From Dialogue to Project-Based Communication

This chapter addresses the gap between communicative and pedagogical design in the teaching and learning of English as a Second Language (ESL), particularly within the Chinese higher education context. While existing pedagogies, such as project-based learning (PBL), are advanced, they often fail to systematically design communication as a sustained process. Communicative practice is often reduced to classroom dialogue or final-stage performance. This chapter applies the LivePBL DEEP Method as a design methodology for project-based communication. The method organises communication as an iterative process socially across project stages, stakeholders, and other contexts. Drawing on design cases, including intergenerational storytelling, the chapter demonstrates how project-based communication enables language use through social practice. Overall, the study contributes a design method that makes communication explicit, actionable, and pedagogically coherent in ESL teaching and learning.