Sociocultural theory and the pedagogical imperative in L2 education : Vygotskian Praxis and the research/practice divide

Title:

Personal Author:

Lantolf, James P., author

Series:

ESL & applied linguistics professional series

Publication Information:

New York : Routledge, 2014

Physical Description:

xv, 252 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

ISBN:

9780415894180

9780415894173

Personal Subject:

Vygotskiĭ, L. S. (Lev Semenovich), 1896-1934

Subject Term:

Second language acquisition -- Social aspects

Added Author:

Poehner, Matthew E.,

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010337318	P118.2 L364 2014	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

Explicating clearly and concisely the full implication of a praxis-oriented language pedagogy, this book argues for an approach to language teaching grounded in a significant scientific theory of human learning--a stance that rejects the consumer approach to theory and the dichotomy between theory and practice that dominates SLA and language teaching. This approach is based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, according to which the two activities are inherently connected so that each is necessarily rooted in the other; practice is the research laboratory where the theory is tested. From the perspective of language education, this is what is meant by the 'pedagogical imperative.'

Sociocultural Theory and the Pedagogical Imperative in L2 Education
* Elaborates a new approach to dealing with the relationship between theory and practice--an approach grounded in praxis--the dialectical unity of theory and practice
* Presents an analysis of empirical research illustrating praxis-based principles in real language classrooms
* Brings together cognitive linguistics and sociocultural theory ─ the former provides the theoretical knowledge of language required of praxis and the latter furnishes the theoretical principles of learning and development also called for in a praxis approach
* Offers recommendations for redesigning teacher education programs

Its timely focus on the theory-practice gap in language education and its original approach to bridging it put this book at the cutting edge of thinking about Vygotskian sociocultural theory in applied linguistics and SLA.

Author Notes

James P. Lantolf is the George and Jane Greer Professor in Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Penn State University, USA.
Matthew E. Poehner is Associate Professor and Program Director of the K-12 teacher certification program in World Languages Education and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State University, USA.

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xvi
1 Theory/Research-Practice Gap in Applied Linguistics	p. 1
What to Do About the Cap?	p. 3
Reconceptualizing Theory and Practice	p. 5
The Pedagogical Imperative	p. 6
Overview of Sociocultural Theory	p. 8
2 Sociocultural Theory and the Dialectic of Praxis: An Alternative to the Theory/Research-Practice Gap	p. 14
Vygotsky's Response to the Crisis: A Unified Psychology	p. 15
Praxis: The Theory-Practice Dialectic	p. 26
Macro Cultural Psychology: A Neo-Vygotskian Theory of Higher Mental Processing	p. 32
Conclusion	p. 36
3 Psychology of the Social Environment	p. 39
Environment as a Source of Development	p. 40
Conclusion	p. 52
4 A Theory of Developmental Education	p. 56
Orders of Mediation	p. 57
Systemic Theoretical Instruction	p. 61
Pre-Understanding and Its Negation	p. 68
Defining Concepts for L2 Developmental Education	p. 70
STI and the Explicit/Implicit Interface	p. 72
L2? Neuroscience Research and STI	p. 74
Conclusion	p. 79
5 L2 Systemic Theoretical Instruction: Experimental-Developmental Studies	p. 82
STI and the Sociopragmatics of L2 French	p. 83
STI and 12 Sarcasm	p. 93
Topicalization in Chinese: Testing the Teachability Hypothesis	p. 99
Conclusion	p. 11
6 L2 Systemic Theoretical Instruction: Intact Classroom Studies	p. 119
Spanish Verbal Aspect: Connecting Language and Literature	p. 119
The Chinese Temporal System	p. 130
English Phrasal Verbs	p. 136
Conclusion	p. 143
7 The Zone of Proximal Development and Dynamic Assessment	p. 146
Interpreting the ZPD	p. 147
Eeuerstein's Mediated Learning Experience as a Framework for DA	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 167
8 Dynamic Assessment and L2 Development	p. 170
Quality of Mediation in L2 DA	p. 171
DA in an Intact Elementary L2 Spanish Classroom	p. 174
DA and L2 Listening Comprehension: An Experimental-Developmental Study	p. 181
L2 DA Beyond the Classroom	p. 186
Concluding Remarks and Ongoing Challenges	p. 199
9 Conclusion	p. 206
The Role of Teachers in Developmental Education	p. 208
L2 Teacher Education	p. 211
Developing Expertise in Pre-Service L2 Teacher Education	p. 213
In-Service L2 Teacher Education Through Praxis	p. 220
References	p. 225
Index	p. 243

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Summary

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Author Notes

Table of Contents