The Tapestry of Language Learning is the cornerstone of a new series from Heinle and Heinle
that 'combine[s] communicative, thematic, task-based learning with a concern
for students' individual differences' (p. v). The text sets out the authors'
philosophy about language teaching and language learning in a classroom
setting. Although the tapestry metaphor is sometimes strained, the text
provides a solid overview of the communicative approach to ESL instruction as
it is often practiced in the United States and Canada.The text is divided into
three parts. Part I provides an overview of the Tapestry approach. Part II
summarizes the authors' positions on second language acquisition theories and
learner characteristics. Part III deals with language skills, including grammar
and culture.
The
Tapestry of Language Learning
does not focus on language acquisition theory or research. The authors focus on
classroom practice, particularly in the adult academic or pre-academic ESL
classroom. As an overview, it succeeds admirably, touching on most of the
issues that concern active ESL teachers. The authors present a consistent
viewpoint throughout, drawing heavily on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximate
Development (Vygotsky, 1978) and Canale and Swain's (1980) discussion of
communicative language teaching. The authors strongly advocate integrative
skills classes and content- based instruction (although the last half of the
book treats the traditional skills separately). Each chapter contains
pre-reading questions and post-reading activities that provide useful triggers
for discussion or learning log entries. My teacher trainees responded
especially well to the section on teacher roles.