Task-Based Language Teaching

Task-BasedLanguageTeachingWhatisTask-BasedLanguageTeaching?Task-BasedLanguageTeaching(TBLT)focusesontheuseofauthenticlanguageandonaskingstudentstodomeaningfultasksusingthetargetlanguage.Task-BasedLanguageTeachingiswidelypromotedinEnglishLanguageTeachingNowadays.ItisafurtherdevelopmentofCommunicativelanguageTeaching.Itsharesthesamebeliefsthatlanguageshouldbelearnedascloseaspossibletohowitisusedinreallife.However,itstressestheimportancetocombineform-focusedteachingwithcommunication-focusedteaching.MainFeaturesofTBLT•meaningisprimary•thereissomecommunicationproblemtosolve•thereissomesortofrelationshiptocomparablerealworldactivities•taskcompletionhassomepriority•theassessmentisdoneintermsofoutcomesDefinitionsofataskAtaskcanholddifferentmeaningfordifferentpeople•[Ataskis]apieceofworkundertakeforoneselforforothers,freelyorforsomereward.Inotherwords,by‘task’ismeantthehundredandonethingspeopledoineverydaylife,atworks,atplays,andinbetween.Long(1985:89)•[Ataskis]anactivitywhichrequireslearnerstoarriveatanoutcomefromgiveninformationthroughsomeprocessofthought,andwhichallowsteacherstocontrolandregulatethatprocess.Prabho(1987:24)•Taskareactivitieswherethetargetlanguageisusedbythelearnerforacommunicativepurpose(goal)inordertoachieveanoutcome.Willis(1996:23)ExamplesofTasks•paintingafence•dressingachild•fillingoutaform•takingadrivingtest•buyingapairofshoes•borrowingaliterarybook•helpingsomeoneacrossaroad.•typingaletter•weighingapatient•sortingletters•writingacheque•takingahotelreservation•findingastreetdestination•makinganairlinereservationFourComponentsofatask•Apurpose:makingsurethestudentshaveareasonforundertakingthetask.•Acontent:itcanbereal,simulatedorimaginary,andinvolvessociolinguisticissues.•Aprocess:gettingthestudentstouselearningstrategies.•Aproduct:therewillbesomeformofoutcome-visible(awrittenplan)andinvisible(enjoyingastory).Typesofactivities•Exercises:Tofocusstudentsattentiononindividualaspectsoflanguage,suchasvocabularygrammarorindividualskills.•Exercises-tasks:itconsistsofcontextualisedpracticeoflanguageitems(oftenagrammarpoint).•Tasks:focusonthecompleteactofcommunication.RelationshipsBetweenthemFocusonindividuallanguageitemsPurposeful&contextualisedcommunicationexerciseexercise-tasktask(AdaptedfromLittlewood,1993)Advantages•Forstudents:Itismorestudent-centered,allowsformoremeaningfulcommunication,andoftenprovidesforpracticalextra-linguisticskillbuilding.Andthetasksarelikelytobefamiliartothestudents,studentsaremorelikelytobeengaged,whichmayfurthermotivatethemintheirlanguagelearning.Disadvantages•Forstudents:*Studentswillstaywithinthenarrowconfinesoffamiliarwordsandforms.*Ingrouptasks,somestudentscanhideandrelyonotherstodothebulkoftheworkandlearning.Potentialconstraints(ForTeachers)•Thefirstisthatitmaynotbeeffectiveforpresentingnewlanguageitems(Swan,2005).•Thesecondistime.•Thethirdisthecultureoflearning.•Thefourthislevelofdifficulty.ForTeachersConclusion•TBLTisarecentlydevelopedapproachinlinewithCLT.Itstressesholisticandrealisticinputandoutputandthefocusisonthestudents’learning.•Itisimportanttohaveabalancebetweenthefocusonholisticcommunicationandthefocusonform.•Andisaveryflexibleformofteachingandlearning.•Amethodiseffectiveonlywhenitisappropriatetotheteachingcontext.Sowhenamethodorapproachemerges,thebestthingtodoistodevelopone’sownteachingmethodsbasedonthecontextwhereoneteachesandintegratesthemeritsofdifferentmethodologiestoservethepurposeofone’steachingobjectivesandtheneedsofone’sstudents.