Developing and Assessing Authentic, Integrated Language Tasks:

A Path to Higher Levels of Communicative Competence

Jill Pellettieri, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Department Chair

Department of Modern Languages & Literatures

Santa Clara University

jpellettieri@scu.edu

AATSP 2012 Workshop Handout

Workshop Notes2

Definition2

Deconstructing the Concept: Integrated, Authentic Tasks2

Analysis: What do authentic, integrated language tasks look like?4

¡Manos a la obra! Creating your own tasks10

Identifying authentic materials: Resources & Strategies11

Working with Authentic Materials12

Tasks and Assessment13

Bibliography15

Resources16

Resources for Developing Tasks16

Resources for Assessing Tasks16

Resources for Research Related to SLA and Task-based Teaching & Learning16

Resources for Locating Authentic Materials for Task Design17

Workshop NotesDefinition

I define an ‘authentic, integrated language task’ as:

a structured, holistic language activity with a real world orientation that engages learners in meaningful language use in order to achieve some non-linguistic outcome, and whose general purpose is not limited to language development.

(Based on Ellis, 2003; Samuda & Bygate, 2008; Skehan, 1998; inter alios)

Deconstructing the Concept: Integrated, Authentic TasksStructured

A good task is structured to target specific learning outcome(s). This involves thought and planning on the instructor’s part. Decisions must be made about a range of parameters, including the context, (e.g. topic, the number of participants, how they are grouped, the number of steps, time limits, etc.), the content (the nature of input materials), the modes of communication involved, and the nature of the outcome (e.g. one or many possible). These decisions should be motivated by a principled understanding of their potential impact on learning. For this reason, task design is considered a specialized activity (Johnson 2000).

Carefully structured tasks can guide learners in their work and promote more felicitous learning conditions. However, it is important to understand that a task designer’s plan and what the learners actually do with it and learn from it may not always match (Breen, 1989).

A lot of valuable scholarship has been written on task structure and its impact on language learning, and we should use this knowledge to inform our decisions on how we structure tasks. In the “Resources” section below you will find references to some of this scholarship, which I hope you will explore on your own as you develop tasks for your classes.

Holistic language activity

Holistic is another term for integrated. It recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of the different parts that constitute the whole of meaningful communication. In other words, we rarely use language related skills in isolation to accomplish a communicative objective. The idea of integrated skills is highlighted in the ACTFL Standards for Foreign Language Learning.

Integrated language tasks will therefore be those that require the integration of at least two modes of communication, along with several other paralinguistic and non-linguistic skills and strategies, which we will discuss shortly.

Real-world orientation

The phrase ‘real-world’ is another way of saying authentic. Authenticity can be used to describe the task’s outcome, its process(es), its content/input, or all of the above. I will refer to authenticity in terms of a real-world orientation, which, following Skehan (1998, p. 95), will mean having “some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities.” This approach recognizes that while many tasks may not be identical to those people do outside the classroom, by doing them, learners still engage in the kinds of linguistic behaviors required for successful language use and communication outside of the classroom (Ellis 2003).

Engages learners

Tasks must provide the context and motivation for learners to want to use the language meaningfully. A hot topic and a fun and interesting outcome can go a long way in accomplishing this goal. But equally as important are a task’s input materials, the target language text(s) that provide a point of departure for the task work. While the nature of input materials (i.e. texts, songs, videos, etc.) will vary according to the learning objectives being targeted, their purposes will remain constant. For the instructor/task designer, they provide a convenient way to integrate opportunities for language learning with culture, connections to other disciplines and critical thinking. For the learner, they can provide intrinsic motivation for engaging with the task, as well as the necessary support for arriving at the task’s outcome.

…in meaningful language use

Meaningful language use is that in which learners must monitor and process meaning and use language purposefully.

