Books

Borg, Simon, Teacher cognition and language education. London: Continuum Books, 2006. Pp. ix + 209. ISBN 978–1-8470–6333-5 (pbk).

The study of teacher cognition – what teachers think, know and believe – and of its relationship to teachers’ classroom practices has become a key theme in the field of language teaching and teacher education. This volume provides a timely discussion of the research which now exists on language-teacher cognition. The first part of the book considers what is known about the cognitions of pre-service and practicing teachers, and focuses specifically on teachers’ cognitions in teaching grammar, reading and writing. The second part evaluates a range of research methods which have been used in the study of language teacher cognition and provides a framework for continuing research in this field. This comprehensive and accessible account will be relevant to researchers, teacher educators and curriculum managers working in language education contexts.

Carroli, Piera, Literature in second language education. London: Continuum Books, 2008. Pp. ix + 209. ISBN 978–90-272–2376-0 (hbk).

This book proposes the study of literary texts as a vital component of L2 linguistic and cultural knowledge. The research, conducted with students of Italian in Australia, is situated in the wider L2 context, and compared to studies of students’ perceptions of English and French literary texts in countries such as Canada, Italy, Australia, Germany and the Ukraine. The first part of the book takes the debate on the inclusion of literature in language education as a springboard for posing crucial questions about how students, and educators, view literature. The theoretical framework draws from educational, linguistic, philosophical and literary theories, and focuses on the role of awareness in learning and the role of the learner's experience. The second part of the book evaluates an innovative approach to teaching and learning L2 literature, and discusses the application of this to the language classroom. Containing a balance of theoretical and practical concerns, this book will be invaluable reading for researchers of applied linguistics and L2 acquisition.

Eckerth, Johannes & Siekmann, Sabine (eds.), Task-based language learning and teaching. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2008. Pp. xii+313. ISBN 978–0-8264–9916-5 (hbk).

This volume is based on a conference session on task-based language learning and teaching at the 20th Biannual Meeting of the German Association for L2 Research (DGFF) at the University of Munich in October 2005. Though the empirical studies collected in this book vary considerably in focus, methodology and perspective, they all revolve around three central notions: cognition, process, and communication/collaboration. Task-based language learning and teaching is now one of the most productive fields within the wider domain of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition research. This volume brings together studies that have been conducted in Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the USA. They investigate the acquisition of L2 English, German, and Spanish in secondary and university education.

Journals

The ESPecialist. EDUC/PUC-SP, Rua Monte Alegre, 984 – Perdizes Cep 05014–001 – São Paulo – SP, Brazil. ISSN . Vol. 28.2 (2007), pp. 117–232.

This issue contains five articles addressing themes such as genres, the process of teaching and learning a foreign language, and the description and characterisation of a corpus in Portuguese. Orlando Vian Jr. (Universidade Federal de São Paolo) & M. Caroline Moreira-Ferreira (PUC-SP) contrast journals and blogs and discuss the similarities and differences between these genres. Based on the Australian conceptual view of genre, Maria Raquel Bambirra (Centro Federal de Educã¸ao Technológica de Minas Gerais) reports on experiences with genres undertaken in an ESP undergraduate context directed towards reading. Rejane Teixeira Vidal (Universidade Federal Fluminense) addresses the form–content dichotomy and discusses methodological alternatives from the information processing model perspective. Maria da Glória Guará Tavares (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) reports on a case study involving foreign language teachers, investigating these teachers’ perceptions on oral skills, on opportunities of speaking the target language in the classroom, and on the output functions they emphasise. The final paper, by Tony Berber Sardinha (PUC-SP), presents details of the origins of a mother-tongue corpus in Portuguese, reflecting on the advantages it may bring to researchers and difficulties related to its organisation, updating and accessibility.