THE ROLE OF TEACHERS IN TASK-BASED LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Both within the research literature on tasks and second acquisition and within the pedagogical literature on task-based instruction (TBLT), the role of the teacher has received scant attention. during this article, the role of the teacher in TBLT is approached from three perspectives: (a) the teacher as mediator of the students‘ language development, contributing to the effectiveness of TBLT as a pedagogical approach to second language education; (b) the teacher as a key figure within the implementation of TBLT, and thus as a change agent within the innovation of second language education; and (c) the teacher as researcher, and thus as an energetic contributor to the event and further refinement of TBLT as a researched pedagogy.IntroductionBoth within the research literature on tasks and second learning and within the pedagogical literature on task-based teaching (TBLT), the role of the teacher has received scant attention. within the domain of second language acquisition (SLA), research on tasks and learning has primarily focused on establishing relationships between certain features of language tasks (such as their complexity, the sort of knowledge exchange involved, or the time pressure under which they have to be performed) and second language learners‘ performance and/or development. within the pedagogically oriented literature on TBLT, the central roleofthelearnertendstobehighlighted:Learnersaretypicallydescribedasactive agents who, through the performance of tasks, develop implicit and explicit second language knowledge and gradually become improved in comprehending and producing the target language for meaningful purposes. TBLT is defined as a ―learner-centered approach to teaching,‖ which may be critical more traditional, ―teacher-dominated‖ approaches (e.g., Van den Branden,Bygate,&Norris,2009,p.3).