Non-linguistic outcome

Following Samuda & Bygate (2008), a non-linguistic outcome is anything that is mediated by language but is not language for language sake. In other words, it is “a pragmatic conclusion to the task” (p.68). An outcome can take many forms, with just a few examples being a negotiated decision, an informative presentation, a story, an email, a podcast, a multimedia public service announcement, etc.

Decisions about the nature of the task outcomes are a critical part of the task structuring process, and their importance cannot be overstated. Outcomes:

· provide learners with a purpose for their language use

· they can motivate learners to maximize their engagement, language production, and learning,

· provide learners with a way to know when they have completed their work (when presented along with clear and explicit expectations about what the outcome should look like

· serve to boost learners’ confidence when they see that they were able to achieve them.

Not limited exclusively to language development

Communicative competence is not limited to grammar and vocabulary. Communicative competence refers to the wide range of language-related knowledge and skills, as well as the ability to use them to communicate successfully. Defined in this way, communicative competence includes all the linguistic, paralinguistic and non-linguistic factors involved in communicating with a range of people across different cultural boundaries. So, this last part of this definition of task emphasizes that an integrated, authentic task should present opportunities to practice and further develop language skills, as well as opportunities to learn and think critically about products, practices and perspectives beyond the language itself.

Analysis: What do authentic, integrated language tasks look like?

Model Task 1: Imagen: percepción y realidad (intermediate to advanced levels)

The task centers on the theme and the question of perception vs. reality and is structured in the following way:

· Students (Ss) are assigned to groups of 4 and each S reads a unique, theme-related article. They are told the articles have to do with the theme, but are not told explicitly how they relate to it. The articles come from newspapers and magazines and center on the idea of image and stereotypes of Latinos. The following topics work well, and below I provide links to possible articles:

· Carmen Miranda // Eva Longoria, etc.

· http://labrujaensucueva.blogspot.com/2012/04/carmen-miranda-la-mujer-detras-del.html

· http://mexico.cnn.com/opinion/2011/11/23/opinion-lo-que-no-debe-gustarte-de-las-mujeres-latinas-en-la-television

· Memín Pinguín

· http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2008/07/10/actualidad/1215640805_850215.html

· Speedy González

· http://www.lanacion.com.ar/388233-speedy-gonzales-un-roedor-polemico

· Eugenio Derbez

· http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/mexicoenlapantallaentrelaburlaylarealidad-1201446.html

· Ss are told not to share their articles with each other until their discussion group meets

· Ss are given the following instructions:

· Use only Spanish during the conversation

· Do not bring your article and do not take notes during the conversation

· you may bring a graphic if that is essential to understanding the article

· bring paper to jot down notes immediately after your conversation.

· Make significant contributions to the conversation

· share information, offer opinions, ask and answer questions, ask for clarification if necessary, make critical connections with things you may already know.

· Help your group mates

· using only Spanish

· Elaborate your language

· use theme-related vocabulary

· use target grammar structures where appropriate

· Each group meets for approx. 20-30 minutes (conversations are videotaped)

· Each S shares his/her article

· All Ss discuss all articles, find common thread among them, and their connection to the topic (imagen: percepción y realidad), discuss different perspectives presented within and across articles, and explore how those perspectives compare and contrast with their own.

· Each S writes a summary of the conversation to include a summary of each article and a description and justification for what they identified as common threads and different perspectives.

· Students are told beforehand that this entire task will be graded and they are given a rubric to demonstrate expectations.

This task integrates the 3 modes of communication

· interpretative

· reading and analyzing article

· interpersonal

· group conversation

· presentational

· written summary

In addition to the language focus, this task also integrates the ACTFL Cultures, Comparisons, and Connections Standards. By completing this task, students learn about different cultural products and perspectives, and are challenged to examine their own perspective on stereotypes and how they impact our perception of others.

Research and theories that inform some of the decisions behind the task’s structure

1) Decisions made to promote meaningful, ‘acquisition-rich’ interaction.

