Read more
Informationen zum Autor Mike Long is Professor of SLA at the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, where he teaches in the Advanced Graduate Certificate, M.A. and Ph.D. in SLA programs. His recent publications include Sensitive periods, language aptitude, and ultimate L2 attainment (2013), The Handbook of Language Teaching (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), Problems in SLA (2007), Second Language Needs Analysis (2005), and The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (Blackwell, 2003). Klappentext Written by an esteemed scholar of second language acquisition with over 30 years of research and classroom experience, this book offers an in-depth analysis of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the methods necessary to implement it in the language classroom successfully. The first part of the book combines a survey of theory and research in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) with insights from language teaching and the philosophy of education. The second part details best practices for TBLT programs, from design to implementation and evaluation. It includes discussion of learner needs and means analysis; syllabus design; materials writing; choice of methodological principles and pedagogic procedures; criterion-referenced, task-based performance assessment; and program evaluation. A final chapter analyzes recent findings in the diffusion of innovation in education and assesses the potential impact of TBLT on second and foreign language learning. Innovative and forward-thinking, this is an exciting new approach to language teaching with important ideas for researchers and classroom practitioners alike. Zusammenfassung This is an in-depth explanation of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the methods necessary to implement it in the classroom successfully. It combines a survey of theory and research in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA) with insights from language teaching and the philosophy of education. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface and Acknowledgments xiPart One Theory and Research 11 Why TBLT? 31.1. The Importance of Second Language Learning and Teaching in the Twenty-First Century 31.2. TBLT and the Meaning of 'Task' 51.3. A Rationale for TBLT 71.3.1. Consistency with SLA theory and research findings 71.3.2. Basis in philosophy of education 91.3.3. Accountability 91.3.4. Relevance 101.3.5. Avoidance of known problems with existing approaches 121.3.6. Learner-centeredness 131.3.7. Functionality 131.4. Summary 141.5. Suggested Readings 142 SLA and the Fundamental LT Divide 162.1. Interventionist and Non-Interventionist Positions 162.1.1. Interventionist positions 172.1.2. Non-interventionist positions 182.2. Synthetic and Analytic Approaches to LT 192.2.1. Synthetic approaches 192.2.2. Analytic approaches 202.3. Problems with Synthetic Approaches and Focus on Forms 212.4. Problems with Analytic Approaches and Focus on Meaning 252.5. A Third Option: Analytic Approaches with a Focus on Form 272.6. A Role for Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) Research 282.7. Summary 292.8. Suggested Readings 293 Psycholinguistic Underpinnings: A Cognitive-Interactionist Theory of Instructed Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) 303.1. Theoretical Disunity in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) 303.2. When Knowledge Is Incomplete: The Role of Theory 333.3. A Cognitive-Interactionist Theory of ISLA: Problems and Explanations 36P1. Purely incidental and implicit child L1A is overwhelmingly successful 36P2. Purely incidental and implicit adult L2A is highly variable and largely unsuccessful 37E1. Adult SLA is maturationally constrained 38E2. Adults, so defi ned, are partially "disabled" language learners 41P3. Some classes of linguistic features in adult SLA are fragile 43E3. Implicit learning is still the default learning mechanism 43E4. Explicit learning (including focal attention) is required to improve implici...