Chapter 10. Practitioners’ perspectives

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to explore the potential of task-based language teaching to accommodate a range of learner individual differences (IDs). As such it is different from previous chapters in this volume which report research findings on separate individual differences. To supplement my own experience, I invited teachers I knew who practised TBLT to contribute their observations and reflections on the IDs most relevant to TBLT in their teaching contexts. Their experiences of using task-based language teaching in their classes shed light on how a task-based approach can support learners with individual differences. The chapter then explores ways in which the stages in a task-based lesson framework can address particular individual differences. The chapter contains practical examples which illustrate aspects of task design and implementation that can accommodate one or more individual differences. These will be of relevance to all language teachers including those in professional development programs and novice teachers on pre-service teacher education courses.