ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews some examples of findings from second-language acquisition (SLA) research that teachers may find useful as they guide students in their second-language classes. It provides an overview of research that is especially relevant to second-language learning by students between the ages of 5 and 18—;;roughly the period of compulsory schooling in many countries. The chapter looks at findings from SLA research, both some that provide empirical support for what "everybody knows" and some that run counter to widely held views, challenging teachers to make their own informed decisions. One response to the difficulty of learning in the limited hours of drip-feed instruction in some school-based foreign-language teaching has been the introduction of intensive courses. One SLA research finding that has attracted considerable attention is the extent to which L2 acquisition is characterized by developmental stages or sequences of learning.
