ABSTRACT
Bearing in mind that the big questions for additional language education are still what and how, this chapter begins by taking a step back to look at the contexts of language learning. It focuses on the question of how, including the problem of method and the issue of individual learner differences. The chapter also focuses on the question of what, including assessment and considers some of the economic, cultural and political aspects of additional language education. Early applied linguists working in language education looked to linguistics and to psychological theories of learning for solutions to the practical problem of how and what to teach. In an attempt to discover the 'best method', a number of research projects were conducted in the 1960s against a backdrop of enthusiasm for the latest development in educational technology, the language laboratory. The chapter concludes by focusing on roles for applied linguists.
