Come to hear Kris Van den Branden’s talk, “How to teach and assess additional language competences: To task or not to task?”

Zoom: https://msu.zoom.us/j/96723194435
Meeting ID: 967 2319 4435 Passcode: 717547

Flyer: https://events.cal.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2023/03/SLAC-Kris-Van-den-Branden-Talk-Flyer-1.pdf

ABSTRACT: Worldwide, governments have instigated curricular reform initiatives to integrate 21^st-century competences in the teaching of languages, maths and sciences. In my talk, I will discuss what that means for the teaching and assessment of additional languages. Doing so, I will explore what the available research has to say on the added value of using tasks as the starting point for the organization of high-quality language teaching and assessment in the 21^st-century. Should teachers use tasks to teach and assess their students’ language competences? Can tasks be used to motivate and activate language learners? And what does it take to implement a task-based approach?

Bio Kris Van den Branden is a full professor of linguistics and teacher educator at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Leuven (Belgium). At the same university, he is the academic supervisor of the Centre for Language and Education. He has published several articles and volumes on second and foreign language education. His most recent volume is “How to teach an additional language: to task or not to task?” (Benjamins Publishing). His main research interests are in the role of the teacher in task-based language teaching and interaction in instructed language acquisition. Together with Koen Van Gorp, he is the chief editor of the journal TASK. Journal on Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning

Questions: vangorpk@msu.edu