Since the advent of a 'Languages for All' policy and later the National Curriculum requirement for all pupils to take a foreign language up to the end of Key Stage 4, the problem of motivating reluctant learners has retained a place close to the top of the modern language teacher's agenda. This book, informed by research on motivational and attitudinal perspectives of secondary pupils (11-18) learning foreign languages in the UK and Germany, provides the support teachers crave. The author reports on pupils' perceptions of the language learning experience and analyses its implications for teachers. Informed by data gathered from classroom, home and visits abroad, he provides some practical strategies to enhance the enjoyment of the in-class experience and the status of modern languages on the secondary school curriculum.
Draws on research into motivation and attitudes of secondary school pupils learning foreign languages in the UK and Germany to report on pupils' perceptions of the language learning experience and its implications for teachers. Provides practical strategies to enhance enjoyment of the classroom experience and the status of modern languages in the secondary curriculum. Chambers taught German and Latin in secondary schools before joining the School of Education at Leeds University in 1989. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
2 What is Motivation?
3 Filling the Information Gap
4 Getting Inside the Pupils Heads
5 Attitudes Brought to the Classroom
6 Influence of Home Environment
7 Pupils Perceptions of People from Other Countries
8 The Pupils Perspective from the Classroom
9 The Teachers Hats
10 What Can we Learn from the Germans?
11 'I Did It My Way!'
12 So What Are We Going To Do About It?
Appendices
Bibliography
Index
Gary Chambers taught German and Latin in secondary schools in Cleveland and London before joining the School of Education, Leeds University, in 1989. His major research interest is problems relating to motivation and foreign language learning. He has also co-directed projects on teaching foreign languages to pupils with special educational needs, diversification, and ābilingualā teaching of geography and history. He is Editor of Language Learning Journal.
