A Casebook for Second Language Teacher Education

Book excerpt: This volume offers a series of actual dilemmas within language classrooms that are designed to promote reflection and discussion. It applies the case-based pedagogy often used in business and other fields to that of second language teacher education to encourage pre- and in-service teachers to grapple with the types of dilemmas and decisions teachers confront every day. Case-based pedagogy resists simple resolutions and easy answers; the activities that precede and follow each case are designed to stimulate analysis and discussion and allow users to draw on theoretical foundations while making critical practical connections. The cases represent a range of classroom contexts: K–12 ESL/sheltered English immersion, modern foreign language, and post-secondary EAP; private, charter, and public schools; and urban and suburban settings. The book is ideally suited to College/School of Education and MA TESOL courses but will also be useful in professional development workshops for all types of language teachers.