Selected references

A close-up of books about English language learning and teaching, standing on a shelf.

Photo credits: Emanuela Tenca


1. History of English language learning and teaching

Howatt, A. P. R. 1984. A History of English Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Howatt A. P. R. and Smith R. 2014. The history of teaching English as a foreign language, from a British and European perspective. Language & History 57(1), 75-95. https://doi.org/10.1179/1759753614Z.00000000028

Hunter, D. and Smith, R. Unpackaging the past: ‘CLT’ through ELTJ keywords. ELT Journal 66(4), 430-439. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccs036

Pedrazzini, L. 2016. The principle of ‘Correct Pronunciation’: Teaching English as a foreign language in the early twentieth century. Language & History 59(1), 63-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/17597536.2016.1176292

Smith, R. 2013. Harold E. Palmer, IRLT and Historical sense in ELT. IRLT Journal 12, 1-8. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/people/smith/smith_r/harold_e__palmer_irlt_and_historical_sense_in_elt.pdf

Smith, R. 2021. A brief history of ELT Journal. ELT Journal 75(1), 4–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab003

Yáñez-Bouza, N. and Rodríguez-Gil, M. E. 2013. New insights into eighteenth-century grammar writing. Transactions of the Philological Society (special issue) 111(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-968X.12027


2. History of foreign language learning and teaching (general)

Burton, Graham. 2023. Grammar in ELT and ELT Materials: Evaluating Its History and Current Practice. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters

Doff, S. and Smith R. (eds.) 2022. Policy and Practice in Language Learning and Teaching: 20th-century Historical Perspectives. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Coffey S. (ed.) 2020. The History of Grammar in Foreign Language Teaching. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

McLelland, N. 2017. Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages: A History of Language Education, Assessment and Policy in Britain. Abingdon: Routledge.

McLelland N. and Smith, R. (eds.) 2014. Building the History of Language Learning and Teaching (HoLLT). Language & History (special issue) 57(1). https://doi.org/10.1179/1759753614Z.00000000030

McLelland N. and Smith, R. (eds.) 2018. The History of Language Learning and Teaching (3 volumes). Oxford: Legenda.

Pellandra, C. 2007. Le radici del nostro mestiere. Storia e storie degli insegnamenti linguistici. Quaderni del CIRSIL 3, 1-152. https://doi.org/10.6092/unibo%2Famsacta%2F2391

Smith R. 2016. Building ‘Applied Linguistic Historiography’: Rationale, scope, and methods. Applied Linguistics 37(1), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amv056

Smith, R. 2021. History of language teaching and applied linguistics. In C. Coombe and H. Mohebbi (eds.) Research Questions in Language Education and Applied Linguistics: A Reference Guide, pp. 743-747. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79143-8_129

Smith, R. and Giesler (eds.) 2023. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: Historical Perspectives. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.

Smith, R. and McLelland, N. 2014. An interview with John Trim (1924–2013) on the history of modern language learning and teaching. Language & History 57(1), 10-25. https://doi.org/10.1179/1759753614Z.00000000029

Smith, R. and McLelland, N. (eds.) 2018. Histories of Language Learning and Teaching in Europe. The Language Learning Journal (special issue) 46(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2017.1382051


3. History of foreign language education in Italy (including languages other than English)

Balboni, P. E. 1988. Gli Insegnamenti Linguistici nella Scuola Italiana. Padova: Liviana Editrice.

Balboni, P. E. 2009. Storia dell’Educazione Linguistica in Italia. Dalla Legge Casati alla Riforma Gelmini. Novara: UTET Università.

Barsi, M. and Iamartino, G. (eds) 2018. Le lingue straniere nell’università italiana dall’Unità al 1980: Percorsi di ricerca. Italiano LinguaDue (special issue), 10(1). https://doi.org/10.13130/2037-3597/10388

Lombardini H. E. and San Vicente F. 2015. Gramáticas de Español para Italófonos (Siglos XVI-XVIII): Catálogo Crítico y Estudio. Münster: Nodus Publikationen.

Lopriore, L. and Vettorel, P. Women’s representations in English course-books in Italy. A diachronic survey from the 50s to the 80s. Lingue e Linguaggi 10, 137-167. https://doi.org/10.1285/i22390359v10p137

Mandich A. M. 2002. Insegnare il Francese in Italia. Repertorio di Manuali Pubblicati in Epoca Fascista (1923-1943). Bologna: CLUEB.

Minerva N. (ed.) 2003. Insegnare il Francese in Italia. Repertorio di Manuali Pubblicati dal 1861 al 1922. Bologna: CLUEB.

Minerva N. and Pellandra C. (eds.) 1997. Insegnare il francese in Italia. Repertorio analitico di manuali pubblicati dal 1625 al 1860. Bologna: CLUEB.

San Vicente, F., Pérez Vázquez M. V. and De Hériz A. L. (eds.) 2014. Perfiles Para la Historia y Crítica de la Gramática del Español en Italia: Siglos XIX y XX. Confluencia y Cruces de Tradiciones Gramaticográficas. Bologna: Bononia University Press.


4. Methods and approaches for foreign language education

Anthony, E. M. 1963. Approach, method, and technique. ELT Journal 17(2), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/XVII.2.63

Larsen-Freeman, D. and Anderson, M. 2011. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Richards, J. C. and Rodgers, T. S. 1982. Method: Approach, design, and procedure. TESOL Quarterly 16(2): 153-168. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586789

Richards, J. C. and Rodgers, T. S. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (second edition).

Rizzardi M.C. and Barsi, M. 2005. Metodi in Classe per Insegnare la Lingua Straniera. Milano: Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto.