This reader-friendly text, firmly grounded in listening theories and supported by recent research findings, offers a comprehensive treatment of concepts and knowledge related to teaching second language (L2) listening, with a particular emphasis on metacognition. The metacognitive approach, aimed at developing learner listening in a holistic manner, is unique and groundbreaking. The book is focused on the language learner throughout; all theoretical perspectives, research insights, and pedagogical principles in the book are presented and discussed in relation to the learner. The pedagogical model─a combination of the tried-and-tested sequence of listening lessons and activities that show learners how to activate processes of skilled listeners ─ provides teachers with a sound framework for students' L2 listening development to take place inside and outside the classroom. The text includes many practical ideas for listening tasks that have been used successfully in various language learning contexts.

This chapter provides an overview of the nature of speech production and the role speaking plays in learning a second language. It addresses three main aspects of speaking relevant to the language classroom: Interactional speaking, giving and responding to corrective feedback, and controlled and communicative practice. Particular reference is made to developing speaking skills for academic purposes.

This chapter lays the groundwork for the volume and its emphasis on four-skills instruction in the context of English for academic purposes (EAP). The authors explain why the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) are presented separately in the volume, while, at the same time, they demonstrate how the skills, in real-world contexts, are interrelated. Four overarching assumptions, which run across the volume and which are viewed as fundamental for effective skills-based instruction, are then explained. The assumptions center on the importance of promoting motivation, structuring lessons for meaningful language use, developing language knowledge and skills, and raising metacognitive awareness. The chapter closes with an explanation of who the book was written for and how it is organized.

This chapter presents 12 principles—built upon research evidence and an understanding of how reading comprehension works—for second language reading curricula. The principles are general enough to be adaptable to a wide range of instructional contexts and specific enough to focus on reading skills-development for academic purposes. The principles create a framework that can guide teachers, materials writers, assessment teams, and language program administrators engaged in reading-curriculum design and renewal. The 12 principles, when translated into practice, support one another and work in combination to help students become more motivated, skilled, and strategic readers.