tt LONGMAN HANDBOOKS for LANGUAGE TEACHERS, soviet concn whey etngoes 2nd proses az prize A Framework for Task-Based Learning A Pramework fr Tk Base ewig is complet ule to the modagy and practice oftasl-bsed language teaching For fase who Wish io apa genuinely arercented| approche tee aching tors an alternative Fawn tho "rseaation, practi, production” moél This bok s base on sou eincpleso langue earang nd ‘cwmines he best insighs from communicative language echiag with asyteatie foes on anuage fo. Iespains and exes each component in 2 pia ask- sed essen, rom sting up ate tsk tough the tsk, leading nto language focused work This approach allows the natural integration eal skis and encourages a ‘he leer a conor for both acarzy and Mueney. Key features ofA Framework for Tas Based earning are + alleie but coherent amework + a prac! approach, with ries and rational early explain thot + lesson aust show how th arnewark canbe used oan sons « phorcepabe Fons Pages for sei teacher raining sessions + over 200 ides fr tasks for Sassoon use | Praaupork or Ts Basel Learning eaters “alkanes fen belaners upears “ind ble «th teaching of any second or facign language Jane Wiss caren teaching at ston University, Birlogha, UK helt Masters ‘uses ia Teashing English and ESP mainly by Distance Learning, he i th author of Sseeral books insuing Teaciog English Thvogh Eaglsh (Langman), ita “LANGUAGE TEACHERSLongman Handbooks for Language Teachers A Framework for Task-Based Learning‘Aaison Wesiey Longman Lied nrg Ga, Hoos Ese C2 Egat td Comp chet he wo (© Addison Wey Lengman Lined 1996 gre npr of isp nay er tet ‘Renard gto est mayor Ey ma, ‘hls meson ngewe roraritn pon f Peso "he Pb rn persion rhe pcayig of tos pgs raed tan cor ote sig con, dal ‘erin my te cp fbr emery is Bey ‘otha spine fart te ati el “ron Unde we cestoncs may ny par of his Bak Be cp ote est pbc 19% ‘Seis Palaino Pred ia by Carte Produced ote pbhers by de Heer Bs Deigned and sted by Onest Design Oxo Ison os2.29573 8 Acknowledgements ‘eae tefl othe lowing for poison orp npg mata ‘Se: ok 1 Te kes 2&8 by JD ‘Godin Mads Croup pl orto ara Cal Str ext ‘edn om The boy who cae out om the co i THE ‘GUARDIAN Thoms Kon Soe Li for exes om. TALEING TO LEAR Te Spiel Projet GSE) b 8, Franc Mathews Ie have tem arabe ste cpygh Telecel the ai Sper io Te Daly Wop 24190 it trod epee sy infoeton wich woud ent sto 0=0. Ve asso grat o The BNC. The rsh National Corpus isa ‘labratve baie avd at by Onterd Univer Pra isan, Chanbers Hp, Ord Univers Compute ‘Sees Lanter Unive Ol Compute earch in he teh angung sede Ba rary The SNC ones ‘sed eigen the UR Depron rd indy {hd the Scene and EngncerngKeearc Coan nd wat ‘ypatiy addon roca gant om the Beta Aco we md Ae w5er 1996 ce / Contents Acknowledgements : Introduction \ PART Ar STARTING POINTS 1 Language learning: creating the best environment 111 Batts about language leaning 1.2 How learers ctor 113 Four conions for language leering 1.4 Classrooms as leaning environments 15 Summary Rofiection/Observaton/Furthor reading Notes 7 Aspects of tasks 2.1 Defining tasks 2.2 Varetie of aok 2.8 Language us in tasks 224 Leaming from tasks 25 Summary Matorial oppreisaliObservation/Furtherreesing/Notes PART B: TASK-BASED LEARNING 3 The YBL framiéwork: overview and pré-task phase 3.1 General overview 8.2 The pretask phase 3. Managing leaner tak ‘84 Summary Material appraicalPlanningiObservation/Further readingNotes 4 The TOL framework: the task cycle 4. The tas stags 42 for to tae 43 Tho planning stage 44 The report stage 4.5 Whiting inthe task ola 46 ES. ond one-to-one: ask oye scatations 47 Sunmacy Retiection/Furtherreeding/Notes 10 7 9 1° a 22 eeese5 Tasks based on text 544 Defining text-bacod tacks 5.2 Selecting and blancing exposure 5.8 Reading and Istenig strategies ‘54 Designing text-based tasks ‘5.5 Planning a toxt-based tak essen 86 Summary ‘Material appratsalFurther reading Notes © Exposure to spontaneous speech using recordings 16.1 Spontaneous epesch inthe TL trnowerk 16.2 Using tas recordings 16.3 Making your own tsk recordings 644 Intorviows recerdod by leamers 65 Summary ‘Materia appralsaUPlanning/Observation Notes 7. Tho TBL frameworks language focus 17.1 From meaning to torn 172 Language analysis actives 173 Starting points for analyte activites 7.4 Language practice eetves 7 Creating a pedageaic corpus 177 Surmeraty Material proparation Further reacing/Notes PART C: IMPLEMENTING TASK-BASED LEARNING (TDL for beginners and young learners 8.1 Using tasks wit real beginners 8.2 Tasks for beginners 8.3 