Language Teaching Professionals | David Nunan - Language Teaching Professionals

David Nunan

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David Nunan is an Australian linguist who has focused on the teaching of English. His ELT textbook series “Go For It!” is the largest selling textbook series in the world with sales exceeding 2.5 billion copies.

Nunan’s academic and student textbooks are published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Anaheim University Press, Palgrave/Macmillan, and the EFL publishing division of Cengage Learning. Nunan is Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Anaheim University based in Anaheim, California. Nunan serves in a concurrent role as Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Anaheim University where he has worked since 1996. He is also Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong.

In 2000, Nunan served as President of TESOL Inc., the world’s largest language teaching association, and was the first person to serve as President from outside North America. Previously he has served as Chair and Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong and has been involved in the teaching of graduate programs for such institutions as the University of Hawaii, Monterey Institute for International Studies, Sophia University, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and many others. He is Academic Advisor to the GlobalEnglish Corporation, and is on the Executive Committee of The International Research Foundation for English Language Education.

Nunan began his career in Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Sydney, Australia before completing graduate studies in the United Kingdom. He has worked as a teacher, researcher and consultant in many countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong and in a number of Latin American countries.

In 2002 Nunan received a congressional citation from the United States House of Representatives for his services to English language education through his pioneering work in online education through Anaheim University. In 2003 he was ranked the 7th most influential Australian in Asia by Business Review Weekly, and in 2005 he was named one of the top “50 Australians who Matter”. In November 2006 Nunan was awarded the Convocation medal for outstanding achievement and contribution internationally to the profession of Teaching English as a second language, from Flinders University, where he earned his Ph.D. in Education and Linguistics. In December 2006 Nunan was invited by the Australian Prime Minister to attend the Advance Leading 100 Global Australians Summit in Sydney, Australia.

Click here for David Nunan’s website.

Selected Downloadable Articles by David Nunan

	Articles
	Methods in second language classroom-oriented research	1991
	Issues in second language acquisition research: Examining substance and procedure	1996
	Communicative language teaching: Making it work	1987
	Sociocultural aspects of second language acquisition	1992
	Hidden voices: insiders’ perspectives on classroom interaction	1996
	A foot in the world of ideas	1999
	Action research and professional growth
	Seven hypotheses about language learning and teaching	2000
	Learner strategy training in the classroom: An action research study	1996
	Does learner strategy training make a difference?	1997
	Learner narratives in research and teaching	2003
	The impact of English as a global language on educational policies and practices in the Asia-Pacific region (	2003
	The evolution of technology and value of online English language learning	2005

	Toward a collaborative approach to curriculum development	1989
	Communicative tasks and the language curriculum (	1991
	Syllabus design
	Closing the Gap Between Learning and Instruction	1995
	The learner-centred curriculum revisited	1993
	Styles and strategies in the language class	2005
	What is task-based language teaching?
	From the traditional to the contemporary in second language teaching and learning
	Standards-based approaches to the evaluation of ESL instruction	2007

Books by David Nunan

Go For It (Cengage)
For summer school, before/after school intervention, community -based tutoring programs, and dual-language instruction programs. Develops students’ school survival vocabulary and language skills.

Atlas (Heinle & Heinle)
Atlas is a four-level series for teenagers to adults. Its solid language development and task-based approach help students successfully learn English.

Expressions (Cengage)
Using a task-based approach, Expressions’ integrated four-skills syllabus provides learners with abundant opportunities for communicative and meaningful language practice.

Listen In (Cengage
A three-level listening program for young adult and adult learners of English from false beginner to high intermediate level. Offering 16 six-page topic-based units per level, the series uses a task-based approach to develop listening skills and strategies essential to effective communication.

Speak Out (Cengage)
A three level speaking course for high-beginning to intermediate learners of English. Meaningful contexts facilitate learners’ ability to comprehend and acquire key functional language.

The Australian English Course (Cambridge University Press)
A two-level course for adult and young adults who want to learn general English for a range of social and transactional purposes. Level 1 is for post-beginners. Level 2 is at pre-intermediate level.

Learner-Centered English Language Education (Routledge)
The Selected Works of David Nunan. This carefully crafted collection provides a snapshot of the evolution of David Nunan‘s theoretical and empirical contributions to the field of second language education over the last 40 years.

Language and Culture (Routledge), Edited by David Nunan and Julie Choi
This state-of-the-art exploration of language, culture, and identity is orchestrated through scholars’ and teachers’ narratives. The authors meld‘academic’ approaches to inquiry with their own personalized voices.

Task-Based Language Teaching (Cambridge University Press)
‘Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom’ helped to set the research agenda in teaching methodology for the following decade. This new book has been updated and includes four completely new chapters.

The Learner-Centered Curriculum (Cambridge University Press)
The Learner-Centred Curriculum takes as its starting point what is done by language teachers in their classes. Nunan develops a concept of the negotiated model in which the curriculum is a collaboration between teachers and students.

