Books published by Candlin & Mynard ePublishing

This project is dedicated to all language teachers and learners around the world. When politics seems to be uncertain and languages education seems to be a luxury available and accessible only to some learners, it is even more important to provide the simplest tools for all stakeholders to think and talk about languages.In today's multicultural classrooms, educators are increasingly entrusted with the education of plurilingual students whose linguistic identities have rarely been foregrounded in classroom interactions. In order to address the ways of knowing and learning of our diverse student population, it is imperative that educators recognise and incorporate the linguistic and cultural heritage of the students in their classes. One way to examine beliefs, values and meanings regarding language learning and linguistic identity is for participants to map language experiences to body silhouettes and to record, through narratives, how their attitudes and perceptions are affected by their own language and cultural background. To this end, this action research project required student-teachers, who were undertaking a unit of study on multiculturalism and education, to reflect on what meanings are constructed, the cultural/linguistic influences on these constructions, and how these constructions guided their thoughts, behaviours and worldviews implicit in their linguistic identities. Hence, this action research project worked with students as reflective practitioners to document their experiences with language - both languages that are part of their heritage and those which they undertook as part of their formal learning requirements. This project includes a toolkit that can be used with learners of any age, cultural, linguistic and educational contexts. The ideas presented in the tool kit can act as an extension of the body silhouettes to further extend student expression of shared language and cultural experiences.The authors are language / literacy professionals who are themselves migrants to Sydney. They have brought their language and cultural heritages with them to Australia and marvel at the diversity of languages and people who learn, speak and use these languages. They believe that the people and their passion about languages and cultures combine to make Sydney a great metropolis.

This selection of papers was edited by Klaus Schwienhorst and is the result of a two-day conference by the IATEFL Learner autonomy SIG on ';Learner autonomy in second language pedagogy and research - challenges and issues' which was held at the Fachsprachenzentrum, Leibniz Universitt Hannover, Germany, from 27-28 September 2013. It was one in a series of local conferences that the LASIG had begun a few years ago, with great success. The four plenary talks at the conference were delivered by four well-known international academics: David Little, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Leni Dam, LASIG coordinator, Denmark; Lienhard Legenhausen, University of Munster, Germany; and Elisabet Arno Maci, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Escola Politecnica Superior dEnginyeria de Vilanova i la Geltr (EPSEVG), Spain. In addition, there were over 20 papers and workshops presented at the conference. This volume is the 7th publication in the ';Autonomy in Language Learning' series published by the IATEFL Learner autonomy Special Interest Group.

This book has been written for people who are learning Japanese in classes and independently, and for teachers of Japanese. It offers practical ideas on how to learn Japanese and what to learn through the experiences of those who have become users of the language. Many of the learning stories in the book are about the rich and enticing ways the various authors have learned and used Japanese at home and in Japan. The authors are diverse in age and background and have learned both in classrooms and while using the language. Some of the stories in the book span the learning histories of the authors. Others focus on an aspect of the language or the personal changes which took place through using it.You will also read tips on learning Japanese from our perspectives as teachers, learners and users of Japanese. We elaborate on topics raised in the stories and address questions such as, ';What do you need to know that isn't taught in class?', ';How do you keep up momentum?', and ';How do you use language in a way that expresses who you are as a person?'. We share knowledge and advice about learning Japanese that we believe will help learners to shape their own learning activities and experiences in a positive way. We talk about the emotional side to learning and the ins-and-outs of interacting using Japanese.This volume is also essential reading for teachers of Japanese. The stories show teachers how Japanese is drawn into the lives of learners. They detail the enthusiasm and apprehensions of learners, and connect the students that teachers know in the classroom with the people they are outside it. The stories also remind us that learning Japanese is highly individual, and that it is much more than the sum of the various parts that can be taught. The language, locations, the times and the social aspects of using Japanese give form to the unique lives of learners. These stories will cause teachers to reflect on their role in nurturing learning independence beyond the classroom.