In Defense of Tasks and TBLT: Nonissues and Real Issues

Abstract

The first aim of this article, addressed in section 1, is to define what is meant, and not meant, by task and task-based language teaching (TBLT). The second is to summarize and evaluate 14 criticisms that have been made of both. Section 2 responds to five alleged problems with TBLT's psycholinguistic rationale, section 3 to six at the classroom level, and section 4 to three claimed problems with implementing TBLT in specific contexts. A few of the criticisms touch on important matters, but most, I will suggest, are nonissues. The third aim of the article is to identify some genuine problems in need of resolution—real issues—and briefly to illustrate research programs under way to address them.

Restorying a “Newbie” Teacher’s 3D Virtual Teaching Trajectory, Resilience, and Professional Development Through Action Research: A Narrative Case Study

“…Her criticism that "if students could communicate their views in 'broken' English with nonstandard grammar, they were succeeding in the task" (Sabrina, interview, 17/12/2016) is shared by other ESL/ EFL teachers questioning the link between TBLT and grammar. The strong version of TBLT (Long, 2016) is challenged here and needs to address the context-specific needs of stakeholders, such as students, teachers, and program directors, because they may hold different views about which language aspects should be the centre of attention.…”

The e-lang Project: Towards a Socio-Interactional Approach for Language Teaching and Learning

“…The e-lang project: Towards a socio-interactional approach for language teaching and learning TEANGA 25, Finally, we should add that for some scholars, the word "tasks" (on its own) should only refer to target tasks and relate to real-world activities. According to Long (2016) for example, tasks are "the real-world communicative uses to which learners will put the L2 beyond the classroom-the things they will do in and through the L2". Long calls these tasks "real-world tasks", but it is obvious that this kind of tasks are not completed in the real world, but only prepare for language use beyond the classroom in the future -Long uses the future tense ("will do").…”

“…Real-world tasks remain excluded from the educational context. When some researchers use the term(Long, 2016 for example), it does not mean that tasks are completed in the real-word, but that they mirror real world tasks. Thus,Nunan, in 1989 and at the very beginning of his book published in 2004, proposes a fundamental typology distinguishing between real-world tasks and pedagogical tasks.…”

Implementation of a Localized Task‐Based Course in an EFL Context: A Study of Students’ Evolving Perceptions

“…Additionally, whether TBLT is applicable to a variety of language learning settings other than English as a second language (ESL) contexts has been continuously discussed (Carless, , ; McDonough, ; McDonough & Chaikitmongkol, ). Proponents of TBLT have responded to such criticisms, highlighting that some of the concerns raised were not TBLT‐specific issues, and also that much instructed SLA research has supported the benefits of tasks (Long, ).…”

“…However, this approach has not been systematically adopted in the field of TBLT, and the examination of learner perceptions toward TBLT is something that would benefit from a DST approach. Long () identifies teacher education in TBLT as one of the major “real” issues facing successful implementation of TBLT. We believe that understanding the dynamic ways in which learner perceptions toward TBLT change throughout a semester can be informative for teachers and program administrators wanting to implement TBLT in their EFL courses.…”