Overview

Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages provides a comprehensive history of language teaching and learning in the UK from its earliest beginnings to the year 2000. McLelland offers the first history of the social context of foreign language education in Britain, as well as an overview of changing approaches, methods and techniques in language teaching and learning. The important impact of classroom-external factors on developments in language teaching and learning is also taken into account, particularly regarding the policies and public examination requirements of the 20th century. Beginning with a chronological overview of language teaching and learning in Britain, McLelland explores which languages were learned when, why and by whom, before examining the social history of language teaching and learning in greater detail, addressing topics including the status that language learning and teaching have held in society. McLelland also provides a history of how languages have been taught, contrasting historical developments with current orthodoxies of language teaching. Experiences outside school are discussed with reference to examples from adult education, teach-yourself courses and military language learning. Providing an accessible, authoritative history of language education in Britain, Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages will appeal to academics and postgraduate students engaged in the history of education and language learning across the world. The book will also be of interest to teacher educators, trainee and practising teachers, policymakers and curriculum developers.

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9780367177911

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Reviews

`This is the book I've been waiting for. Building on the author's previous scholarship, this volume is an important contribution to the under-researched field of the history of language education in the UK. Much more than 'just' a history, this is a rich and insightful account of issues still very alive today, from assessment to arguments about effective pedagogy, and breaks new ground in its astute narrative of language advocacy. McLelland succeeds in being both erudite and highly enjoyable to read; the book is full of delightful gems as well as providing a valuable and comprehensive source of references to aid other researchers in the field.' - Simon Coffey, Senior Lecturer in Modern Languages Education, King's College London `Nicola McLelland's new book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in reading about or studying the history of language learning and teaching in Britain. It is packed with concise information on a wide range of languages, periods, contexts, and topics, some of which have not received much attention so far. Thus it provides a fascinating comprehensive overview and will without doubt stimulate further historical research.' - Friederike Klippel, Chair of TEFL (until 2015), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany `Congratulations to Nicola McLelland on this important accomplishment! Her book will be of great interest to foreign language scholars and professionals in Britain. More important, perhaps, is that Professor McLelland has provided an excellent model for how to craft similar histories of foreign language education in other national contexts and indeed from transnational perspectives. Language specialists have written their own, more limited histories of the profession, typically focusing on how languages have been taught. Professor McLelland's book provides a much richer perspective by tracing which languages have been taught in Britain and why, the changing social contexts in which they have been taught, a nascent history of language assessment, and an engaging historical perspective on language education policy advocacy. In addition to its analytical breadth, the book expands its historical perspective beyond the nineteenth century. This allows Professor McLelland to draw more compelling conclusions about the nature of foreign language education and the challenges facing scholars, professionals, and students of it.' - Jeff Bale, Associate Professor of Language and Literacies Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

`This is the book I've been waiting for. Building on the author's previous scholarship, this volume is an important contribution to the under-researched field of the history of language education in the UK. Much more than 'just' a history, this is a rich and insightful account of issues still very alive today, from assessment to arguments about effective pedagogy, and breaks new ground in its astute narrative of language advocacy. McLelland succeeds in being both erudite and highly enjoyable to read; the book is full of delightful gems as well as providing a valuable and comprehensive source of references to aid other researchers in the field.' - Simon Coffey, Senior Lecturer in Modern Languages Education, King's College London `Nicola McLelland's new book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in reading about or studying the history of language learning and teaching in Britain. It is packed with concise information on a wide range of languages, periods, contexts, and topics, some of which have not received much attention so far. Thus it provides a fascinating comprehensive overview and will without doubt stimulate further historical research.' - Friederike Klippel, Chair of TEFL (until 2015), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany `Congratulations to Nicola McLelland on this important accomplishment! Her book will be of great interest to foreign language scholars and professionals in Britain. More important, perhaps, is that Professor McLelland has provided an excellent model for how to craft similar histories of foreign language education in other national contexts and indeed from transnational perspectives. Language specialists have written their own, more limited histories of the profession, typically focusing on how languages have been taught. Professor McLelland's book provides a much richer perspective by tracing which languages have been taught in Britain and why, the changing social contexts in which they have been taught, a nascent history of language assessment, and an engaging historical perspective on language education policy advocacy. In addition to its analytical breadth, the book expands its historical perspective beyond the nineteenth century. This allows Professor McLelland to draw more compelling conclusions about the nature of foreign language education and the challenges facing scholars, professionals, and students of it.' - Jeff Bale, Associate Professor of Language and Literacies Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto What sets this ambitious work apart from others is that it is an extremely concise, comprehensive, and scholarly overview. It will serve as a valuable addition to any library and it will be of interest to foreign language professionals, academics, and, indeed policy-makers. - Charlotte VT Murakami, History of Education

Author Information

Nicola McLelland is Professor in German and History of Linguistics at the University of Nottingham and Editor of the journal Language & History. Her interests span the history of linguistics, sociolinguistics (past and present), and the history of language learning and teaching.

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