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September 11, 2025 37 mins

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Episode 32 Show notes - Focus on Form 

Michael Long’s thinking about “focus on meaning,” “focus on form,’ and “focus on forms” in language teaching, for example: 

Long, M. (2008). Focus on form in task-based language teaching. In Language policy and pedagogy (pp. 179-192). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/82ddd5f2-57ca-4d9e-91ed-5b65b5483395/content 


Diane mentioned Patsy Lightbown related to developmental readiness. Nina Spada is the first author on a piece related to that topic:

Spada, N., & Lightbown, P. M. (1999). Instruction, first language influence, and developmental readiness in second language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 83(1), 1-22.  https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00002 


PACE as a sort of focus on form was developed by Adair-Hauck & Donato. For example:

Adair-Hauck, B., & Donato, R. (2002). The PACE model: A story-based approach to meaning and form for standards-based language learning. The French Review, 265-276. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3132708.pdf?casa_token=vLRGTuL4kYoAAAAA:nt-vKHUZm9rkrRCqYUBh_VNlRcAu1hD2g1Q0RM60Y5s64Hf3fR01q1qvOM7TM_Kj0ZvlDnavNZo46XcVVy1ZoqZy81PEoFWJH4wgEYZYSoDOR2ehCQ 

There are many other sources about PACE, including other podcasts or blog posts from language teachers who have used the approach, such as Madame Shepard’s post here: https://madameshepard.com/?p=1761  Mde. Shepard notes the meaning of the abbreviation in her post.


Pop up grammar & pop ups: Diane presented with Bill Langley (from the SLAYYY! Podcast) on focus on form using pop-ups, sharing the presentation slides link with Bill's permission: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1199IPm-CjHnM7jN1rh6dETFbyd1LGqhG0Dk7jq08c3U/edit?usp=sharing


Bill VanPatten on processing instruction, for example: 

VanPatten, B. (2002). Processing instruction: An update. Language Learning, 52(4), 755-803.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00203 


Michael Sharwood-Smith input flood: Information about this construct and related ideas about input enhancement and noticing form in the midst of relatively meaning-focused instruction: 

Benati, A. (2016). Input manipulation, enhancement and processing: Theoretical views and empirical research. Studies in second language learning and teaching, 6(1), 65-88.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1134494.pdf 


Story Listening by Dr. Beniko Mason and Comprehension-Aiding Supplementation

Intro & outro music selected from "23 Light Years" by CavalloPazzo

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