Speakers
Description
How can EFL students use English beyond the classroom in meaningful ways? This poster presents a first-year project-based English program where students supported inbound tourism through community-connected tasks. Students interviewed local business owners and visitors and produced English magazine-style articles for international audiences. Grounded in TBLT, the project highlights task design, fieldwork logistics, and learning outcomes that are difficult to achieve through classroom-only instruction.
Keywords
Project Based Learning
In-bound tourism
Fieldwork
Abstract
This poster presents a first-year project-based English program in which university students engage in community-connected tasks to support inbound tourism in a local hot spring town. It was designed to move students beyond classroom-based tasks and provide authentic opportunities to use English in real-world interactions while supporting connections with the local community.
The project is grounded in task-based language teaching (TBLT), with tasks defined by non-linguistic outcomes such as producing informational texts for international visitors (Ellis, 2003; Long, 2015). It builds on earlier student-produced tourism promotion videos and was further inspired by Yasuta’s (2024) work on English tourism materials distributed in local hotels.
In small groups, students prepared interview questions and interviewed local business owners and foreign visitors in English and in Japanese. Students took notes, engaged in photography and videography to produce written journals, and reflection pieces. Post-excursion, students mobilized their available linguistic resources to produce English magazine-style articles promoting the town.
This poster contributes to language education practice by demonstrating that project-based fieldwork can create learning opportunities that are difficult to replicate in classroom-only settings, including spontaneous interaction with the local community and inbound tourists. Such experiences are especially valuable in EFL environments with limited natural exposure to English.
Attendees will gain a practical framework for designing and implementing similar field-based interview projects. This includes recruiting fieldwork locations, task sequencing, student preparation, risk management, and post-task reflection. Observed learning outcomes and student reflections will offer insights into how extramural projects can enhance confidence, communicative competence, and learner engagement.
References
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
Long, M. H. (2015). Second language acquisition and task-based language teaching. Wiley Blackwell.
Yasuta, T. (2024). Enhancing Autonomy in L2 Writing: AI-Assisted Manga-Based PBL. 2024 Tohoku ELT Expo.
Short summary
How can EFL students use English beyond the classroom in meaningful ways? This poster presents a first-year project-based English program where students supported inbound tourism through community-connected tasks. Students interviewed local business owners and visitors and produced English magazine-style articles for international audiences. Grounded in TBLT, the project highlights task design, fieldwork logistics, and learning outcomes that are difficult to achieve through classroom-only instruction.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Connecting Classroom and Community: A TBL Tourism Project |