19 Aprile 2026

University of Siena, 15-16 October 2026 Contemporary language education operates within increasingly complex sociolinguistic environments shaped by migration, global mobility, multilingualism, large student cohorts, and growing informal exposure to English and other languages. Within these contexts, language classrooms are no longer isolated spaces but form part of broader learning ecologies in which formal instruction interacts with informal language use, digital media, and multicultural communicative practices. This conference explores how language education can respond coherently and effectively to these conditions while maintaining a strong focus on interaction, learner engagement, motivation, and disciplinary communication. While English will feature prominently, the conference welcomes contributions addressing the teaching and learning of other languages, as well as multilingual and cross-linguistic perspectives. Particular attention will be paid to higher education contexts, where students are often required not only to learn languages but also to use them as tools for accessing, constructing, and communicating disciplinary knowledge. In particular, the conference aims to explore the role of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) as a pedagogical framework capable of responding to the shifting dynamics of our globalised world. This is achieved by building on key international contributions (e.g., Ellis 2003, 2005, 2019; Erlam 2015; Erlam & Tolosa 2022; Long 1985, 2015a, 2015b, Prahbu 1987; Willis 1996), as well as on studies carried out in the Italian context (e.g., Borro 2021; Della Putta & Sordella 2022; Della Putta & Ghia 2025; Morgana 2023; Nuzzo & Cortés Velásquez 2018; Nuzzo & Ferrari 2011; Petrocelli 2021, 2025; Petrocelli, Pizziconi, Ghia & Di Ferrante 2022). Contributions may examine how task-based approaches can support learner engagement and motivation (e.g., Gutiérrez 2024), particularly in contexts where English is no longer positioned solely as a subject to be learned but functions as a lingua franca within multicultural settings, including informal, media-saturated environments (Pavesi & Ghia 2020, Pavesi et al. 2025). At the same time, the conference seeks to place TBLT in dialogue with discipline-informed language education, exploring connections with established traditions and practices such as Language for Specific Purposes (LSP), Language for Academic Purposes (LAP) and Language for Specific Academic Purposes (LSAP) (Long 2015b; Serafini et al. 2015; Siddiqui & Winke 2023), English Medium Instruction (EMI) (Moore 2017), and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) (Nikula 2015; Ortega 2015; Ahmadian & García Mayo 2018; Petrocelli et al. 2022). These approaches raise important questions about how language teaching can support students in engaging with disciplinary knowledge, academic discourse, and specialised communicative practices. The conference, therefore, welcomes contributions that investigate how task-based, discipline-informed pedagogical approaches are interpreted, adapted, and implemented in educational contexts characterised by mobility, multilingualism, and large student populations, both within and beyond higher education (Álvarez & Pérez Cavana 2015; Duong & Nguyen 2021; Liu & Ren 2021). Perspectives from teacher education and professional development in relation to task-based and discipline-informed approaches are also welcome. The aim is to foster an inclusive dialogue on how language education can adapt to contemporary learning ecologies while remaining theoretically grounded and pedagogically purposeful. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following questions: How can meaningful interaction be structured and sustained in large-enrolment language learning contexts?How can task-based approaches support learners’ and teachers’ engagement and motivation, especially in multilingual and multicultural classrooms?How can language education enable students to analyse, construct, and communicate disciplinary knowledge effectively?How can explicit and implicit dimensions of language learning be integrated within coherent curriculum design?How can TBLT be adapted to contexts characterised by mobility, migration, and diverse linguistic repertoires?How can task-based approaches be integrated with LSP, LAP, LSAP, EMI support, or CLIL practices?What role do informal language exposure and digital environments play in shaping task-based learning opportunities?What role does technology-mediated communication play in task-based design and implementation?How can language instructors interpret and respond to learning difficulties in multilingual classrooms shaped by migration and linguistic diversity?How can teacher education and professional development respond to the challenges of implementing TBLT and discipline-informed language education in multilingual and large-enrolment contexts?We welcome theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions that address these issues across educational settings and sociolinguistic contexts. 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