task-based language teaching

Task-BasedLanguage TeachingXiaoping LiangCalifornia State University, Long BeachCommunicative Language TeachingCommunication as the key dimension of learning and teaching.Early models:Language functions as the unit of organization and practice.More recently:Tasks as an alternative unit of organization and practice.task-based language syllabus?A task-based language syllabus places task at the center of the curriculum development process.Question-based languageteaching?“An approach to the design of language course in which the point of departure is not an ordered list of linguistic items, but a collection of tasks ” (Nunan, 1999, p. 24).QuestionFeatures of TasksOpportunities for negotiation of meaning.Use of communication strategies.Contextualized linguistic input.tasks in the operation of content classrooms and language classrooms. In content classes, task is a basic unit of analysis of student work. From the student standpoint, the curriculum is ‘a collection of academic tasks ’ . . . . In language classes, task as a unit of analysis can provide a coherent approach to ‘all six phases of program design: needsidentification, syllabus design, methodology design, materials writing, testing and program evaluation’” (Mohan, Leung, & Davison, 2001, p. 121).Importance of Student TasksPlaces task at the center of the curriculum development process.Focuses on student-centered learning.Focuses on process-oriented learning.Characteristics ofTask-Based Language TeachingTwo Types of TasksTarget tasks(or real-world tasks).Pedagogical tasks(psycholinguistic tasks).Target (or Real-World) TasksIndividuals typically do outside the classroom.Long (1985, p. 89): A task “is a piece of work undertaken for oneself or forothers, freely or for some reward. . . . In other words, by task is meant the hundred and one things people do in everyday life , at work, at play, and in-between.”Examples of Target TasksPainting a fence Dressing a child Filling out a form Buying a pair of shoesMaking an airline reservation Borrowing a library book Taking a driving test Typing a letter Weighing a patient Sorting lettersTaking a hotel reservation Writing a checkFinding a street destination Helping someone across a road.Target Tasks for L2 StudentsReading instructions and completing application forms.Listening to a lecture and taking notes.Reading exam questions and writing answers.Pedagogical (or Psycholinguistic) TasksUsed to facilitate the development of a learner’s general language proficiency.A pedagogical task is “an activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language ... For example, drawing a map while listening to a tape, listening to an instruction and performing acommand …” (Richards, Platt, & Weber, 1986, p. 289).that involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language …, and in which the intention is to convey meaning rather than to manipulate form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right with a beginning, a middle and an end” (Nunan, 1989, Designing tasks for the communicative classrooms, p. 10).Examples of Pedagogical TasksListening to a tape and repeating.Doing a jigsaw reading task.Solving a problem in small groups.Role-play based on a picture story.Listening to a song while filling out the missing words on a worksheet.Writing a paragraph describing what is happening in a picture.Conduct a needs identification of students’ target tasks .2.Classify them into target task types .3.Sequence them to form the task-based syllabus.4.Design pedagogical tasks in which students can rehearse target tasks .Relationships BetweenTarget & Pedagogical Tasks(Long & Crooks, 1992, p. 44)Principles of Task Design The authenticity principle.The form / function principle.The task dependency principle.Task Difficulty & SequencingCode complexity.Cognitive municative stress.How do we sequence tasks?From reception to production.Reproductive tasks (production) precedecreative (production) tasks.Tasks & GrammarThe task-based syllabus:Begins with a list of target tasks.Then asks what learners need to know and be able to do in order to performthose tasks.First-order activity: Choosing the tasks. Second-order activity: Listing, sequencing, and integrating linguistic/language items (e.g., grammar).Content & MethodIn traditional syllabusesContent as the destination.Methodology as the route.Reach the destination through the route.In a task-based syllabus:The destination:Be able to perform target tasks in the targetlanguage.The method:Rehearse that performance in class.The route becomes the destination.Difficult to separate content and method.Designing Task-BasedPerformance Assessment Evaluate learner performance within the range of: Language ability requirements inherent of a given task. Task characteristics found in a given task.ReferencesKris Van den Branden(Ed.) (2006). Task-based language education: From theory to practice . Cambridge University Press.Kris Van den Branden, Martin Bygate, John M. Norris (Eds.) (2009). Task-based language teaching: A reader. John Benjamins Publishing Company.Dave Willis & Jane Willis (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press.Task-Based Lesson Plans/english_grmmar/grammar_task_based.htm Provides an introduction to task-based grammar teaching in addition to a sample lesson plan./learner-based-task-based-reading-lesson.htm A sample of a learner-based and task-based reading lesson./lessons/Yeh-TruStories.htmlA lesson on how to blend multimedia into a task-based activity..hk/eng/staff/_dc/56.4%20article%20Carless.docA short article about how to implement task-based learning with young learners. /SUPPORT/downloads/sampleict.docA task-based activity that encourages the learner to incorporate a range of internet skills and resources in their preparation and final presentation of work.http://digilander.libero.it/ALLRIGHTMATE/1%20Silvana%20INSET%20plan.rtfAn introduction to task-based learning and a detailed lesson planning ourlining3 hours of various task-based activities./News/Magazine/Archive?elt_taskbased.htmAn article about task-based learning, methodology, and sample worksheets.。