John Norris is a Principal Research Scientist at ETS Japan, where he conducts research and outreach related to language teaching, learning, and assessment. From 2016-2022 he was Senior Research Director of the Center for Language Education and Assessment Research at Educational Testing Service in the US. Prior to joining ETS, he was a professor at Georgetown University and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and assessment specialist at Northern Arizona University. He began his career as an English teacher in Brazil, and he completed his Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Hawai‘i. John’s research focuses on language education (task-based language teaching), assessment, program evaluation, and research methods. His most recent book publication is “Assessing academic English for higher education admissions”, winner of the Sage/ILTA best book on language testing in 2022. John speaks German, Portuguese, and Spanish, and he is currently acquiring Japanese.
These presentations are intended to provide teachers and others with practical information on language teaching and assessment innovations with task-based principles and practices.
1907年の建学以来、「研究第一」、「門戸開放」、「実学尊重」の理念のもと、多くの指導的人材を輩出し、世界的に卓越した研究成果をもって人類の知の地平を拡大し、未来社会へ向けた変革・イノベーションを先導してきました。
2018年11月に策定した「東北大学ビジョン2030」では、教育・研究・社会連携の好循環を実現し、社会とともに成長する大学として、最先端の創造と大変革への挑戦を表明しております。
Effective Syllabus Design in English for General Academic Purposes Instruction
IIGE webinar: Effective syllabus design in English for general academic purposes instruction.
This 40-minute webinar demonstrates a practical approach to designing English for general academic purposes instruction using task-based language teaching principles. The presentation provides useful examples of different stages of instruction, focusing on what learners and teachers can do to develop EAP language skills through a variety of pedagogic tasks.
Norris, J. M. (June, 2022). Effective syllabus design in English for general academic purposes instruction. Invited webinar presentation for the Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) professional development series, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan.
IIGE Intn'l Forum 2023 | Implementing Task-Based Language Teaching in University English Instruction
IIGE workshop: Implementing task-based language teaching in university English instruction.
This 90-minute workshop walks participants through the hands-on development of task-based language teaching activities, starting with the determination of target task learning needs, then focusing on a series of pedagogic tasks for developing associated language abilities, and concluding with the assessment of task-based performance and learning.
Norris, J. M. (January, 2023). Implementing task-based language teaching in university English instruction. Invited workshop presentation for the Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) professional development series, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan.
John Norris CRELLA Presentation, 2021
CRELLA summer seminar: Making the most of task-based language assessment.
This 30-minute presentation introduces and provides a rationale for task-based language assessment (TBLA), illustrates the different ways in which task-based language assessments are used, and discusses the consequences of adopting task-based versus other forms of assessment.
Norris, J. M. (July, 2021). Making the most of task-based language assessment. Invited presentation at the CRELLA Summer Research Seminar, University of Bedfordshire, UK.
John Norris presentation, Kanda University of International Studies, 12-23-2022
KUIS presentation: The critical contributions of task-based language assessment to meaningful language education.
This 60-minute presentation addresses how task-based assessments can be used by teachers and learners in the language classroom, including numerous illustrative examples of different ways that TBLA can directly support language teaching and learning.
Norris, J. M. (December, 2022). The critical contributions of task-based language assessment to meaningful language education. Invited presentation at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS), Chiba, Japan.
Lixiong Gu., Shuhong Li., Tongyun Li, & Norris, J. M. (2023). Maintaining Score Quality on the Enhanced TOEFL iBT® Test.
Larry Davis., & Norris, J. M. (2023). A Comparison of Two TOEFL® Writing Tasks.
Jeremy Lee., & Norris, J. M. (2023). The Effectiveness of the TOEFL® Essentials™ Test for Distinguishing English Proficiency Levels.
Norris, J. M., & Sasayama, S. (2021). TOEFL Teaching Framework: Guidelines for planning English language lessons and courses, TOEFL iBT edition. Educational Testing Service.
Norris, J. M., & Davis, J. McE. (2021). Evaluating task-based language programs. In M. Ahmadian & M. Long (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of task-based language teaching (pp. 529-548). Cambridge University Press.
Malicka, A., Gilabert, R., & Norris, J. M. (2019). From needs analysis to task design: Insights from an English for Academic Purposes context. Language Teaching Research, 23(1), 78—106. DOI: 10.1177/1362168817714278.
Sasayama, S., & Norris, J. M. (2019). Unravelling cognitive task complexity: Learning from learners’ perspectives on task characteristics and second language performance. In Z. Wen & M. Ahmadian (Eds.), Researching second language task performance and pedagogy: Essays in honor of Peter Skehan (pp. 95-132). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Norris, J. M., Davis, J., & Timpe-Laughlin, V. (2017). Second language educational experiences for adult learners. Routledge.
Norris, J. M., Sasayama, S., & Kim, M. (2023). Simulating real-world context in an e-mail writing task: Implications for task-based language assessment. ETS Research Report (ETS RR 23-05). Educational Testing Service.
Sasayama, S., & Norris, J. M. (2023). Designing speaking tasks for different assessment goals: The complex relationship between cognitive task complexity, language performance, and task accomplishment. Task, 2(2), 184-217.
Norris, J. M., & East, M. (2021). Task-based language assessment. In M. Ahmadian & M. Long (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of task-based language teaching (pp. 505-528). Cambridge University Press.
Sasayama, S., Garcia-Gomez, P., & Norris, J. M. (2021). Designing efficient L2 writing assessment tasks for low-proficiency learners of English. TOEFL Research Report RR-97. Educational Testing Service.
Xi, X., & Norris, J. M. (Eds.). (2021). Assessing academic English for higher education admissions. Routledge. [Winner of the Sage/ILTA best book on language testing award, 2021]
Norris, J. M. (2018). Task-based language assessment: Aligning designs with intended uses and consequences. JLTA Journal, 21, 3-20.
Davis, L., Norris, J. M., Papageorgiou, S., & Sasayama, S. (2023). Balancing construct coverage and efficiency: Test design, security, and validation considerations for a remote-proctored online language test. In K. Sadeghi & D. Douglas (Eds.), Fundamental Considerations in Technology Mediated Language Assessment (pp. 49-63). Routledge.