Rod Ellis

International Conference 2019
Plenary Session

Task-Based Language Teaching: Where Did It Start and Where Is It Going?

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Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is now the approach mandated by a number of educational authorities in Asia. In my talk, I will show how task-based language teaching (TBLT) grew out of communicative language teaching, drawing on both second language acquisition research and theories of education. I will trace its development from its early days, pointing to the multiple influences that have helped to shape its evolution. I will address key issues such as how to define "task," how tasks have been classified, how they can be sequenced into a syllabus, and how a complete lesson can be built around a task. I will also consider the use of tasks in computer-mediated language teaching and in assessment. I will emphasize that TBLT is multifarious and conclude with a set of questions that can guide the ongoing development of TBLT.

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Invited Second Session (Workshop)

Assessing L2 Learners’ Pragmatic Competence

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Current tests of pragmatic competence – for example, the Discourse Completion Test – only assess learners’ explicit knowledge (i.e., their ability to behave appropriately when making conscious effort). I will argue that we need tests that can distinguish learners’ implicit pragmatic knowledge (i.e., their ability to use the L2 appropriately online and without deliberation) from their explicit knowledge and begin by explaining the difference between these two types of knowledge. I will then describe and provide examples of tests of English designed to measure them. These tests include a Role Play Test, an Oral Elicited Imitation Test, an Irony Test, and a Meta-pragmatic Knowledge Test. Participants in the workshop will have the opportunity to try out some of the tests for themselves and to comment on them.

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Biographical Sketch

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Rod Ellis is currently a research professor in the School of Education, Curtin University, in Perth, Australia. He is also a professor at Anaheim University, a visiting professor at Shanghai International Studies University, an emeritus professor of the University of Auckland, and a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. His published work includes articles and books on second language acquisition, language teaching, and teacher education. His latest books are Becoming and Being an Applied Linguist (John Benjamins) and Reflections on Task-based Language Teaching (Multilingual Matters). He has held university positions in six different countries and has conducted numerous consultancies and seminars throughout the world. His current interests are task-based language teaching and assessing L2 learners’ pragmatic knowledge.

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Rod Ellis Media Online

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KOTESOL Interview: Rod Ellis (The English Connection, Autumn 2019)
PDF available at bottom of page.

Video: "Focus on Form": Past and Present. Talk by Dr. Rod Ellis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V52dke9FALw

TEFL Interviews 3: Rod Ellis on Task-Based Teaching and Second Language Acquisition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKA7Axjv0dc

Interview with Rod Ellis: Language Magazine
https://www.languagemagazine.com/interview-with-rod-ellis/

Staff Profile: Curtin University
https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/Rod.Ellis

Books by Rod Ellis
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/100527.Rod_Ellis