Teaching Language In Context review:5 stars (Well worth buying and reading) - This book is aimed at explaining proficiency oriented language teaching, and has very valuable material on proficiency and its importance. This is something many teachers seem to overlook as too obvious to be of concern, but Hadley shows it to be a central issue in teaching. The criticism made by one reviewer that it's tilted too much toward communicative teaching is mistaken. There's a difference between communicative teaching and proficiency oriented teaching, although they are obviously related. This book, like any other, is not sufficient by itself, but needs to be read an compared to others in order to get a range of viewpoints. It is not of instantaneous practical use to classroom teachers, but rather deals with the ideas behind teaching methods. It is a very valuable addition to a teacher's bookshelf and I have no regrets about buying it.5 stars (Why did I buy this book?) - I remember using it in a course I took a few years ago, and I was thrilled to find so many different aspects of language teaching covered in one volume. When I was thinking of buying the present edition, I asked a friend, someone with a Master's degree in TESL/TEFL, her recommendation, and she said: "Well, Doug Brown recommended it to me." So I bought Teaching Language in Context, and am very glad I did.5 stars (If I were to choose one book) - No book can cover every aspect of language instruction, but by all means Hadley's work would be right up there with Ellis, Richards and Rodgers among others. This is a solid book, jam packed with historical facts and insights, and I feel has caught the full heart of the profession representing the current state of the profession. I could not disagree with the first reviewer more. I am reading this book through and I love this book. This is not a technique-y book at all but a serious treatise and contribution to educators who want to have a broader scope on theory and instruction. In my mind, the author answers the who, what, where, when, how, and why not just of one method but does it with several of the major methods. And this she does in Chapter three! This is a 512 page text and to my mind, the reading is coherent, smart, and digestable. This text is certainly one of the better foundational texts for comprehensive grasp of the field. This book is be a springboard to assist the reader to think through the past and present assumptionan about teaching language; it is an excellent choice! If I were to only have one text to me to read in this area, this would be a top contender. Thank you Alice Omaggio Haddley for the hard work and care you put into this wonderful book.