This rich text encourages student and practising teachers to engage with contemporary issues in second language teaching and learning. It introduces key concepts and tensions in order to help you develop a critical approach and respond to the changing fields of second language education.

ContentsINTRODUCTION: Ernesto Macaro and Robert WoorePART 1: Framing the DebatesChapter 1: Identifying key debates in second language teaching and learning. Robert Woore and Ernesto MacaroChapter 2: Learning English and learning languages other than English in Asia and Europe: Current scenarios and debates. Bruna Di Sabato and Andy KirkpatrickChapter 3: Is there a best age for second language learning? Evidence from across the lifespan. Simone Pfenninger and David SingletonChapter 4: Multilingual Learners, linguistic pluralism and implications for education and research. Hamish Chalmers and Victoria MurphyChapter 5: Learning Language by Studying Content. David Lasagabaster Chapter 6: Aptitude or motivation: Which is the better predictor of successful language learning? Suzanne GrahamChapter 7: Key Issues in Pre-Service Language Teacher Education. Laura MolwayChapter 8: Systemic In-Service Language Teacher Education. Simon BorgPART 2: Applying the debates to second language learning contextsChapter 9: Implicit versus explicit grammar learning and teaching. Mirosław PawlakChapter 10: Vocabulary Learning in Theory and Practice: Implicit and explicit mechanisms. Ron MartinezChapter 11: The L2-Only Versus the Multilingual Debate. Ernesto MacaroChapter 12: Teaching Phonics in a Second Language. Robert Woore.Chapter 13: What Kind of Pronunciation Learning Should Teachers Expect of Their Learners? Sara Kennedy and Pavel TrofimovichChapter 14: Teaching the Language or Teaching the Process. Peter Yongqi GuReflections: Ernesto Macaro and Robert WooreIndex