Language focus for bagionars 18.4 Teaching non-Fleman alphabet begoners 86 Teaching young feamers 86 Summary Planning/ObservationFurther reading Notes "7 ne 118 123, 1 130 131 7 © Adopting TBL: come practical Issues 9.4 PPP and T3L 92 Introducing TEL, 195 Assessment and TEL 94 Textbooks and TEL. 95 Summary Further readinghotes ‘Appendices ‘Sie typos o ask Overview ofthe TAL tramowor ‘Sample task-based lesson outlines Groupmork appraisal sheets ‘Tho moet aunt words of English Taskbased examinations amooam Bibliography and References index Key “To asks on pages 95,38, 44,5, 65, 68-84 00,102, 108-7 133 133 7 va 144 vr 18 140 155 156 169 m 173 178 7 v9Acknowledgements Initial inspiration and support for taskcbased languege leming came from Prabhu in Bangalore, John Sinclair in Birmingham and sat and students of mary nationalities at the British Counal Teaching Centre in Singapore under Dave Willis. Thee have been mary people both inside and outside the Cobuild Project in Birmingham who have recorded, piloted and reported on tasks and task-based lexing and to ll these peopl Tam tly grateful. Twas Arlene Gilpin who firally gave me the impetus to wart wring this ‘book, and Dave Willis my husband, who, with patience and understanding, kept me going righ to the end, reading and commenting on drat of every chapter and ssggeting revisions Tul version of ven chapters were piloted with ature Spanish teachers of English at Leda University in northern Spain ~ my thanke to them, and to Professor Chamose and the Departamento de Hilologis Modema. Tha book has igeatly benefited from detailed feedback and enthusiastic encouragement frm those who reed the complete manuscript Melanie Bult Jeremy Harmer and Seth Lindstromberg, ard ffom those who have read and commented on {ndividaal chapters and helped with revisions and appendices: Margaret Allan, Paul Barnes, Brahim Bonati, Charlie Brown, John Coston, Corony Edwards, Pauline Foster, Ronnie Heldsrorth Katie Jennings Joares Lopes Steve Mann, [Nicki Marshal, Jaimis Sitvelra, Richard West and Sue Wharton, together with their colleagues trainee teachers and studens, Many of these people have had ‘considerable experience of implementing and using TAL in the UK USA, ‘Australia Irland, Spain and Brazil, and Thave both enjoyed thai profesional ‘companionship and benefited greaty from their advice and feedback Staf and students from Aston University Language Studies Unit have also contributed in any ways. Distance Learning Masters students especaly Ghose Jn Turkey, together with teachers and talnars om the British Counell Teaching Centres in Istanbul end lemis have undertaken taskcbased Tearing projec, short and long term, and have kept me ia touch with thes findings and eit progress. ‘My greatest appreciation goes, as always, o my family, who have put up with my absences, my Tong week-end of writing and with whom Thave resolved pend far more ine enjoying mayelf inthe coming year Jone Wiis How to use this book Introduction The ain of commun ks to sinus el commnniation nthe gst language. Many tooo ince tars of this ind. Ther sesso rsrse oe fllofirmginatve ast, at peal sch tans ae wd atthe rd of ‘thong ce, rather than emcee, or ave ed 3 the ‘efor septate peng kiss. “This book on tse uring (TL) shows how tak can be wed asthe cerral os in upporve mathlogi framework The aim of heh © “smn relpurps forlangage wean provides natal cone fr ngage Sty Sent pepe forthe ek oport ack fer the ak an then ty toe langage hat ato atrayeatfthe skye anditsaccompanying nails. “The ramework oles ch but compere exonie to language ne through listening and reading, and provides opportunities for both spontaneous td pinned apesing and wring I provides Inara wi he matraton improve ar ad on whatever gue hy already hae "Th taicased femevork tales acaant what we Know about haw pple eam anguages We kn for example tht pace of language fms Abert necessary make pf Weknow tat rope canto ea a anguage tout plenty afopportaie for rel anguage nets lone that ie lang that hy Se expoend oad that hy one ef dof language shy want to ler For example ifs inadesspntaners span language (wich very diferent fem panned wen ngage) then et ha ey ‘eed oer ase We ako iow tat 00 much ephase on smal gop Comminkation without any cl fr sxuacy may rou in leer aninat fealning some leer veop Deny a the expe of acy. The TEL framework designed fo weve al hese ase “ks earings the Desig om communicative language scaching with an orice ‘oes on anguage form. Alough the cxamples a Shs book ae based on English TL i vb