Present-day globalization, migration, and the spread of English have resulted in a great diversity of social and educational contexts in which English learning is taking place. A basic assumption of this book is that because English is an international language, effective pedagogical decisions cannot be made without giving special attention to the many varied contexts in which English is taught and learned. Its unique value is the combination of three strands ? globalization, sociolinguistics, and English as an international language ? in one focused volume specifically designed for language teachers, providing explicit links between sociolinguistic concepts and language pedagogy.

International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts

• fully recognizes the relationship between social context and language teaching
• describes the social and sociolinguistic factors that affect the teaching and learning of English
• examines how the social context is influential in determining which languages are promoted in schools and society and how these languages are taught
• is unique in directly relating basic constructs in sociolinguistics to English language teaching
• features case studies that illustrate the diversity of English teaching contexts

Directed to a wide TESOL and applied linguistics professional readership, this text will be particularly useful and effective for pre-service and in-service professional development in TESOL for K-12 and higher education levels.

Present-day globalization, migration, and the spread of English have resulted in a great diversity of social and educational contexts in which English learning is taking place. A basic assumption of this book is that because English is an international language, effective pedagogical decisions cannot be made without giving special attention to the many varied contexts in which English is taught and learned. Its unique value is the combination of three strands ? globalization, sociolinguistics, and English as an international language ? in one focused volume specifically designed for language teachers, providing explicit links between sociolinguistic concepts and language pedagogy.

International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts

• fully recognizes the relationship between social context and language teaching
• describes the social and sociolinguistic factors that affect the teaching and learning of English
• examines how the social context is influential in determining which languages are promoted in schools and society and how these languages are taught
• is unique in directly relating basic constructs in sociolinguistics to English language teaching
• features case studies that illustrate the diversity of English teaching contexts

Directed to a wide TESOL and applied linguistics professional readership, this text will be particularly useful and effective for pre-service and in-service professional development in TESOL for K-12 and higher education levels.

This book explores Singapore's language education system. Unlike previous volumes, which discuss the bilingual requirement for learning, it focuses on Singapore's quadrilingual system, bringing together articles on each of the four languages - English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil - as well as articles that examine more than one language. It highlights past successes, current concerns, and future directions for language education. The book focuses on classroom pedagogy in all four official languages, showcasing how languages are taught and learned in Singapore as a basis for better understanding the system "from the inside out." The authors present empirical, classroom-based studies on language pedagogy in all four languages, as well as updated information on the current socio-political context and how it has influenced attempts at pedagogical innovation. Consideration is given to the dialectical relationship between policy and practice. The chapters also include discussions of pre-school-age learning, influences of language policy, home literacy practices, and commentaries by international language-in-education scholars. This approach also provides a basis for international comparison - especially for those who are interested in fostering English proficiency while maintaining one or more national languages. The volume is particularly important in light of the continuing international efforts to integrate English into national educational systems where it is not the dominant language.