Jordan often argues “the research says…” In fact, the research hasn’t been quite as clear on the benefits of TBLT as he would like us to believe. He’s only citing the research that supports his claims.

This week’s discussion will focus on an interview with Geoff Jordan, who is passionate about CLT and TBLT. I had never heard of him before, but I find his interview entertaining (he really feels strongly about TBLT!) and I think he gives us some food for thought. It’s a lighter video– most of the content will be review (he does talk about different syllabi, which we’ll be discussing next week, so that part will be a preview). However, it does distill some of the issues in TBLT in a world of globalized English.
Take a look!

(Links to an external site.)
Then, consider Jordan’s view that we should “burn the bloody textbooks and all the crap that’s in it!” (I told you he would be very enthusiastic!!! He curses quite a bit!!). To what extent is he right about the harms of the industrialization and the commodification of TESOL, and the importance of moving radically to TBLT? To what extent is he wrong? Feel free to draw on both the research and your teaching/tutoring experiences. How would you respond to him if you could speak with him?
ALSO, we discussed briefly the lack of diverse voices in TBLT (with notable exceptions of Prabhu and Han). If you would like, reflect a bit on this point. Why has TBLT research been so concentrated in western, largely white, contexts? Obviously, we will not arrive at an answer, but it is worth discussing!
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DISCLAIMER: Jordan often argues “the research says…” In fact, the research hasn’t been quite as clear on the benefits of TBLT as he would like us to believe. He’s only citing the research that supports his claims.

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