Review of Genre in the Classroom: Multiple Perspectives (Hardcover)

Language is used purposefully, and varies according to author, audience, situation and intent--that is the vital concept underlying the all-important linguistic sub-discipline of Genre Theory.

This book is then an absolute necessity on the shelf of any serious student (or teacher) of applied linguistics.

It contains a clear, comprehensive overview of the history of genre theory. Then each of the several schools of thought within genre theory are represented by by their most influential and articulate proponents in succinct, well-written chapters. I found the dialogue between some of these "opposing" viewpoints in the final chapters to be most informative. The extensive works cited list is a real gold mine.

As a student of genre, and a consultant for learners of "Less-Widely Taught Languages," I found each of the various schools of thought to emphasize valid aspects of language and genre, and this valuable book helped me to formulate my own composite view.

Product Description
For the first time, the major theoretical and pedagogical approaches to genre and related issues of social construction are presented in a single volume, providing an overview of the state of the art for practitioners in applied linguistics, ESL/EFL pedagogies, rhetoric, and composition studies around the world. Unlike volumes that present one theoretical stance, this book attempts to give equal time to all theoretical and pedagogical camps. Included are chapters by authors from the Sydney School, the New Rhetoric, and English for Specific Purposes, as well as contributions from other practitioners who pose questions that cross theoretical lines.

Genre in the Classroom:
*includes all of the major theoretical views of genre that influence pedagogical practice;
*takes an international approach, drawing from all parts of the world in which genre theory has been applied in the classroom--Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, the Middle East, the United States;
*features contributors who are all both theorists and classroom practitioners, lending credibility and authenticity to the arguments;
*combines theory and practice in every chapter, showing how particular theoretical views influence classroom practice;
*grounds pedagogical practices in their own regional and theoretical histories;
*openly discusses problems and questions that genre theory raises and presents some of the solutions suggested; and
*offers a concluding chapter that argues for two macro-genres, and with responses to this argument by noted genre theorists from three theoretical camps.


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