SLA research and a significant amount of empirical data suggest that certain types of interaction are at least highly beneficial, if not necessary for L2 acquisition.

· Student centered

· Groups of 4

· Jig-saw structure

NOTE: Because the outcome was relatively open-ended, it was crucial that the participant roles, and information flow patterns be well structured

· Information is split among participants, and that information is crucial to successfully completing the task

· Learners are compelled to speak to AND comprehend each

· L2 research suggests that this type of task promotes more acquisition-rich language interaction (Pellettieri, 2000; Pica, Kanagy, Falodun, 1993; inter alios)

· co-construction/ negotiation of meaning, comprehensible output, etc.

· Instructions

· No articles

· reading would hinder or impede more ‘natural’ interaction

· Help group mates

· students do more collaborative talk when instructed to do so (Naughton 2006)

· Written summary

· Compels learners to pay attention to and comprehend partners

· can promote collaborative interaction, negotiation, etc.

2) Decisions made to promote focus-on-form

SLA research suggests that focusing on language form in the context of creating and interpreting meaning is beneficial, if not necessary, for L2 acquisition (Long 1991)

· Instruction – Elaborate language

· promotes pre-task planning; learners think about what ideas they may want to express and how best to express them

· can have positive effects on learners’ fluency and the complexity of the language they produce (see Ellis 2003).

· promotes ‘pushed output’ and conscious attention to form in the context of making meaning (Swain 1995)

· Written summary

· promotes ‘pushed output’ and conscious attention to form in the context of making meaning (Swain 1995)

· Articles

· promote ‘noticing’ of form (see Ellis 2003)

· allow students to ‘mine’ them for lexical and grammatical models

3) Decisions made to promote learner engagement

· Articles

· Make sure you think students will find them interesting!

· Some students look up information on their own b/c they are so interested in the article

· Instructions

· Graded

· This type of L2 work is challenging for learners, which may provide motivation for some, but many students need more motivation to make greater efforts. There often needs to be something at stake.

· Awareness that their performance matters, and that their efforts will be rewarded can lead to greater engagement in the task, and a greater focus on accuracy in production (Skehan 1998)

· No articles in conversation

· Requires students to engage more deeply with their article (read and re-read) before group meeting

· Written summary

· Provides opportunity reflection on learning from experience

· reflection is essential for learning (Dewey 1933)

Model Task 2: “Asesor de viajes”, part 1

“Asesor de viajes” is a versatile task, easily adaptable from elementary to advanced levels. It is also a nice example of a larger “task sequence”, or series of tasks that follow up one from the other, that can be used across several class periods, and even to develop a whole thematic unit on travel.

Task Description * Part 1

· Ss are placed in the role of researchers for TripAdvisor.com

· “Special feature on Spanish-speaking world”

· boss wants recommendations for an individual or group of travelers.

· Stages

· Pre-task stage (can be expanded into a larger task itself )

· out of class: each S does research on a specific destination: write & bring brief summary and 1 image to class (use Spanish TripAdvisor for research)

· the total number of destinations used will vary according to the size of the class.

· More Ss = more specific roles for each (e.g. categories of info to investigate and share).

· in class destination groups meet to share & organize info and materials

· time will vary according to how task is carried out

· 5 mins for shorter task to 15 -30 mins to put together better presentation

· Main-task stages (Travel trade show)

· Destination groups divide into “P” and “V” groups

· Each P pair is given an information table and a different traveler profile

· P pairs together visit other booths at the trade show (2-3 mins each booth), they ask questions of presenters to obtain info

· role reversal

· Destination groups reunite to

· share what they learned about other destinations

· decide which best fits their traveler’s profile

· justify decision

· Post-task stage (can be expanded into larger writing task)

· Each student writes an email to the boss explaining and justifying their choice for the traveler (i.e. why this destination and not each of the others?).

Before students begin the task, they are given explicit instructions and expectations for their performance. They are also told that their end of chapter test will include a section on these destinations.

