Japanese Language Teaching: A Communicative Approach

Description

Japanese Language Teaching examines the practical aspects of the acquisition of Japanese as a second language, underpinned by current theory and research. Each chapter examines the theory and practice of language teaching, and progresses to a consideration of the practical design of tasks for teaching. The final section applies theory and practice to an empirical case study, drawn from a classroom with Japanese as a second language. With its emphasis on practice underpinned by contemporary theory, this book will be of interest to postgraduates studying second language acquisition and applied linguistics.

Alessandro Benati is Professor and Director of CAES, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He is internationally known for his research in second language acquisition and second language teaching. He has published ground-breaking research on the pedagogical framework called Processing Instruction. Alessandro's research reflects his long-term commitment to making theory and research accessible to non-specialists.

"This is a highly readable work on communicative language teaching, both general and specific. Whilst it focuses on Japanese language teaching, the instructional issues covered are universal. All readers will benefit from Benati's discussion of the role of focus on form in communicative language teaching and his communicative teaching model for grammar instruction. Benati successfully frames the issues for classroom practice with a careful consideration of research and theory. The main implications are clearly and succinctly presented in bullet lists, and appear at the end of sections as the logical conclusions to the discussion of research and theory. Practioners will find this book a valuable addition to their professional libraries. Students will find the list of key terms and their definitions helpful and the end of chapter questions for consideration insightful." - James F. Lee, University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia Reviewed in JALT Journal, 32.1, May 2010 'While it is aimed at teachers of Japanese, many language teachers can benefit from the detailed discussions of theories related to second language learning and the design of communicative activities for the classroom'