TBLTea: the Task-Based Language Teaching Channel

02/28/2026

☕ New Tea Alert! ☕

Tea the Change: Critical Tasks & Social Justice

We're excited to share our latest episode featuring Dr. Leonardo da Silva, Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In this video, Dr. da Silva spills the tea on why language is never neutral and how TBLT can become a site of resistance, emancipation, and real social change.

What You'll Learn:
☕ Why language is ideologically loaded and why TBLT can't afford to focus solely on language functions
☕ How to recover TBLT's educational foundations, including learning by doing, learner freedom, and participatory democracy
☕ What makes a task truly "critical" and how critical needs analysis accounts for power relations and possibilities for transformation
☕ A practical example: tackling climate change misinformation via WhatsApp using videos and news, culminating in reflection on environmental racism
☕ Why process matters more than product and critical consciousness is a long term commitment
☕ The teacher's pivotal role as mediator in democratic and collaborative task design

Watch Now! → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRe2E9HFLAQ

Is your TBLT practice ready to get critical? If you want to design language tasks that spark real social awareness in your students, this one is for you! How do you bring critical perspectives into your classroom? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Sonnet 4.6

02/10/2026

February is a short month, but we’ve still got a workshop to bring the TBLT community together!✨🌏
We are excited to welcome Kevin Fedewa to share about a task-based curriculum for adolescent Chinese language learners. Mark your calendars to join us for a discussion about multi-modal tasks in this context!

01/26/2026

🎉 New Year, New Tea! ☕

📚 The Tea you Need: From Needs Analysis to Authentic Tasks

We're excited to share our latest episode featuring Dr. Mackenzie Coulter Kern, Director of the Wabash County Diversity Coalition and Spanish instructor at Manchester University. In this video, Dr. Coulter-Kern spills the tea on how needs analysis drives effective Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and fosters multicultural awareness.

What You'll Learn:
✨ How to conduct needs analysis to identify gaps between current and desired language skills
✨ Strategies for designing syllabi that connect to real-world community needs
✨ A practical example: developing "Spanish for Educators" at Manchester University
✨ How to incorporate cultural questions, authentic materials, and native speaker feedback
✨ Why understanding cultural context is essential for effective TBLT
✨ Recommendations for creating relevant, needs-based language courses

👀Watch Now! → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZRrpW-iV0A

If you want to design language courses that truly meet your students' and community's needs, this video is for you! How do you use needs analysis in your curriculum design? Share your thoughts in the comments!

01/21/2026

New year, same free, virtual workshop series🎊🌍💻This January we are excited to welcome Dr. Eman Mahmoud from the United Arab Emirates University. We hope you can join us to discuss task-based language assessment!
🗓️ January 21
⏰ 10-10:45am EST
Message for the Zoom link!

12/11/2025

❄️🎉 Join us next week for the last workshop of 2025! We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Valentina Morgana to share about multimodal input tasks for teacher training:

🗓️ December 11
⏰ 10am - 10:45am EST

Email or message for the Zoom link!

05/19/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Fernández for this wonderful recognition! 👏👏She is truly a transformative force in TBLT and in the broader field of language education.

Team TBLTea is thankful to her for all the work that she does!

🌟 We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Claudia Fernández is the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Practitioner’s Award! 🎉

A true leader in Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), Dr. Fernández has transformed Spanish instruction at the university level with a fully task-based curriculum. Her textbooks, research, and mentorship have empowered educators far and wide to bring TBLT to life in their own classrooms.

Congratulations, Dr. Fernández, and thank you for your lasting impact on language education! 👏📚

05/12/2025

🚨 New Video Alert! 🚨

💻 “Taking Tech to Task: Technology Mediated TBLT (Part 2)” with Marta González Lloret 🍵

We’re excited to share Part 2 of our deep dive into Technology Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching (TMTBLT) with Marta González Lloret, professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa! If you caught Part 1, you know Marta is passionate about transforming language education with technology. In this follow-up, she explores how to fully integrate technology at every stage of your curriculum.

✨ What You’ll Learn in Part 2:
✅ How to incorporate tech from needs analysis to program evaluation
✅ The power of virtual exchanges for real-world language practice
✅ Using ChatGPT for task creation, lesson planning, and student support
✅ Tips for starting with familiar tools and building toward more advanced tech
✅ The importance of performance-based assessments for meaningful feedback

📌 Watch Now! → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh0b4wyhWIo

Ready to level up your TBLT practice? This video is packed with practical insights and expert advice to help you make the most of digital tools in your teaching. How are you using tech in your classroom? Share your ideas below! 👇🍵

05/01/2025

May is right around the corner! 🌷🌻Join us next week to talk about AI-generated tasks with Dr. Roger Gilabert. As always, we encourage educators and researchers from all backgrounds to attend! Message or email [email protected] for the FREE Zoom link 📧

04/25/2025

🚨 New Episode Drop on TBLTea! 🚨

🎥 “Taking Tech to Task: Technology-Mediated TBLT (Part 1)” with Marta González Lloret 🍵💻

We’re honored to feature Marta González Lloret, professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, in a two-part talk on Technology-Mediated Task-Based Language Teaching (TMBLT).

⚠️ With language programs across the U.S. facing closure and declining enrollments, Marta raises a powerful call to action: Innovate or risk extinction.

✨ In This Talk, You’ll Learn:
✅ What TMBLT is and how it integrates tech into all stages of teaching
✅ Why students stop learning languages—and how we can change that
✅ How to design authentic, tech-enhanced tasks that build both language and digital literacy
✅ The urgency of modernizing language curricula for today’s learners
✅ Resources to help educators implement TMBLT gradually and effectively

📌 Watch Now! → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7D4nAQRE7E

This is more than a talk—it’s a wake-up call and a toolkit for the future of language education. Join the conversation, and let’s reimagine what’s possible for language learning! 👇🍵

04/13/2025

📣 Miss connecting with the Task Bank community in-person during spring conferences? Join us virtually next week for our (free!) April workshop 🌷
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Shaofeng Li to the 2025 workshop series to share about his work on individual differences. Join us on Tuesday, April 15th at 8pm EST!

📧Message/email for the Zoom link

04/13/2025

Pre- and post-conference workshops will take place on Wednesday and Saturday for an additional fee. Wednesday, June 25 Round 1: Leveling Up Language Learning: Designing Educational Games with AIAlfonso Sintjago (University of Michigan)9:00am-12:00pm Educational games can greatly boost student motiva...