Sample materials:

Research and theories that inform some of the decisions behind the task’s structure.

Since several of the structural decisions for this task were motivated by the same empirical and theoretical considerations that motivated decisions for the previous task, I will just comment on those that are unique to “Asesor de Viajes”.

1) Decisions made to promote meaningful, ‘acquisition-rich’ interaction.

· Jig-saw structure

NOTE The outcome of the interpersonal portion of the task – matching destination to travel profile, was more closed-ended than the outcome in “Imagen”, however, there was not just ONE possible outcome, and the jig-saw structure was intended to provide a greater motivation for V pairs to interact with P pairs

· Instructions

· V’s request info at Trade Show and P’s can’t read summaries

· helps to add spontaneity to interaction

· avoids everything being a presentational recitation

· Written justification for decision – why this one and not those?

· compels comprehension of all information

· Written summary of decision

· REPETITION beneficial for

· improved language complexity, accuracy and fluency (Bygate 2001)

· repetition lightens the cognitive processing demands that this type of complex task can place on the learner (particularly beginners)

2) Decisions made to promote focus-on-form

· Repetition

· Lower cognitive demands means more attention can be paid to accuracy (see Ellis 2003)

· Written summary

3) Decisions made to promote learner engagement

· Destinations

· pick places that will be exciting to students – multiple interests

· Student centered research

· P and V pairs

· beginning level, working with a partner can help assuage speaking anxiety

· Materials

· input

· support

· traveler profile and travel information card

· created as part of task structure and to help lessen cognitive burden of juggling so many aspects of the task.

· Instructions

· All products turned in = grater accountability

· May appear on test

“Asesor de viajes”, part 2

In addition to destination info and hotel and attraction reviews, TA includes a forum site, where perspective travelers seek the advice of TA community members on issues related to travel throughout the world, including the destination that our students likely know the best, the U.S. So, a natural follow-up task in the “Asesor de viajes” sequence is to help students become a legitimate member of this authentic Spanish-speaking community. This part of the task integrates the interpretative mode with interpersonal writing with a clear real-world purpose. One important learning outcome is that students see that they can participate in Spanish-speaking communities.

Task Description * Part 2

· Each S searches Spanish TA

· U.S. destinations, attractions, forums on areas familiar to him/her

· identify possible attraction review or forum question & draft a contribution to the site

· bring written draft to class

· Group share & create

· 3 students

· Select 1 contribution

· Brainstorm ideas & improve draft

· Form talk

· Class discussion of necessary lexical items, structures, etc.

· Group revision

· Submit final draft

· Going live

· Ss post contributions to site

· Follow-up

· Class sharing of any replies received

· Class vote for the best contribution

¡Manos a la obra! Creating your own tasks

Listed below are the kinds of decisions you will need to make in designing your own authentic, integrated tasks. There is no ‘correct’ order in which these decisions need to be made; the order sometimes depends on your purpose for using the task. Indeed these decisions are somewhat intertwined, so that making one will have implications for others, and subsequent changes to one will require changes to others. Here are some questions and suggestions for you to consider that might facilitate your work:

· Authentic outcome(s)

· What language-related things do people do with this topic and these types of materials?

· Process(es)

· What processes are involved in achieving the outcome?

· researching, opinion-exchange, comparing, classifying, etc.?

· Skills & learning

· What language skills are involved in the process(es) and outcome(s)?

· do the processes or outcome involve specific vocabulary and grammar structures that could provide a linguistic focus?

· What cultural lessons can students learn within this topic and from the materials and task outcome(s)?

· How might students connect their work in this task with other fields of study or with the wider Spanish-speaking community outside of the classroom?

· Structure

· What participant roles and interaction patterns will best facilitate learning and task achievement?

· teacher-fronted, student-centered; individual, pair, small group, etc.?

· jig-saw: 1-way or 2-way flow of information?

· Does the input material play a specific role in the outcome? What is it?

