Task-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Practices and Programs (review)

Touted by its advocates as the logical next step in the evolution of communicative language teaching (CLT), task-based instruction (TBI) is among the latest efforts to arrive at a methodology of teaching second and foreign languages that actually works. Although not quite mainstream, TBI is definitely in vogue with a segment of the language-teaching community. Occasionally, it is adhered to with an almost evangelical zeal. Nowadays, however – in contrast to the periods when audiolingualism and situational language teaching were the norm – most language-teaching professionals do not readily subscribe to methods embodying strong versions of language and learning theories.

Edited by two well-known names in the field, Task-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education: Practices and Programs largely succeeds in its main purpose: to offer its readers, primarily teachers, an overview and a representative sample of the many heterogeneous beliefs and practices that today huddle under the umbrella of TBI. The editors also state in their preface that the book aims to inspire readers, to get them to re-evaluate their teaching practices and possibly consider adopting TBI, or simply to opt to introduce more tasks into the classroom.

The book is divided into four parts. Part One, a single chapter written by Willis, was conceived as a theoretical foundation for the rest of the book. It opens with a somewhat lyrical vignette about what the author calls 'TBI happening worldwide,' which might lead readers to believe that TBI is rather more widespread than it actually is. The reader is then presented with an overview of how CLT became the mainstream approach in language teaching. Both strong and weak versions of CLT are touched upon, and it is demonstrated how TBI evolved as a strong branch of CLT. The author then proceeds to elaborate on the three fundamental theoretical pillars of TBI: that acquisition of grammar does not take place in a linear fashion, that form is best learned through focus on meaning, and that output is at least as necessary as input. Willis also makes a point of mentioning that focus on form is an indispensable component of the second language acquisition process and that there is now a considerable body of evidence to support this view. She admits, however, that TBI practitioners take a wide range of positions on this issue. The rest of the chapter offers an excellent account of what TBI entails in practice. The notion of the task is defined, and various typologies of tasks and task design parameters are presented. A number of different models of the task cycle are outlined, and the chapter is rounded off with several well-chosen, generalizable examples. The appendices are useful and include Willis's 1996 Task-Based Learning framework, examples of classroom tasks, and tasks for teacher development.

Parts Two and Three constitute the bulk of the volume. Each chapter in these sections contains a case study of what the editors term 'successful TBI programs worldwide.' While Part Two deals with classic classroom courses, Part Three presents three courses that rely wholly or partially on the use of computers and the Internet. Individual chapters were written by the instructors of the courses and therefore convey a sense of immediacy and offer a front-line perspective on problems teachers and course designers involved in TBI face, as well as ways of coping with these issues. The settings where the courses are taught include US government schools, Brazilian and Moldovan private schools, US universities, and the Internet. The courses, mostly aimed at adult learners, encompass levels from beginner to advanced, as well as a variety of languages. Parts Two and Three clearly illustrate Willis's introductory assertion that TBI is not a unified methodology. Much depends on instructors' personal beliefs, as well as on institutional, economic, and other considerations. All the courses are presented in ample detail, and reference is made to the theoretical framework laid...