Learning Discourses and the Discourses of Learning

(Paperback)

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This is an edited collection of papers exploring issues of teaching and learning in academic settings. The key theme of the volume is "discourses" -- especially as these relate to institutional policies, disciplinary practices and students' processes of learning in the academy. Particular attention is paid to the experiences of second-language students studying at Australian universities as well as those learning foreign languages in Australia. Employing a variety of methodologies and theoretical perspectives, the papers in Learning Discourses are unified by a focus on rich and socially situated empirical data. The book addresses issues highly pertinent to the dynamic character of contemporary higher education in Australia, one dominated by trends towards the internationalisation and professionalisation of university programs, and the growing intercultural nature of social and academic interactions. Part One covers issues of discourse and change, exploring processes of discourse acquisition and production in a range of disciplinary contexts, along with the nexus between academic and professional discourses. Part Two deals with broader issues of the participation and socialisation of students in second-language-use situations, ranging from macro (social planning and policy) issues to the micro (interpersonal) level. Part Three looks at the social mediation of foreign language learning covering a range of tertiary and secondary settings in Australia and has a particular focus on Japanese as a foreign language. This book is intended for academics and students -- postgraduate and undergraduate -- working in foreign language programs, academic and language support programs, and applied linguistics.

Author Bio

Helen Marriott is Associate Professor in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University. Her articles have appeared in journals including Current Issues in Language Planning, Nihongogaku and the Journal of Asian Pacific Communication. Tim Moore is an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Language, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University. His work has been published in Studies in Language Testing (Cambridge University Press, 2007) and in journals such as Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, Higher Education Research and Development, and Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Robyn Spence-Brown is Senior Lecturer at the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University. She is the author of Authentic Assessment The Implementation of an 'Authentic' Teaching and Assessment Task ( Hamburg: Peter Lang, forthcoming). She has also contributed to various journals such as Language Testing, Japanese Studies, and Nihongo Kyooiku (Japanese Language Education).