This article introduces the concept of "natural pedagogy" (NP) as a tool for envisioning and enacting second language learning and teaching. Currently popular in the social and cognitive sciences, NP theory holds that much adaptive human behavior is too complex and nontransparent to learn via observation, imitation, and trial-and-error…

Second language (SL) teacher educators tirelessly teach others how to teach. But how often do we actually define teaching? Without explicit definitional activity on this fundamental concept in second language teaching (SLT), it remains implicit and intuitive--the opposite of clear, productive understanding. I therefore explore the question,…

Sociocognitive theory views learning, including second language acquisition, as the progressive "alignment" of individuals vis-à-vis their ecosocial environments. In this article we first update sociocognitive theory in light of recent evolutionary/ecological research on learning/teaching: (a) Humans are evolutionarily "adapted to…

Based on recent research in cognitive science, interaction, and second language acquisition (SLA), I describe a sociocognitive approach to SLA. This approach adopts a "non-cognitivist" view of cognition: Instead of an isolated computational process in which input is extracted from the environment and used to build elaborate internal…

The culture concept has been severely criticized for its top-down nature in TESOL, leading arguably to its falling out of favor in the field. But what of the fact that people do "live culturally" (Ingold, 1994)? This article describes a case study of culture from the bottom up--culture as understood and enacted by its individual users.…

A "cognitivist" approach to cognition has traditionally dominated second language acquisition (SLA) studies. In this article, I examine two alternative approaches--"extended cognition" and "embodied cognition"--for how they might help us conceptualize SLA. More specifically, I present: (i) summaries of extended and embodied cognition, followed by…

Presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA; 23 March 2009.

This article argues for the embodied and environmentally embedded nature of second language acquisition (SLA). Through fine-grained analysis of interaction using Goodwin's (2003a) concept of "symbiotic gesture"--gesture coupled with its rich environmental context to produce complex social action--we illustrate how a tutor, learner, and grammar…

Discusses a sociocognitive perspective on second language acquisition, proposed as an alternative to the cognitivism pervading the field. Describes the cognitive nature of language and its acquisition, focusing on recent developments in connectionism. Introduces sociocognitive views of language and posits a social interpretation of connectionism…

Provides reflections on articles contained in this special issue of the journal. Substantial comments are included for each of the four articles contained in the issue. (Author/VWL)

Two individuals comment on an article that invited examination of the concept of culture in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language). The author of the original author responds to these comments. (Author/VWL)

This article argues for the crucial role of alignment in second language acquisition, as conceptualized from a broadly sociocognitive perspective. By "alignment," we mean the complex processes through which human beings effect coordinated interaction, both with other human beings and (usually human-engineered) environments, situations,…

Introduces this special issue of the journal and discusses the notion of "post-process." Investigates four components of Trimbur's (1994) definition of post-process, reviews studies in first and second language writing/literacy research that have attempted to move beyond process pedagogy and theory, and concludes with a summative definition of…

Reacts to an article published in an earlier issue of this journal (Vol. 35, No. 1, Spr 2001) on discursive construction of the images of U.S. classrooms. Suggests that the author of the article misrepresents the work of others and challenges her to present her arguments ethically in future research. (Author/VWL)

Looks at the question of how culture is understood in the Teaching English as a Second/Other-Language (TESOL) profession. Examines the perspectives toward culture implicitly or explicitly expressed in recent "TESOL Quarterly" articles, and concludes that different views of culture exist in the field. (Author/VWL)