Task-Based Language TeachingTBLT

What is TBLT?

It is an approach based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching.

What is a task?

A task is an activity or goal that is carried out using language.

Examples

Main points of TBL

Process

Communication and meaning

Purposeful activities and tasks

Theory of language

Language is primarily a means of making meaning Multiple models of language inform TBI: structural,

functional and interactional models of language. Lexical units are central in language use and

language learning “Conversation” is the central focus of language and

the keystone of language acquisition

Theory of learning

Tasks provide both the input and output processing necessary for language acquisition

Task activity and achievement are motivational

Learning difficulty can be negotiated and fine-tuned for particular pedagogical purposes

The syllabus

Conventional syllabus It specifies the content of a course:

– Language structures– Functions– Topics and themes– Macro-skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking)– Competencies– Text types– Vocabulary targets

Task-based syllabus It specifies the task that should be carried by learners within a

program:– Pedagogical tasks– Real-world tasks

The syllabus

Conventional syllabus It specifies learning outcomes.

Task-based syllabus It is more concerned with the process of learning.

Learner roles

Group participant

Monitor

Risk-taker and innovator

Teacher roles

Selector and sequencer of tasks

Preparing learners for tasks

Consciousness-raising

The role of instructional materials

Pedagogic Materials: They are limited only by the imagination of the task designer.

Realia: TBI proponents favor the use of authentic tasks supported by authentic materials wherever possible.

• Students examine a newspaper, determine its sections, and suggest three new sections that might go in the newspaper.

Newspapers

• After watching an episode of an unknown soap opera, students list the characters (with know or made-up names) and their possible relationship to other characters in the episode.

Television

• Seeking to find an inexpensive hotel in Tokyo, students search with three different search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo), comparing search times and analyzing the first ten hits to determine most useful seach engine for their purpose.

Internet

Procedure

Jane Willis She teaches at Aston University,

UK, on their new modular Masters in TESOL/TESP. Her books include Teaching English Through English (Longman), Challenge and Change in Language Teaching (with Dave Willis, Heinemann), and A Framework for Task-based Learning (Longman).

Sequence of activities

Pretask

The task cycle

The language

focus

Pretask

Instructions to topic and task

The focus is on the topic.

There are no new structures introduced.

Instructions to do the task are given.

The task cycle

Task Planning Report Posttask listening

The language focus

Analysis

• Students are given an opportunity to reflect and analyse the new language which has emerged through the task.

Practice

• Students put the language acquired into practice.