The volume unites research and practice on integrating language learning, teaching and assessment at preschool and early school age. It includes chapters written by experts in the field who have studied some of the very youngest (pre-primary) children through to those up to the age of 12, in a variety of private and state contexts across Europe. The collection makes a much-needed contribution to the subject of appropriate assessment for children with the focus of many chapters being classroom-based assessment, particularly formative assessment, or the case for developing assessment skills in relation to even the youngest children. As a whole, the book provides useful case study insights for policymakers, teacher educators, researchers and postgraduate students with interest in or responsibility for how children are assessed in their language learning. It also provides practical ideas for practitioners who wish to implement greater integration of assessment and learning in their own contexts.

This volume provides a detailed account of the practical use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) in primary language classrooms. It gives an in-depth account of the ways in which eight experienced primary language teachers incorporated this type of assessment into their practice and discusses the possible impact of AfL on primary language learning. Key themes discussed in the volume include the relationship between AfL and language learning in childhood, which assessment methods are appropriate for primary-aged language learners, which methods support learner agency and engagement in the learning processes, and possible paths for future action, with a focus on implementation and researching AfL in primary language contexts. The findings of this book are relevant to global contexts and it will be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers in the fields of language education, language assessment and teacher education, as well as to primary and language teachers and school leaders.

Over the past six decades, the field of teaching modern foreign languages to young learners has come a long way, from the early surmises about the advantages of a young start to today’s widespread integration of foreign languages into curricula in public and private schools. The chapters in this book bring together internationally renowned researchers who have been vocal in establishing early language teaching and learning as an independent area of research and novice voices who represent a new generation of devoted researchers to present a state-of-the-art volume on the topic. The authors address key questions about young learner second/foreign language (L2/FL) development, methodological issues when conducting research with young learners, L2/FL teaching pedagogy, language education policy, technology enhanced learning and assessment. Together, the chapters capture the reality of early FL development in the context of a globalized world and will be of great interest to researchers and postgraduate students of SLA and Applied Linguistics, specifically in the field of early language development and teaching languages to young learners.

This is the first international and interdisciplinary handbook to offer a comprehensive and an in-depth overview of findings from contemporary research, theory, and practice in early childhood language education in various parts of the world and with different populations. The contributions by leading scholars and practitioners are structured to give a survey of the topic, highlight its importance, and provide a critical stance. The book covers preschool ages, and looks at children belonging to diverse ethno-linguistic groups and experiencing different histories and pathways of their socio-linguistic and socio-cultural development and early education. The languages under the scope of this handbook are identified by the contributors as immigrant languages, indigenous, endangered, heritage, regional, minority, majority, and marginalized, as well as foreign and second languages, all of which are discussed in relation to early language education as the key concept of the handbook. In this volume, “early language education” will refer to any kind of setting, both formal and informal (e.g. nursery, kindergarten, early childhood education centers, complementary early schooling etc.) in which language learning within a context of children's sociolinguistic diversity takes place before elementary school.

This book shines a light on novel and less familiar domains of early English language education for children aged 3 to 12, in mainstream and out-of-school settings. Enveloping the volume is the making of creative connections to wider educational philosophies which extend beyond the confines of a narrow linguistic lens. In reconciling the theory-practice divide in English language education, each chapter presents a synthesis of research issues leading to a practical showcase of ideas. Organised in two main parts, the first focuses on innovations within classroom practice, curriculum development, and child-centred assessment, exploring areas which have either received insufficient attention and/or have been reimagined through fresh perspectives. The second part explores innovations in pre- and in-service teacher education contexts and focuses on lesser-known and/or underexplored topics, including bridging general and language education, multilingualism, in-depth learning, metacognition, and pragmatics. This is a timely publication for teacher educators and practitioners alike.

This second edition of The Routledge Handbook of Language Testing provides an updated and comprehensive account of the area of language testing and assessment. The volume brings together 35 authoritative articles, divided into ten sections, written by 51 leading specialists from around the world. There are five entirely new chapters covering the four skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as a new entry on corpus linguistics and language testing. The remaining 30 chapters have been revised, often extensively, or entirely rewritten with new authorship teams at the helm, reflecting new generations of expertise in the field. With a dedicated section on technology in language testing, reflecting current trends in the field, the Handbook also includes an extended epilogue written by Harding and Fulcher, contemplating what has changed between the first and second editions and charting a trajectory for the field of language testing and assessment. Providing a basis for discussion, project work, and the design of both language tests themselves and related validation research, this Handbook represents an invaluable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners working in language testing and assessment and the wider field of language education.

Grundschulenglisch kompetent unterrichten Qualitativ hochwertiger Englischunterricht in der Grundschule hängt vor allem von der professionellen Kompetenz der Lehrkräfte ab. Der vorliegende Band in englischer Sprache behandelt in 13 Kapiteln grundlegende Themen und Konzepte für deren Entwicklung in Aus- und Fortbildung sowie im Selbststudium. Der Praxisband geht auf die besonderen Bedingungen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland ein und berücksichtigt die internationalen Forschungen zum Fremdsprachenunterricht in der Grundschule. Er ist dabei dem aufgabenorientierten Lehren und Lernen verpflichtet. Ausgehend von der Heterogenität heutiger Grundschulkinder und der Komplexität des fremdsprachlichen Klassenzimmers veranschaulichen die Kapitel den Zusammenhang von didaktischer Theorie und Unterrichtspraxis. Die Themen umfassen u. a. aufgabenorientiertes Lehren und Lernen, Classroom Management, Integration der Fertigkeiten, Focus on Form, Arbeit mit literarischen Texten, kulturelles Lernen, Einsatz von Medien und Materialien, fächerübergreifendes Lernen und den Übergang in die Sekundarstufe. Hinweise zur vertiefenden Lektüre und zahlreiche Unterrichtsbeispiele ergänzen die Kapitel. Der Band richtet sich an Studierende, an Referendarinnen und Referendare und an Lehrkräfte in der Grundschule, die sich für einen Englischunterricht einsetzen, der die Lebenswelten der Lernenden ernst nimmt und der die Lernenden bei der Entwicklung ihrer Englischkompetenzen unterstützt. Er eignet sich zur Grundlage von Seminaren und zum Selbststudium. ___________________ The present volume provides a comprehensive introduction to the teaching of English at primary school. Following a task-based and learner-oriented approach, the volume focuses on the German teaching context while taking relevant international research into account. Starting from the diverse lived experience of today ́s primary school children and the complexity of the foreign language classroom, the 13 chapters illustrate how theory and classroom practice relate to each other. Topics include learning through tasks, classroom management, the integration of skills, focus on form, working with literature, cultural learning, the use of media and teaching materials, integrating subject matter and the transition to secondary school. The chapters present a variety of classroom examples and suggestions for further reading. The volume is aimed at students, trainee teachers and primary school teachers. It is a helpful resource for both pre-service and in-service teacher education.