Chapter 8. “Reflection on language”
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Luciana Pedrazzini
Abstract
At the end of the 1970s, the conservative Italian scenario of foreign language teaching witnessed various innovations. The process of change was prompted by a reform of the national school syllabus for lower secondary school that advocated a new and comprehensive approach to language education. After an overview of the main tenets underlying this approach, the chapter focuses on “reflection on language”, one of the cornerstones of the reform. It then reports on an investigation of how reflection on language was implemented in a corpus of communication-oriented ELT school textbooks published in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s. In an attempt to understand the perspectives of those involved, leading figures and textbook authors of the period were also interviewed. In spite of the authors’ claims about introducing new features of language reflection, textbook analysis shows how their implementation in fact swung between innovative and traditional options.
Abstract
At the end of the 1970s, the conservative Italian scenario of foreign language teaching witnessed various innovations. The process of change was prompted by a reform of the national school syllabus for lower secondary school that advocated a new and comprehensive approach to language education. After an overview of the main tenets underlying this approach, the chapter focuses on “reflection on language”, one of the cornerstones of the reform. It then reports on an investigation of how reflection on language was implemented in a corpus of communication-oriented ELT school textbooks published in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s. In an attempt to understand the perspectives of those involved, leading figures and textbook authors of the period were also interviewed. In spite of the authors’ claims about introducing new features of language reflection, textbook analysis shows how their implementation in fact swung between innovative and traditional options.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Information about the authors vii
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Introduction
- Chapter 1. How can perspectives from Applied Linguistic Historiography improve our understanding of innovation? 2
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Part I. Product innovation
- Chapter 2. Tart–scriblita–torta–torte–torta–tortilha: A piece of cake! 24
- Chapter 3. Teaching phraseology in the 19th century 43
- Chapter 4. Innovation in monolingual English learner’s dictionaries 59
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Part II. Innovation through scientific discovery
- Chapter 5. La linguistique appliquée 82
- Chapter 6. Classroom-oriented teacher research in modern languages 104
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Part III. Oscillations along a continuum
- Chapter 7. Change without innovation? 122
- Chapter 8. “Reflection on language” 137
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Part IV. Adaptation in specific contexts
- Chapter 9. Describing and learning the Chinese languages 164
- Chapter 10. Curriculum innovation through concept borrowing 180
- Chapter 11. Beyond written texts 199
- Index 217
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Information about the authors vii
-
Introduction
- Chapter 1. How can perspectives from Applied Linguistic Historiography improve our understanding of innovation? 2
-
Part I. Product innovation
- Chapter 2. Tart–scriblita–torta–torte–torta–tortilha: A piece of cake! 24
- Chapter 3. Teaching phraseology in the 19th century 43
- Chapter 4. Innovation in monolingual English learner’s dictionaries 59
-
Part II. Innovation through scientific discovery
- Chapter 5. La linguistique appliquée 82
- Chapter 6. Classroom-oriented teacher research in modern languages 104
-
Part III. Oscillations along a continuum
- Chapter 7. Change without innovation? 122
- Chapter 8. “Reflection on language” 137
-
Part IV. Adaptation in specific contexts
- Chapter 9. Describing and learning the Chinese languages 164
- Chapter 10. Curriculum innovation through concept borrowing 180
- Chapter 11. Beyond written texts 199
- Index 217
