Over the last decade, task-based approaches to language learning and teaching (TBLT) have become a major focus of research in Asia in order to create curricula with authentic and meaningful engagement with language learning. Exploring the pedagogic and cultural challenges of top-down approaches to curriculum development in Asia, this book looks at the drivers, stakeholders and obstacles across the region. While some countries have adapted TBLT to deal with the local constraints, others have found it hard to apply and many are still in the process of investigating its implementation in their specific contexts. Contemporary Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia is important to all involved in language development, from curriculum reform to materials development and assists from programme evaluation to the setting of assessment standards. With case studies from 11 Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Singapore, chapters cover all aspects of language education, from primary to tertiary, private and public education, as well as innovations at local, regional and national levels. Providing examples from a wide range of perspectives and methodologies, Contemporary Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia is an important contribution to TBLT research.
Over the last decade, task-based approaches to language learning and teaching (TBLT) have become a major focus of research in Asia in order to create curricula with authentic and meaningful engagement with language learning. Exploring the pedagogic and cultural challenges of top-down approaches to curriculum development in Asia, this book looks at the drivers, stakeholders and obstacles across the region. While some countries have adapted TBLT to deal with the local constraints, others have found it hard to apply and many are still in the process of investigating its implementation in their specific contexts. Contemporary Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia is important to all involved in language development, from curriculum reform to materials development and assists from programme evaluation to the setting of assessment standards. With case studies from 11 Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Singapore, chapters cover all aspects of language education, from primary to tertiary, private and public education, as well as innovations at local, regional and national levels. Providing examples from a wide range of perspectives and methodologies, Contemporary Task-Based Language Teaching in Asia is an important contribution to TBLT research.
Foreword, David Nunan (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) 1. Introduction, Michael Thomas (University of Central Lancashire, UK) Part I: The South-East Asian Context Introduction, William Littlewood (Independent Scholar) 2. Task-Based Language Teaching in the Asian Context: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?, Chun Lai (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) 3. Exploring Ways to Accommodate Task-Based Language Teaching in Chinese Schools, Shaoqian Luo (Beijing Normal University, China) and Yafu Gong (China National Institute for Educational Research, China) 4. Bridging Communicative Language Teaching and Task-Based Language Teaching in Cambodia: Learners’ Reactions to an Integrated Program in the Non-Formal Education Sector, Nicole Takeda (Bayon English Academy, Cambodia) Part II: Focusing on the Learner Introduction, Phil Benson (Macquarie University, Australia) 5. ‘Old Wine in New Bottles’: Two Case Studies of Task-Based Language Teaching in Vietnam, Nguyen Gia Viet (Ha Tinh University, Vietnam), Le Van Canh (Vietnam National University, Vietnam) and Roger Barnard (University of Waikato, New Zealand) 6. Task-Based Language Teaching in the Primary Schools of South China, Yuefeng Zhang (Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong) 7. Significant Task-Based Learning: Empowering Students with Position Search Skills in a University in Singapore, Brad Blackstone (National University of Singapore, Singapore) and Radhika Jaidev (National University of Singapore, Singapore) 8. Teaching the Teachers: Task-Based Teacher Training in Asia, Marilyn Lewis (University of Auckland, New Zealand) Part III: Teachers' Perspectives Introduction, Jack C. Richards (Independent Scholar) 9. Teachers’ Perceived Difficulty in Implementing TBLT in China, Shaoqian Luo (Beijing Normal University, China) and Jiaxin Xing (Qufu Normal University, China) 10. Gaining Acceptance of Task-Based Teaching During Malaysian Rural In-Service Teacher Training, Stephen J. Hall (Sunway University, Malaysia) 11. Preparing for Tasks in Vietnamese EFL High School Classrooms: Teachers in Action, Bao Trang Thi Nguyen (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand), Jonathan Newton (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and David Crabbe (Regional Language Centre, Singapore) Part IV: Tasks and Technology Introduction, Glenn Stockwell (Waseda University, Japan) 12. Language Learning Performance Using Engineering-Based Tasks via Text Chat, Nik Aloesnita Nik Mohd Alwi (Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia) 13. Employing Online Chat to Resolve Task-Based Activities: Using Online Chat to Promote Cultural Language Exchange between Japanese and Taiwanese Learners, Mark R. Freiermuth (Gunma Prefectural Women’s University, Japan) and Hsin-chou Huang (National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan) 14. A Digital Shift is Not Enough: Cultural, Pedagogical and Institutional Challenges to Technology - Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching in Japan, Michael Thomas (University of Central Lancashire, UK) 15. A Trade-off in Learning: Mobile Augmented Reality for Language Learning, Hayo Reinders (Anaheim University, USA), Onuma Lakarnchua (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand) and Mark Pegrum (University of Western Australia, Australia) Part V: Materials and Curriculum Design Introduction, Nigel Harwood (University of Essex, UK) 16. A Needs Analysis for a Korean Middle School EFL General English Curriculum, Moonyoung Park (Iowa State University, USA) 17. Materials Design for TBLT in Thailand: Balancing Process and Content, Pornapit Darasawang (King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand) 18. Contextually Framing Task-Based English Language Pedagogy: Vocational English Materials Development in Indonesia, Handoyo Puji Widodo (University of Adelaide, Australia) 19. The Effects of Input on Output-based L2 Tasks in a Japanese University Setting, Wataru Suzuki (Miyagi University of Education, Japan) and Nobuya Itagaki (Miyagi University of Education, Japan) 20. TBLT Materials and Curricula: From Theory to Practice, Brian Tomlinson (Anaheim University, USA) Part VI: Assessment and Evaluation Introduction, Ali Shehadeh (UAE University, United Arab Emirates) 21. Task-Based Assessment for Young Learners: Old Meets New Cultures, Yuko Goto Butler (University of Pennsylvania, USA) 22. Teachers’ Adaptations of TBLT: The Hong Kong Story, David R. Carless (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) Epilogue, Rod Ellis (University of Auckland, New Zealand) Index
A comprehensive reference collection of research examining the unique opportunities and challenges presented by task-based language learning and teaching in Asia.
Michael Thomas is Senior Lecturer in Language Learning Technologies at the School of Language, Literature and International Studies, University of Central Lancashire, UK. Hayo Reinders is Professor of Education and Head of Department at Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand, and Dean of the Graduate School at Anaheim University, USA.
The contributions in this book provide us with a window into the
diverse ways in which TBLT is conceptualised and practised across
the Asia region. It speaks to important debates about localised
forms of language teaching, compelling us to revise further our
understandings of TBLT.
*Cynthia J. White, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Massey
University, New Zealand*
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