Taking communication to task – again: what difference does a decade make?

Abstract

A decade ago, Klapper (2003: ‘Taking communication to task? A critical review of recent trends in language teaching’, The Language Learning Journal 27: 33–42) created the opportunity to reflect on the assets and limitations of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in comparison with more established communicative language teaching (CLT) models. He concluded that, comparatively speaking, TBLT was ‘found wanting’. This article considers whether, 10 years on from Klapper's thesis, we should come to the same conclusion about TBLT, or whether a decade has given us sufficient time to deal with the apparent limitations of TBLT in mainstream instructed foreign language (FL) contexts in ways that address Klapper's reservations. The article begins with an outline of TBLT, along with the essential strengths and weaknesses that Klapper identified. It goes on to describe several recent studies into the effectiveness of TBLT as seen from the perspective of teachers, which reveal teachers’ identification with the issues Klapper had raised and what this has meant for their classroom practices. The article concludes by proposing a model for TBLT in instructed FL contexts, commenting on this model in the light of Klapper's original concerns.