Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Note: Graduate students only. 

This graduate seminar uses the theoretical and empirical lens of task-based language teaching and learning (TBLT) to explore current topics in instructed second language acquisition (ISLA). Cognitive-interactionist, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic approaches to researching tasks in relation to language learning will be explored in terms of non-linguistic communicative outcomes as well as fluency, accuracy, complexity, functional adequacy, attention, and cognitive load. A critical approach will also be employed for designing and evaluating task-based materials in both empirical and instructed contexts. Key components of utilizing TBLT in ISLA to be examined in detail include needs analysis, curriculum, syllabus, task design, and sequencing tasks according to the cognitive demands placed on learners. We will also unpack challenges with translating TBLT research findings into impactful, socially-just interventions for learners of diverse individual differences in face-face, virtual, and hybrid conditions.

Students will engage in instructor- and student-led critical discussions of TBLT theory and research to inform group and individual task-based empirical applications that align with course content and further their individual research agendas. Students will also contribute actively to TBLT-related open-access initiatives including the TBLT Task Bank (tblt.indiana.edu), network with fellow early career and established TBLT researchers, and engage (at a distance) with the IATBLT 2025 Biennial Conference occurring during the semester. After completing this course, students will have original research to share at the next IATBLT conference (2027) and a draft of a paper for future publication in journal TASK.

Pre-requisites: Students enrolled in this course should have a background in the field of second language acquisition or ISLA and a basic understanding of research methods used in the field of ISLA or similar (exceptions to be discussed, please email). Students from allied departments are welcome. While the course will be conducted in English, students are welcome to complete coursework in any Department language (Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan).

HISP-S 716     #12913    11:10A-12:25P      MW      AC C 103     Prof. Laura Gurzynski-Weiss