ABSTRACT

Rather than just being a collection of activities, language courses should put principles of learning into practice. This makes sure that what happens in the course helps learning. Chapter 12 looks at a short list of well-established principles and shows how they can be applied to reading and writing courses. The six principles are: (1) have a balanced programme by applying the four strands; (2) spend time on task; (3) ensure repetition; (4) arrange quality of processing; (5) consider cost/benefit by choosing the most useful language features and strategies to focus on; and (6) encourage learner autonomy. Chapter 12 uses these principles to reflect on the most important ideas covered in the preceding chapters. The principles can also be used as a basis for encouraging teacher and learner autonomy.