Sockett G. The Online Informal Learning of English

Basingstoke, UK, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, 174 pages, ISBN: 978-1-349-49043-1, 978-1-137-41488-5New Language Learning and Teaching Environments“New Language Learning and Teaching Environments” aims to bring together the very latest research and innovative practice in language education and Geoff Sockett does an excellent job in tackling an area that hitherto has been neglected: the ways in which learners acquire languages informally, and in particular online. Geoff offers a comprehensive overview of the different conceptualisations of informal learning and how this relates to Computer Assisted Language Learning. He covers a wide range of online learning practices and the ways in which these can be linked back to the classroom. Particularly impressive is that Geoff then considers how our insights into informal learning can inform our theories of language learning and teaching, and what research methodologies can help us to further expand our understanding. In this way, The Online Informal Learning of English represents the best of what the series offers: a meticulous coverage of innovative practices in language learning and teaching, grounded in theory and offering new insights for the future of our field.