TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING:

FROM THEORY TO CLASSROOM

PRACTICE  FERDINAND BULUSAN

Graduate SchoolCagayan State University

Andrews Campus

WHAT IS A

TASK?

(Long [as cited by Nunan, 1989] ) A piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some reward; may include activities such as painting a fence, dressing a child, filling out a form, buying a pair of shoes, making an airline reservation…in other words, by task is meant the hundred an one things people do everyday life, at work, at play, and in between.

• (Richards, et al.) an activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language (i.e. drawing a map while listening)

• (Breen) Any structured-language endeavor which has a (1) particular objective, (2) appropriate content, (3) a specified working procedure, (4) and a range of outcomes for those who undertake the task.

(NUNAN) A task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipula-ting, producing or interacting in the TARGET LANGUAGE while their attention is principally focused on meaning and form.

WHY ARE TASKS IMPORTANT IN SECOND LANGUAGE (ENGLISH)

LEARNING?

 Language is MORE THAN

a system of rules.

Language should be developed

through active learning.*From these concepts, the conception of another approach in English language learning, which focuses in accomplishing tasks in order to develop and use language appropriately, took place. This particular approach is now dubbed as TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION.

OVERVIEW

POLICYThe task-based approach aims at providing opportunities for learners to experiment with and explore both spoken and written language through learning activities which are designed to engage learners in the authentic, practical and functional use of language for meaningful purposes.

Learners are encouraged to activate and use whatever language they already have in the process of completing a task. The use of tasks will also give a clear and purposeful context for the teaching and learning of grammar and other language features as well as skills.

THEORIES• EXPERIENTIAL LANGUAGE

LEARNING–Takes the learner’s immediate personal experience as the point of departure for the learning experience. Learning occurs when learners engage in and reflect on sequences of tasks. The active involvement of the learner is therefore central to the approach.

THEORYPROCEDURAL

APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN

See language as a resource for communicating rather than as a body of content to be memorized. In procedural approaches, the route and the destination begin to merge.

THEORYSYNTHETIC APPROACH

VS. ANALYTICAL APPROACH

Analytic Approach: we breakdown the big idea or concept first, so that we can facilitate or give way to the better understanding of the whole concept. After breaking them down, students can have input of data or information from their range of language items.

RESEARCHES OR HYPOTHESES PROMOTING TASK-BASED

INSTRUCTION

THE INPUT HYPOTHESIS [Krashen]

We acquire languages when we understand messages (input) in the target language that are just a little beyond our current level of acquired competence.

It implies that reception should come before production.

THE OUTPUT HYPOTHESIS

[Swain] Input is necessary but NOT sufficient for acquisition or learning second language. In addition to input, learners need opportunities to produce the target language.

THE INTERACTION HYPOTHESIS [Long, Ellis, Nunan]

The restructuring and interactional modifi-cations that occur in the course of authentic interaction fuel the acquisition process.

TASK-TYPES AND OUTPUT [Shekan et al., Robinson, Martyn]

Tasks with high cognitive demand and more complex communication, as marked by high density negotiation of meaning sequences, generate the ‘pushed output’ that is a factor in second language acquisition.

FRAMEWORK FOR TBLT

STEPS IN DOING TASK-BASED

INSTRUCTION

• Schema activation/building

• Modeling/controlled practice

• Comprehensible input

• Focus on form• Core task• Reflective learning

TEACHING PRINCIPLES OF TBLT

SCAFFOLDING •Lessons and materials should provide supporting framework within which the learning takes place.

ACTIVE LEARNING

•Learners acquire the language by actively using it.

INTEGRATION OF FORM AND FUNCTION

Learners are taught in ways that make clear

the relationships between grammatical form, communicative

function, and semantic meaning.

LEARNING STRATEGIES

Learners focus on learning process

as well as language content.

REFLECTIONLearners should be given opportunities to reflect on what they have learned and how well they are doing.

ROLES OF THE TEACHER IN TBLT

• Facilitator and chairperson

• Sets up tasks and helps students to complete them.

• Supervises the process of completing a task

• Provides vocabulary needed.

• Gives feedback

ROLES OF STUDENTS IN TBLT

•ACTIVE participants

•Has to work with other and be collaborative

•Needs negotiating meaning

ADVANTAGES OF TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION

• TBL is applicable and suitable for students of all ages and backgrounds.

• Students will have varied exposure to language with the use of TBL.

• Allows meaningful communication

• Helps individualize instruction

CRITICISMS IN USING TBLT

• TBL requires high level of creativity and initiative on the part of the teacher.

• TBL requires resources beyond the textbooks and related materials usually found in language classrooms.

• There is a risk for learners to achieve fluency at the expense of accuracy.

  TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING:

FROM THEORY TO CLASSROOM

PRACTICE  FERDINAND BULUSAN

Graduate SchoolCagayan State University

Andrews Campus

Thank you for listening!

Have a nice day!