· Is the outcome more open or closed?

· If more open, are performance expectations explicit?

· How many stages are necessary to achieve the language and learning goals and authentic outcome?

· Is there a logical flow and order to the stages?

· Materials

· What input materials are necessary in different stages?

· What support materials might be needed to facilitate students’ learning, task performance, and successful outcome achievement?

· forms, tables, drawings, videos, etc.

· instructions

Video materials used in Mexican Pop Music Task

Videos for the task creation activity carried out during the workshop can be found by going to Youtube.com and searching for “Mexico Suena” with each of the following artists:

· Alexander Acha

· Ha-Ash

· Jesse y Joy

· Moenia

· Pxndx (Panda)

Identifying authentic materials: Resources & Strategies

In the “Resources” section below, you will find a list of suggested internet resources where you can find a diverse array of authentic texts and multimedia.

Often finding just the right text that is of appropriate quality and which suits your needs and goals can be challenging. Following are a couple of strategies that may facilitate your search for ‘authentic’ materials.

· Google the theme along with some theme related, target vocabulary

· Imagine you want to find some authentic materials that exploit the chapter theme and vocabulary you have been working with.

· Enter relevant terms into Google search

· e.g. “estudiar en el extranjero”, “acoplarse”, “colegiatura”

· Add the word “periódico” / “diario” / “revista” / “video” to specify the type of text you want to find

· Use the search engine on your favorite media outlet site

· Look for a “related items” section on the site to identify similar texts to exploit for a jig-saw structured task

· Internationalize your search

· Many large sites will include content specifically for a particular country or language. TripAdvisor and iTunes are two good examples.

· go to the bottom of their pages for links

· Be aware of Copyright and “Fair Use” laws

· The Copyright Act of 1976 specifies principles as to what is considered “fair use”

· Much of the content created by and delivered through new digital technologies are not covered by the Copyright Act and standard guidelines have not been accepted.

· Check with your institution for guidelines. Search the web, e.g.:

· http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280.shtml/

· Use your local & international communities as a resource

· Class projects that ask students to record interviews with native speakers not only engage learners in a “real-world” task, but they then provide a resource material for subsequent lessons and possibly future students.

· Blogs and forums for news, music, etc. along with other social media like Skype and Facebook bring the community into the classroom.

Working with Authentic Materials

Defining what constitutes authenticity in language teaching and learning materials is a complex issue that cannot be reduced to the simple heuristic created by native speakers for native speakers. Breen (1989) argues that “what is authentic is relative to our purposes in the classroom”, and makes an excellent case for the use of materials created for specifically for learners. Such materials can be controlled for vocabulary and grammatical features, unfamiliar regional accents, speed of speech, etc. In short, they can be tailored to the learners’ proficiency level so that learners can feel successful by comprehending them, rather than feeling overwhelmed by how much they still do not know. Indeed, this fear of overwhelming and frustrating students, raising the affective filter, as it were, is why many teachers are reticent about using material created specifically for native speakers.

When it comes to bringing materials into our classrooms, I believe the question of the author’s native language and his or her intended audience are far less important than the issue of whether the language of the text represents language as it is used in L2 communities outside of the classroom. And it is in this way that we should think of authenticity along a continuum of real-world orientation. Some materials will be much closer and some will be further away, and it is our job as instructors to determine whether those texts that have far less of a real world orientation have some other pedagogical value that justify our use of them.

That said, however, we have to remember that if our goal is for students to interact with L2 texts outside of the classroom, then we must engage them in practice with just such texts. Certainly we must structure this practice so that learners can feel successful at it and lose their fear of approaching these ‘real world’ L2 situations.

Strategies for using texts with higher real world orientation:

Research suggests that some genres present learners with more challenges than others:

· Dialogues can be easier to understand than monologues (Shohamy and Inbar, 1991)

· Narrative monologues that relate events in a chronological sequence appear to be easier for learners than those that present events out of sequence (Brown, 1995)

· Narrative monologues can be easier to understand than expository ones, particularly those that are originally written to be read, such as news broadcasts (Shohamy and Inbar, 1991).

