Jonathan Newton

Victoria University of Wellington

Associate Professor Jonathan Newton is Director of International Engagement at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. With over thirty years of experience in language teaching and teacher education, he has worked extensively with teachers worldwide to enhance classroom language teaching and learning, particularly in task-based language teaching (TBLT), teaching listening and speaking, vocabulary instruction, and intercultural competence. He is an editor for Language Teaching for Young Learners (LTYL) and has published over 90 articles and book chapters, as well as six books, including Using Tasks in Language Teaching (2021), How to Teach Speaking: A Guide for English Language Teachers (2021), Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking (2020), Teaching English to Second Language Learners in Academic Contexts (2018), and Workplace Talk in Action: An ESOL Resource (2010).

Plenary speech

Title: 

How do language teachers use textbooks? Research-based insights from task-based language teaching and AI-based lesson design

Abstract:

ELT Materials have been the subject of a considerable body of research since the 1990s, and yet, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., Garton & Graves, 2014), this research has paid relatively scant attention to how textbooks are used by teachers and learners (Hansen, 2018). This is a puzzling omission, especially in contexts where nationally mandated textbooks are used. As Ellis (2015) points out in relation to such contexts, ‘while policy makers and education ministries may set directions and form proposals, it is what teachers do in classrooms which directly affects the success of any reform agenda.’ 

With this background in mind, I will begin this talk with a potted summary of what little research is available (in English) on how language teachers (and learners) use textbooks. I then discuss key findings from my research on textbooks and task-based language teaching (TBLT) in Asian contexts. TBLT provides a useful lens through which to view textbooks because while textbooks are increasingly oriented to tasks, some TBLT scholars (notably Michael H Long) dismiss textbooks as antithetical to TBLT. The position I will argue for with evidence from my research is that, whatever the quality of a given textbook, how teachers use it can be enhanced if they are aware of and trained to apply TBLT principles in their teaching. I will conclude the talk with reflections on the potential of AI to transform the way teachers use their textbooks.