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 Join us on Zoom to celebrate the launch of our latest book, Artificial Intelligence in Our Language Learning Classrooms, edited by Louise Ohashi, Mary Hillis, & Robert Dykes. Meet the editors and authors, chat with other teachers, get discounts, and possibly win a free book!
Thursday, December 11, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. JST. Please RSVP: www.candlinandmynard.com/genai1booklaunch.html
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Today marks Candlin & Mynard’s 13th anniversary, a milestone that feels both momentous and quietly gratifying. When we began in 2012, our vision was simple but ambitious: to publish thoughtful, practice-oriented scholarship that supports language educators and learners around the world. Thirteen years later, that mission continues to guide every book we publish, every collaboration we nurture, and every conversation we spark within our professional community. We’re celebrating this anniversary with the recent release of three new titles—each one reflecting the evolving landscape of language education and the incredible work of our authors and editors. Screen Media in Foreign Language Education, edited by Adrian Leis and Matthew Wilson and published in October as part of our Positive Pedagogical Praxis Series, explores how screen-based media can empower learning in creative, dynamic ways. This volume brings together innovative classroom practices and research that help educators navigate an increasingly digital world—without losing sight of human connection. On Thursday, we proudly released Pulling Back the Curtain in Self-Access: Stories of Student Staff Member Motivation, written by Christopher Phelps for our long-running Autonomous Language Learning Series. This book offers a rare insider perspective on the student staff experience in self-access environments, weaving together personal narratives and practical insights. It’s warm, reflective, and deeply resonant for anyone working in learner development or self-access learning. And just yesterday, we added a timely and forward-looking volume to our new Generative AI and Foreign Language Education Series: Artificial Intelligence in Our Language Learning Classrooms, edited by Louise Ohashi, Mary Hillis, and Robert Dykes. As AI continues to transform how we teach and learn languages, this book provides grounded examples, emerging perspectives, and thoughtful guidance for educators navigating this new terrain. These three books are a wonderful reminder of why Candlin & Mynard exists: to champion educators, share fresh ideas, and make meaningful contributions to our field. We’re incredibly grateful to the authors, editors, reviewers, readers, and colleagues who have supported us - some from the very beginning, some joining us just recently. You are the heart of this work. Thank you for being part of our journey over the last 13 years. Here’s to the next chapter, new collaborations, and many more books that inspire, challenge, and connect our global community of language educators.  What really motivates the students who work behind the scenes in self-access learning centres (SALCs)? These are the places where learners take ownership of their language learning, and where peer support, autonomy, and personal growth flourish, often quietly, but powerfully.
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming release of Pulling Back the Curtain in Self-Access: Stories of Student Staff Member Motivation by Christopher Phelps, launching on November 20. https://www.candlinandmynard.com/selfaccessstories.html In this fascinating and heartfelt book, Phelps invites readers into the world of student staff members (SSMs) at Japanese universities. Drawing on rich personal narratives and grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the book explores what drives SSMs to engage deeply in their roles — from a desire to help others, to developing competence and belonging in a community of learners. Pulling Back the Curtain in Self-Access is not just about research; it’s about people. It highlights how autonomy, relatedness, and self-reflection can transform simple part-time roles into powerful learning experiences. Educators, advisors, and administrators alike will find inspiration and practical insights for creating more autonomy-supportive environments. Beautifully written and deeply human, this book serves as both a window into the student experience and a guide to fostering motivation in higher education settings. 👉 Available November 20, 2025
Edited by Louise Ohashi, Mary Hillis, and Robert Dykes, this book is the first in the Generative AI and Foreign Language Education Series. It provides research-based insights, classroom applications, and critical reflections on topics such as AI-assisted writing, conversational chatbots, ethics, learner emotions, and teacher-led innovation. Contributors from Asia, Europe, and North America examine both the promise and pitfalls of AI integration, offering guidance for educators seeking to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape with confidence and care.
The book emphasizes teacher agency, AI literacy, and ethical collaboration, inviting readers to see AI not as a replacement for human creativity and connection but as a powerful partner in language learning. From supporting L2 skill development to reimagining assessment and authorship, Artificial Intelligence in Our Language Learning Classrooms equips teachers, researchers, and institutions to co-create the future of education in an AI-rich world. Stay tuned for pre-order details and early access announcements — this landmark publication will be available in eBook and print formats on November 22, 2025.