fo the tenching of ey target langue second or ogn Exch chapter begin witha fous page which iauodaces wo otro the aia ‘hemes and conept eam sto help readers reflect on relevent language Ieming or teaching experince which dey can raw on wl reading too ier Ica alto be photocopied and wed teacher ning courses to Str dsason of hee cep The qussons onthe feu pape te ‘xpleratocy~ there are often no st anowers = but the tes they fase ae import nes and wil be free eretped inthe chapter ‘Many chaps mer to the sesores mates which have boen gthered together nthe Appendices for ese fue, These av alo photocopale ‘Atte end of os chaplersthee ae soegestons for acts help develop spec teaching sls, There are alo recommendations fr farther eeding. Tope you ard ou letersi working wis nse ecing hope too, Bat you gun profesional saifocion fom overeating inital fialcs (Chere ae aways soma!) and sein te diference at TBL con maken the language casroon Jane Wil, Bemingham, March 1956What are your views on language learning? Fate toc statements A, 8, Cor acorig to ow fr you age wth ech of thom. Note your eaons andar evsenca suppor your decoens.Then hare your views ‘ih a coeague and ty fo each arose. ies srongly 8 Aare Bont aly ogee 8 Deawee 1 Yoxcan fea to speak a orsign language qute wa without lecsone Many socendary stunts who have ducted a foreign language leave ‘choel unable o communicate ‘Leamos tor go on making the ‘same enor even ater ing corected many tires. Nstudons tna the nds of sfemoa te we uy a0 Yeu mat the language teely (© Tacha should alvaye comect cent ror. 7 Reading widely is one of te best ways to loam anctheranguage, £8 People fa intesecua abies ‘an sucess lan another language. 9 The younger you ao the ester you wil leanenethar language 40 Exrovers make betoranguage PART A: STARTING POINTS Language learning: creating the best environment 1-4 Beliefs about language learning 1.2 How tearners ditter 12.1 Leaming sratogies 1.22 Anaiyic and holistic learners 1.3. Four conditions for language leaming 134 Bxpoeure 182 Uso ot ianguage 133° Motivation 124 Inter 4.4 Classrooms as teaming environments 141 The power ofthe teacher 142 The conan onthe stitert 143. Changing he balance 4.5 Summory Rettection/Observtion Further reading Notes “This chapter provides the fationale for task-bosed learning, It explores how ‘tral langage lensing Process can eran learning he som, ‘We begin ia guestonnare which frases on concepts ad esas in eel angage tng er lecsing these, andthe princes behind than we conser diferent inva ering ses We then deni thee baste conditions for natural anguage lamin whic, combined ely witha fourth, itucon provide ar opdimumt Ieenag environment Tirally we show how Ate tachenceted sroom tends to have fed tetera pate whi inital eaming/ Ths underines the need foralieratve pattems ofiteracon which ce on he eer rather an Uae We seg Ut esl gee ul Wn ‘Weal have tongly held beliefs about the ways that foreign or sacand languages are art ~ beliefs which ate Based on our ov experience as language learners ‘nda language teachors. tis well worth examining those belie together wit ‘he experience ht es behind ther. This is what de questionnaire in Focus 1s designed tohelp you do “Mest teachers who do this questionnaire Sind they agree with six or seven statements and disagree with three or four But your answers may well be Aitferent because they are base on dferene experiencesArmauwonx ror TASK BASED LEARING + Hlow does this examination of our beliefs heip us to understand hovr people Scam another language? Or more importndy pechaps, t understand Why people don’t lean one? We will now discuss each statement in turn. 1 You can Tern to speak foreign language lt wll without lesions. “Mest of us know or know of people who fave azn to speak foreign Innguoge quite fica without any teaching at el peope who trevel tc work road alo people wh stay kn tht own cosy but ‘who mix with speaiers of another language. Bven quite young children, “who drop out of schoo often classed a tnteadble beome Uroticalturlt gules and end up managig o communicate several fzign languages They ar ot ays totaly accuse But they achieve level of language silty that eaely adequate for thelr neds What it shat helps people ike this ofr? er one thing they are csually very mvt they have a pressing dese fo communicate lanl to get their meaning arss. They ecelve aot of exposute= they esr the language in woe and pik up they ned nd they have rnany opportunites to speak and experiment wih the language Tle intecoctors donot expect