PHYCHOLINGUISTICS AND TASKS

PHYCHOLINGUISTICS AND TASKS

1. WHAT IS A TASK?

   • The communicative task is...
     • a piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right. (Nunan 1989).
     • A piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending [ ... ] is principally focused on meaning rather than form. The task should also have a sense of [...] its own right. (Nunan 1989).
   • Nowadays, the most used and widely accepted definition of task is...
     • that of language activity in which there is a focus on meaning over form. This type is often referred to as a communicative task; it does not include, for example, translation tasks, or grammar-based exercises. Sometimes it is easier to understand something in terms of what it is not. Skehan (1996).
     • Is that of language activity in, which there is a focus on meaning over form.

2. THE HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK

   • CLT AND TASKS
     •  The idea  that learning a language not just linguistic competence but communicative competence let to fundamental changes in the way languages were taught. Thus with the rise of CLT we see a gradual shift in task design from the mechanical, form-based type of task. This, it should be noted, is not to say that there  is no place for form-focused tasks in the modern-day communicative language classroom.
     • The idea that learning a language not just linguistic competence but communicative competence led to fundamental changes in the way languages were taught. This with the rise of CLT we see a gradual shift in task design from the mechanical form-based type of task.. This it should be noted, is not to say that there is no place form-focused tasks in the modern-day communicative language classroom.
   • HUMANISM AND TASKS
     • The late 1960 and early 1970 was the era of great debates in mainstream education about the value of current educational approaches. Schools were denounced as de-humanising, or, at the very least, alienating, and there were calls for a more "holistic" approach to education, which took into account the whole person, and develop not just intellectural capacities, but intrapersonal awareness and interpersonal skills. whaever criticisms we might make of certain humanistic tasks or techniques, humanism has undoubtedly played a central role in putting affect into the classroom.
     • The late 1960 and early 1970 was the era of great debates in mainstream education about the value of current educational approaches. Schools were denounced as de-humanising, or, at the very least, alienating and there were calls for a more "holistic" approach to education, which took ito account the whole person, and develop not just intellectual capacities, but intrapersonal awareness and interpersonal skills. Whatever criticisms we might make of certain humanistic tasks or techniques, humanism has undoubtedly played a central role in putting affect into the classroom.

3. TASKS IN A LESSON PPP

   • It is basically an approach to teaching new language, the PPP has three clearly defined stages. Presentation. Practice. Production.
   • PRESENTATION
     • The new language ("target language") which students are to learn  for example grammatical structure, vocabulary or functions), is presented in some way to the students. This might inbvolve building up a context in which the new language is needed and then either eliciting (getting) the language from those who might already know it, or providing students with the new language. The new language is drilled and perhaps written up on the board (although the writing up stage may com later).
     • Students are to learn (for example, grammatical structure, vocabulary or functions), is presented in some way to the students. A typical way of presenting this new language is through elicitation. This might involve building up a context in which the new language is needed and then either eliciting (getting) the language from those who might already know it, or providing students with the new language. The new language is drilled and perhaps written up on the board (althought the writing up stage may come later).
   • PRACTICE
     • Students ara asked to practice the target language in  very controlled contexts, usually oral, for example through substitution drills. This stage can be done in open class, or pair-work, or both, and may consiste of several controlled tasks, spoken and/or written. Some teacher prefer to write up the target language on the board at this later stage, after controlled practice. The rationale here is that because the written forn of English i so idiosyncratic, it may distract students from correct pronunciation of the target language. Thus emphasis is first given to oral ganguage, through drilling, and oral controlled practice, and only after this are students allowed to see written form.
     • Students are then asked to practice the target language in very controlled contexts, usually oral, for example through substitution drills. This stage can be done in open class, or pair-work, or both, and may consist of several controlled tasks, spoken and/or written. Some teachers prefer to write up the target language on the board at this later stage, after controlled practice. The rationale here is that because the written form of English is so idiosyncratic, it may distract students from correct pronunciation of the target language. Thus emphasis is first given to oral language, through drilling, and oral controlled practice, and only after this students allowed to see the written form.
   • PRODUCTION
     • In this final stage of the sesson, students are encouraged to use the target language in "free pratice". The idea here is that students have digested the linguistic form of the target language in the previous "Practice" stage, and they are now able to use it in less controlled, more communicative contexts. The production stage may involve oral production such as role play, or written production, such as a letter or composition.
     • In this final stage of the lesson, students are encouraged to use the target language in "free practice". The idea here is that students have digested the linguistic form of the target language in the previous "Practice" stage, and they are now able to use it in less controlled, more communicative contexts. The production stage may involve oral production such as a role play, or written production, such a letter or composition.

4. CRITICISMS OF PPP

   • According to Michael Lewis...
     • Any paradigm based on, or remotely resembling PPP is wholly unsatisfactory, failing as it does to reflect either the nature of language or the nature of learning. It is not sufficient to suggest that such a paradigm represents one of a number of ways in which language is learned; the fact is that the PPP is, and always was, nonsense. (1996).
     • "Any paradigm based on, or remotely resembling PPP is wholly unsatisfactury, failing as it does to reflect either the nature of language or the nature of learning. It is not sufficient to suggest that such a paradigm represents one of a number of ways in which language is learned; the fact is that the PPP is, and always was, nonsense". (1996).

5. A DUAL SYSTEM FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

   • Pawley and Syder define a lexicalised sentence  stem as: A unit of clause length or longer whose grammatical form and lexical contect is wholly or largely fixed. (1983).
   • TASKS AND THE NEGOTIATION OF MEANING
     • In Skehan´s words : "It is one thing for successful negotiation to take place, but quite another for this to have beneicial consequences for interlanguage development". (1998)
     • Tasks are coming to be considered the undisputed mainstay of communicative approaches to ELT. Tasks are activities in which there is a focus on meaning, the reason would seem obvious: the goal of language teaching is (or should be) the enabling of students to express personal meanings. This could be taken to mean that all we as teachers need to do is give our students a relentless diet of (meaningful) tasks, and language acquisition will take care of itself.
   • LIMITED CAPACITY PROCESSING
     • Learners have a limited capacity for processing information. Language consists of a dual system (the rule-based system, ant the exemplar-based system). When faced with the task of producing an utterance in the L2, the learner can either access their rule-based system or their exemplar-based system but cannot access both simultaneously.
     • Learners have a limited capacity for proceccing information. Language consist of a dual system (the rule-baed system and the exemplar-based system). When faced with the task of producing an utterance in the L2, the learner can either access their rule-based system or their exemplar-based system, but cannot access both simultaneously.
       • REFERENCE: TASK-BASED APPROACH ANTHOLOGY 2020: CHAPTERS 1 "TASKS: WHAT ARE THEY?" AND CHAPTER 2 "PSYCHOLINGUISTICS AND TASKS". PROFESSOR: MAGDALENA DEL CARMEN MARTINEZ NUÑEZ.. IEXPRO UNIVERSITY.

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