Transcript Slide 1

Great results with
Task-based Language
Teaching
Jane Willis
Writer and ELT consultant
Honorary Visiting Fellow, Aston University,
UK
TBLT …True or False?
What do you think?
No answers immediately: you will find out during the session…
.. is designed to teach spoken rather than written
English.
.. is learner centred.
.. rejects rote learning as a useful activity.
.. does not allow the use of the first language in the
classroom.
.. does not provide learners with language input before
expecting them to engage in a communicative activity.
.. does not allow for the study of grammar.
.. does not allow drills and pattern practice.
.. requires a greater range of teaching skills and
techniques than traditional approaches.
Characteristics of effective tasks
Would the activity engage learners’ interest?
Is there a primary focus on meaning?
Does it have a clear outcome for learners to
achieve?
Is success judged in terms of outcome? Is
completion a priority?
Does it relate to real world activities?
Some examples of tasks & task sequences
Memory challenge – objects on a tray (teacher led>pairs)
Guess what I’ve got in my bag today! (teacher led>pairs)
Draw up your ideal school timetable (11-12 year olds)
Plan a class party for the end of term (mind map > group)
Describe in detail how to make your favourite food;
classify dishes, then compare recipes
Earthquake safety – design a leaflet for overseas visitors
Things on a tray (1) – memory challenge!
The teacher starts by collecting objects and talking about them
(useful teacher talk – exposure to useful words and phrases)
Memory challenge – test your teacher’s memory:
What things? And where?
--------------------Now – you will have 30 seconds to look at a picture of things on a
tray and try to remember what things were where… Ready?
Things on a tray (2) Tray task
How many things can you remember? Work in twos, make a list.
Possible task sequence for beginners:
Memory challenge, True / False game, Do your
own
1 How many objects can you remember? In pairs – quietly tell each other and write / draw a list in English.
2. Where are they? Can you remember?
2.A Listen to your teacher – is she/he right? Yes or No?
2 B Read the sentences and look at the picture - True or False?
The banana is on the right
The keys are between the money and the banana
…
3 Draw your own tray, then make your own true/false game - 5
sentences. You can play your game with other groups in class.
2B Tray task - true or false?
Designing tasks – save time by
Using your text book
and
adapting activities
to make them more
task-like
by
adding an outcome,
being more specific..
Selecting a topic
your learners like
and
generating a
task sequence
Tip: work with
a colleague or two
From topic to task
You can choose any topic
(e.g. parties, school subjects, cats, cell phones,
transport)
and design a sequence of tasks using three or four
different types of task from this ‘task generator’:
Seven types of task
Listing
Matching
Ordering & Sorting
Comparing
Problem solving
Sharing personal experiences
Projects and creative tasks
Task sequence – topic: cats
How tasks can help
To learn a language, learners need
opportunities to communicate, engaging
in lots of meaning-focused interaction
– using whatever language they have at
their disposal. ‘Use it to learn it’.
Effective tasks will generate meaningfocused language use and help to
motivate learners
Using tasks to promote language development
Tasks are most effective when used flexibly within a
coherent Framework:
Priming & Preparation
(exploring topic, useful words & phrases)
Task Cycle
Task(s) >> Planning >> Report of outcome
Form focus
Analysis and Practice
CAT’S FEAT a text-based task - lesson plan
Priming and Preparation
Teacher might tell a story about a cat ;
Introduce a Newspaper News in Brief text - give title
Cat’s feat
and dictionary entry:
Feat /fi:t/ feats.
A feat is an impressive and difficult act or achievement.
EG He received a medal for his heroic feat. The construction
of this bridge was a brilliant feat of engineering.
Cat’s Feat: Task cycles 1 and 2
1 Task: (individuals, then in groups) think of a story that could
have the title: Cat’s feat
Planning: plan how to tell your story with maximum effect
Decide who will tell each part. Ask your teacher if any problems.
Rehearse your story.
Report: tell the class your story. Listen to the other stories – do
any of them have similar themes?
2 Listening task: Listen to the story on the CD. Which group’s
story was the closest? What similarities were there?
Cat’s Feat: Task 3 Read then write
Cat’s Feat
Facts from this text
A sixteen-week-old
>>How many short
kitten named Mor
sentences can you write
jumped 200 feet from a
in two minutes?
e.g. The kitten’s name
balcony of her 22nd floor
was Mor
apartment in British
Columbia to the street
>>Compare sentences
and walked away
with a partner. How
without a scratch.
many have you got?
