Main Editions
Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning: An Overview
The purpose of this article is to present an overview of second language (L2) task-based language teaching and learning. Prabhu (1987) deserves credit for originating the task-based teaching and learning, based on the concept that effective learning occurs when students are fully engaged in a language task, rather than just learning about language.
Designing Holistic Units for Task-Based Learning
This paper will outline the rationale behind the design of units of learning ‘activities’ in the form of interlocking sets of interactive holistic ‘tasks’ and supporting ‘exercises’. The illustrations used to support the argumentation are extracts from “task-based units” designed for a general education English foundation course at Kochi University in Japan…
What do we know about learning and teaching second languages: Implications for teaching
In the last twenty-five years a number of insights have been achieved through research on the processes of second language acquisition/learning. This article discusses some of these insights, drawing implications for teachers for their classroom practice.
The Methodology of Task-Based Teaching
The purpose of this paper is to consider methodological procedures for teaching tasks. These are of two basic kinds. Firstly, there are those procedures relating to how the tasks specified in a task-based syllabus can be converted into actual lessons.
Task-based language teaching in the Asia context: Defining ‘task’
In this short paper, I would like to set out some basic principles of task-based language teaching in the Asia context. In 1976, the British applied linguist David Wilkins suggested a basic distinction between what he called ‘synthetic approaches’ to syllabus design and ‘analytical’ approaches. All syllabuses, he suggested, fitted one or other of these approaches.
Towards Better Grammar Instruction: Bridging the Gap between High School Textbooks and TOEIC
The authors of this study discuss ways to make the instruction of grammar more effective, especially for Japanese beginning level English students. In particular, they discuss what grammatical features and structures students should be aware of in order to both enhance their classroom learning and their ability to understand and respond to practical English expressions such those in the TOEIC test, which measure proficiency in international English communication.
Assessing EAP learners’ beliefs about language learning in the Australian context
This paper reports on a study of beliefs held by 262 English for Academic Purposes (EAP) language learners at an Australian University. The Horwitz’ (1987) BALLI was used to collect data, which was later compared with an American study of 156 EAP learners (Siebert, 2003). Data analysis using frequency statistics shows that beliefs about language learning reported by both study groups were similar in all categories.
EFL Student Teachers’ Learning Autonomy
The present study aims to investigate English language learning autonomy among EFL student teachers in Turkey. Fifty-seven first year student teachers in the English Language Teaching Program of a Turkish University participated in this case study. Qualitative data were gathered through structured and unstructured class observations, structured and unstructured interviews with students, and document analysis.
Age-related Variations in E.F.L Learners’ Attentiveness to Prosodic vs. Syntactic Cues of Sentence Structure
This study has investigated the relationship between the age of Iranian EFL learners and the strategy they seek in their interpretation of sentences. A task was devised to solicit either prosodically or syntactically motivated responses from two groups of participants aged 12-13, and 17 and over, respectively.
Using World Literatures to Promote Intercultural Competence In Asian EFL Learners
The following paper re-examines the place of literature in Asian EFL contexts. Critiquing standard approaches for teaching literature to English learners in Japanese university settings, the author proposes an alternate pedagogical framework for ELT practitioners in Asia based on an interculturalist perspective.
