Inside the Black Box: What Actually Happens When Learners Communicate using TBLT? - Jonathan Newton

About this episode

In this episode, Professor Jonathan Newton discusses the mechanisms of learning through communication in task-based language teaching and the importance of learner agency.

"Choice generates agency, agency generates engagement, and engagement is where learning begins. If you aren’t ‘falling over’ as a teacher, you probably aren't pushing yourself or your learners to take ownership of the language." We sit down with the esteemed Professor Jonathan Newton. Jonathan is an Associate Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, where he leads postgraduate programs in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. With over 30 years of experience, his work focuses on the "black box" of classroom interaction and how task-based language teaching (TBLT) can foster learner agency and ownership. He has published over 80 articles and several seminal books on classroom interaction and task-based pedagogy. In this episode, we discuss: The "Black Box" of communication: understanding the actual mechanism that explains how learning occurs during interaction. The power of choice: why giving learners agency is the most direct path to motivation and ownership. Unlearning the security blanket: moving beyond rigid PPP formulas to embrace the "falling forward" of real teaching. The "Magoo" (MG-O-O) criteria: a simple heuristic for tweaking textbook activities to strengthen meaning…

People in this episode

Guest: Jonathan Newton

Topics covered

• task-based language teaching
• learner agency
• classroom interaction
• motivation
• vocabulary acquisition
• input-based tasks

Keywords

• TBLT
• classroom interaction
• learner ownership
• motivation
• vocabulary
• input-based tasks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria University of Wellington

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