Writing task
Tell the class your sentences. Do not repeat any you
have heard before. How many different ones can you
get as a class?
Without looking at the text again, try to put all those
facts back into one sentence of exactly 30 words.
Work in twos. You have ten minutes.
(= Unpacking and repacking a sentence: M. Halliday)
>At home: write up your group’s best cat story to…….
Form Focus: based on text and/or transcript
Look at the transcript of the recording.
1. Circle 6 phrases with the word that or That. What do some
have in common? Think of 2 or 3 ways to categorise them.
Ah, that’s amazing!
Something like that, anyway
That’s incredible!
That’s funny actually, because the other day…
They are very good at that, yes.
That’s right!
2. Find – in the spoken transcript – 8 examples of words ending in
–ly. Notice the phrases they are in. Try saying the whole
phrase out loud quickly.
I reckon it probably jumped out the window
Oh actually I think I read this somewhere…
That’s funny actually because the other day…
Because I recently heard of a similar story
But certainly it’s fairly common.
2. Test your partner – say the phrase without the -ly word – can
he /she remember the whole phrase? (You can say beep
instead of the word.) Try this with the next slide.
Oh ………….. I think I read this somewhere…
I reckon it …………. jumped out the window
That’s funny …………, because the other day…
Because I ……….. heard of a …
But certainly it’s ………… common.
When to work on language and focus on form?
Priming & Preparation
Key lexis & useful phrases
Task >> Planning >>>> Report of outcome
Language extension >> Prestige language use
Form focus
Analysis & practice
of language features from
texts (written or spoken) that learners have read or heard
TBLT …
True or False?
If you have taken part in this whole session, you will realise
now that these are all false. They are simply common myths.
.. is designed to teach spoken rather than written
English.
.. is learner centred.
.. rejects rote learning as a useful activity.
.. does not allow the use of the first language in the
classroom.
.. does not provide learners with language input before
expecting them to engage in a communicative activity.
.. does not allow for the study of grammar.
.. does not allow drills and pattern practice.
.. requires a greater range of teaching skills and
techniques than traditional approaches.
What kind of results?
Willingness to ‘have a go’ in lessons (Japan)
Learners develop a feel for language and for what sounds right
Increased confidence in speaking outside class (Hungary)
‘Students come to life during the task cycle’ (Japan)
Increased motivation among students (everywhere)
More autonomous learners who are likely to go on learning
after their language course.
Useful sites and reading – see handout!
And now a final task for your homework:
Which is colder – the North Pole or the South
Pole?
To find out, visit www.willis-elt.co.uk
- free lesson plans, articles and useful links
And try doing some Task-based Teaching with
your learners!
All the very best!
www.willis-elt.co.uk
References
Edwards C. and J. Willis (eds) 2005. Teachers Exploring Tasks in ELT. Palgrave
MacMillan. British Council ELT Innovations Award 2006
Leaver B. and J. R. Willis 2004 Task-based Instruction in FLE: practices and
programs Georgetown University Press
Liria, P. (ed) 2009 L'approche actionnelle dans l'enseignement des langues SBL
Willis D. 2003. Rules, Patterns and Words: Grammar and Lexis in English
Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press
Willis D. and J. Willis, 2007 Doing Task-based Teaching Oxford University Press
Useful websites:
An excellent introductory article on TBL by Richard Frost:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/a-task-based-approach
Four articles on TBL by Jane Willis can be found at:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/criteria-identifying-tasks-tbl
Free sample task-based lesson plans at http://www.williselt.co.uk/taskbased.html
Extra slides follow
So why Task-based Learning?
TBL provides learners with natural exposure (input), chances to use
language to express what they want to mean (output), to focus on
improving their own language and to analyse and practise forms.
TBL is more likely to keep learners motivated since it builds on
whatever language they know in a positive way. Learners are
actively engaged throughout the task cycle, and get chances to
think for themselves and express themselves in the security of their
group.
Learners become more independent and feel empowered, gaining
satisfaction from successfully achieving things through the FL.
Implementing and exploring TBL…
Aim at richer interactions in class – focus on meaning
first, form later.
Use your text-books flexibly: ‘taskify’ them.
Explore what happens when you use tasks: get
learner feed-back, adapt tasks and try again.
(Edwards and Willis (eds) Teachers Exploring Tasks)
Teachers’ advice on TBL
‘Collaborate with your colleagues – it saves
time – and it makes teaching much more
rewarding…’
‘Collaboration is the key’
‘Don’t give up - it really works!’
www.willis-elt.co.uk