Why TESOL? Fifth Edition, provides classroom and preservice teachers with a knowledge base to effectively teach in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms in today's global environment. It provides in depth theoretical background, legal information, and application for teachers to address the needs of English learners. Why TESOL? is written so teachers from various backgrounds and experiences can readily apply ESOL concepts to their individual mainstream classroom settings.
Featured topics:
Describes the legal rights of English language learners (ELs); provides an historical overview of laws (e.g., ESSA) in the United States that affect the education of EL students, and provides a clear classification of English as a second/new language (ESL/ENL) programs available in the United States.


Helps readers understand the complexities of acquiring an additional language by providing a basic grounding in the core areas of linguistics and other related areas, such as non-verbal communication, dialectal variation, English language use, development, translanguaging, and literacy.
Discusses first and second/new language theories and models, including processes and non-linguistic factors that affect second or additional language acquisition.
Includes national statistics that illuminate the global nature of American society in the twenty-first century.
Includes classroom experiences of new and experienced teachers, and provides examples adapting teaching strategies to better measure the academic success of second language learners in mainstream classrooms.
Includes new chapters on literacy development, and family engagement for EL students.


Includes learning objectives for each chapter, discussion and reflection questions, and activities. Each chapter also provides web resources and links for extended learning.