How Languages are Learned by Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada
This book lays out important points of second language acquisition. The information about findings and theoretical views in second language acquisition research can help teachers evaluate claims made by textbook writers and proponents of various language teaching methods.
Each chapter summarizes notable developments in first and/or second-language acquisition research and theory. Examples and case studies are included throughout the book to illustrate the research ideas. It is a must-read to get the gist of first-language acquisition and, therefore, second-language teaching.
Principles of Language Learning and Teaching by H. Douglas Brown
It is a textbook on the theoretical foundations of language teaching, a survey of what research has revealed about how human beings acquire a second language. For experienced teachers, it has become a handbook that provides an overview of current issues in the field with an index and bibliographic entries to aid in that overview. For the most part, you do not need to have prior technical knowledge of linguistics or psychology to comprehend this book. The book can be used in programs for educating teachers of any foreign language.
Psychology for Language Teachers: a Social Constructivist Approach by Marion Williams and Robert L. Burden
This is a book about psychology for language teachers. It aims to provide language teachers with an introduction to several key issues and recent developments in psychology that will help them to understand better how their learners learn and which will provide a fund of knowledge to use in classroom practices. This book is intended for teachers of a foreign language at for all levels. The principles discussed apply to teachers of English as a foreign language, modern language teachers, or those involved in teaching any language. It is intended that it should be usable by teachers from a range of teaching contexts and cultural backgrounds.
Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition by VanPatten B. and Benati Alessandro G.
Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition is divided into three major parts: Key Issues, Key Terms, and Key Readings. Key Issues presents nine of the major questions that confront SLA research today. Key Terms provides encyclopedia-like descriptions of a good number of terms used in the SLA literature. Key Readings provide information not only on the references cited elsewhere in this book but also on additional references that may be of use to the novice reader.