An increasing body of research has explored patterns of interaction and peer support among young learners. Although some studies suggest that young learners can engage in collaboration when interacting on tasks, other studies indicate the opposite. Moreover, despite the claims that peer collaboration is conducive to learning, studies have not paid…

For many language learners, listening represents a major source of anguish, with apparent success in the confines of the classroom failing to be mirrored in the ordinary interactions of daily life. One contributing factor may be the continued reliance on listening texts and activities that position the learner as a bystander rather than a…

This article draws on data from a British Council-funded project which aimed both to compare global early English language learning (EELL) pedagogic practices in 2020 with those in 2010 and to investigate current EELL teaching and learning in primary schools. The project had an explicit focus on classroom language practice, that is, the languages…

This article explores how soccer can be used as a lens to teach about German history, culture, and society. I outline three sample modules for an advanced German course at the high school or college level: The first module focuses on soccer in German history, the second on sexism and LGBTQ-related topics in soccer, and the third on soccer and…

A great deal of research on second language (L2) input has provided useful linguistic evidence for the development of generalizations about and hypotheses on the usage-based nature of L2 knowledge. However, despite the fact that classrooms are one of the most ubiquitous sites of L2 learning, we still know very little about the linguistic quality…

The author describes a challenge that is familiar to many language teachers: trying to get students to speak up independently, share thoughts, and participate authentically in the target language. The article includes general and specific tips for creating a comfortable, communicative classroom environment.

In this chapter I address what I see as the cornerstone for advancing our understanding of how results from empirical research into L2 interactional development can usefully be brought to bear on L2 education--be it curriculum design, teaching or testing--, namely an epistemologically coherent understanding of interactional competence and its…

To a large extent, the quality of classroom communication hinges on the teacher's ability to tune in and respond to emerging students' voices, which requires the astuteness and agility to hear layered messages, offer tailored assistance, and follow students' leads. It requires responding to multiple contingencies in real time. One important…

Translanguaging supports emergent bilingual students to draw on languages they bring to the classroom to learn, even as they develop English. This practice also supports schools to develop stronger partnerships with students' communities. Mina Hernandez Garcia, Mary J. Schleppegrell, Hasna Sobh, and Chauncey Monte-Sano report on a…

While group work is commonly discussed as an important aspect of communicative language teaching, its configuration is usually considered to be small groups of students rather than an entire group of course participants. Drawing upon Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism (Bakhtin, 1984; Holquist, 2002), this paper explores a view of group work as…

Icebreakers are first-day activities that are meant to give students and the teacher an opportunity to get to know one another. They are helpful activities for taking a class full of strangers and turning them into friends (or at least acquaintances). However, icebreaker activities tend to be short and limited in the extent to which students can…

This article expands upon teacher guidelines for an "immersion talk" originally developed by B. Hegstad (2012), entitled, "What is Immersion, and How Can I Be Successful in That Environment?," to share with the larger language community in hopes that the suggestions will encourage teachers to help their learners successfully…

During a recent English class at the Universidad Tecnológica El Retoño (UTR) in Aguascalientes, the teacher, Celeste Fernández, asked a student a question. When the student paused for a few seconds, other students shouted out answers. Ms. Fernández reminded those students, "Give her time to think, please!" This short moment shows the…

The COVID-19 pandemic required that people make rapid changes in their lifestyles. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it was necessary for teachers and learners to adapt teaching and learning practices to a remote mode. Following this, our study seeks to contribute to the field of English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning by…

While discourse studies have uncovered regular structural patterns in classroom interactions, these patterns are often the result of interpretive decisions teachers make in performing various pedagogical actions. Notably, however, teachers' instructional decisions often stretch beyond topical boundaries and are thus not limited to the current…