Promoting Teacher Professional Development through Online Task-Based Instruction

• Published in: International journal of virtual and personal learning environments Vol. 1; no. 4; pp. 52 - 65
• Main Author: Solares-Altamirano, María Elena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hershey IGI Global 01.10.2010
• Subjects: Autonomous; Book publishing; CAI; Colleges & universities; Computer assisted instruction; Course Descriptions; Course Objectives; Education; English (Second Language); Faculty Development; Foreign Countries; Guidelines; Language instruction; Language Role; Language Teachers; Learning; On-line systems; Online; Online Courses; Online education; Professional development; Questions; Required Courses; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Study and teaching; Task Analysis; Tasks; Teacher Education; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Universities; Mexico; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1947-8518; 1947-8526
• DOI: 10.4018/jvple.2010100104

The importance of teachers in the success of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is unquestionable. However, designing a teacher course on TBLT raises many questions concerning ‘what’ and ‘how’ it can be implemented. Can teachers’ professional development be promoted through Task-Based Instruction (TBI)? This paper explores this question by examining the design and implementation of an online course for teacher development on TBLT at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. This paper proposes a task definition for teacher education and develops a framework for TBI in online teacher education. The tasks, suggested framework for professional development, and potential of online education resulting from the interaction tools used in this course also provide insights into the development of online TBI for teacher education.