The Heart of the Matter

There is an argument to be made that the five individuals featured in this collection personify the very essence of what it means to be a language teacher in the 21st century because of the profound effects their words and actions have had on so many teachers and so many careers in the field of ESL. All of the essays in this book were originally published on web pages in the ESL MiniConference Online newsletter. Steve Krashen, the late Robert O'Neill, and Bill VanPatten debated the nature of the language learning or language acquisition process in a series of exchanges that was instigated by O'Neill, who suggested to ESL MiniConference founding editor Robb Scott that he invite Krashen to respond to statements in which O'Neill challenged the validity of the "natural approach" that Tracy Terrell and Krashen had developed and Krashen had spent a lifetime popularizing. The bait was taken and the resulting exchanges were revealing, to say the least. At one point, Bill VanPatten served as a tag-teammate for Krashen and wrote a truly eloquent defense of unconscious acquisition with a powerful flying metaphor, accentuating significant updates to the Krashen/Terrell model, only to encounter yet further resistance from O'Neill, who drove home his points with obvious feisty pleasure. That memorable debate is just as relevant and thought-provoking today as it was in 2002. Joining Krashen, O'Neill, and VanPatten in the pantheon of ESL/EFL and second language teaching legends are O. Dean Gregory and David B. Hopkins, whose careers in teacher training are feted in two spectacular festschrifts with heart-felt essays from their students and colleagues. Gregory passed away in the year 2000 after a lifetime devoted to ESL program development and university teaching; Hopkins has spent more than five decades doing program development and teacher training overseas, and is still going strong. A close reading of the "Great Debate" and these two festschrifts -- previously only available online -- will give the reader entry into the philosophical and pedagogical concerns that are at the core of this exciting field of second language learning and teaching.