ABSTRACT
The teaching of second and foreign languages has a rich history spanning over a century that includes myriad pedagogical approaches, methods, and techniques. Beginning with an illustration of once robust approaches to language teaching, this chapter investigates some of the guiding principles and practices of the current signature pedagogy, maps some of the transformative shifts in the pedagogical landscape, and explores some contemporary issues in the profession and their relationship to the scholarship of teaching and learning. Many national organizations play a vital role in supporting the language teaching profession, namely, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and language-specific teacher’s organizations. Signature pedagogies in the foreign language curriculum emerge from research findings, anecdotal evidence of what works, and instincts about the learning process. Although language teaching and learning are steeped in tradition, the discipline embraces its evolutionary nature and capacity to transform learners in profound ways.
