Universidad Pedagógica Experimental libertador

Instituto Pedagógico de caracas

Departamento de Idiomas Modernos

Programa Inglés

Cátedra de Lingüística

Didáctica del inglés como Lengua Extranjera

Task Based approach

Arianny Rodríguez

Anayibe Sánchez

Evelyn Ricci

Caracas, Abril 2014

Some

questions:

What is

a task?

What is

TBLT?

(Backgroun

d)

What are the key assumptions?

Theory of

Language

Theory

of learning

What are

the

Student

and

Teacher

roles ?

Procedure

What are

some

example of

task that

can be used

in classroom?

Skehan (1996):

“Tasks […] are activities which have meaning as their primary focus. Success in tasks is evaluated in terms of achievement of an outcome, and tasks generally bear some resemblance to real-life language use. So task-based instruction takes a fairly strong view of communicative language teaching.”

WHAT IS A TASK?

WHAT IS A TASK?Nunan (1989) describes the communicative tasks “ as a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is primarily focused on meaning rather than form. The task should also have sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right”

WHAT IS TBLT?

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

• It is presented as a logical development of Communicative Language Teaching.

It was presented as a logical development of Communicative language teaching by Jane Willis and other proponents.

two early applications of Task based approach within a communicative framework for language teaching were the Malaysian Communicational Syllabus (1975) and the Bangalore project.

BACKGROUND

Beretta and Davies (1985)

Prabhu (1987)

KEY ASSUMPTIONS

The focus is on the process rather than the product.

Basic elements are porposeful activities and tasks that

emphasizes communication and meaning.

Learners learn language by interacting communicatively and

purposefully while engaged in activities and tasks.

Activities and tasks can be either:

A. Those that learnes might need to achieve in real life;

B. Those that have a pedagogical porpuse specific to the

classroom.

Activities and task of a task-based syllabus are sequenced

according to difficulty.

Theory of language

1. Language is primarily a means of making meaning.

2. Multiple models of language inform task based instruction

Theory of language

3. Lexical units are central in language use and language learning.4. “Conversation” is the central focus of language and the keystone of language acquisition.

Theory of Learning

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

2. Task activity and achievement are motivational.

3. Learning difficulty can be negotiated and fine-tuned for particular pedagogical purpose.

Role of the Teacher

Cooperate, Listen and

respond to St needs.

Decide what tasks to work

on.

Decide when to try a new

task.

Correct and keep feedback

(analysis).

Help student monitor each

other.

Role of the Student

Work individually or

with the groups

equally .

Gather and organize

information (report).

Present results to

others students and/or

Instructor.

Risk-taker and

innovator.

Pre task :

Introduction to topic and task: Teacher explores the topic with the class, highlights useful words and phrases, helps students understand task instructions and prepare.

ProcedureWillis 1996 recommends the following sequences of activities:

Task cycle :

Task: Students do the task, in pairs or small groups. Teacher monitors from a distance.

Planning: Students prepare to report to the whole class( orally or in writing) how they did the task, what they decided or discovered.

Report: Some groups present their reports to the class, or exchange written reports and compare results.

Procedure

Language focus:

Analysis: Students examine and discuss

specific features of the text or transcript

of the recording.

Practice: Teacher conducts practice or

new words, phrases and patterns

occurring in the data, either during or

after the analysis.

Procedure

References

Nunan, D. (2004) Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2004

Skehan, Peter. A Framework for the Implementation of Task-Based Instruction

Richards, Jack C. - Rodgers, Theodore S. (2001), Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press.