The Cambridge Handbook of Task-Based Language Teaching

The first comprehensive and accessible guide to the understanding and implementation of task-based language teaching.

Mohammad Javad Ahmadian (Edited by), Michael H. Long (Edited by)

9781108491389, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 December 2021

710 pages
25.1 x 17.6 x 4.3 cm, 1.39 kg

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is an innovative approach to language teaching which emphasises the importance of engaging learners' natural abilities for acquiring language incidentally. The speed with which the field is expanding makes it difficult to keep up with recent developments, for novices and experienced researchers alike. This handbook meets that need, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the field, written by a stellar line-up of leading international experts. Chapters are divided into five thematic areas, and as well as covering theory, also contain case studies to show how TBLT can be implemented in practice, in a range of global contexts, as well as questions for discussion, and suggested further readings. Comprehensive in its coverage, and written in an accessible style, it will appeal to a wide readership, not only researchers and graduate students, but also classroom teachers working in a variety of educational and cultural contexts around the world.

Preface
Part I. The Rationale for TBLT: 1. The (unsatisfactory) status quo in language teaching: a psycholinguistic rationale for TBLT
2. A pedagogic rationale for TBLT
Part II. Tasks and Needs Analysis: 3. Why tasks? Task as the unit of analysis in language education
4. Adapting and advancing task-based needs analysis (NA) methodology across diverse language learning contexts
4A. Developing a task-based approach: a case study of Australian Aboriginal VET students
4B. A needs analysis for Syrian refugees in Turkey
4C. TBLT in a Japanese university: from needs analysis to evaluation
4D. The implementation of a task-based Spanish language program in Qingdao, China: a case study
5. The L in TBLT: analyzing target discourse
5A. Blustery with an occasional downpour: an analysis of target discourse in media weather forecasts
5B. 'I have a question': A corpus-based analysis of target discourse in office hour interactions
Part III. The Task Syllabus and Materials: 6. The Cognition Hypothesis, the Triadic Componential Framework and the SSARC Model: an instructional design theory of pedagogic task sequencing
7. From needs analysis to task selection, design, and sequencing
7A. Task-based telecollaborative exchanges between US and Italian students: a case study in program design and implementation
8. Exploring the nuts and bolts of task design
8A. Designing pedagogic tasks for refugees learning English to enter universities in the Netherlands
Part IV. Methodology and Pedagogy: 9. A psycholinguistically motivated methodology for TBLT
10. Technology-mediated TBLT
10A. Task-based simulations for diplomatic security agents
10B. Delivering TBLT at scale: a case study of a needs-based, technology-mediated workplace English program
10C. TBLT and Indigenous Language Revitalisation
Part V. TBLT with School-age Children: 11. Children interacting in task-supported EFL/CLIL contexts
11A. Tasks for children: using mainstream content to learn a language
11B. A case study of a task-based approach for school-age learners in China
Part VI. The Teacher in TBLT: 12. Teacher preparation and support for TBLT
12A. Connecting teacher training to TBLT implementation: a case study of pre-service teachers in Honduran bilingual schools
12B. Training for tasks the cooperative way: an online tutored TBLT course for teachers, managers and course designers
Part VII. Task-Based Assessment and Program Evaluation: 13. Task-based, criterion-referenced performance testing
14. TBLT program evaluation: why and how
14A. Comparing the effectiveness of TBLT and PPP on L2 grammar learning: a pilot study with Chinese students of Italian L2
14B. Evaluating the pilot year of a task-based Spanish immersion camp for high schoolers: examining learners' experience of task motivation and difficulty within and following tasks
14C. Designing a classroom-based TBLA framework for primary schools: blurring the lines between teaching, learning and assessment
Part VIII. Research Needs and Future Prospects: 15. Methodological issues in (cognitively-oriented) TBLT research: advances and challenges
16. Innovation in language education: a task-based perspective
17. The adoption of TBLT in diverse contexts: challenges and opportunities
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Language teaching theory & methods [CJA], Language acquisition [CFDC], Linguistics [CF]