TESOL QUARTERLY Vol. 44, No. 3, September 2010 |

REVIEWS The TESOL Quarterly welcomes evaluative reviews of publications relevant to TESOL professionals In addition to textbooks and reference materials, these include computer and video software, testing instruments, and other forums of nonprint materials Edited by ANNE BURNS Aston University University of New South Wales CELIA ROBERTS King9s College London doi: 10.5054/tq.2010.232340 ESOL: A Critical Guide Melanie Cooke and James Simpson Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2008 Pp xix + 185 This book is aimed at teachers working with immigrants in Englishdominant countries, particularly in the United Kingdom The world of adult immigrants provides the context in which a number of the issues central to migrant education are discussed Rather than a narrow focus on linguistic and pedagogic issues, the authors offer a compelling and insightful account of the complexity behind the lives and needs of adult migrants in global cities such as London The assumptions and ideologies underlying conventional approaches to migrant education are reviewed, and language learning is related to issues such as identity, power, and social inclusion Throughout, vignettes and examples drawn from the authors’ experiences working with ESOL teachers and students in the United Kingdom are used to present the voices of those the authors write about The eight chapters in the book address a broad range of issues, the content of which can only be hinted at from the chapter titles: ‘‘ESOL in the World,’’ ‘‘Being an Adult ESOL Learner,’’ ‘‘The Challenges of ESOL Practice,’’ ‘‘The Content of ESOL Lessons,’’ ‘‘Oral Communication,’’ ‘‘ESOL, Literacy, and Literacies,’’ ‘‘ESOL and Electronic Literacy Practices,’’ ‘‘Learning About Teaching.’’ As each issue is explored, activities are included for teachers in training These engage the teacher in further consideration of issues as well as reflection on his or her own assumptions and practices in the light of the topics covered in each chapter A recurring theme in the book is the diversity of contexts in which ESOL courses are delivered Classes are characterized by learners with & 638 TESOL QUARTERLY Vol 44, No 3, September 2010 different cultural and educational backgrounds, with diverse needs, goals, and attitudes toward language learning but often sharing a sense of marginalisation as a consequence of their status as refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants Against this background, the authors describe what it means to teach English English teachers are not simply language teachers—they are also counselors, interpreters, and providers of means of empowerment ESOL teaching is hence political and poses challenges to an understanding of professional identity ESOL teachers not only have to manage classes characterized by diversity and help learners cope with emotional stress and social needs, but also have to meet the bureaucratic requirements of funded language programs The authors stress the need for a flexible approach to teaching Rather than depend on a prescribed method, they advocate principled pragmatism—the use of principles developed from language learning theory and the teaching context Commercial textbooks often contain content unsuitable for use with migrant learners, and examples are given of how textbooks can be supplemented by the use of student-generated content The teaching of oral communication skills needs to acknowledge the difficulties faced by low-level speakers of English in work and social settings and the effect that limited contacts with expert speakers of English has on their speaking and listening abilities Classroom activities are illustrated that seek to provide learners with opportunities to take control of classroom discourse Use of transcripts of authentic interactions is also suggested Discussion of the nature of literacy in adult ESOL learning makes the point that literacy acquisition is not simply about learning the skills of reading and writing but should address the social practices associated with literacy; in other words, it should prepare students for the encounters they have with written texts in their daily lives, including those in the domain of electronic literacy The final chapter deals with teacher professional development and compares the institutional view of professionalism—based on standards and institutional requirements— with personal professionalism that is based on a sense of professional vision This comes about through critical reflection on teaching practices through observation, classroom research, exploratory teaching, and action research ESOL: A Critical Guide is an outstanding book that is required reading for any teacher working with adult migrants or any teacher in training who plans to work in this context It provides a useful account of how language teaching policies and practices have evolved in the United Kingdom as a result of changing migrant numbers and perceptions of what the goals of migrant language education should be It illustrates the tensions between government policy makers and ESOL providers, the BOOK REVIEWSS 639 one stressing the need for English as a means of integration and national identity and to enable migrants to fill workplace needs—the other often concerned with empowering adult migrants with the language resources they need to negotiate their lives in a new environment But in addition it provides a powerful and thoughtful account of the experience of teaching adult migrant language learners—one that will challenge us to rethink many of the assumptions we have about teaching English to migrants JACK C RICHARDS Regional Language Centre Singapore Second Language Identities David Block London, England: Continuum, Pp x + 322 The content and organisation of Second Language Identities had its origins in the author’s lectures to his students at the University of London’s