Communicative and Task-Based Language Teaching in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

Communicative language teaching (CLT) and task-based language teaching (TBLT) were introduced to Asia as an alternative to traditional methods to teaching second/foreign languages, such as the grammar-translation method. Since then, CLT and TBLT have grown in popularity and have been promoted as central components in curricula and syllabi in many countries in the Asia- Pacific region. In several studies, however, researchers have observed that CLT and TBLT are often not used as intended in Asian classrooms, and they have also identified a number of challenges and constraints that teachers face when implementing these pedagogies. More recently, various innovative strategies to implementing CLT/TBLT in Asian classrooms have been taken, including negotiating with local factors and adapting CLT/TBLT to work with existing methods. Such adaptations highlight the importance of contextualization when implementing CLT/TBLT. Although CLT and TBLT have gradually gained wider acceptance in Asian classrooms, a few unsolved issues remain, such as (a) how to situate CLT/TBLT in highly exam-oriented educational systems and societies, (b) how to incorporate form-focused instruction in CLT/TBLT to meet the needs of the learners and to maximize learning outcomes, (c) and how best to support teachers in employing CLT/TBLT. The adaptations of CLT/TBLT in Asia also illustrate that there is no such thing as a universally best pedagogical method or approach across context and time, whether CLT, TBLT, or any other approach. This chapter concludes by suggesting future directions for research and pedagogy on CLT/TBLT in Asia. The findings confirm the importance of having a flexible approach to implementing CLT/TBLT in Asian contexts.