Using Tasks in Second Language Teaching

Task-based instruction features the integration of theory, research, and practice. However, what is missing in the literature is 'practice', that is, how to effectively implement task-based instruction by taking into account various factors at the macro and micro level. Lambert and Oliver fill a significant gap through this timely initiative.

* Shaofeng Li, Florida State University, USA *

This volume provides insights into teachers’ practices and challenges when introducing tasks in their classroom, covering a wide range of international educational contexts. Pre-service and in-service teachers will benefit from the concrete advice about practical issues in implementing tasks in different contexts. It is also useful for researchers and postgraduate students in that it considers the effects of tasks on L2 acquisition and performance.

* Natsuko Shintani, Kansai University, Japan *

Lambert and Oliver have assembled an excellent variety of chapters on task-based instruction. They provide a huge breadth of coverage, of different age ranges and instructional contexts. Most distinctive are the wide geographical contexts and the range of ages which motivate the different studies. This is an important book for researchers and professionals alike, making important theoretical and practical contributions.

* Peter Skehan, Birkbeck College, UK *

Lambert and Oliver have done an admirable job of collating a rich and diverse collection of studies, all offering insights into how tasks can be used more effectively in real-world classrooms.

-- Priska Pramastiwi, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand * Language Teaching for Young Learners 3:2 *

Like the other volumes in this remarkable series, the chapters in this book not only reflect on key current theory, but also discuss useful and usable empirical findings [...] I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to any teacher, teacher educator, researcher, and decision maker with a stake in effective language education.

-- Thomas A. Williams, University of Szeged, Hungary * ELT Journal, 2022 *

[This book] offers insightful considerations on theoretical and empirical aspects, highlighting research, pedagogical needs, and practical implications for the foreign language classroom. The book is particularly useful for teachers willing to embrace a task-based instruction, as chapters exemplify a variety of information, opinion, and reasoning tasks (Ellis, 2009), include spoken, written , and hybrid modalities, examine traditional and online genres, and combine old and new resources.

-- Laura Dubcovsky, University of California, Davis, USA * LINGUIST List 32.15