Perspectives on Teaching Language and Content by Stacey Katz Bourns et al. (review)

This book provides what the title states: "perspectives." Geared somewhat toward higher education, it also includes much applicable research and many pedagogical strategies and useful activities for teachers of all levels and types of language instruction. This volume is the result of an extensive compilation of research as well as primary research in applied linguistics and in second language acquisition. It is also based on broad classroom experience and it shows sensitivity to the joys and needs of language teachers today. The organization of chapters leads from a concise history of foreign language teaching in the United States to key issues in the profession as it stands today. In the first chapters, the authors treat past methods and present core beliefs held by language professionals with due respect, showing how all of these inform language teaching today and make each type of teacher a unique composite of their training, experience, and context. The authors prioritize content and demonstrate how research in second language acquisition can be applied to creating contexts in which language learners can become well-rounded and informed. Readers find cross-references to other chapters and to ways of using content, including demonstrations of how working with language and content together creates language learning at its best. There are several features within each chapter that contribute greatly to reader engagement and to the overall richness of this book. "Reflection" questions appear regularly and ask us not only to think about what was just presented but also suggest paths for further exploration. "Perspectives" are short, first-person anecdotes that bring to the fore challenges inherent in the issues that are being raised. The practical applications in the "Activity" sections, informed by research, are clear, creative, and above all, doable. Good examples of this are seen in the use of an intriguing short text that is the basis for two different activity sets: one for grammar and one for vocabulary, where the authors show how to use content for its artistic value and to guide students toward improved language use. The book concludes with an exceptional model unit and an analysis of the profession as it is today and as it is evolving. The former is a clear demonstration of how successful these authors are at pulling together the components that go into teaching: language, communication, culture, empathy, and global-mindedness, to name but a few. They provide new perspectives and inspire confidence that we can contribute, as a profession and as individuals, to an understanding of our world and its peoples.