Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom

by Florencia G. Henshaw, Maris D. Hawkins

“ Common Ground is accessible to teachers at all levels yet firmly rooted in current questions of second language acquisition (SLA). One of its primary strengths is the authors themselves, both of whom are accomplished language teachers who understand the challenges and opportunities in communication-focused language teaching. Their experience, expertise, insight, and enthusiasm for language teaching translate into a book that is refreshingly practical for teachers, especially teachers who are striving to break from traditional drills commonly presented in textbooks. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of every language teacher who is looking for concrete examples of how SLA principles meet the realities of the classroom."
—Stacey Margarita Johnson, Vanderbilt University

Genres: Nonfiction, Teaching, Education

216 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2022

Reviews

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for philosophy and practical classroom application of SLA (Second Language Acquisition). It’s written in a conversational, easy to understand manner, teacher-to-teacher, making it comprehensible as well as enjoyable. The solid classroom examples at the end of each chapter bring the philosophy to life in an accessible way. Thank you for this awesome resource! I plan to implement many of the ideas learned here into my teaching in the future.

[Lisa Dowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and valuable resource for language teachers. The theory was a great review, but all the suggestions for how to tweak our daily classrooms was a jackpot. So many meaningful, realistic, and applicable strategies recommended. It’s bookmarked and highlighted so I can revisit this summer when I’m refining curriculum and plans for next year.

[Laura-Jane Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m giving this five stars not by my experience, but of how this can be very helpful for language teachers who do not already work with a curriculum that is performance-based. This is what we have been doing in my district since 2005. It had some good refreshers for me and some applicable activities that would be fun to incorporate.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any language instructor interested in teaching language proficiency. The major takeaway for me was that there is a difference between language acquisition and language learning. Teaching grammar and vocabulary is best for helping students succeed on traditional exams that test knowledge, but if the objective is for students to be able to speak, write, and comprehend a language, our activities and assessments must be communication-focused.

A question that I had while reading was how to best assess students' communicative ability, since grading and feedback are usually the most tedious aspect of teaching for me. The authors argue that a grade of 100% on assessments means that they are at-level, not above it, and research suggests that the effects of corrective feedback are usually negligible unless students must do something with it, so teachers should give corrective feedback sparingly (hallelujah!). The most important thing for second language acquisition, especially for teachers of novice and intermediate learners, is comprehensible input. Output and interaction can also contribute to acquisition if the right conditions are met, but as the authors succinctly put it, "no input, no output."

This book will feel like a review for anyone who has studied SLA, but it offers ample concrete suggestions for how to apply SLA theory in practice (which is not always the case in SLA textbooks). I recognized some of my own teaching practices in both the book's "do's" and "don'ts." For instance, I would have said before reading this book that comprehensible input is fundamental for acquisition, but I may have also said that it is important for students to "practice" forms during class when in reality tasks should be focused on meaningful exchanges of information. I am excited to "go to the classroom" with the authors' principled suggestions and make this the best quarter of teaching ever.

[Dahnya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t learn anything new about language acquisition theory but I did appreciate some of the suggested activities and found ways to incorporate some new ideas into my class. This would be a good book for a methods class in college or a teacher book club.

[Melissa Stio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful reading that I did for a summer book study! I loved the authors' modern approach on language learning. I found myself asking a lot of questions and know I will refer back to it often as my district aligns with the new NYS standards for world language teaching.

[Drianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a good job explaining concepts and how they might be used in the classroom. I'm not sure I changed anything on the basis of it, though (because a lot of it is basic stuff we are already doing: read with colleagues for a book group).

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for CI

Good book for language teachers to read to learn more about using CI in the classroom. Comes with examples of lessons and questions to use for reflection.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I’ll return to over and over again as I develop as a world language teacher. Wonderful explanations, examples, and tips/tricks!

[Kevin Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great source of PD for this coming school year— really enjoyed reading this book, I was always inspired after each chapter!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, practical and thought-provoking. I read it during a graduate class but will be going back to it. Not too dense but very interesting for World Language teachers.

[Faith Haberer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a required reading for class but i still read every page so it counts!!!

[Melissa]

Excellent book about proficiency-based teaching for language teachers and those that work with them!

[Marybelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book’s alright, but I thought it would cover more on second language acquisition. It has some good classroom support, but I was looking for more of a research base.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish my colleagues would read this!