Language Diversity in the Classroom

John Edwards is a Professor of Psychology at St Francis Xavier University. His research interests are in language, identity and the many ramifications of their relationship. He has lectured and presented papers on this topic in some thirty countries. Professor Edwards is the editor of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. He is the author of several books including Language and Identity (Cambridge, 2009) and Un mundo de lenguas (Aresta, 2009) as well as many articles, chapters and reviews.

John Edwards is a Professor of Psychology at St Francis Xavier University. His research interests are in language, identity and the many ramifications of their relationship. He has lectured and presented papers on this topic in some thirty countries. Professor Edwards is the editor of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. He is the author of several books including Language and Identity (Cambridge, 2009) and Un mundo de lenguas (Aresta, 2009) as well as many articles, chapters and reviews.

The author claims-quite rightly-that this is a "comprehensive and jargon free" survey of those linguistic issues which have educational components or ramifications. It is both a scholarly and brave piece of work, since Edwards does not hesitate to attack certain 'politically correct' approaches to the topic, where these can be shown to render no service to the groups referred to; he also attacks the use of inflated language, unproven statements along with the use of theories inappropriate to the subject (discourse analysis comes out particularly badly in this respect).

Gabriela G. Alfaraz, Michigan State University:

This volume provides a comprehensive background on research on sociolinguistic and cultural variation in the classroom and the linguistic behavior of speakers of nonstandard dialects and foreign languages. Edward’s voice is distinct and his conviction is clear throughout the book. This volume is appropriate for in-service or preservice teachers; it is particularly relevant for training programs in language arts, second or foreign language teaching, and bilingual or multicultural education.

Timothy Reagan, Central Connecticut State University:

John Edwards has written a plethora of outstanding journal articles, and several exceptional books-my favourite, to date, being his wonderful "Multilingualism"(1994). This has now changed: "Language and Diversity in the classroom" is my new favourite, and I am delighted to recommend it most highly.

G. Richard Tucker, Paul Mellon University Professor of Applied Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University:

The rapidly changing demographic composition of students in American (& other) schools poses an increasing challenge for teachers who increasingly are finding larger and larger numbers of students from diverse ethnolinguistic and racial backgrounds in their classes. School systems are beginning to understand the need to better prepare their teachers to understand and to draw upon the linguistic resources that students bring to the classroom. Language Diversity in the Classroom is an excellent book that should inform and stimulate discussion in teacher education programs. I recommend it enthusiastically.