them fe erect and wil fen support ther attempts to communicate by suggesting words and phrases Tes the, ite possible for people to lee alot without having lessons, Clasmoom natrcton i nota necessary conto for leaaing 2 Many secondary students who have studied a foreign language leave school unable to communicate inf ‘Unfortunately this soften the xs. In language schools ll over the world ‘he largest group of students consists of people who have studied English stachool but who fel they know nothing and want to start again. Mary British schoo! leavers have aed to learn French or German in much the same way. They have a small batter of formulate phrases, but ae unable ‘or too shy to pt them to use. Although many of them pass their ‘examinations succesfully they find they cannot crpe in canversation with a uent speaker 7 ‘One reason wit this happens is becnaud rch oftheir exposure consats of writen language at sentence level they reused 0 reading textbook exercises end hearing caefully- cringe potas ose oth aye have con, [fo Aiton Vasey igren od TEN) PART B: TASK-BASED LEARNING The TBL framework: overview and pre-task phase 3:4, General overview {1 Teacher ries in tho framework ‘81.2 The framowork and lesson planning 3.1.3 The flex of he framework 3.2 The pretask phase 32:1 Advance preparation 32.2 Inteducing he topic 9.2.3 Identifying top language 824 Preask language actives 825 Giving ask instructions 828 Allowing preperation ime 9.3 Managing learner talk: 2 Mixed tvel lassos oa Pettems of iteracton and tun-taking 4, eal nace cone ‘eas Contig ig sen 39.5 Balancing target anguage and mother tongue 34 Summary Material appratealPianning/Observation/FurtherreadingNotes “This chapter isthe ft of thre that wil lustrate dhe base procetuses of {he dhe phases in the TBL framework. TWetarte with an overview which showe hove dhe phase inthe femowark nd their components ink together I then examines the role ofthe teacher nd illastrates how teachers might operate the framework wit wo sample lesson outlines. TE then tus tothe pre task phase, It shows the kind of preparation that say need tobe done elorhaid, and identifies tesicps involved ieetng tp a task It goss on to lutte a range of preliminary activites that can ‘be asin last introduce the topieand prepare namers for he task tell nally it considers altemative ways of setting up tasks to ensance snd vary learner tak, and offers solutions toa range of common probleins that teachers sometimes face when managing earers i pare and groups More ways to ue the framework with asks based an spoken and written text wil be found in Chapiers 3a 6. »srivemronnaconeninane (oy 3.4 General “Task-bosed snot just about to do one Jeaming isnot just about getting leer task and then another task and then another If that wore the case learners would probably become quit expert at doing tik and resourcefal with hee language, but hey wrod amet ea accra sof, uj, Hodcedstoeseades phen oey pts te gi en cece Tavng for efi pont cake aang end inner we ‘Boh sf ere cempnet n ng sad mis pps & fos rin ameon ca fe ha pe, ak ad gue ‘The pretask phase introduces the class fo the topic and the task, activating topierelated words and phrases. "The tack cydle offers leamers the chance to use whatever Ianguage they atroady kaow inorder to eazzy out the ae, and thon to improve that language, ‘under teacher guidance, while planning thr reports of the tek, Feedback fom, the teacher comes when they want i ead aller the posure two language in use can be provided at diferen. pots, ‘depending on the typeof tak. Either before or during the task eye, stadents right listen to recordings of other people doing the tak, or read a text connect with the task top and seat this to their osm experince of ions ‘as shown in Focus 3 lengunge and proses itor searing soy are ead to fut on th specie language form that coy tht mening Tosh ado se forms cen ; Dh ne tal de a hove which ees Sas and pcioecompercnts fll the ort dsb ence onion learn “Expat ty of aaguage fom, = ‘Language lamers need bo are aneCGecr"A wide range of topics, sexs and tuk pes gives esmers Vite. femeork such os i, wth i thes Gat pe a gre thera ene font For example one they ico that tae wl avast a lrgaege foc us aes he ak le they trl begin fo worry es sot ew ingenge ty meet ding Gn tsk yc ‘est tay ee thay wl hee x cane expr ater “Ayo wl a he aching equ for shed laine sot rary feet fon the rtnry mainte language teaching’ The Gites ea the ann ad weighing of ects nin ha Un Ofer ei unt of eta es ie Upload cng 4.1.1 Teacher