First and Second Language Use in Asian EFL New Perspectives on Language and Education Series 49, Viv Edwards, Series Editor

I found this to be a powerful, well-researched and insightful look into the bilingual use of the L1 and L2 in Asian EFL education, specifically, in a Thailand-based context... Forman explains his rationale for the study well throughout the duration of the book, and provides a thorough, much-needed overview of, and support for, L1 use in L2 learning; a concept which has received much criticism throughout the majority of the 20th century. -- Blake Turnbull, Kyoto University, Japan * International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 2016 * If you teach English as a non-native English speaker, then this book may make you feel like someone finally understands your world. Forman's observations at a Thai university, albeit now well over 10 years old, challenge the still dominant pedagogical model that English is best delivered by native speakers. -- Carol Charman, University of Technology Sydney, Australia * U: magazine, November 2016 * I consider this an insightful book for both novice and experienced ESL/EFL teachers. It has many merits, and one that I feel many teachers and researchers will appreciate is the emphasis on the L1 teacher growth via reflection, where L1 teachers are constantly encouraged to question teaching practices, evaluate pedagogical choices and consider perspectives in the varied contextualised classroom interactions presented throughout the book. -- Karen Ngeow, The University of Hong Kong * The Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics Vol. 3 No. 2, 2016 * The generative power, sophistication and beauty of L1 in its love-hate romance with L2 is finally brought back to the table so gracefully by Forman in this long overdue book. L1 is an essential, natural and intrinsic component of foreign language teaching and learning, and therefore it must be recognized and acted upon as such, not any less, as Forman convincingly demonstrates. After all, it is time to move beyond advocating for bilingualism as a political sentiment, an external attribute and a symbolic necessity. Its power runs from within and for real. * Phan Le Ha, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA * A powerful yet balanced book that proposes a practical new way of looking at 21st century language teaching based firmly on evidence from the EFL classroom and on current ideas about the student as an L2 user. It is important in bringing together the principled use of the L1 in the classroom, the advantages of bilingual language teachers, and the use of teaching methods and coursebooks that integrate the students' own language and culture with their learning rather than referencing an incomprehensible alien culture. * Vivian Cook, Emeritus Professor, Newcastle University, UK * Ross Forman offers a comprehensive account of a study on bilingual pedagogy situated in Thailand. The study is theoretically grounded in sociocultural and functional views of language and human meaning-making. It offers a 3D analysis of bilingual pedagogy by connecting it inwards to the dimension of personal lived experience and identity as well as outwards to the profession, offering research-based principles to both teachers and teacher educators. Extremely insightful and highly recommended. * Angel Lin, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong *