Is a TRULY task-based curriculum possible? - Claudia Fernandez

Want to move away from 1:1 and build your teaching business? Book a free 1:1 with us to see if we can help.  

From beginner to intermediate in 9 months: yes, it's possible and Claudia Fernandez tells us how.

Claudia runs her Spanish program at the University of Illinois-Chicago using a task-based curriculum. One result was bringing fifteen A1 students to intermediate over 9 months. She shares her story and how others can do the same. 

At the University of Illinois-Chicago, Claudia is a Clinical Associate Professor, where she directs the Spanish Basic Language Program using a task-based curriculum. Her research and teaching focus on task-based language teaching, materials development, and classroom-based language acquisition. She is an award-winning educator, published author, and active contributor to both national and international professional organizations in the field of language education.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Implementing task-based language teaching from scratch

• Why there is still pushback against TBLT 

• Mindset shifts every institution needs

• Aligning tasks with assessments

• Claudia’s experience of helping students go from absolute beginner to intermediate in 9 months

• Effective task design

• How learners acquire grammar through input-based approaches

• Instruction habits that get in the way of learning 

• How to create needs analyses in task-based learning

 

FOR MORE FROM CLAUDIA FERNANDEZ:

1. Connect on LinkedIn

2. Her university page

3. Her publication on moving from grammar to proficiency-driven programs 

 

Support the show:

Do you help students prepare for the TOEFL test? Check out My Speaking Score - an AI platform with data-driven feedback to help students get 26 on TOEFL speaking. Trusted by over 100,000 TOEFL test takers.

My Speaking Score: https://www.myspeakingscore.com/

 

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:

1. Book a free 1:1 chat with us to strategize your teaching business. 

2. Subscribe to the LYE YouTube Channel

3. Learn how to monetize your teaching skills with TAP 

4. Download our free guides for teacherpreneurs. 

5. Connect with us on our Substack.