Older theories of second language acquisition have placed particular importance on the role of input. As the field has developed new components have been introduced. The four concepts listed here are all interconnected and are necessary in order for a language to be learned. 

• Reflect on your own language classroom. Do you incorporate all four components in your teaching? Which elements are difficult to integrate? Which element is most prominent in your classroom?

• How do all four components interact with one another? 

• Do these components relate to your previous understanding of second language acquisition? Is anything new or surprising? 

While corrective feedback occurs through both spoken and written modes, oral feedback can be particularly difficult to offer. It is impossible to correct every mistake a student makes, so teachers must be mindful and intentional about the mistakes they chose to correct and how they correct them. 

• In an L2 classroom, how do you “know” a student is learning? How do you “know” a student has receptively internalized the feedback they have received?

• What makes the corrective feedback process so difficult? Take some time to reflect on your process of determining which mistakes to correct, when to correct them, and how to correct them. 

• While it is generally understood that offering oral feedback is more complicated, what challenges arise when attempting to offer written corrective feedback? 

Each student’s language learning journey is different purely because each student is different. There are a vast number of factors that may positively or negatively influence a student’s relationship and experience as they learn a language.  

• Why is it important to acknowledge students’ individual differences when teaching a language? 

• How can the acknowledgment and understanding of individual differences better inform teaching decisions?

• What individual differences have you noticed in your own students? In what ways have they affected the language learning process of those students? 

There are many different types of theories and methods that focus on how languages are best learned and should be taught. These methods occur on a spectrum; three well-known methods are described here. TBLT, specifically, is classified as a method underneath communicative language teaching (CLT). 

• Reflect on your own language classroom. Of the three methods described below, which one is your own teaching method most similar to? Which method do you imagine to be most effective?

• What are the benefits and drawbacks of all three methods?

• Once you have developed your understanding of TBLT, consider why it is considered to be a communicative teaching approach. 

Over the history and continuous development of TBLT, the definition of ‘task’ has been debated and varied. Linguist Rod Ellis’ four criteria of a task is one of the most popular conceptualizations of what a task constitutes. Those four criteria are detailed below. 

• Are there any criteria that have already been implemented in your language classroom? Which criteria, if any, are new? 

• Are there any criteria that you do not agree with or understand? 

• How do these criteria influence your prior understanding of second language acquisition? 

The completion of the ‘task’ is never just focused on the task itself. Tasks occur in three distinct phases that learners carry out: the pre-task, task, and the post-task. Each phase contributes and develops meaningful knowledge and ability of a learner’s linguistic repertoire. 

• Spend some time specifically reflecting on the purpose of the pre-task and the post-task. Why are these phases so important? How do they contribute in making TBLT different from other language teaching methods? 

• A phase cycle does not necessarily occur only once; each phase can occur multiple times. What are the benefits of this cyclic aspect in language learning? 

TBLT and its roots in communicative language learning allow for the presence of all four core components that are needed in order for second language acquisition to occur.  

• Think of the other ways of language teaching you have either experienced or heard of. Do those methods incorporate the four SLA components? 

• Does your current understanding of TBLT allow for these connections to be made? If possible, think of specific examples of a task cycle that sees the four SLA components.