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East Asian Perspectives on Silence in English Language Education

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This book provides a state-of-the-art account of current research on the relatively neglected, complex and ambiguous issue of silence within second language settings. The chapters use a range of th...
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  • 22 June 2020
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Silence is a key pedagogical issue in language education. Seen by some as a space for thinking and reflection during the learning process, for others silence represents a threat, inhibiting target language interaction which is so vital during second language acquisition. This book eschews stereotypes and generalisations about why so many learners from East Asia seem either reluctant or unable to speak in English by providing a state-of-the art account of current research into the complex and ambiguous issue of silence in language education. The innovative research included in this volume focuses on silence both as a barrier to successful learning and as a resource that may in some cases facilitate language acquisition. The book offers a fresh perspective on ways to facilitate classroom interaction while also embracing silence and it touches on key pedagogical concepts such as teacher cognition, the role of task features, classroom interactional approaches, pedagogical intervention and socialisation, willingness to communicate, as well as psychological and sociocultural factors. Each of the book’s chapters include self-reflection and discussion tasks, as well as annotated bibliographies for further reading.

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Price: $45.95
Pages: 184
Publisher: Channel View Publications
Imprint: Multilingual Matters
Series: Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching
Publication Date: 22 June 2020
Trim Size: 9.20 X 6.15 in
ISBN: 9781788926751
Format: Paperback
BISACs: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Psycholinguistics / General, Language acquisition, Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics
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Although seemingly paradoxical, King and Harumi have much to say about silence. This edited work unlocks the ‘problem’ of silence in East Asian English language classrooms, and shows teachers how to leverage it for better language learning. Educators are certain to find this book to be a valuable resource.

Jim King is based at the University of Leicester where he directs the institution’s campus-based Masters courses in applied linguistics and English language teaching. His books include the monograph Silence in the Second Language Classroom (Palgrave, 2013) and the edited volume The Emotional Rollercoaster of Language Teaching (with Christina Gkonou and Jean-Marc Dewaele, Multilingual Matters, 2020).

Seiko Harumi is a Lecturer in Japanese and Applied Linguistics (Education) at SOAS, University of London. She has taught English, Applied Linguistics and Japanese in Japan and currently teaches in the United Kingdom. Her academic interests lie in classroom discourse, pragmatics, learner-centred reflective approaches in L2 learning and language pedagogy.

Foreword    

Chapter 1. Seiko Harumi and Jim King: East Asian Perspectives on Silence in English Language Education: An Introduction 

Chapter 2. Dat Bao: Silence, Talk, and In-betweens: East-Asian Students’ Responses to Task Challenge in an Australian University 

Chapter 3. Seiko Harumi: Approaches to Interacting with Classroom Silence: The Role of Teacher Talk 

Chapter 4.  Jim King, Tomoko Yashima, Simon Humphries, Scott Aubrey and Maiko Ikeda: Silence and Anxiety in the English-medium Classroom of Japanese Universities: A Longitudinal Intervention Study 

Chapter 5. Kate Maher: A Cognitive-behavioural Theory-based Approach to Examining L2 Learners’ Silent Behaviour and Anxiety in the Classroom 

Chapter 6. Michael Karas and Farahnaz Faez: Communicative Language Teaching and Silence: Chinese (pre-service) Teachers’ Perspectives 

Chapter 7. Simon Humphries, Nobuhiko Akamatsu, Takako Tanaka and Anne Burns:  Silence in Japanese Classrooms: Activities and Factors in Capacities to Speak English

Chapter 8. Jian-E Peng: Willing Silence and Silent Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the Chinese EFL Classroom: A Dynamic Systems Perspective 

Chapter 9. Amy B M Tsui and Rintaro Imafuku: Silence in EFL Classrooms Revisited