Research Informing Practice-Practice Informing Research

Edited by David Schwarzer, Montclair State University, Mary Petrón,Sam Houston State University, and Christopher Luke, Ball State UniversityA volume in Research in Second Language LearningJoAnn Hammadou Sullivan, Series EditorResearch Informing Practice-Practice Informing Research: Innovative Teaching Methodologies forWorld Language Educators is an edited volume that focuses on innovative, nontraditional methods ofteaching and learning world languages. Using teacher-research projects, each author in the volume guidesreaders through their own personal journey and exploration of teaching methods, novelty, risk-taking, andreflection. Chapters include guiding questions, vignettes, and thick descriptions of classroom-based researchin an assortment of instructional settings. Theoretical issues and an array of practical applications are presented,as well as additional research opportunities and guidelines for implementation in a variety of teachingand learning venues.While not professing to be a panacea for world language learning, this book provides various lines of theory, research, and practice as they interactwith each other through teacher-research narratives. As a well-known African proverb asserts, It takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, it takes avillage to develop a master teacher, and it takes a community to create an exceptional classroom. Throughout this volume, authors share their voices,experiences, and expertise as a means of strengthening the village. They then invite readers to embark on their own methodological journeys. The textthus serves as a stimulus for further discussion and pedagogical development in world language settings. Teachers and researchers are challenged tothink critically and reflectively about world language education, encouraged to design innovative methods, approaches, and techniques for their worldlanguage classes, and ultimately asked to share their findings with students, parents, peers, communities, and the village.