la, TOL lor he ahr general Gna ay Kespng te ay inthe framework conditions for leaming in mind. Facilitating Teting tavolves lacing the Bois of exposure and use of language and ensuring they are both o BF se 1.3.1-1.32) a TBL framework, most ofthe emphasis son eames doing things. often In palis or groups, using language to achieve the tack cutcmes and guided by 312 The framework and tesson planing 848 Tho flsbity lhe framework 3+ 7H TL ASEOR OFEFVEW A PRETAS PHASE the he Tia aoe i tng tp, aig at een Stes SES Silom Age Sime do depen ter a roel ot a [om p eer eran. Teper ner ye ings copet oe ik aero vate Sings tc vo ‘nga fo te mer a ‘ema inated deni als ie pile ning lem As cve seas of te ou ad how te opr oe ef at eid aso need to be made explicit Leamers willbe experiencing English throughout the sehole tack cyele. However, a the leton outlines accompanying the next ‘ection will show its only at the end, when useful language from the now familar ask recordings and texts can be dented and focused on tha specific language bjecsives wil become dear to students (oe Chapter 6). ‘The components within cach phase of the framework provide a naturally owing sequence, each one preparing the ground forthe next. Read Lesson (Outlines 1 and 2 in Appendix C. They are based on the recorded tasks we analyeed in Chapter 2. They illustrate two diferent types of ask at two distinct levds "You wil notice several differences. The it outine i for 2 revision lesson, 0 has a very short preask phase and the ecording (giving some solutions) is played ater the tisk, The second outine introduces @ new topic so has along re tas phase with the recording played before the tsk to give students an ide ef what they are to do “There are sry waytin which the components within the framework can be ‘weighted differently and adapted to st learners” needs. For example, inital, ‘with insecure false beginners, you may feel the report component is not approprite. However, with leamers who aze confident and fuent but very naccurte, you might want to apend more time on this component, with both an ‘ral end a writen port. And sometimes students may ike to ropeat the task itself with another partner atthe end of the language focus phase ‘the topic is famuliar and the tasks ae son, there may be room fortwo tsk cjcee within oe lesson (eg, sting flowed by ranking) tthe opi Is new OF ‘nari or if he task is Longo ar more complex (- compering or problem solving), the fraanework can be epi between two lessons, A language analysis ‘esivity could, for example be prepared forhomework, and reviewed during the text leston. Even the task cle could be split, and the report component inalided and presented the following lesion. This would give lamers more time torefect and work outhow to express themselves, thus providing an even richer learning oppor “There are many diffrent ways to conduc the pretck phate oo. Te to this which we now een3.2 The protask phase 32:1 Advance: reparation 322 introducing the topic 923 Kenttying topic language “The pretask phase will usualy be the shortest stage in the framework. T could last between two and twenty minutes, depending on the leznexe’ degree of familiarity with he topic andthe type of tak If dre i'a pre task recording to ‘su the scene, it could take eighty longer you are panning to doa task fom a coursebook or resouroe book then much ‘ofthe advance preparation will have been done for you. A good textbook wil have ideas for introducing the topic and task, and will include preperalory activities for learners to da. You may perhaps fel you want to fine-tune the fntroducory plan suggested inthe Teacher's Book f ait your own cass, but that should not take 100 long Once the topic s clea, f the insinctons forthe ‘askare dearly set out in the Stadert’s Book, learners canbe encouraged 01084 ‘om, plan individually ho bos o tackle the tas, and get taight on wi it Withcat farther explantion from you. Ifyou are designing your ov isk. or planing to supplement what i inthe ‘coursebook, there willbe a certain amount of preparation todo beforehand, for ‘eam finding suitable pictues, working out voeabulary-bullding ideas ot pethape making aone-or two-minute recording of some fluent speskers doing the tak If isthe second or third task on a particular topic there wil be les preparation, since stadents will by tis time have sufficient vocabulary to smarage and the pre-taik phase can be much shorter. Preparing your own tasks for the fit ne may seem to involve alot of preliminary Work but youcan always use them