1st Edition

Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom A Student-Centered Approach

By Ronald P. Leow Copyright 2015
    300 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    300 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom offers a unique five-prong (theoretical, empirical, methodological, pedagogical, and model building) approach to the issue of explicit learning in the L2 classroom from a student-centered perspective. To achieve this five-prong objective, the book reports the theoretical underpinnings, empirical studies, and the research designs employed in current research to investigate the constructs of attention and awareness in SLA with the objectives to (1) propose a model of the L2 learning process in SLA that accounts for the cognitive processes employed during this process and (2) provide pedagogical and curricular implications for the L2 classroom. The book also provides a comprehensive treatise of research methodology that is aimed at not only underscoring the major features of conducting robust research designs with high levels of internal validity but also preparing teachers to become critical readers of published empirical research.

    Preface  Chapter 1: Introduction or strolling down memory lane: Raising your awareness  Chapter 2: A theoretical framework for the L2 learning process in SLA  Chapter 3: Attention  Chapter 4: Awareness  Chapter 5: Foundations  Chapter 6: Research methodology  Chapter 7: Deconstructing the construct of learning  Chapter 8: Location, location, location: Probing inside the box  Chapter 9: Empirical studies investigating the role of attention/noticing in L2 development  Chapter 10: Learning explicitly or implicitly: That is the question  Chapter 11: Depth of processing during input processing  Chapter 12: Toward a model of the L2 learning process in SLA  Chapter 13: Toward the development of psycholinguistics-based e-tutors  Chapter 14: Conclusion

    Biography

    Ronald P. Leow is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of Spanish Language Instruction in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Georgetown University. His areas of expertise include language curriculum development, teacher education, SLA, psycholinguistics, cognitive processes in language learning, research methodology, and CALL.

    "This book brilliantly and assiduously explains how attention and awareness mediate adult second language learning. Synthesizing theory and research from multiple fields, Leow proposes a cogent model for language processing. Engaging, enlightening, and humorous, Explicit Learning in the L2 Classroom provides an essential understanding of how language learning works." – Melissa Baralt, Florida International University

    "Ron Leow takes us on a clever and entertaining journey that looks at the internal processes involved in the development of a second language. He starts with a comprehensive account of the existing theory, and continues with the presentation of his new model of the L2 learning process, showcasing then recent empirical studies that support it. The last part of the book addresses how theory can or should shape teaching practices in the L2 classroom. This work has important theoretical as well methodological contributions to the field and will inform SLA researchers and teaching practitioners alike." Nina Moreno, University of South Carolina

    "Clearly written by a remarkable scholar with decades of experience in empirical classroom research, combined with a lifetime of classroom experience, this outstanding volume approaches a critical issue for those of us in the field of teacher education: do L2 teachers know how students learn in the L2 classroom? By shifting the approach from a teacher-centered to a learner-center perspective, this book provides us accessible, much-needed ‘awareness’ of our students’ learning processes, making a long-due contribution to the L2 teacher education field and the best case for explicit learning in the L2 classroom." María J. de la Fuente, Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of the Spanish Language Program. The George Washington University