In the multimedia age, we can also distinguish texts that are accompanied by visual support, such as speakers’ gestures, subtitles, and or images. Research indicates that not just any visual will enhance listening comprehension

· the ‘talking head’ visual typical of news broadcasts does little to facilitate learners’ comprehension of the news being related (Brosius, 1991; Gunter, 1980; Rubin, 2003).

· Visual clues must enhance the oral text by providing redundancy or elaboration of the information in order to be helpful.

Unfortunately there is no clear hierarchy of difficulty to guide language teachers in their selection of texts. The difficulty level of any given text will result from a combination of all of these factors, and ultimately how they interact with the learner’s proficiency level as well as the characteristics of the task.

Tasks and Assessment

Developing any skill takes repeated practice, and carrying out authentic language tasks is no different. If we want our students to be successful in carrying out language related tasks outside of the classroom, we must provide them repeated opportunities to do so in our classroom. This means that tasks such as those we have been examining should not be used exclusively for summative assessment purposes. Ideally, assessment should always mirror classroom instruction, so we should use these types of tasks for both formative and summative assessment tools.

Different stages of different tasks lend themselves quite naturally to instruction, and in fact, tasks can be a wonderfully effective tool for initiating instruction about a certain topic, vocabulary domain or structural feature! When tasks are used for formative purposes, instruction should include a hefty dose of strategy training and other types of learner support. Students should be made aware that they are learning and developing strategies to become more independent in carrying out tasks in the future. Finally, learners should be provided with explicit feedback on their performance with a clear direction for improvement. Rubrics work very well for this purpose.

Rubrics can be designed to indicate, for specific categories of performance, e.g. task completion, vocabulary range, communication strategies, comprehension, accuracy, depth of analysis, etc., how the student either meets, exceeds or falls below the level you have targeted. If used for summative assessment purposes, points can be assigned to the different levels within the different categories of performance, and then a final score can be tallied and translated into a grade. The “Resources” section below provides references and links to some excellent examples of task rubrics, namely the ACTFL Integrated Performance Assessment Manual and the College Board AP Spanish Exam Scoring Guidelines.

It is important to emphasize that assessment of task performance should never rest exclusively, or even most heavily, on grammatical accuracy, especially where the standard of accuracy is made to be the ‘model’ native speaker. There are a number of good reasons for this:

· Definitions of ‘native speaker’ are inherently problematic (Andreou & Galantomos 2009)

· Different task conditions can impact, positively and negatively, the fluency, complexity and accuracy of the learners’ speech (Ellis 2003; Skehan 1998).

· Grammatical competence is just one the component of communicative competence

· there are many other linguistic and language related features that combine to make communication successful (Ellis 2003).

Bibliography

Andreou, G., Galantomos, I. (2009) “The native speaker ideal in foreign language teaching”. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 6, 2. pp. 201-208.

Breen, M. (1985) “Authenticity in the language classroom”. Applied Linguistics 6,1. pp. 60-70.

Breen, M. (1989) “The evaluation cycle for language learning tasks”. In R. Johnson (ed.) The Second Language Curriculum. Cambridge: University Press.

Brosius, H. (1991). “Format effects on comprehension of television news”. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 68,3. pp. 396-401.

Brown, G. (1995). “Dimensions of difficulty in listening comprehension”. In D. J. Mendelsohn, & J.Rubin, (Eds.), A Guide for the Teaching of Second Language Listening. San Diego: Dominie Press. pp. 59-73.

Bygate, M. (2001) “Effects of task repetition on the structure and control of language”, In M. Bygate, P. Skehan & M. Swain Task-based learning: language teaching, learning and assessment. pp. 23-48. London: Longman.

