to Read in a Second Language Types of Reading Materials Helping Students Develop Effective Reading Strategies ESL Teachers and Content Reading Some Guidelines for Teaching Reading Activity Ideas Assessing Reading Comprehension 7 What Should I Know about Teaching Writing? The Writing Process Types of Second Language Writing Helping Students Develop Effective Writing Strategies Some Guidelines for Teaching Writing Activity Ideas Assessing Writing 8 What Should I Know about Teaching Academic English in Content Classes? The Development of Academic Language Generation 1.5 and Transnational Students Scaffolding, Contextualized Input, and Thematic Units Promoting Second Language Development in Content Classes Academic Literacy 166 Integrating Language Skills Using Thematic Units and Task-Based Activities Some Guidelines for Teaching Language through Content Activity Ideas The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) Assessing Language in Content Classes Part III * How Do I Know What to Teach? 9 How Do I Assess Language Learning? Standards Issues in Language Testing Testing Approaches Testing for a Variety of Purposes Testing the Standards The TOEFL, the ACTFL OPI, the IELTS, and the TOEIC 10 How Do I Plan My Classes? Planning for Your Students Common Language Teaching Activities Differentiating Instruction and Supporting Learner Autonomy Part IV * Where Do I Go from Here? 11 So, Am I Now a Language Teacher? Thinking of Yourself as a Language Teacher Becoming Open to New Ideas about Language and Language Teaching Becoming a Better Language Teacher Your Future as a Language Teacher Beginning Your Journey as a Language Teacher Appendix A: The Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI ) Revised ESL Version Appendix B: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) Appendix C: Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (TFLAS) Glossary Index