Schedule

Abstract: 

This study investigates how task complexity and foreign language anxiety (FLA) interact to influence the speech production of learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). Grounded in Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis and Triadic Componential Framework, this research operationalizes task complexity through two resource-directing variables: [+/- few elements] and [+/- no reasoning demands]. Recognizing the pedagogical relevance of affective factors, the study also examines how FLA—measured both subjectively and physiologically—modulates learners’ performance under varying task conditions.

A within-subject repeated measures design is adopted. Forty university-level CFL learners complete two monologic decision-making tasks (simple vs. complex), while wearing an EmbracePlus sensor to capture physiological indicators of FLA (heart rate and electrodermal activity). Learners also complete the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and an Elicited Imitation Test to assess language proficiency.

Speech production is analyzed in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). Syntactic complexity is measured via the Mean Length of Terminable Topic Chain-units (Yu, 2021), and lexical complexity using Guiraud’s Index (Malvern et al., 2004). Accuracy is operationalized as the proportion of error-free lexical and grammatical items. Fluency includes speech rate, mean length of runs, pause length and frequency (filled and silent), and repair fluency (repetitions and self-corrections per 100 syllables).

Preliminary analyses show that higher task complexity increases syntactic complexity and accuracy but may negatively impact fluency, especially for learners with higher anxiety levels. Full results will be obtained by the end of the summer.

This study fills a critical gap in SLA by examining how task complexity and FLA jointly affect oral performance in CFL learners. Findings contribute empirical and pedagogical insights into designing anxiety-sensitive, task-based instruction for L2 Chinese.

Bio:

Zhupeng Li (he/him) is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on second language acquisition, task-based language teaching, learner individual differences, and AI-assisted language learning. His dissertation, “Effects of Task Complexity and Foreign Language Anxiety on Chinese Foreign Language Learners’ Speech Production,” investigates how cognitive task demands and affective variables influence speech fluency, accuracy, and complexity in L2 Chinese. 

Abstract: 

How can language learning empower young learners to become agents of change? This session explores a task-based language teaching (TBLT) project where students engaged with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through digital design, critical thinking, and purposeful communication. Using Tinkercad, students designed innovative solutions to real-world sustainability challenges such as plastic pollution, deforestation, and clean energy. These tasks were framed through visual thinking routines (e.g., “See–Think–Wonder,” “Claim–Support–Question”) to scaffold observation, reflection, and deeper engagement with both language and content.

Throughout the project, students collaborated to research a chosen SDG, brainstormed possible interventions, designed 3D prototypes using Tinkercad, and presented their solutions to an audience using English as the medium of communication. The session will detail the task sequence (pre-task, task, and post-task), the integration of technology, and how visual thinking strategies supported linguistic output and learner autonomy.

Participants will leave with practical examples, student work samples, and tools for adapting the project to different age groups and contexts. Whether you're working with young learners or teens, this session will show how task-based language teaching can move beyond the classroom to foster global citizenship, creativity, and meaningful language use.

Bio:

Marcela Danowski is an English teacher trainer, speaker, and materials designer from Argentina. She specializes in inquiry-based learning, task-based approaches, and educational innovation. With over 20 years of experience, she integrates technology and real-world tasks to foster meaningful language learning across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Abstract:

As ChatGPT and similar generative AI technologies become common tools for a variety of professional tasks, language instructors are beginning to explore their potential for lesson planning. This presentation explores the advantages and limitations of ChatGPT as an aid in the design process of a TBLT lesson, using a set of task criteria developed by Willis & Willis (2007) and Robinson (2011), to evaluate the complexity of tasks created by ChatGPT for an upper intermediate-level Chinese lesson about MBTI personality types.

Findings indicate that while ChatGPT excels at information integration and ideation support, it requires precise prompts from a human user in order to generate accurate output. At the ideation stage, ChatGPT can develop creative tasks and break them down into step-by-step procedures, citing TBLT-based pedagogical practices. It can also organize information and bundle them into convenient, ready-made templates that may require only minimal editing. Yet, despite its initial promise, ChatGPT proved an unreliable thought partner, producing content that is at times vague, contradictory, or repetitive. The critical eye of a human user trained in TBLT concepts is needed for evaluation and refinement of materials.

Despite its limitations, ChatGPT remains a potentially powerful tool for TBLT-trained instructors. Designing TBLT lessons can be labor-intensive, and consulting ChatGPT as a starting point or a sounding board may help instructors work more efficiently. Nevertheless, instructors must have pedagogical training in TBLT in order to critique ChatGPT’s content and partner with the program in the prototyping process.