Dewey, J. (1933) How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educative Process. Boston: D.C. Heath.

Ellis, R. (2003) Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: University Press.

Gunter, B. (1980). “Remembering television news: Effects of picture content”. The Journal of General Psychology, 102. pp. 127-133.

Johnson, K. (2003) Designing Language Teaching Tasks. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kenyon, D., Farr, B., Mitchell, J., Armengol, R. (2000) Framework for the 2004 Foreign Language National Assessment of Educational Progress: Pre-publication Edition. http://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks/FinalFrameworkPrePubEdition1.pdf Accessed: June 12, 2012.

Long, Michael (1991). "Focus on form: A design feature in language teaching methodology". In De Bot, Kees; Ginsberg, Ralph; Kramsch, Claire. Foreign language research in cross-cultural perspective. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. pp. 39–52.

Naughton, D. (2006) “Cooperative Strategy Training and Oral Interaction: Enhancing Small Group Communication in the Language Classroom” The Modern Language Journal 90, 2. pp. 169-184.

Pica, T., Kanagy, R. & Falodun, J. (1993). “Choosing and using communicative tasks for second language instruction”. In G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.) Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. Cleveland, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Rubin, J. (1994). “A Review of Second Language Listening Comprehension Research”. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 2. pp. 199-221.

Samuda, V. and Bygate, M. (2008) Tasks in Second Language Learning. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Shohamy E. & Inbar, O. (1991). “Validation of listening comprehension tests: The effect of text and question type”. Language Testing, 8. pp. 23-40.

Skehan, P. (1998) A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning. Oxford: University Press.

Swain, M. (1995) “Three functions of output in second language learning”. In Cook, G. and Seidelhofer, B. (Eds.) Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics: Studies in Honor of H.G. Widdowson, pp. 125-144. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

ResourcesResources for Developing Tasks

1. ACTFL Integrated Performance Assessment Manual

by Eileen glisan, Bonnie Adair-Hauck, Keiko Koda, S. Paul Sandrock, Adam Stryker and Elvira Swender

· http://isgweb.actfl.org/ISGWeb/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=SALES-IPA

2. Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA, Univ. of Minnesota)

· http://www.carla.umn.edu/assessment/vac/CreateUnit/p_1.html

3. Lee, J. (2000) Tasks and Communicating in Language Classrooms. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

4. Nunan , D. (1989). Designing tasks for the communicative classroom. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

5. Willis, D., Willis, J. (2007) Doing Task-based Teaching. Oxford: University Press.

Resources for Assessing Tasks

1. College Board AP® Spanish Language Writing and Speaking Scoring Guidelines

· http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/spanish/ap07_spanish_lang_writing_speaking_sgs_final.pdf

2. ACTFL Integrated Performance Assessment Manual

by Eileen glisan, Bonnie Adair-Hauck, Keiko Koda, S. Paul Sandrock, Adam Stryker and Elvira Swender

a. http://isgweb.actfl.org/ISGWeb/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=SALES-IPA

Resources for Research Related to SLA and Task-based Teaching & Learning

1. Bygate, M., Norris, J.,Van den Branden, K. (Eds.) Task-Based Language Teaching: Issues, Research and Practice. Series: John Benjamins.

· Task-Based Language Teaching: A reader (2009)

Edited by Kris Van den Branden, Martin Bygate and John M. Norris

· Second Language Task Complexity: Researching the Cognition Hypothesis of language learning and performance (2011)

Edited by Peter Robinson

· Task-Based Language Teaching in Foreign Language Contexts: Research and implementation (2012)

Edited by Ali Shehadeh and Christine A. Coombe

2. Ellis, R. (2003) Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: University Press.

3. Nunan, D. 2004. Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge: University Press.

4. O'Malley, J.M., & Chamot, A. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

5. Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. New York: Newbury House.

