The advantages of tbl
Why choose TBL as language teaching method? We have to ask ourselves that question, because if we, as language teachers, don’t know which method we are teaching according to or if we do not think about teaching methodology in relation to the different types of learners, to levels, to materials and last but not least to the learning processes of the individual learner, we might as well not teach!
Therefore, when we choose TBL, there should be a clear and defined purpose of that choice. Having chosen TBL as language teaching method, the teacher thereby recognizes that “teaching does not and cannot determine the way the learner’s language will develop” and that “teachers and learners cannot simply choose what is to be learned”. “The elements of the target language do not simply slot into place in a predictable order” [Peter Skehan 19]. This means that we, as teachers, have to let go of the control of the learning process, as if there ever was one! We must accept that we cannot control what each individual learner has learnt after for example two language lessons and as Peter Skehan says “instruction has no effect on language learning” [18].
One clear purpose of choosing TBL is to increase learner activity; TBL is concerned with learner and not teacher activity and it lies on the teacher to produce and supply different tasks which will give the learner the opportunity to experiment spontaneously, individually and originally with the foreign language. Each task will provide the learner with new personal experience with the foreign language and at this point the teacher has a very important part to play. He or she must take the responsibility of the consciousness raising process, which must follow the experimenting task activities. The consciousness raising part of the TBL method is a crucial for the success of TBL, it is here that the teacher must help learners to recognize differences and similarities, help them to “correct, clarify and deepen” their
perceptions of the foreign language. [Michael Lewis 15]. All in all, TBL is language learning by doing.
“TASKS are activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome” As defined by Willis.
That means a task can be anything from doing a puzzle to making an airline reservation. A Task-Based approach to Language:
allows for a needs analysis to be matched to identified student needs
is supported by the research findings of classroom-centered language learning
allows evaluation to be based on testing referring to task-based criterion
allows for form-focused instruction
So we should select topics that will motivate learners, engage their attention and promote their language development as efficiently as possible.
What are the advantages of TBL:
Task based learning is useful for moving the focus of the learning process from the teacher to the student.
It gives the student a different way of understanding language as a tool instead of as a specific goal.
It can bring teaching from abstract knowledge to real world application.
A Task is helpful in meeting the immediate needs of the learners and provides a framework for creating classes, interesting and able to address to the student’s needs.
Ellis [2003] points out that the overall purpose of a task-based approach is to create opportunities for language learning and skill development through collaborative knowledge building. Hence while proponents of task-based teaching naturally vary in their emphases and beliefs, there is broad agreement on several principles. For example, once we look through the principles proposed by Willis [1996] and Skehan
[1998]; Ellis [2003] and Swan [2005], the following common principles can be obtained:
Instructed
language learning should primarily involve ‘natural’ or
‘naturalistic’ language use, based on activities concerned with
meaning rather than language.
Instruction should motivate learners to engage in language use rather than teacher control.
Students should be primarily focused on meaning when they carry out a task.
There should be opportunities for focusing on form.
Formal pre- or post-task language study will be useful.
From these principles, we may conclude that task-based teaching is ready to combine form- and meaning-based approaches.
The advantages of TBL:
Authentic language
Lots of use and exposure Holistic to specific
Fluency to accuracy: meaning first, form after Link to real world
Students negotiate meaning
Report stage gives students chance to improve language Language analysis relates to students‟ production
Students can choose language to focus on
Language learned organically and experientially, not forced on learner Target language is dealt with more analytically than mechanically Descriptive not prescriptive
Blends grammar and vocab(lexical approach) Language is contextualized
Highly communicative
Student-centered and lots of interpersonal communication Specific task encourages student participation
Students of different levels can participate
Two types of speaking: spontaneous (private) and planned (public) Genuine need to use language to communicate (task and planning stages) Genuine need to strive for accuracy (reporting)
Intrinsically motivating Encourages confidence
Encourages acquisition by students noticing language they could have used in
task
Encourages autonomous learning
Stages are flexible
Can involve all four skills
Morefun!
Task-based learning has some clear advantages:
Unlike a PPP approach, the students are free of language control. In all three stages they must use all their language resources rather than just practicing one pre-selected item.
A natural context is developed from the students' experiences with the language that is personalized and relevant to them. With PPP it is necessary to create contexts in which to present the language and sometimes they can be very unnatural.
The students will have a much more varied exposure to language with TBL. They will be exposed to a whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns as well as language forms.
The language explored arises from the students' needs. This need dictates what will be covered in the lesson rather than a decision made by the teacher or the course book.
It is a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of time communicating. PPP lessons seem very teacher-centered by comparison. Just watch how much time the students spend communicating during a task-based lesson.
It is enjoyable and motivating.
Chapter 2. “A task-based approach in language teaching”
Task- based language learning (TBLL), also known as task-based language teaching (TBLT) or task-based instruction (TBI). TBLL focuses on the use of authentic language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or calling customer service for help. Assessment is primarily based on task outcome (in other words the appropriate completion of real world tasks) rather than on accuracy of prescribed language forms. This makes TBLL especially popular for developing target language fluency and student confidence. As such TBLL can be considered a branch of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT).
TBLL was popularized by N. Prabhu while working in Bangalore, India. Prabhu noticed that his students could learn language just as easily with a non-linguistic problem as when they were concentrating on linguistic questions. Major scholars who have done research in this area include Teresa P. Pica and Michael Long.
According to Jane Willis, TBLL consists of the pre-task, the task cycle, and the language focus.
The components of a Task are:
Goals and objectives
Input
Activities
Teacher role
Learner role
Settings
Task-based language learning has its origins in communicative language teaching, and is a subcategory of it. Educators adopted task-based language learning for a variety of reasons. Some moved to task-based syllabus in an attempt to make language in the classroom truly communicative, rather than the pseudo-communication that results from classroom activities with no direct connection to real-life situations. Others, like Prabhu in the Bangalore Project, thought that tasks were a way of tapping into learners' natural mechanisms for second-language acquisition, and weren't concerned with real-life communication per se.
The core of the lesson or project is, as the name suggests, the task. Teachers and curriculum developers should bear in mind that any attention to form, i.e. grammar or vocabulary, increases the likelihood that learners may be distracted from the task itself and become preoccupied with detecting and correcting errors and/or looking up language in dictionaries and grammar references.