Achieving Success In Second Language Acquisition

Description:
This clear and informative textbook is designed to help the student achieve optimal success as a language learner and user. Aimed at beginning to intermediate undergraduates and above, it teaches students to understand their own preferences in learning, to develop individual learning plans and approaches, and to select appropriate learning strategies. The authors - all leading experts in language teaching - base their advice on theories of learning, cognition, and memory, concepts which they explain in simple and accessible terms. The book is divided into three sections - learning, language, and communication - and provides students with communicative strategies for use in real-life interaction with native speakers. Each chapter contains an overview and review section, with learning activities that students can carry out by themselves, in groups, or in the classroom. Equally suitable for use both by individuals and as a class text, this book will become an invaluable resource for all language learners.

Review:
'... the book is a thorough and practical guide to the field of SLA. Students and teachers who need to understand the means to achieve success in SLA will find the book both interesting and well worth reading.' Asian EFL Journal

Table of Contents:
Part I. Learning: 1. Planning foreign-language study; 2. The role of cognition in second language acquisition; 3. Learning styles and learning strategies; 4. Understanding feelings and personality in language learning; 5. Interpersonal dynamics in the learning process; Part II. Language: 6. Verbal languages; 7. Sociolinguistics: the right expression; 8. Unspoken communication; Part III. Independence: 9. Self-regulation and learner autonomy; 10. Controlling spoken and written communication.

Author Biography:
Betty Lou Leaver is Associate Dean and Chief Academic Officer for New York Institute of Technology at Jordan University for Science and Technology in Amman, Jordan. Madeline Ehrman is Director of Research, Evaluation, and Development at the Foreign Service Institute, US Department of State. Boris Shekhtman is Operational Director of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers, and President of the Specialized Language Training Center in Rockville, Maryland.