Bio:

Allison Payne is an M.A. student of Applied Linguistics at Teachers College. Her primary research interest is on the uses of task-based instruction for self-directed learners using AI tools.

Fenghua Zhao is a Chinese Language Instructor at TC, Columbia University. She focuses on helping learners naturally acquire real-world language through TBLT and comprehensible input, and creates her own teaching materials to support this approach.

Abstract:

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) offers a dynamic framework for engaging language learners in purposeful, real-world communication. In higher education English preparatory programs, TBLT tasks can support integrated skill development while fostering autonomy, motivation, and meaningful interaction. This presentation introduces a TBLT example designed for preparatory school students at the tertiary level, using the open-access platform Global Storybooks (www.globalstorybooks.net). Drawing on Prof. Dr. Bonny Norton’s view that digital story projects democratize knowledge and challenge static notions of language, literacy, and identity, the session aims to demonstrate how culturally responsive, narrative-based tasks align with core TBLT principles. Although the digital platform offers multilingual access, this implementation focuses on English stories as rich input for communicative and creative classroom tasks. The task cycle follows the three-phase TBLT structure: pre-task, main task, and post-task. In the pre-task phase, students read a selected story, identify key vocabulary, and explore narrative and cultural elements. Accompanying illustrations further support comprehension and stimulate discussion. In the main task, students collaborate to rewrite the story in a Turkish context, create dialogues, design alternative endings or write a new story for the given pictures—encouraging negotiation of meaning, critical thinking, and intercultural awareness. In the post-task phase, learners present their work in multimodal formats, such as short videos, comic strips, or classroom performances, and receive peer and instructor feedback. Through this process, students enhance their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills while also developing narrative competence, intercultural sensitivity, and a more personal and meaningful connection to English as a global language.

Bio:

Dr. Arzu Ekoç-Özçelik has been working as an associate professor in the School of Foreign Languages at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, Türkiye since 2006. Her research interests are learner identity, continuing professional development for teachers, EMI, metadiscourse and second-language writing.

Abstract:

This panel, Global Innovations in Task-Based Language Teaching: An Invitation from IATBLT, showcases the resources and initiatives of the International Association for Task-Based Language Teaching (IATBLT) and its worldwide membership. IATBLT advances TBLT research and practice through its biennial conference, hands-on workshops, professional awards, mentorship program, and dynamic online community. The IATBLT also offers distinctive resources available to all, including The Task Bank, the Task Generator (TaskGen), the association’s flagship TASK journal and book series, and collaborative ventures such as the ACTFL TBLT SIG, the Task-Based Teacher Education working group, and the YouTube channel TBLTea. Panelists will illustrate how these opportunities support professional growth, scholarly exchange, and practical innovation across diverse teaching and research contexts. By spotlighting the work of our global membership, this session provides both a window into the breadth of IATBLT’s contributions and an open invitation to join an active international community shaping the future of TBLT.

Bio:

Laura Gurzynski-Weiss is a Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Georgetown University and President of IATBLT.

Claudia Fernández is a Clinical Associate Professor of Hispanic and Italian Studies and Director of the Spanish Basic Language Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a Member-at-Large of the IATBLT. 

YouJin Kim is a Professor of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language and Director of Graduate Studies at Georgia State University. She is a Member-at-Large of the IATBLT.

Abstract:

This session explores how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is embedded within “Soilution”, an interdisciplinary, SDG-aligned soil theme curriculum co-developed by educators in rural China. Designed to explore real-world environmental issues such as soil acidification, “Soilution” uses language tasks not only as a means of communication but as a critical tool for local problem-solving and environmental advocacy.

Within the curriculum, learners engage in a series of language-rich tasks, including stakeholder interviews, experimental procedure reporting, community poster campaigns, and reflective presentations, that simulate authentic communicative contexts. Each unit follows a TBLT sequence: pre-task vocabulary activation and schema building; task-phase collaboration in English to plan, conduct, and explain scientific actions; and post-task reflection and output refinement. The approach encourages learners to use English for inquiry, persuasion, and public communication, shifting the classroom from grammar drills to meaningful interaction.

The session critically reflects on the challenges and affordances of implementing TBLT in bilingual, rural contexts where English is often seen as unrelated to local life. By grounding language use in environmental action, “Soilution” increases learner motivation and positions English as a tool for civic engagement and cross-cultural dialogue. Drawing on teacher feedback and learner artifacts, the presentation offers practical strategies for adapting TBLT to non-traditional content areas and under-resourced settings, demonstrating how language learning can be reimagined as both locally rooted and globally relevant.

