Global Language Policies and Local Educational Practices and Cultures
 Shirley O’Neill and Henriette van Rensburg, Editors
Foreword by Terry Lamb

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This is an essential text for gaining a deep appreciation of the scope, impact and connections between global languages policies and local education practices and cultures. It is an authentic representation of the authors’ current research and collaboration that shows how the information and communication explosion has shifted the languages education playing field to a new dynamic level of opportunity for learning, knowledge sharing, and active participation in the digital age. The extensive coverage of a multiplicity of contexts where languages learning is the key to success demonstrates how languages education needs to be front and centre in education policy and practices today, across disciplines, and in educating for work, leisure, and cultural understanding.
 
In presenting a rich portrayal of the breadth and depth of the impact of languages education policy across countries and education sectors this text provides powerful insights into global and local practices. It highlights the scope and needs of diverse communities and leads the way in the pursuit of languages education being seen as core.

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Shirley O’Neill

Shirley O’Neill is Associate Professor of Language and Literacies Education and Coordinator of the Applied Linguistics Discipline Group in the School of Linguistics, Adult and Specialist Education at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on teacher cognition and classroom discourse, TESOL, language assessment, interactive / multimedia technologies for language learning, and service learning. She has extensive experience in research and evaluation, assessment and teaching/teacher professional development in language education, including the early years. She has worked in schools in Australia and the UK, and in statewide school review, language curriculum and policy evaluation, and assessment of student performance. Her book Teaching English as a second language, OUP, with A, Gish is widely used in preservice teacher education in Australia and internationally; other recent publications include: The language teacher professional, Fostering positive cross-cultural attitudes through language teaching, and Relational concepts: Language, thinking and pedagogy. Since 2003 she has convened international conferences on pedagogies and learning, and established the International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning and the International Society for Leadership in Pedagogies and Learning Inc. As a foundation member of the International Network for Language Education Policy Studies (INLEPS) (Shanghai, 2013), she has facilitated two conferences on deep languages learning.

Henriette van Rensburg ​

Henriette van Rensburg is an Associate Professor of Special Education and Postgraduate Program Coordinator in the School of Linguistics, Adult and Specialist Education, at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Her research interests include linguistics, rural and remote education as well as studies in postgraduate education. Henriette has published research about Afrikaan speakers in Australia, rural and remote education, and the postgraduate and higher degrees journey. Her PhD research was in the specific field of Computer Aided Education where she focused on the milieu-deprived learners in mathematics in the senior primary phase.

Foreword

Dr Terry Lamb, BSc (Hons), PGCE, MA, PhD, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques
 
Until recently, Terry was Director of Initial Teacher Education where he introduced the PGCE in Mandarin, Japanese and Urdu. He is now Director of Teaching and Learning and Director of the MA in Applied Professional Studies in Education, a programme designed to support teachers at all stages in their careers. Terry also teaches on the Singapore Distance Learning Programme as well as the EdD in Language Learning and Teaching.

Terry’s research has largely encompassed two fields: languages pedagogy and linguistic diversity. His particular pedagogical interest is in learner autonomy in language learning, in particular its potential for meeting diverse needs (including a range of languages and personalisation of learning) and for motivating learners. He has been convenor of an international research network in this field for 6 years, and has published and presented keynotes around the world. He has led research into e-learning for languages, and been a consultant to the Ministry of Education in Malaysia on the `Learning how to Learn´ curriculum development project. He also researches the implications for teacher development and was a member of EuroPAL, a project funded by the European Commission to develop resources for initial and in-service teacher education in this aspect of pedagogy. He is founder editor of the International Journal of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, Series Editor, Foreign Language Teaching in Europe (Peter Lang), and a member of Editorial Committees in the UK, Colombia, Italy and China.