Congratulations to the winners and runners-up of the British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) book prize, announced at the annual BAAL conference held this year in Glasgow. [Shortlist and details] Candlin & Mynard are proud to have nominated two titles this year: Photo credit: Yuri Imamura
Proposed Book: Reimagining English Language Education in Japan: Ideologies, Inequalities, and Possibilities
Editors: Leonardo Veliz and Takako Kawabata https://www.candlinandmynard.com/calls.html - Deadline for abstract submission: 15 October 2025 - Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2025 - Full chapter submission: 31 March 2026 (Life and Education in Japan series edited by Melody Cook & Anne McLellan Howard) This is an open call for abstracts. Please feel free to circulate and share it amongst your networks.  Join Christian Jones and Graham Burton, the authors of The Big Beasts of English Grammar: An Exploration of Form and Function in Conversations, for the official launch of the book! Date: Monday 24th February 2025. Location: Online (Zoom) Times: UK: 10am Italy: 11am Japan: 7pm Registration (free) required: LINK The authors will present some of the main findings in the book and be available for a Q&A. Free prize draw for one print copy of the book. All participants will receive a 25% discount code for the ebook. Book details: https://www.candlinandmynard.com/englishgrammar.html
Our books are getting reviewed! Details below.  Barrier-Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at All Levels of Schooling. Edited by Alexandra Burke, Davey Young, and Melodie Lorie Cook. https://www.candlinandmynard.com/barrier-free.html "The creation and excellently balanced organization of the book is largely thanks to the genius of Melodie Cook, who brought together Alexandra Burke, a human torrent of information, ideas, and innovations, with the academic rigor and insightfulness of Davey Young, plus an amazingly wide range of additional authors who cover all aspects of the Japanese education system from pre-school to primary, secondary, tertiary education, and even after-school education." Barrier-Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at All Levels of Schooling. Alexandra Burke, Davey Young, and Melodie Lorie Cook, Eds. Reviewed by Amanda Gillis-Furutaka, Kyoto Sangyo University https://www.gale-sig.org/.../10_Gillis-Furutaka_GALE_Vol...  Multiculturalism, Language, and Race in English Education in Japan: Agency, Pedagogy, and Reckoning. Edited by Gregory Paul Glasgow. https://www.candlinandmynard.com/glasgow.html "This book has much to recommend it. It provides a dynamic picture of the status of non-native English-speaking teachers in Japan, giving more nuance to the field and displaying these professionals’ capacity for agency, as well as reflecting possible changes in attitudes towards these teachers by colleagues and other stakeholders. There are also numerous concrete examples of classroom and workplace practice for readers to be inspired by. Finally, with acronyms changing constantly, and with the necessary inclusion of Japanese terms that newcomers and readers from elsewhere might not know, the glossary in the appendices is a helpful addition." Reviewed by Thomas Amundrud, Nara University of Education for Kobe JALT Journal, 5(1), 57-61.  Vulnerability and Resilience During Emergency Remote Teaching: Voices of Part-Time University English Language Teachers in Japan, by Wendy M. Gough, Bill Synder, Chiyuki Yanase, and Colin Skeates. https://www.candlinandmynard.com/ert.html
"...this book is insightful, resourceful, and painstakingly relatable." Reviewed by Antonija Cavcic, Toyo University. https://www.gale-sig.org/.../08_Cavcic_02_GALE_Vol_17_Jan...  This volume bridges the gap between academic theory and practical application, offering educators a roadmap to better understand and support their students during periods of change. By elevating student voices, Students' Narrative Journeys challenges traditional pedagogies and calls for a more inclusive, reflective approach to language education. With a balanced mix of theory and real-life narratives, this book is an essential resource for teachers, researchers, and advisors looking to enhance their understanding of learner agency and self-access learning practices. "In addition to being of interest to self-access centre workers and classroom teachers, this book offers support to researchers new to narrative inquiry by providing a template to guide their investigations regardless of geographical location or learning context." (Excerpt from the foreword by Garold Murray.) https://www.candlinandmynard.com/landscapesofpractice.html          |
Jo MynardI am the series editor for Candlin & Mynard's Autonomous Language Learning Series. I will occasionally blog about our books and C&M news. Archives
December 2025
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