This article both describes and explains the nature of system simulations--the generation of (non-)numeric models representing characteristics, behaviors, or functions of physical or abstract systems/processes under study. For ease of presentation, I first present some of the most pressing theoretical-practical considerations concerning…

This paper makes a strong connection between the need for innovation in second language pedagogy and the need for language teachers to develop a good understanding of how language develops in our minds/brains. The future for innovative language pedagogy requires that language teachers fully develop the following: (i) a working definition of the…

This paper supports the view that language instruction should be evidence and principle-based. Key facts about second language acquisition will be presented highlighting the main implications for language instruction. A principled and evidence-based approach to language instruction is one which takes into consideration the following: (i) a clear…

Second language education is a complex field that is continually evolving, shaped by the changes in teaching and learning contexts that have emerged over the past several decades. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these changes are predominantly driven by shifts in technology, shifts in educational approaches and philosophies, and shifts…

This paper describes the growing interest in assessment for learning (AfL) approaches in language education. It explains the term, traces the origins of AfL in developments in general education and considers the evidence for its claimed impact on learning outcomes. The paper sets out some of the challenges involved in researching, implementing and…

Global education is a cross curricular discipline, originating in the 1970s and 1980s, developed for schools by international educators in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America. One definition describes it as "education which promotes the knowledge, attitudes and skills relevant to living responsibly in a multicultural, interdependent…

The title of this new journal provides opportunity to review the many contexts which need to be taken into account in reflecting upon foreign language teaching. These contexts include the educational, the fact that much language teaching takes place within general educational and often compulsory educational settings and institutions. Learners…

One quality among the many that characterize effective teachers is the ability to bring a creative disposition to teaching. In second language teaching, creativity has also been linked to levels of attainment in language learning. Many of the language tasks favored by contemporary language teaching methods are believed to release creativity in…