The Concept of Progression in the Teaching and Learning of Foreign Languages

This volume is based on the selected proceedings from an international conference ‘Concept of Progression in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning’ held in Dublin in February 2004.
Although progression always has been at the centre of any methodology of teaching and learning foreign language, there has been surprisingly little published on the concept of progression. Since the inclusion of the pragmatic and socio-cultural context into foreign language teaching methodologies, the concept of progression has broadened considerably: it is no longer restricted any more to structural elements of the foreign language (i.e. grammar) but it includes a functional-notional progression, a cultural progression, a lexical progression, a progression of text types, a mental progression, a progression of exercises and classroom activities. The articles in this volume address the multifaceted nature of progression in foreign language teaching and learning from various angles.

The Editors: Dr. Theo Harden is Senior Lecturer in German at the National University of Ireland in Dublin. He has published widely in the field of applied and theoretical linguistics particularly on aspects of grammatical diversity and their impact on the learning process.
Dr. Arnd Witte is Senior Lecturer in German at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth. He has published widely in the field of foreign language teaching/learning methodologies with an emphasis on cultural influences on the learning process.
Dr. Dirk Köhler is Lecturer in German at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth. He has published widely in the field of pragmatics.