Journal Article

Second language acquisition, teacher education and language pedagogy

Ellis, Rod

2010

Overview

Various positions regarding the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) – Language Pedagogy (LP) nexus have been advanced. Taking these as a starting point, this article will examine the nature of the SLA/LP relationship both more generally and more concretely. First, it will place the debates evident in the different positions regarding the relationship in a broader educational and professional context by examining the nature of the theory/practice nexus – because the issues at stake do not just concern SLA. Second, it will examine critically a number of options for bridging the divide (e.g. through presenting the pedagogical implications of research, engaging teachers in researching their own classroom or promoting research–teacher collaboration). Third, it will probe the relationship in terms of a framework that links (i) SLA researchers, (ii) classroom researchers, (iii) teacher educators and (iv) language teachers. This framework will serve as a basis for formulating a set of eleven principles that can guide attempts to use SLA theory and research in teacher education programmes.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Classrooms / Cooperative learning / Educational programs / Guidelines / Language / Language acquisition / Language Research / Language Teachers / Language Teaching Methods / Linguistics / Pedagogy / Research Design / Researchers / Second Language Instruction / Second Language Learning / Second Language Teachers / Teacher Collaboration / Teacher Education / Teacher Education Programs / Teacher Educators / Teacher Researchers / Teachers / Teaching / Teaching Methods / Theory Practice Relationship