Bio:

Pengfei Jiang is Academic Principal at Zhuji Ronghuai Foreign Language School and founder of the SDGs Curriculum Office. With a background in education from Oxford and York, his work integrates TBLT with sustainability education, focusing on learner-centered language tasks that engage rural youth in real-world communication and advocacy.

Abstract:

This 20-minute presentation explores how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can be harnessed as a powerful framework for ethical and inclusive research with vulnerable populations. The session centers the role of the professor as a catalyst for igniting student curiosity, compassion, and critical thinking through language-driven inquiry.

TBLT empowers students to engage in real-world tasks that reflect the lived experiences of marginalized communities, including those within the LGBTQIA+ community, Veterans,  refugees, immigrants, and economically disadvantaged groups. Through guided research, students learn to shift stigmatizing language, embrace cultural humility, and co-create knowledge that honors dignity and belonging.

Dr. Tolbert-Banks fosters a learning environment where students reflect deeply on their positionality, challenging systemic narratives, and using language as a tool for advocacy. Participants will reflect on language shifts, ethical storytelling, the cultural nuances that shape research, and how TBLT can empower students not only as learners, but as advocates, to equip them in using language to heal, connect, and transform communities and systems from within.

Bio:

Dr. NaKaisha Tolbert-Banks, DSW, LCSW, is a mental health advocate, educator, and author with 27+ years of experience. She leads equity-driven healing for BIPOC communities through clinical practice, research, and grassroots activism. Her work bridges research, culture, and healing elevating belonging and transforming mental health care.

Abstract: 

The language needs of people who must learn an additional language to accomplish essential tasks in a new country are great. Addressing those needs efficiently is arguably more pressing when the newcomers belong to vulnerable groups, such as asylum seekers (Evenden et al. 2022; Samkange-Zeeb et al. 2020). This presentation summarizes a health literacy project in Galway, Ireland that is using the principles of TBLT (Long, 2015) to improve the participants’ (25 asylum seekers) understanding of the Irish public healthcare system and their ability to access it through English.

A needs analysis is integral to the implementation of TBLT (Long, 2005; 2015). The needs analysis for this project involved interviews, desk research, and a survey. How target tasks were identified from the needs analysis will be summarized, and examples of pedagogic tasks developed to help participants build the skills necessary to succeed with specific target tasks (in healthcare contexts) will be discussed. 

Further, alignment of the project’s curriculum with the ten principles of high-quality language instruction outlined by Van den Branden (2022) will be reviewed as evidence for the argument that TBLT should be the default approach to language instruction in integration-focused contexts. Learning a new language and building a life in a new country are lengthy, complex, and interconnected processes and TBLT best equips instructors for understanding those connections and delivering instruction that enhances the likelihood that those two challenging objectives will be successfully met. 

Bio:

Stephen O'Connell has more than 20 years of experience working in language education and assessment and currently works for Galway City Partnership in support of newcomers to Ireland with their English language development. He holds an M.A. in applied linguistics and a Ph.D. in second language acquisition.

Abstract: 

This academic roundtable, entitled: “Doing Critical TBLT across the Americas”, brings together scholars who have conceptualized and enacted task-based language teaching from critical perspectives (e.g. critical language pedagogy, critical language awareness, critical literacy, among others). The main objective is to reflect on how TBLT may contribute to the development of socially-just language teaching practices. Based on our experiences designing and implementing critical tasks in Brazil and in the US for different learning contexts (e.g. English as an additional language, Portuguese as a host language, and Spanish as a heritage language), we aim to reflect on a) what makes a task critical, b) the reason why critical tasks are needed in such contexts, c) the role of the teacher in critical TBLT, and d) how to advance TBLT theory and praxis by integrating critical perspectives regarding language learning across contexts. It is expected that, by engaging in critical dialogue, we may be able to not only showcase the work on critical tasks in the Americas, but also foster an engaged community of practice where new questions may be asked and collaborative practices may be strengthened.

Bios:

Leonardo da Silva is a Professor of English as an additional language at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. His main research interests are critical/emancipatory perspectives in additional language teaching, task-based language teaching, critical pedagogy, and intersectional identities in the language classroom.

Priscila Fabiane Farias is a Professor of English as an additional language at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Her main research interests are critical/emancipatory perspectives in additional language teaching, task-based language teaching, critical language pedagogy, and teacher education.

Ellen J. Serafini is an Associate Professor of Spanish Applied Linguistics and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at George Mason University. In her work, she integrates critical language pedagogy, service-learning, and Task-Based Language Teaching to build both critical language awareness and agency.

