TBL and Teacher Preparation: Toward a Curriculum for Pre-service Teachers

English language learners (ELLs) represent a growing demographic in the elementary mainstream classroom of today. Initial teacher education (ITE) programs must prepare teacher candidates for the dual challenge of teaching curriculum content while supporting the development of English language proficiency. Task-based learning (TBL) holds potential for addressing these learner needs. This article describes the curriculum and provides a list of suitable readings and tasks (assignments) for a 3-hour (one full course-equivalent) university course at the pre-service level that bridges theory to practice, and prepares elementary-route teachers to design and implement TBL in the context of the mainstream class setting. By basing the proposed curriculum on TBL, a model is provided for students to learn firsthand how TBL may be implemented in the mainstream.