This volume presents 17 perspectives on CALL and language technology from teachers and researchers connected to the CALL Special Interest Group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching. The book aims to shed light on progress in both theoretical and practical areas of CALL.

‘Up- to-date and reflective of new government policy, this book will be an essential resource for all Senior Leaders and SENCOs.’ – Lynne Cook, Senior Lecturer in Education, Oxford Brookes University The Changing Face of Special Educational Needs shows teachers, SENCOs and students in teacher training how to respond to the rapidly changing context of special education. This highly practical and accessible text unlocks the often confusing field of special education provision in schools today by: Summarising and clarifying new policy directions as they emerge, in light of recent coalition government policies on Education, SEN and Disability; Suggesting clear, practical activities to bring the theory to life, helping practitioners to review and reflect upon their work; Encouraging critical reflection about existing systems within the school context, considering whether these will remain appropriate and ‘fit for purpose’; Giving opportunities for teachers, SENCOs and senior leaders to contextualise the new changes in terms of the implications for practice in their own school. Packed with activities, case studies and points for reflection, this timely book will help the teacher, SENCO, senior leader or advisor to make sense of the rapid pace of change of policy and terminology related to SEN. It will help practitioners in a positive and supportive way, emphasising the exciting opportunities that these changes will provide for developing new, innovative and creative working practices. This book will also be essential reading for all SENCOs completing the National Award for SEN Coordination.

Assessment has become one of the most significant areas of interest in educational policy development, as well as the focus of complex political, economic and cultural expectations for change. Increasingly, governments worldwide have become aware that curricula and teachers can be indirectly controlled through programmes of assessment. Opponents of centralized systems of mass assessment claim they are ill-suited to the diverse and changing needs of learners and users of assessment. In this text, the UK and US writers take the reader beyond the obvious functions of assessment, and focus upon the roles it performs in the social structuring of society. They examine the myths and assumptions that underpin assessment and testing and draw attention to its cultural context. This collection is devoted explicitly to socio-cultural studies of assessment and attempts to map the terrain of some 30 years of study in the field. Chapters are organized thematically, with background text providing comparative perspectives, key issues and further reading. The book provides a wide-ranging, structured and accessible approach to the study of socio-cultural origins and impacts of assessment.