Louise Ho is a Chinese poet from Hong Kong who finds her feet in English. Since her first publications more than thirty years ago, her poetry collected here has been a reflection of the fortunes of the city and its people, their hopes and anxieties, their achievements, crises, dispersals and renewals.

In recent years traditional, classroom-based language tuition has been increasingly overshadowed by innovative approaches, such as distance learning, supported independent learning and blended learning (with an online component). This timely volume examines the use of language learning strategies in a range of independent settings, and addresses key issues for independent learners such as autonomy, strategic awareness and self-regulation.

The topics of autonomy and independence play an increasingly important role in language education. They raise issues such as learners' responsibility for their own learning, and their right to determine the direction of their own learning, the skills which can be learned and applied in self-directed learning and capacity for independent learning and the extents to which this can be suppressed by institutional education. This volume offers new insights into the principles of autonomy and independence and the practices associated with them focusing on the area of EFL teaching. The editors' introduction provides the context and outlines the main issues involved in autonomy and independence. Later chapters discuss the social and political implications of autonomy and independence and their effects on educational structures. The consequences for the design of learner-centred materials and methods is discussed, together with an exploration of the practical ways of implementing autonomy and independence in language teaching and learning . Each section of the book opens with an introduction to give structure to the development of ideas and themes, with synopses to highlight salient features in the text and help build upon the material of previous chapters.

The guide contains ideas for independent language learning tasks, written for teachers by teachers from secondary and higher education institutions around the world. The tasks described serve as guidelines for creating varied activities for learners and for setting up ways for learners to take control of their own learning by determining how to complete the task, monitoring how well they perform, and deciding what to do next. Activities to suit all learning levels and to accommodate both learners of English as a second language and learners of English for special purposes are included, and the activities make use of a variety of resources. Most tasks consist of two parts: an explanation of the task; and sample worksheets. The tasks are divided into nine chapters that explore developing the following skills: (1) learning; (2) reading; (3) writing; (4) listening; (5) speaking; (6) vocabulary; (7) grammar; (8) body language; and (9) self-assessment. (MSE)

Accessible, practical, and empowering, this book gives school professionals the tools to put students in charge of their own learning. Going beyond traditional "study skills" guides that focus on the mechanics of homework completion and test taking, the authors address the underlying psychological factors that influence academic success and lifelong learning. They provide step-by-step guidance and data-based interventions for helping each student develop a repertoire of problem-solving strategies in the areas of motivation, emotional responses to learning, behavior, time management, organization, memory, reading, writing, math, and more. In a large-size format with lay-flat binding to facilitate photocopying, the volume includes dozens of reproducible handouts and forms. This book is in The Guilford Practical Intervention in the Schools Series.

Get up and running with French Easy French Step-by-Step proves that a solid grounding in grammar basics is the key to mastering a second language. You are quickly introduced to grammatical rules and concepts inorder of importance, which you can build on as you progress through the book. You will also learn more than 300 verbs, chosen by their frequency of use. Numerous exercises and engagingreadings help you quickly build your speaking and comprehension prowess.

From birth, human beings are striving to make sense of the world. They learn through interaction, modelling first hand experience and independent action. Most children arrive at school with the notion that being independent and having the desire to take responsibility has been seen, in their homes, as a good thing. However, what often happens is that responsibility may be denied them in school and further bids for independence are viewed as negative behaviour. This book argues that independence in the classroom should be seen as beneficial for learners and also for teachers. Jill Williams makes a compelling case for a climate in which decision making is valued, where children are enabled to solve problems and where children and adults respect each others point of view, arguing that this will be a climate in which independence flourishes. In turn the benefits in terms of teaching and learning will be apparent for both the children and the teachers. The notion of independence in the classroom is explored through vivid cameos showing positive relationships between teachers and learners, inspirational classroom organization and management and examples of children taking their learning forward in an environment where they have choices. The careful monitoring, assessment and discussion of teaching and learning which is presented highlights the benefits for both learners and teachers when there is a focus on independence.