Raquel D’Ely is a Professor of English as an additional language at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Her main research interests are processing perspectives in task-based language teaching, critical tasks in the language classroom, the role of teachers in TBLT, and technology-mediated TBLT.

Julio Torres is Professor of Spanish Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism at the University of California, Irvine with appointments in the School of Education and Department of Language Science. His research interests include heritage/second language acquisition, multilingualism, cognition, and TBLT. He also works as a teacher educator with K-16 instructors.

Abstract:

This presentation examines how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can be meaningfully implemented in early childhood classrooms through developmentally appropriate, communicative tasks that promote language acquisition, autonomy, and collaboration. Drawing from my work with 4- and 5-year-old learners, I present a series of classroom-tested tasks that operationalize TBLT principles within playful, academically rich learning environments.

Examples include “Restaurant Roleplay”, where students create menus, take orders, and resolve customer complaints, practicing functional vocabulary and conversational scaffolds; “Neighborhood Builders”, a map-making and storytelling project integrating spatial language, prepositions, and civic vocabulary; and “Kindness Cards”, where students compose simple messages to peers, using sentence stems and sight words, to reinforce emotional literacy and writing fluency. Each task is designed around authentic outcomes, open-ended interaction, and learner agency, aligned with Willis & Willis’s task framework and supported by multimodal resources such as visuals, manipulatives, and dramatization.

This session also explores how TBLT can support emergent bilinguals and neurodivergent learners by prioritizing meaningful output over rote reproduction. I will discuss practical adaptations, including visual scaffolds, choice boards, and flexible grouping, to ensure inclusive participation. Reflections on classroom data and student language samples demonstrate increased risk-taking, expressive vocabulary growth, and greater social engagement. Ultimately, I argue that TBLT—when thoughtfully adapted—can begin long before formal schooling, empowering even our youngest learners to use language purposefully, socially, and creatively.

Bio:

Isabella Trezza is an early childhood educator specializing in task-based, learner-centered instruction for 4- and 5-year-olds. Her classroom blends academic rigor, developmental sensitivity, and social-emotional learning. She is pursuing graduate studies in developmental disabilities at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is committed to inclusive, equitable, and engaging pedagogy from the earliest years.

Abstract:

This presentation explores how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can support emergent literacy in diglossic contexts, focusing on young learners in Tunisia. While children acquire Tunisian Arabic (Darija) as their home language, early literacy instruction is delivered in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), a structurally and socially distant variety. This mismatch creates barriers to reading development, such as increased cognitive load, reduced phonological awareness, and diminished learner motivation.

The presentation argues for a reorientation of early literacy instruction around the linguistic resources children already possess. It proposes a task-based approach in which developmentally appropriate reading tasks are conducted in Darija to build foundational literacy skills. For example, culturally relevant storybooks may serve as an authentic context  in which young learners primarily focus on meaning, such as comprehending the gist of the story. Learners’ attention is occasionally drawn to particular linguistic features of the text, such as print directionality, letter-sound correspondences, high-frequency words, and morphological inflections. 

Rather than treating dialects as obstacles, this approach views them as springboards for literacy development in additional languages, including MSA. It aligns with evidence on home language education and its benefits for motivation and academic outcomes (e.g., Eisenchlas, 2013). The presentation invites educators and policymakers to reconsider early literacy instruction not as decontextualized code-breaking in a formal variety, but as an interactive, meaning-driven process grounded in the child’s linguistic, cognitive, and cultural reality. It advocates for integrating TBLT principles into early childhood education to make literacy development more inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and effective in Arabic-speaking settings.

Bio:

Mohamed Salah is a PhD student in English at the Faculty of Arts, Manouba, Tunisia. He served as a Fulbright FLTA at Arizona State University (2024–25) and has taught English to pre-service teachers in Tunisia. He received training from the TC-Tunisia Foreign Language Teacher Education Project and holds a CELTA.

Abstract: 

Chinese calligraphy, an oriental art form of the Chinese language, serves as a good tool for integrated language and culture learning. The TBLT class designed for intermediate L2 Chinese learners in this session aims to develop students’ interest in Chinese characters and inspire them to understand Chinese character structures through calligraphy art. Four tasks are designed using the Jigsaw learning method. The first three facilitating tasks are setting up traditional writing tools (Chinese Four Treasures of A Study), recognition of the five calligraphy scripts, and understanding the origin and evolution of the character “福”（fú, good fortune）, which contribute to the last target task: completing a calligraphy artwork for a cultural event. The focus on form (Chinese sequence phrases) is effectively applied to meaningful contexts in the tasks. Guided by the TBLT Jigsaw instruction, students of the three tasks engage in presenting/teaching other groups with the given information before working on the target task as a whole class. Mimicking an authentic real-world context that incorporates language learning and cultural practices, learners can enhance their language skills, deepen their cultural understanding, and develop valuable cognitive skills.

