A Systems Approach to Language Pedagogy (eBook)

Akira Tajino, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University, is currently a Professor of Educational Linguistics at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, Japan. His research interests include EAP, classroom research, and pedagogical grammar. He is a former Director of International Academic Research and of the Resource Center for Language Education at Kyoto University, and is a recipient of the JACET (Japan Association of College English Teachers) Award for excellence in teaching (2011) and the JACET Award for excellence in academic publication (2014). He is the author/editor of more than 20 books, including Researching Language Teaching and Learning: An Integration of Practice and Theory (Peter Lang, 2009), Team Teaching and Team Learning in the Language Classroom: Collaboration for Innovation in ELT (Routledge, 2016), and A New Approach to English Pedagogical Grammar: The Order of Meanings (Routledge, 2018). He has served on the editorial boards of several journals, including ELT Journal (Oxford University Press). 

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This volume represents the first attempt in the field of language pedagogy to apply a systems approach to issues in English language education. In the literature of language education, or more specifically, second or foreign language learning and teaching, each topic or issue has often been dealt with independently, and been treated as an isolated item. Taking grammar instruction as an example, grammatical items are often taught in a sequential, step-by-step manner; there has been no "e;road map"e; in which the interrelations between the various items are demonstrated. This may be one factor that makes it more difficult for students to learn the language organically. The topics covered in this volume, including language acquisition, pedagogical grammar, and teacher collaboration, are viewed from a holistic perspective. In other words, language pedagogy is approached as a dynamic system of interrelations. In this way, "e;emergent properties"e; are expected tomanifest. This book is recommended for anyone involved in language pedagogy, including researchers, teachers, and teacher trainers, as well as learners.