From "Task" to "Project": The Evolution and Reconstruction of the Approach to English Learning

Wuhuan Zou

doi:10.63313/EH.9033

Authors

Wuhuan Zou Zhejiang Normal University of Foreign Language College, Jinhua 321000, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/EH.9033

Keywords:

Task-Based Language Teaching, Project-Based Learning, Teaching Activity Perspective, History of English Education in China

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the evolutionary logic of the Approach to English Learning from Task-Based Language (TBL) to Project-Based Learning (PBL). Employing historical-philosophical analysis, this research delves into key practices within the history of English education in China. It reveals that the pedagogical reforms during the Republic of China era already contained a "historical prototype" of TBL, while their later emphasis on cultural inquiry and self-development foreshadowed the "spiritual precursor" of PBL. The teaching model of the Yuan Dynasty's "Hui Hui Guo Zi Xue," which integrated language as a "technique" with practical knowledge such as commerce and mathematics, further demonstrates the ancient wisdom of PBL's interdisciplinary integration. The study posits that the evolution from TBL to PBL is, in essence, a philosophical reconstruction of the English teaching activity perspective,i.e a shift from "method-centered" to "learner-centered," from "skill training" to "competency cultivation," and from "disciplinary isolation" to "interdisciplinary integration." This historical examination provides theoretical support and practical insights for the current construction of a locally contextualized "post-PBL" integrated teaching framework.

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