The SLB Podcast

Talking Tasks with Peter Skehan

The full interview with Peter Skehan will be available to participants on our TBLT course. The next course begins on October 22nd 2021 - please visit the course page for more information!

Peter Skehan has written extensively on tasks and the relationship between task conditions, task types and learner output. Some of his key publications include:

• Ellis, R., Skehan, P., Li, S., Shintani, N., and Lambert, C. (2019). Task-based language teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge University Press
• Skehan, P. (1998). A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning. Oxford University Press.
• Skehan, P. (2003). Task-based instruction. Language Teaching, 36, 1–14. (Links to downloadable PDF)
• Skehan, P., & Foster, P. (2001). Cognition and tasks. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and Second Language Instruction (1st ed., pp. 183–205). Cambridge University Press.

We also recommend the following volume in honour of Skehan:

• Wen, Z. and Ahmadian, M., Eds. (2019). Researching L2 Task Performance and Pedagogy: In honour of Peter Skehan. John Benjamins.

In Memoriam Mike Long

Many thanks to Roger Gilabert, Marta González-Lloret, Carme Muñoz and Geoff Jordan for their contributions to this podcast.

The tribute website to Mike, with many memories and photos, can be found here. 

Mike's publications are too many to mention but there is perhaps no better starting point than his 2015 Second Language Acquisition and Task-Based Language Teaching. There is also a detailed CV on his University of Maryland homepage here.

You should also look out for the forthcoming Cambridge Handbook of TBLT, co-edited by Mike and Mohammad Ahmadian, not least because it features contributions from our guests, including a chapter from Neil and Geoff about the TBLT course which Mike, Marta and Roger have all tutored on.

All our guests have published extensively. Roger and Carme are both members of the GRAL Language Acquisition Research Group based at the University of Barcelona; follow the links for publication lists there. 

Marta is, with Lourdes Ortega, a pioneer in the field of technology-mediated TBLT. You can delve into her work here.

And finally, for more information on our cooperative, please see www.slb.coop or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

SLB Origin Stories

This episode deals with the origins of SLB and some of the trials, tribulations and triumphs of forming a cooperative of language services. In order of appearance:

• Neil McMillan (president who believes he's president)
• Richard D Wolff (listen here to his entire interview on Zero Squared)
• George Chilton (father and husband he supposes, ex-secretary of SLB)
• Alan Ritchie (vice president who believes he's vice president)
• James Venner (current SLB secretary)
• Matthew Evans (current SLB socio)
• Simon Courtney (current SLB socio)
• Main Source - Live at the Barbeque
• Irene Almazán García (ex-SLB auditor and admin jedi)
• The New Day Co-op
• The Treacherous Three - Yes We Can Can

Racism and whiteness in ELT

For full show notes, please visit https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-10-racism-whiteness-in-elt/

The coursebook "debate" pt. 2

For full show notes, please see https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-9-the-coursebook-debate-pt-2/

"We need to talk about coursebooks", with Geoff Jordan, Nick White and Matthew Ellman

Please see the full show notes here: https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-8-we-need-to-talk-about-coursebooks-show-notes/

7: Finnish Dreams (and Nightmares) with Myles Klynhout & Elina Paatsila

This episode covers the SLB response to the Coronavirus crisis, a chat with Myles Klynhout about life living, working and studying in Finland, and an interview between Myles and Elina Paatsila of Positive Learning. 

Full show notes can be found here: https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-7-finnish-dreams-and-nightmares-show-notes/

6: Things of 2019 with Neil, Geoff, Simon, Anita & Elen

Full show notes can be found here.

5: Vicious Circles around 'The Great Toad' with Scott Thornbury and Geoff Jordan

Full show notes can be read here: https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-5-vicious-circles-and-the-great-toad-of-elt-with-scott-thornbury-and-geoff-jordan-show-notes/

4: Precarity (Know the Ledge) with Paul Walsh, James Venner & Alice Copello

Full show notes here: https://www.slb.coop/the-slb-podcast-ep-4-precarity-know-the-ledge-show-notes