The Long TBLT Journey

In this piece, I trace Task-Based Language Teaching from Mike Long’s original conceptualization in 1985, through his development of methodological principles that are based on SLA theory and empirical evidence he gathered for three and half decades, to two recent (2010, 2015) practical examples of TBLT. Since there is still some important work to be done on remaining tricky issues, I highlight a few of these (unresolved in instructed SLA), such as sequencing according to complexity and the resilience of implicit processing mechanisms in adult language learning. In resolving these and other issues that will no doubt arise, I urge us all to follow Mike’s scrupulous lead in holding ourselves accountable to the empirical evidence.

Reflecting on task-based language teaching from an Instructed SLA perspective

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) and instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) have much in common in terms of theory, research, and educational relevance. The distinguishing characteristic between the two is that TBLT adopts communicative tasks as the central unit for instruction and assessment, whereas ISLA comprises a broader range of instructional activities and assessment practices. In this presentation, I focus on two of the conference themes: Instruction and Outcomes. With respect to Instruction, I draw attention to the pedagogical timing of form-focused instruction (FFI) and corrective feedback. I discuss relevant studies within ISLA and TBLT and argue that TBLT is particularly well-suited to investigating questions about the timing of FFI. In discussing Outcomes, I consider differences in how outcomes are measured in TBLT (i.e. performance) and ISLA (i.e. development) and the different aspects of language examined within each, for example, accuracy, implicit/explicit knowledge in ISLA and complexity, accuracy and fluency in TBLT. I discuss underlying similarities between fluency and implicit knowledge, how they are measured, and propose research to investigate the pedagogical timing of FFI in relation to fluency development. I conclude with a brief discussion of the need for a balance between theoretically and pedagogically motivated research within ISLA and TBLT.

The Analysis of the Features of Interaction in Instructed SLA

This study investigates the interaction in university instructed setting in China. It reveals the interactional patterns, the strategies used in the negotiation of meaning and language forms being negotiated in classroom. The results show that the most frequently used interactional pattern and strategy of negotiation of meaning is IRF and comprehension check. But data shows that more complicated interactional patterns such as IRF(I)RF, IR [I1 R1 (I2 R2)] F and IR1F1 / R2F2 are being used. They are beneficial in promoting students’ language production. And we also found that there is focus on form in the negotiation of meaning, which can help to raise learner’s awareness of language forms in meaningful communication.

Emotions and Instructed Language Learning: Proposing a Second Language Emotions and Positive Psychology Model

Although emotion research and positive psychology (PP) have recently gained strong momentum in the field of second language acquisition (SLA), theoretical models linking language emotion and PP research, which offer insights for both research and intervention practice are lacking. To address this gap, the present article first introduces the origin, concept, and research around PP. Next, it summarizes recent research on PP and emotions in SLA. Finally, by triangulating emotion theories and research in the fields of psychology, education, and SLA, we propose a new model, which merges the three pillars of PP (positive institutions, positive characteristics, and positive emotions) with the antecedents, outcomes, and interventions of second language (L2) emotions (the L2EPP model). The value of the model to L2 pedagogy and research is highlighted in the context of the importance of integrating PP into the area of emotions and instructed SLA.