The Art of Teaching Spanish: Second Language Acquisition from Research to Praxis

The Art of Teaching Spanish explores in-depth the findings of research in second language acquisition (SLA) and other language-related fields and translates those findings into practical pedagogical tools for current-and future--Spanish-language instructors.

This volume addresses how theoretical frameworks affect the application of research findings to the teaching of Spanish, how logistical factors affect the way research findings can be applied to teach Spanish, and how findings from Spanish SLA research would be applicable to Spanish second language teaching and represented in Spanish curricula through objectives and goals (as evidenced in pedagogical materials such as textbooks and computer-assisted language learning software).

Top SLA researchers and applied linguists lend their expertise on matters such as foreign language across curriculum programs, testing, online learning, the incorporation of linguistic variation into the classroom, heritage language learners, the teaching of translation, the effects of study abroad and classroom contexts on learning, and other pedagogical issues. Other common themes of The Art of Teaching Spanish include the rejection of the concept of a monolithic language competence, the importance of language as social practice and cultural competence, the psycholinguistic component of SLA, and the need for more cross-fertilization from related fields.

Rafael Salaberry is a professor of Spanish Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Texas in Austin. He is the author of The Development of Spanish Past Tense Morphology in a Classroom Environment and coeditor of Spanish Second Language Acquisition: The State of the Science.

Barbara A. Lafford is a professor of Spanish applied linguistics and second language acquisition at Arizona State University. She is the coeditor (with Michelle Shockey) of Culture and Context: Perspectives on the Acquisition of Cultural Competence in the Foreign Language Classroom and coeditor of Spanish Second Language Acquisition: The State of the Science.