TASK BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

TASK BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

1. PRINCIPLES

   • Activities that involve real communication are essential for language learning.
   • Activities in which language is used for carrying out meaningful tasks promote learning.
   • Language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process.

2. THE KEY ASSUMPTIONS OF TASKS-BASED INSTRUCTION

   • The focus is on process rather than product.
   • Activities and tasks can be those that learners might need to achieve in real life.
   • The difficulty of a task on a range of factors.
   • Previous experience of the learner.
   • The complexity of the task.

3. THEORY OF LANGUAGE

   • Language is primarily a means of making meaning.
     • Lexical units are central in language use and language learning.
       • “Conversation” is the central focus of language and the keystone of language acquisition.
   • Multiple models of language inform TBI.
     • Structural: Skehan, the criteria for determining the linguistic complexity of tasks.
       • Functional: Berwick, the use of tasks goals.
         • Interactional: Pica, the interaction activity and communicative goal

4. THEORY OF LEARNING

   • Tasks provide both the input and output processing necessary for language acquisition.
     • Task activity and achievement are motivational.
       • Learning difficulty can be negotiated and finetuned for particular pedagogical purpose.

5. DESIGN

   • Objective
     • To be determined by the specific needs of particular learners.
   • The Syllabus
     • It specifies the task that should be carried out by learners within a program.
   • Types Of Learning and Teaching Activities
     • Breen (1987) Task is a structured plan for the provision of opportunities for the refinement of knowledge and capabilities.
       • Prabhu (1987) Task is an activity which requires learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some process of thought.
         • Crookes (1986) Task is a piece of work or an activity, usually with a specified objective.
           • Willis (1996) Activities involves Listening, ordering and sorting, comparing, problem solving, sharing personal experiences, creative tasks.
             • Pica, Kanagy, and Falodun (1993) Jigsaw tasks, Information-gap tasks, Problem-solving tasks, Decision-making tasks, Opinion exchange tasks.
   • Learner Roles
     • Group Participant, monitor, risk-Tasker and Innovator.
   • Teacher Roles
     • Selector and sequencer of tasks, preparing learners for tasks, and consciousness- raising
   • The Role of instructional Materials
     • It is dependent on a sufficient supply of appropriate classroom tasks.
       • Realia: Newspapers Television Internet

6. PROCEDURE

   • Richards (1985) -Basic social survival transactions.-Face-to-face informal conversations. -Interviews on the campus. -Service encounters.
   • Role Play
     • Pretask activities
       • Preliminary activity
         • Dialogue on a related topic
     • Task activity
       • Perform a role-play
     • Posttask activities
       • Listen to recording of native speakers
   • Activities
     • Pretask
       • Introduction to topic and task
     • The task cycle
       • Task
         • Planning
           • Report
             • Posttask listening
     • The language focus
       • Analysis
         • Practice

7. BACKGROUND

   • Task-Based Language Teaching refers to an approach based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching.

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