TEACHING LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT, THIRD EDITION is the essential methods text for anyone teaching or learning to teach a foreign language. TEACHING LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT combines an updated, comprehensive, readable review of the literature, a thorough bibliography, and sample activities and approaches that effectively model the methodology.
As a teacher in Japan sick and tired with the grammar-translation method, it provides ample ammunition to at least sway your admin away from the child abuse of this type of English education instruction in this fine land.
I'll be teaching an intro-level German course this coming year, my first FL teaching experience, and I found Omaggio Hadley's text a valuable (albeit dry) primer. Her discussion of cognitive bases of language learning and its situation of language teaching and learning in cultural and communicative contexts especially helpful as I prepare. I read the third edition, published in 2000, so there may be more recent research to refine or modify some of the material here, but I'd still recommend the text to any foreign language teacher or teacher-to-be.
This text is excellent for language teachers. While it is written with an academic audience in mind, it is clear and above all drives home the essential point that modern language teaching should be taught with the learners in mind. It goes into fair detail how to do this.
Also, an excellent Christmas gift for boring language lecturers.
I didn't read much of this although it was the text for my class. Basically, it ran through all the methods of teaching a second language (particularly Japanese). The book is very technical/method based.
I really liked this book because it gave foreign language teachers a conceptual framework for teaching a foreign language. It offers examples of various teaching methods and dissects every aspect of the learning process. I read this book during my education methods course.
This is the driest textbook that I have ever read; I can barely get through the chapters. She definitely knows what she is talking about, but is not an engaging author.
Sure, it's dry in parts, but compared to some of the linguistics books I've been reading it's an adventure story. Hadley is clear and insightful and the practical suggestions are invaluable.