Have about half way through a really illuminating book called The psychology of the language learner' by a guy called Dornyei and have to say was really blown away by some of the things he had to say. One point I think he makes very well is the lack of training ESL teachers get in respect to educational psychology, which in other realms of education is well established. So I've been mulling over what Dornyei has said about the import of the personality and aptitude but what I found really interesting was his chapter on motivation. Dornyei talks alot about the imagined community an idea he got from Bonny Norton http://lerc.educ.ubc.ca/fac/norton/, the class room application is that the ESL teacher should encourage the learners to express where they see themselves once they have sufficiently acquired the second language, and this is a key determinant in their learning experience. This he argues will provide them with the necessary motivation to keep them on track during the long and arduous task of second language learning.
I know I have greatly simplified what Dornyei has said, but this is one book i found really worth reading not just for the theoretical stuff but it is also extremely applicable.
Individual Differences
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