Kimberly Buescher Urbanski is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, USA. Her research interests include L2 learning and teaching, L2 literacy and Sociocultural Theory. She has published on L2 literacy pedagogy, gesture research methodology, concept-based language instruction, L2 French preposition pedagogy and Cognitive Linguistic analysis.
This book is unique in so many ways. It examines both the processes and products of literacy development from a Vygotskian SCT perspective. Instructionally, concept-based learning and a division of labor pedagogy are used. Changes in teacher and peer mediation as well as student verbalizations are shown to lead to the internalization of key literacy concepts. This is a must-read for anyone interested in a Vygotskian perspective of second language literacy development. * Merrill Swain, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada * A groundbreaking book that sheds light on L2 literacy pedagogy and offers valuable insights into L2 reading research from a Vygotskian perspective. This work will inspire future investigations into praxis-based teaching and research in L2 development. A must-read for all researcher-teachers. * Eduardo Negueruela-Azarola, University of Navarra, Spain * Urbanski’s work convincingly demonstrates the relevance of sociocultural theory for second language development, including reading ability. An especially attractive aspect of her approach is ‘division of labor pedagogy’, which takes advantage of the power of the collective for the development of the individual. I encourage all reading educators to engage with this work. There is much to learn from it. * James P. Lantolf, Professor Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University, USA *