Learner engagement and TBLT: Marrying the wisdom of teachers and researchers
Masatoshi Sato
Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile.
In this seminar, I will critically evaluate TBLT research and its relevance to second language (L2) teaching. On the one hand, researchers have produced an amount of evidence supporting the impact of task-based interaction on L2 learning. This research has primarily investigated the nature of tasks, implementation processes of tasks, and students’ and teachers’ perceptions of tasks. On the other hand, teachers around the globe have reported difficulties when they implement tasks in their classes. Those include the lack of L2 production, first language use, and social relationships between learners, all indicating that learners may not engage with a task even when its effectiveness has been proven by researchers. To tackle this gap, I will explore psychological and social variables that may mediate learner engagement with tasks. I will argue that one option to increase learner engagement is to manipulate learner beliefs of and attitudes towards tasks. I will conclude the seminar by proposing research directions that may ultimately aid teachers to use tasks in more effective and efficient ways.
Please join us for this talk by a distinguished figure in the TBLT community. Sign-ups are limited. Please register here.
And also check out our other talks in the TBLT Tuesdays 2022 series at TBLT Tuesdays 2022 | Task-based Learning Special Interest Group (tblsig.org)
