How do students acquire a second language? How can teachers most effectively teach a second language? How do students and teachers develop communication in the language classroom? This textbook is written specifically for a language teacher education programme. It provides teachers with the opportunity to move away from a belief-based teaching approach to a fact-based teaching approach in order to connect knowledge and evidence with innovation. Alessandro G. Benati structures this book around ten key questions that have driven the field of second language learning and language teaching. This provides readers with a clear understanding of: Β· the relationship between theory and research in second language acquisition and language teaching Β· the nature and role of language and communication Β· the results and implications of classroom-based research Pedagogical features in each of the ten units include: call-out boxes highlighting main ideas, further clarification sections to explain key terms, tasks and quizzes at the end of each unit to consolidate learning, and a teacher education evaluation form at the end for readers to reflect on the programme.