This book is available Open Access.
This book introduces readers to the concept of task-based language teaching (TBLT), a learner-centred and experiential approach to language teaching and learning. Based on the premise that language learners can enhance their second language acquisition (SLA) through engagement in communicative tasks that compel them to use language for themselves, TBLT stands in contrast to more traditional approaches. Accessible and comprehensive, this book provides a foundational overview of the principles and practice of TBLT and demystifies what TBLT looks like in the classroom.
Complete with questions for reflection, pedagogical extensions for application in real classrooms and further reading suggestions in every chapter, this valuable and informative text is vital for anyone interested in TBLT, whether as students, researchers or teachers.
Acknowledgments
Preface
Part I: Theorising TBLT
Chapter 1 - Languages: How are they learned and how should they be taught?
Chapter 2 - Input, output and interaction – crucial foundations for TBLT
Chapter 3 - The construct of task for the purposes of TBLT
Part II: Practising TBLT
Chapter 4 - Putting TBLT into practice: the bigger picture
Chapter 5 - Evaluating, sequencing and scaffolding tasks
Chapter 6 – Attending to grammar in TBLT
Part III: Evaluating TBLT
Chapter 7 - Using tasks for classroom assessment purposes
Chapter 8 - Classroom- and programme-level evaluations of TBLT
Chapter 9 - The potential and the challenge of TBLT: Arguments for and arguments against
Postface
Biography
Martin East is Professor of Language Education in the School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
This book provides an engaging, informative, and reader-friendly introduction to the theory and practice of task-based language teaching (TBLT). Through a thoughtful discussion of the fundamental principles and rationales that inform TBLT and ways to implement and evaluate task-based teaching, this book will be an invaluable resource for language teachers, researchers, and students interested in task-based teaching and learning.
—Andrea Révész, Professor of Second Language Acquisition, University College London Institute of Education, UK
Starting from the nature of how languages are learned and taught, and subsequently moving through the historical foundations of TBLT, theoretical assumptions, pedagogical options, and cutting-edge research, East masterfully provides a stand-alone, cohesive examination of task-based language teaching. Written via clear, straightforward descriptions that are engaging and accessible for all levels of TBLT expertise, this is a must-read for language teachers and task-based researchers alike!
—Laura Gurzynski-Weiss, Associate Professor (Spanish and Portuguese) and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Indiana University, USA
