Capitalizing on Language Learners' Individuality

This is one of the richest and most intriguing books on learner characteristics that I have come across in my entire career. It aims to kill two birds with one stone by offering an up-to-date theoretical introduction as well as a series of practical classroom activities, and it succeeds: the birds are definitely dead! I will urge my friends, colleagues and students to have a copy of this book on their bookshelves.

-- Zoltán Dörnyei, University of Nottingham, UK

Gregersen and MacIntyre do a remarkable job of closing the gap between theory and practice by presenting theories about learner characteristics in a highly accessible way and then providing a host of user-friendly, step-by-step classroom activities. The authors have an uncanny knack for speaking to the concerns of the teachers while at the same time directly addressing the needs of the learners. The volume takes 'catering to individual differences' in second language learning to a whole new level.

-- Andrew D. Cohen, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota, USA

(This book) would certainly be a welcome addition to any undergraduate or Masters-level teacher education program. The theory sections on individuality reflect the recent convergence with both Dynamic Systems Theory in SLA and Norton’s construct of investment. They provide an excellent background and highlight the dynamic complexity of L2 learning psychology in real-world contexts. In addition, the activities in the book would make the theory quite palpable to future teachers.

-- Geoffrey G. Pinchbeck, University of Calgary, Canada * CMLR; Volume 72; Issue: 3 *

The book will appeal to teachers working in more flexible contexts, who are interested in an introduction to various theoretical perspectives of individual differences and who are also looking to diversify their classroom activities portfolio. The book will also be useful for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students in English language teaching, teaching English to speakers of other languages, or applied linguistics who may be working with practical portfolios but also need an introduction to relevant literature. It is a “fun” book that uses stories, metaphors, inspirational quotations and colourful activities with a view to minimising “negative-narrowing affect” and harnessing the “positive-broadening power of facilitative emotions”.

-- Florentina Taylor, University of York, UK * TESOL Quarterly *

There are without doubt very few academic publications that would be as enlightening, inspiring, thought-provoking, reader-friendly, classroom-oriented and downright useful as the book by Tammy Gregersen and Peter D. MacIntyre Capitalizing on Learners’ Individuality: From Premise to Practice. I consider the volume to be a true gem and an urgent must-read for anyone interested in the role of individual learner differences in the process of second or foreign language learning and teaching, whether they are academics, university staff involved in teacher training, materials writers, teachers, or undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.

-- Mirosław Pawlak, Adam Mickiewicz University * Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching 4(1) 20