Learner Stories: Differences and Diversity in Language Learning (Cambridge University Press), Edited by David Nunan and Phil Benson
A collection of nine papers exploring dimensions of individual difference in language learning from narrative and biographical perspectives. Covers a wide range of topics.

Collaborative language Learning and Teaching (Cambridge University Press), Edited by David Nunan
For teachers, teacher educators and researchers who are interested in experimenting with alternative ways of organising teaching and learning, and who wish to work together and learn from one another.

Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom (Cambridge University Press)
A balanced introduction to both the theoretical and practical aspects of communicative task design, and is aimed at all second and foreign language teachers who want to develop their own tasks, or adopt/adapt those of others.

Voices from the Language Classroom (Cambridge University Press)
About what really happens in language classrooms. The authors utilize a variety of research methods, with an emphasis on the collection and analysis of data.

Research Methods in Language Learning (Cambridge University Press)
This book is intended to help readers understand and critique research in language learning. It presents a a range of methods – including formal experiments, introspective methods, interaction and transcript analysis, ethnography, and case studies.

Second Language Teacher Education (Cambridge University Press), with Jack C. Richards
A detailed account of current approaches to the education of teachers of second languages. It offers valuable ideas on the observation and supervision of classrooms, on self-evaluation by teachers, and on teaching itself.

The Self-Directed Teacher (Cambridge University Press), with Clarice Lamb
Provides the practical knowledge and necessary skills for the management of teaching and learning in the classroom. Focuses on the decisions make in lesson planning, group work, error correction, resource management, and evaluation.

Introducing Discourse Analysis (Penguin)
Examines and explains discourse, visual examples from a wide range of spoken and written sources. The book also includes a number of exercises and projects to help the reader study discourse and discourse analysis in relation to their own teaching.

Exploring Second Language Classroom Research (Heinle & Heinle)
A comprehensive introductory manual for beginning and advanced researchers. The text is illustrated with a variety of qualitative and quantitative data and includes tasks for reflection and application..

Second Language Teaching & Learning (Heinle & Heinle)
A practical guide to the methodology of task-based language instruction. Replete with illustrative scenarios and topics for discussion and writing. This books provides an overview for David Nunan’s course books.

Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers (Prentice Hall)
This comprehensive course book in methodology introduces the reader to all key areas of language teaching methodology: listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and learning strategies.

Understanding Language Classrooms: A Guide for Teacher Initiated Action (Prentice Hall)
A well-organized introduction to classroom observation and research for language professionals who do not have specialist training in research methods.

Practical English Language Teaching (McGraw Hill)
A thorough, yet practical overview of language-teaching strategies and methodology for newer teachers seeking background and guidance, and for experienced professionals looking for refreshing new ideas.

Case Studies in Language Curriculum Design (The University of Hong Kong), with Roger Berry and Vivien Berry
Selected papers originally presented at the International Language in Education Conference held at the University of Hong Kong, 14-16 December, 1994.

Pursuing Professional Development: The Self as Source (Heinle & Heinle)
Based on the belief that teachers ultimately are responsible for their own professional development, this book explores the concept of reflective teaching.

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Cambridge University Press)
A guide to the central areas of applied linguistics and language studies with particular reference to TESOL. It looks at the current state of TESOL as well as at what is likely to happen.

Teaching English to Young Learners (Anaheim)
Provides teachers with knowledge and skills for teaching English as a second or foreign language to young learners. Each chapter includes a statement of learning outcomes, references and further reading, and addresses key aspects of TEYL

Syllabus Design (Oxford University Press)
Demonstrates, in a practical way, the principles involved in planning and designing an effective syllabus. It examines important concepts such as needs analysis, goal-setting, and content specification, and serves as an excellent introduction for teachers.

Knowledge and Discourse – Language in Social Life (Pearson), with Colin Barron and Nigel Bruce
A holistic, interdisciplinary approach to the study of language as discourse. The notions of connectivity, contingency and change are themes that run through the book.

What is this thing called Language? (Palgrave Macmillan)
Provides a starting point for those approaching language study. A thought-provoking way into the basics of study such as syntax, morphology and phonology.. Has a solid linguistic framework and lots of suggestions for where to find out more.

Roadshow: A Personal Odyssey (Anchor House)
Although this collection of pieces could loosely be described as a travel book, it is not a conventional travel book. You will encounter characters, events, and places in Japan, Thailand, the United States, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil that conventional travel books never get to see or touch.

When Rupert Murdoch Came to Tea: A Memoir (Kindle Edition – Wayzgoose Press)
“This collection of stories is a memoir of what it was like to grow up in Broken Hill in the 1950s and 1960s. It was prompted by a question from one of my daughters, who grew up in a very different time and place. ‘What was it like?’ she asked. Back there. Back then.”

New Ways in Teaching Listening (TESOL), Edited by David Nunan and Lindsay Miller
New Ways in Teaching Listening focuses on cognitive strategies and offers listening activities that demonstrate the interlinked nature of language skills.