Institute of Education Seven chapters elaborate the definition offered by ‘‘social scientists [who] frame identities as socially constructed, self-conscious, ongoing narratives that individuals perform, interpret and project in dress, bodily movements, actions and language’’ (p 27) A series of examples, woven into theory, bring this definition alive by making links between the effects of adult migration on people’s language use and on their identity The author uses the first chapter as a quasi-index, allowing readers with specialised interests to waste no time hunting for their topics Thus someone who wants to reflect on adult migrant contexts could turn straight to chapter 4, whereas foreign language contexts are dealt with separately in chapter The first theoretical chapter (chapter 2) presents current views on identity as held mainly by social scientists This allows applied linguistics readers to fill in some gaps from a different, though related, discipline Discussions of aspects of identity such as race, nationality, gender, social class, and language form the background to the data presented in the rest of the book A useful table (p 43) summarises these identity types Block then steps back in chapter to review the work of earlier researchers, revealing a variety of data-gathering methods as well as of interests Lambert and Gardner were influential from the 1960s on, with their Canadian-based work, particularly in the area of bilingualism Guiora’s special interest was in learners’ pronunciation Present-day researchers with their answerability to ethics committees will be & 640 TESOL QUARTERLY interested to read of the part played by valium in the latter’s investigations Later in the 1970s came Schumann’s Acculturation Model, based on migrant workers’ responses to questionnaires and interviews From the 1980s, Block chooses to highlight the work of H Douglas Brown, although, as he notes, the word identity appears in Brown’s writing only briefly Bailey’s diary studies, published in the early 1980s, revealed competitiveness and anxiety as particular factors in the language learning process Scovel’s (1978) emphasis on anxiety is also acknowledged, although his more recent summary of the role of motivation (Scovel, 2001) does not appear later in the book Also from the 1980s comes Schmidt’s work, including his own learning of Portuguese, illustrated by interviews and diary entries Chapter highlights the cases of particular groups by focusing on current studies of Lambert and Gardner, mentioned above Adult migrants (the focus of this special issue) are defined as those who ‘‘have moved across geographical borders and immersed themselves in new cultural and linguistic environments’’ (p 75) There is pathos in many of the case studies, such as the report of a Moroccan in Paris who failed to make himself understood when he wanted to buy a ticket home Although this was not the point of the example, one gasps at the stupidity of the clerk who failed to read the intended meaning behind the speaker’s broken French Identity problems among this group are further illustrated by the Peruvian woman in Canada who spoke very little at her workplace in case people mistook her for ‘‘an immigrant’’ (p 90) The identity of foreign language learners is examined in chapter 5, almost half of which is taken up with data gathered by Block from students at a language school in Barcelona Here the language teacher will find valuable accounts from students with ‘‘their knowledge of what constitutes good and effective language teaching practice’’ (p 126) The chapter concludes with an interesting glimpse into identity as it develops through ‘‘Internet mediated language learning’’ (p 140) In chapter Block investigates learners in study abroad contexts, a group that has been under-represented in other works on identity, possibly because the learners’ experience is only temporary Half of the report is taken up with the negative aspects of sexual harassment and gender identity but equally negative were the examples illustrating the roles of host families Block recommends further investigation into the experience of these students In a final short chapter, Block gives suggestions for further research Block would like to see social class given more attention, especially in relation to ‘‘middle-class migrants [for whom] the issue of economic, social and cultural capital is turned around’’ (p 189) Another understudied group includes bilingual to multilingual language learners There is mention of the many lingua francas that emerge, such as in BOOK REVIEWSS 641 the communication between speakers of Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian immigrants in Toronto Inevitably, in a topic as complex as identity when using a second language, some stories are left untold In his first chapter the author refers to some of these gaps, such as children studying in mainstream classes all over the world and learners in postcolonial settings Gaps aside, it is a pleasure to read a book which is simultaneously scholarly and yet accessible to readers, such as Block’s own students, who are just starting to be interested in the field One question that came to mind was, Who translates all this fascinating material into a form that could be enjoyed by the group described in chapter 4, those whose motivation for language learning is that they have crossed ‘‘geographical and sociocultural borders’’ and whose ‘‘feelings … of a stable self are upset’’ (p 20)? It seems only fair that while academics and teachers are becoming better and better informed on learners’ identities, the subjects of all these studies should also be fed some of this information in a form they can access REFERENCE Scovel, T (2001) Learning new languages Boston, Massachusetts: Heinle and Heinle Marilyn Lewis Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics University of Auckland, New Zealand 642 TESOL QUARTERLY