Language in Education and in Teacher Education: Towards New Paradigms

Having looked in some detail at a wide range of issues related to language education and language in education, in this final chapter we bring together the main conclusions and recommendations that we wish to put forward. We do this out of a conviction that, for language education to respond effectively to the needs of society as well as to the beneficiaries of education in a rapidly changing world, new paradigms must be found and a more enlightened approach taken to policymaking and practice than is currently the case in most education systems we know about. This is because, owing to their critical role in enabling individuals to reach their potential and be full participants in their societies, language and communication are absolutely central to all education.