Bio:

Ning He is a Mandarin Chinese instructor at Fordham University in New York City. She is currently pursuing another Master’s degree in  Applied Linguistics at TC, Columbia University. Her teaching approach integrates the Chinese language and Chinese calligraphy art, utilizing Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) to enhance her students' learning experiences. 

Abstract:

This presentation explores the central role of listening skills in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. While listening to a native-speaking teacher is valuable, it is not sufficient for developing sustainable listening comprehension. I argue that listening should not be treated as a supplementary skill, but rather as the foundation around which a lesson can be structured.

We will examine how to build an entire lesson around listening tasks, even within a packed curriculum. The talk focuses on practical, classroom-tested techniques that emphasize listening as a primary mode of input. Special attention will be given to narrow listening, a technique proposed by Stephen Krashen, which involves exposing students to multiple texts or recordings on the same topic or by the same speaker. This focused repetition helps students internalize vocabulary, grammatical structures, and pronunciation patterns more effectively than isolated exposure.

Through examples from Chinese language classrooms, the presentation will illustrate how narrow listening can be adapted to suit different proficiency levels and teaching contexts. Advantages of the approach include improved student confidence, increased exposure to authentic language, and better retention. 

Overall, the goal is to highlight how a well-designed sequence of listening activities can significantly enhance the learning experience and provide a more natural path toward language acquisition.

Bio:

Daria Zhigulskaia is the founder of Oh, my Chinese – a project focused on listening-based Chinese learning.  She is a certified teacher (Columbia University, USA) with over 15 years’ experience. She has taught at top Russian universities (MSU, HSE) and is the author/coauthor of 8 textbooks.

Abstract:

In response to declining Mandarin language enrollment in U.S. higher education, this study explores how Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) can be revitalized through the integration of contemporary Chinese pop culture and media. Recognizing Chinese as a critical world language, the project investigates how cultural products—such as TikTok trends, Xuanhuan (玄幻) novels, and popular dramas—can support learner engagement, motivation, and retention. A mixed-methods approach was adopted: a survey of 50 undergraduates at Stony Brook University, split evenly between heritage and non-native speakers, gauged familiarity with Chinese pop culture and its perceived value in language learning; follow-up interviews provided deeper insight into genre-specific preferences and attitudes. Data collection spans Spring to Fall 2025. Preliminary findings suggest that embedding media-driven, real-world tasks into the Mandarin curriculum fosters not only linguistic competence but also intercultural awareness, particularly when tasks are socially and personally meaningful. This study contributes to the evolving application of TBLT by illustrating how authentic, media-based tasks can bridge theory and practice while addressing retention challenges in lower-enrollment language programs.

Bio:

ShuNing Lin is an MA student studying Contemporary Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University. Her interests include Task-Based Language Teaching, Chinese language pedagogy, and the integration of pop culture and digital media in second language acquisition.

Dr. ZhaoHong Han is a Professor of Language and Education and Director of the Center for International Foreign Language Teacher Education (CIFLTE) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Han's scholarly interests are broadly in second language learnability, second language teachability, and their interface.  She has served on multiple editorial boards of academic journals including Applied Linguistics (Oxford University Press) and Language Teaching (Cambridge University Press). Over the last twenty years, in addition to teaching graduate courses (from theory to research to practice) and sponsoring doctoral dissertations at Teachers College, Dr. Han has consulted to universities and school districts on research and teacher development grants and second language programs, curriculums, and materials. 

Ashley Beccia is an Ed.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, specializing in second language acquisition (SLA). Her research focuses on child SLA, task-based language teaching, and complex dynamic systems theory. At Teachers College, she has supported the TC-Tunisia Foreign Language Teacher Education Transnational Project (2021–22), teaching certificate programs at the Center for International Foreign Language Teacher Education (2024–present), and the TC-NTNU Professional Development Program in EMI (2025–present). She teaches graduate courses in applied linguistics at Teachers College and The City College of New York and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL (SALT).

ZZ (Zhizi) Chen is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, specializing in second language acquisition (SLA). Her research interests currently include vocabulary acquisition, L2 learners’ individual differences, Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT), and education technology. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s Degree of Science in Education (Teaching, Learning, and Leadership), where she also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Wharton Business School. She also worked as a conference interpreter for more than 70 international conferences for clients that include a U. S. Federal Chief Judge, ambassadors, and provincial and municipal government senior officials.