Enrica Piccardo is a Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, Canada; Head of the Centre for Educational Research in Language and Literacies (CERLL), OISE and Maître de conférences, Université de Grenoble-Alpes, France. She is a consultant for the Council of Europe.Brian North is an independent researcher in language education. A long-time consultant for the Council of Europe, he co-authored the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the prototype European Language Portfolio.

• Chapter 1. The Emergence of a New Paradigm Chapter 2. The Notion of Competence: An OverviewChapter 3. Towards an Action-Oriented Approach: Theoretical UnderpinningsChapter 4. Preparing the AoA: Developments in Language Teaching MethodologyChapter 5. The Common European Framework of Reference and its Companion Volume: A Paradigm ShiftChapter 6. Towards a Dynamic Vision of Language Education: Plurality and CreativityChapter 7. The Action-Oriented ApproachChapter 8. Conclusion

This book is a most valuable and timely contribution to the discourse concerning current and emerging paradigms for language education. It brilliantly merges reflections on current perceptions of action-oriented approaches to language teaching and learning and the recently revised and extended descriptors of the CEFR into stimulating and thought-provoking insights. Thoroughly researched, comprehensibly discussed, and also very much practice-oriented.