Educational: Modern (non-native or second) languages

Book SynopsisSimon Borg is an ELT consultant based in Slovenia. His web page is http://simon-borg.co.ukTrade ReviewSimon Borg has produced a timely, well-written, comprehensive, and thought provoking book which will no doubt guide the continuing development of teacher cognition research. The book is a must read for anybody seriously interested in language education in general and language teacher education and development in particular. -- Thomas S.C. Farrell, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Linguistics, Brock University, Canada[This] book is clearly a timely publication which is bound to have a considerable impact on research, teacher training and actual reading...Given the complexity and diversity of teacher cognition research and the multiplicity of perspectives it draws upon, the book is surprisingly easy to read, which is the outcome of both its accessible style and the way all the chapters are organisied...the book easily lends itself to being used in BA and MA programmes...a landmark publication...it provides a good starting point not only for those directly involved in teacher education and development but also for scholars dealing with other aspects of language teaching. -- Regional Language Centre JournalThe study of teacher cognition - what teachers think, know and believe - is an important area in professional development...This book is a valuable addition to the resource collection of teachers who want to understand their own thought and belief processes and of professional developers who would like to work more effectively with teachers. -- CAELABorg has done the field of language teacher education a tremendous service by mapping out and establishing a sense of coherence for the research that exists to date on language teacher cognition. This book will most certainly be a widely read resource that both new and established researchers and language teacher educators will cite as evidence of where the field of language teacher cognition has come, as they seek to move that field forward. -- Linguistics and EducationThe book is a robust critique of teacher cognition research drawing on 180 published sources on the subject and covering a thirty-year period ... This is an invaluable resource book for language teacher cognition research and practice, and language education. -- Educational ReviewBorg has compiled research in several areas of teacher cognition and produced an extremely readable and insightful examination of that research. His work is valuable to teacher educators, researchers, professional developers and teachers. The scope ... is immense. He has masterfully brought together much research on language teacher cognition, summarised and analysed it, and organised it so that a reader can easily learn what it tell us, what questions it has answered and what questions remain. The text is immeasurably beneficial for teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and professional developers. -- Language & EducationEach chapter discusses the research thoughtfully and intelligently, providing a summary of salient points and informative tables and diagrams which give a useful overview of the field. The discussion ... lives up to the claim of being accessible; complex issues are presented in a very readable manner. -- Language Learning JournalThis book is well written and well organized.... It will prove a quite useful resource for those conducting research in the domain of teacher cognition. In addition, the framework Borg offers could inform future research by providing a coherent paradigm and by engendering collaborative work. The book is also of value to teacher trainers, who will be interested in understanding the influences of preservice training on actual classroom practices. -- Modern Language JournalThe four chapters devoted to the data collection methodology used in teacher cognition research are of invaluable help ... not only because of the detailed description provided of each data collection method in which definitions, samples of instruments, and examples of the data collected are included, but also because of the thought-provoking critical discussions Borg engages in of ethical issues, the scope of each instrument, and the way other strategies can be used in conjunction with the instruments described.... The well-defined overall structure of the book, writing style, and language used by the author make the book suitable for a wide array of readers, ranging from classroom language teachers to experienced researchers in the field. -- English Language Teacher Education and DevelopmentBorg has written his book in full awareness of the fragmentation of the field and the overview he offers comes in as a much needed 'spring-cleaning' project: Not only does he manage to fulfil his aim to "impose some structure on this field" (p. 280), but what the reader ends up with as a result of Borg's meticulous re-organising, untangling and de-cluttering is a clearly-marked and easy-to-navigate map of the language teacher cognition territory.... I recommend this informative and inspiring book to everybody with an interest in the specific processes underlying language instruction and language teacher development -- SystemIn Teacher Cognition and Language Education: Research and Practice, Borg provides a comprehensive overview of the research to date on what language teachers think, know and believe and the complex relationship to their instructional practices. In doing so he brings a greater sense of unity and coherence to a somewhat disparate body of research...This book will most certainly be a widely read resource that both new and established researchers and language teacher educators will cite as evidence of where the field of language teacher cognition has come, as they seek to move that field forward. -- Karen E. JohnsonThis book is well written and well organized. Each chapter includes a summary, tables are given throughout to draw comparisons among studies, and studies that are discussed in more than one place are cross-referenced. It will prove a quite useful resource for those conducting research in the domain of teacher cognition. In addition, the framework Borg offers could inform future research by providing a coherent paradigm and by engendering collaborative work. The book is also of value to teacher trainers, who will be interested in understanding the influences of preservice training on actual classroom practices. -- Modern Language Journal, Vol. 92 No. 1, 2008 -- Modern Language JournalTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Origins of Teacher Cognition Research 2. The Cognitions of Pre-service Language Teachers 3. The Cognitions of In-service Language Teachers 4. Teacher Cognition in Grammar Teaching 5. Teacher Cognition in Literacy Instruction 6. Self-Report Instruments 7. Verbal Commentaries 8. Observation 9. Reflective Writing 10. A Framework for Studying Language Teacher Cognition References Index

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Book Synopsis

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