6. Scholarly Journals (Articles on general SLA topics, as well as task-based language learning & teaching)

· Hispania

· http://www.aatsp.org/?page=Hispania

· Foreign Language Annals

· http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=5012

· Applied Linguistics

· http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/

· Modern Language Journal

· http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1540-4781

· The Internet TESL Journal

· http://iteslj.org/

· ELT Journal

· http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/

Resources for Locating Authentic Materials for Task Design

Explore these resources and let your imaginations run wild with the opportunities they provide for you to engage your students with the Spanish-speaking world.

Online Magazines (Selection)

· Américas General interest magazine published in Spanish by the Organization of American States

· http://www.oas.org/es/americas/default.asp

· Alma Magazine Lifestyle magazine targeting Spanish-speakers in the U.S. Includes forums for reader opinions and polls

· http://www.almamagazine.com/

· Caras magazine Pop culture, celebrities, etc. with different editions from different countries

· Argentina: http://www.ciudad.com.ar/tags/revista-caras

· Chile: http://www.caras.cl/

· México: http://www.caras.com.mx/

· Uruguay: http://caras.com.uy/

· ESPN Deportes Articles in Spanish and geared toward Spanish-speaking audience

· http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/la-revista/

· Fotogramas Spanish magazine dedicated to movies

· http://www.fotogramas.es/

· Vanidades Pop Culture

· http://www.vanidades.com/

Online Newspapers (Selection)

· BBC Mundo News & Media News and information from the BBC in Spanish

· http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/

· Clarín Argentinean newspaper (See link to “WebTV” for video)

· http://www.clarin.com/

· La Opinión Spanish language newspaper of Los Angeles

· El Nuevo Herald Spanish language newspaper of Miami

· http://www.vivelohoy.com/

· El Mundo Spanish newspaper

· http://www.elmundo.es/

· Vívelo Hoy Spanish language newspaper of Chicago with links to news from other newspapers online

· http://www.vivelohoy.com/

TV and Other Social Media

· iTunes (change settings to a Spanish-speaking country)

· Go to podcasts

· TripAdvisor.com (change settings to a Spanish-speaking country)

· Televisa Program “Hoy”

· Go to Youtube.com and search “Televisa” & “Hoy”

· Twitter esp. Spanish-speaking celebrities

· Juanes: http://twitter.com/#!/juanes/

· Shakira: http://twitter.com/#!/shakira/

· Alberto Contador: http://twitter.com/#!/albertocontador/

· Links to free TV programming from different countries

· http://www.televisiongratis.com.ar/index.php?option=com_televisiongratis&view=paises

· Links to OnceTV programming online

· http://oncetv-ipn.net/webcast/

· Check out

· Habla de frente A debate show for young adults in México

· Instantáneas A documentary series for young adults featuring 14-15 minute pieces on current topics (e.g. bullying, tattoos, eating disorders)

Comics online

· Alberto Montt Daily comic blog in Spanish

· http://www.dosisdiarias.com/

· Condorito Chilean comic read throughout Latin America

· http://www.gocomics.com/espanol/condorito

· Baldo en español A Latino family in the U.S.

· http://www.gocomics.com/espanol/baldoespanol

· Gaturro Argentina

· http://www.gocomics.com/espanol/gaturro

·

· Lalo Alcaraz en Español Social/Political based humor intended for Latinos in the U.S.

· http://www.gocomics.com/laloenespanol/2012/05/10

Pellettieri, J. AASP 2012 Handout 6 of 17

A couple, wanting a 1 week vacation: in August looking for warm weather love nature husband loves the mountains wife loves learning about history Budget = $2500.00 total

Two working professionals, looking for a 3 week adventure :

in March something ‘not typical / not touristy’ both love extreme sports want to be active - love biking, hiking, skiing, scuba... Budget = $4000.00 per person

Traveler profiles

Lugar Geografía y clima Para viajar allí Actividades culturales

Actividades activas

Islas Galapagos

Patagonia Chilena

Granada / Andalucía

Querétaro

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