PEDAGOGY

Researchers are reluctant to suggest with any precision what teachers should do in the classroom. But what general advice can be found from scholars working in the field of what’s called Instructed Second Language Acquisition? On this page we look at principles, motivation, curriculum planning, classroom techniques and issues such as corrective u

Reading

Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review from the Teaching Schools Council in England (2016) (Time: 15 minutes)

Principles of instructed language learning. An article by Rod Ellis (Time: 10 minutes).

This 2021 paper by Miroslaw Pawlak looks at the role of grammar teaching (Time: 15 minutes) NEW 14.2.24

A 2011 research synthesis from Ireland on primary school level methodology. (Time: 10 minutes for the main summary)

A paper by Tavakoli and Hunter (2018) on the topic of accuracy versus fluency (Time: 10 minutes for the research review part)

What elements should a curriculum contain? Paul Nation and Azusa Yamamoto describe the “four strands” they believe should form part of a course (Time: 20 minutes).

Brief history and overview of the Direct Method of language teaching by Franz Ludescher (Time: 4 minutes)

An article from Cambridge University Press papers in ELT about chunking and Michael Lewis’s Lexical Approach (Time: 25 minutes)

Jason Anderson considers the history of the PPP paradigm (Presentation, Practice, production), and research evidence for and against it. He also describes how it can be used. (Time: 15 minutes)

Gianfranco Conti explains how the skill theory view of language learning can help shape teaching (Time: 10 minutes)

Agung Prasetyo describes the oral-situational approach, still influential in many classrooms (Time: 10 minutes)

What makes a learning task engaging? By Zoltan Dornyei, an expert on motivation in second language learning (Time: 20 minutes)

Zoltan Dornyei and Christine Mui examine how to create a motivating classroom (25 minutes)

A Dutch study supporting the use of AIM (Accelerated Integrated Methodology), a target language method mainly used in Canada (Time: 5 minutes)

Although not specifically related to language acquisition, Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction is a very useful read (Time: 20 minutes)

Zhang and Webb (2019) studied the usefulness of using bilingual books for vocabulary acquisition (Time:20 minutes)

This paper by Thu Tran examines the key issues we need to know about assessment, including reliability, practicality, validity and washback (Time: 30 minutes)

This short article with an accompanying video explains the theory of Transfer Appropriate Processing, which is highly relevant when thinking about assessment (Time: 5 minutes)

Scott Thornbury looks at the history and role of substitution tables (sentence builder frames) (Time: 3 minutes)

A recent study about the value of oral corrective feedback by Yüksel, Soruç and McKinley (2021) (Time: 15 minutes, but the main points are to be found within 5 minutes).

Prabhu (1990) discusses the statement “There is no best method”. (Time 25 minutes)

Liam Printer’s PhD on the motivational value of TPRS (Time: long read)

A 2018 summary of research into streaming and setting (subject-specific ability/attainment grouping) by Ed Baines. Not pedagogy, as such, but of interest if you are considering this question. (Time: 10 minutes)

This 2019 study by Jill Boggs found that immediate corrective feedback worked better than delayed corrective feedback, stopping tense errors becoming proceduralised. (Time: 8 minutes) NEW 12.2.24

Video

For short videocasts about second language learning pedagogy and theory, try Florencia Henshaw’s YouTube channel. Each presentation last around 10 minutes.

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell of musicuentos.com gives an illustrated talk about methodological principles for language teaching (based on a chapter from Long and Doughty (2015) (Time: 12 minutes)

Scott Thornbury talks about the PPP approach (Presentation-Practice-Production) (Time: 6 minutes)

Scott Thornbury gives an entertaining lecture about how to deal with students’ questions about grammar (and other things) (Time: 1 hour)

Karen Tharrington of musicuentos.com gives an illustrated presentation on correcting written errors. based on a study by Nina Vyatkina (2010) (Time: 10 minutes)

Albert Fernandez of musicuentos.com gives an illustrated talk about how and why to keep in the target language in class (Time: 10 minutes)

Karen Lichtman presents a webinar on the why and and how of the TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) approach (Time: 57 minutes)

An interview with Michael Swan about various aspects of pedagogy and offering a historical perspective (Time: 26 minutes)

Podcast

Try The Motivated Classroom Podcast by Liam Printer. With a leaning towards so-called CI and TPRS methodology, each podcast features usable classroom activities, as well as some theory, particularly around self-determination theory of motivation (Deci and Ryan).