AUS professor authors new book to help language teachers

A new textbook that aims to help language teachers enhance their skills by focusing on the most effective way to teach has just been written by a faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at American University of Sharjah (AUS).

Published by Cambridge University Press, Key Questions in Language Teaching, by Dr. Alessandro Benati, Professor of English and Applied Linguistics and Head of the Department of English, deals with both the theoretical and practical sides of how languages are taught in the classroom. It reflects on the research that has been carried out in learning a new language and deals with a host of practical issues such as teaching grammar, correcting errors, providing 'good' input, developing output activities and encouraging effective communication and interaction between learners.

Explaining his reasons for writing the book, Dr. Benati said:

"I wrote the book to help teachers, including trainees and those who are more experienced, to reflect on certain key questions related to language teaching. Despite the proliferation of books and courses in language teaching methodologies, many fail to emphasize the crucial interplay between how people learn languages and what it is the most effective way to teach."

Professor Benati, who is a leading world expert in the way that people learn a language, has published widely on the subject of language learning and teaching, and has led prestigious education projects in the UK, Japan, Italy, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, backed by the British Council, British Academy, Leverhulme, EU, and AHRC, to improve the skills and effectiveness of language teachers.