Studying Speaking to Inform Second Language Learning

There seems to be an ever-widening gap between practitioners and researchers: a disconnect that never seems to close. This relationship--or perhaps lack of relationship--was perhaps no better evidenced than in one of the opening colloquia at TESOL 2004 Long Beach. Panelists included Diane Larsen-Freeman, Patricia Duff, and David Nunan, among others. These researchers have long been active in our field and have held leadership roles in the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) as well as in TESOL. The panelists addressed the concerns of many TESOLers on the relationship between AAAL and TESOL.