"Why TESOL? provides classroom teachers with a knowledge base to effectively teach in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. It provides in depth theoretical background, legal information, and application for teachers to address the needs of English language learners. Why TESOL? is written so teachers of any background and experiences can readily apply ESOL concepts to their individual mainstream classroom settings.

FEATURED TOPICS : Describes the legal rights of English language learners (ELLs); gives an historical overview of the laws; provides a clear classification of English as a second/new language (ESL/ENL) programs available in the United States. Helps readers understand the complexities of acquiring an additional language by providing a basic grounding in the core areas of linguistics and other related areas, such as non-verbal communication, dialectal variation, English language use and development. Discusses first and second/new language theories and models, including processes and non-linguistic factors that affect second or additional language acquisition.
Includes national statistics that illuminate the global nature of American society in the twenty-first century.
Includes classroom experiences of new and experienced teachers, and provides examples adapting teaching strategies to better measure the academic success of second language learners in mainstream classrooms.

INCLUDES WORKBOOK ON CD To help the reader reflect on, and apply the knowledge acquired from each chapter, a separate workbook is included on CD. For each chapter, there is a series of "Challenge Sheets" which encourage students to apply and test the theories and practices they've acquired." (Book Cover)

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

PART ONE: A Knowledge Base for English Language Teaching
1. Why TESOL? Diversity in America
/ Carmen A. Morales-Jones
2. Legal Rights of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States: A Historical Overview
/ Carmen A. Morales-Jones
3. Description of ESL/ENL Programs from A to Z
/ Carmen A. Morales-Jones
4. The English Language Learner
/ Carmen A. Morales-Jones

PART TWO: A Knowledge Base for Linguistic Systems
5. Human Language
/ Noorchaya Yahya
6. Phonology
/ Noorchaya Yahya
7. Morphology
/ Noorchaya Yahya
8. Syntax
/ Noorchaya Yahya
9. Semantics
/ Hanizah Zainuddin
10. Pragmatics
/ Hanizah Zainuddin
11. Non-Verbal Communication
/ Hanizah Zainuddin
12. Discourse / Hanizah Zainuddin
13. Dialectal Variations / Noorchaya Yahya and Hanizah Zainuddin 14. Development of the English Language
/ Noorchaya Yahya and Hanizah Zainuddin

PART THREE: A Knowledge Base for Language Theories and Applications
15. First and Second Language Acquisition
/ Hanizah Zainuddin and Noorchaya Yahya
16. Non-Linguistic Factors That Influence Second Language Acquisition
/ Hanizah Zainuddin 17. First and Second Language Acquisition Theories and Models
/ Hanizah Zainuddin and Noorchaya Yahya
18. Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners
/ Carmen A. Morales-Jones
19. Strategies and Styles
/ Hanizah Zainuddin and Noorchaya Yahya
20. Language Learning Errors and Strategies for Error Correction
/ Hanizah Zainuddin
21. Language Methodologies
/ Noorchaya Yahya

PART FOUR: A Knowledge Base in Assessment and Evaluation
22. Assessment and Evaluation for the English Language Learner (ELL)
/ Eileen N. Whelan Ariza
23. Responding to a Court-Imposed Consent Decree: A Look at Initial Placement and Assessment
/ Eileen N. Whelan Ariza
24. How Does a Classroom Teacher Assess and Evaluate an English Language Learner?
/ Eileen N. Whelan Ariza
25. English Language Learners and Standardized Tests
/ Eileen N. Whelan Ariza
26. Why Alternative Assessment for English Language Learners?
/ Eileen N. Whelan Ariza

PART FIVE: Teacher Reflections: Notes from the Field
Teacher Reflections: Notes from the Field

Appendices

Glossary of Professional Terms

References

Index