This interactive workshop, sponsored by the German Graduate Student Association and led by Dr. Lara Bryfonski (Georgetown University), is designed to provide language teachers and researchers the opportunity to apply concepts from the presentation to their own teaching or research domains.

While traditional approaches to language instruction organize syllabi and curricula around grammar points, task-based language teaching (TBLT) utilizes authentic tasks driven by the needs of the learners, and resulting linguistic forms, as the units of instruction (Long, 1985, 2015). The aim of TBLT pedagogy is to provide students with the linguistic skills they need to engage in meaningful interactions outside the classroom. Since its inception, TBLT has gained popularity as an alternative to traditional approaches to language teaching and has been implemented and evaluated in contexts worldwide (e.g. Shintani (2016) with young learners in Japan; Müller-Hartmann & Schocker-von Ditfurth (2011) in Germany, Van den Branden (2006) program-wide in Flanders, Belgium). 

Lara Bryfonski is assistant professor of linguistics at Georgetown University where she conducts research on second language acquisition and task-based language teaching and learning. She has published and presented her research on a variety of topics in second language acquisition, including task-based language teaching, corrective feedback, materials development, language learning in study abroad, and methods for second language research. Her publications appear in journals such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching Research, and the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, as well as a variety of edited collections. Lara is a former ESL/EFL teacher and has taught language students from preschool to adulthood in a variety of contexts in the United States and abroad. She is an experienced teacher trainer and has worked with NGOs, public and private schools, governmental and financial organizations, and universities to provide research-based training in language teaching.

Registration for this event is required. Click here to register and receive Zoom link details. Please contact Julia Goetze at jzg5860@psu.edu with any questions.