again with diferent lasses. Ad ‘once the preparation is dane, you wil ind during the tak eye that it wil be ‘the students who are doing most af the work rather than you the teacher ‘Once students are used fo task-basd leaming they can work independently without much teacher intervention, which takes the preseuze off you. There is normally very litte marking to do after the leson is over, siace you will be helping them to edit and improve thar own work as they plan thei writen reports in las, with the support ofthe group, ‘Let's lok at what we need to do inset setup a task successfully [ist ofall you will need to help leamers define the topic aes, For example, topics such a fami, echool or work, are familar to most people and should ‘not be difficult fr them to-urdorstand. There may peesbly be ained to dai, sn the ease of families, for example, the concept of a nacleae family a oppoved to an extended family, However, students ay, espedkaly if they come from other cultures hol sft virwo on wet some topics are about. Por exazpl, Twas once eeching, group of young adults unten holiday plans. wee hoping to encourage them fotalkabout traveling. Alte students from one particular country insisted thet daring their two weeks’ annual holidays they Stayed at home and vated television. The concept of going on holiday was alien to them. I tanspired they sometimes traveled on businss ox t visi relatives, but only afew very rch people travelled on holiday So Thad to spend te discussing with the ss the Concept of travel fr pleasure, and change dhe tank focus, before continuing, ‘The second step isto help students recall and activate words and phrases that will be usefel both during the task andl ouside te clasroom. You may also need 9.24 Pretack language actives to introduce a few vital topierelated words and phrases that students are “ntl to know. Usually these ae introduced and ilusratd in the textbook. Th any cass you ate ikely to have some learners who know moe ofthe target language than others. I they ae ldren, come may have had private lesors ‘or may have travelled to where the language spoken Some are just eter at remembering than otvers: some try, some don’ they are adults, hey will have had diferent language leaming experiences, different kinds of input, and will revel diferent areas of expertse and weakness eis often dffal to gouge in advance how much fopicrelated language ‘ndlvgual edie WT The pont of th nsociry Toss on Tope and “gage isnot to teach lange amounts of new language av certainly not to {each one particular grammatical structure, ut to boost students conddence in Fandlng dhe as, a give the something to fl ack on if necessary. You will often be surprised, howeves at dhe words and phrases you learners asa class swady know and can ue. You wort find this out unless you gve them a chance {oshow you, which i what the pretask activities aim odo. Encourage tearers 10 pool toplezlated words and phrases they know lndad)- YOU coud ds thi a a teacher ralstoraing activ. As students think of words and phrase, waite them on up one side ofthe boerd, talking shout them as you write Later, during the tas, someone ges stuck others will often co-operate ad help ther ot. They can allrefert the words onthe Doar Te the ek involves reading and allingsbouta ect you could pick out words and phrases that ae vita ora general undersanding of main themes. While doing this, you oul also note oer es vital but stil wef ul wor and phrases ‘hat you may like to highlight ater atthe langage focus phase. 12.33 we drew attention to the usoalnos of shading recordings of set speakers doing simular tasks (806.2 fr more dea, Sometimes textbooks have tansripts of earings you could use Inether as, make ast of few useful ‘words and phrases. “eas actives to explore topic lgiage ould acy invsve ail ieires, give them relevantexponure an, sbove all cate interestin dong task on is topic "here are sometimes problems with direct preteaching of Ut of useful _orords and phrases. Students who dont know hem wil ant 0 epend some Te WANE Bem down and practising them, while ethers who ow them ‘ready will be bored an fee they are wating time. “elow is a election of peas acuies Which reuse topic language in 8 stunuleung way. You will doutis be abet ua of mary oer Troe ison one or hwo of Ue prea wl probly be enough. Make sure lener now why they ae doing tons an how they wil lp des with the nan tak Mont could be stared of as clas atts and then continsed in ‘ups o par, withthe teacher clang Thetis show spl introns you might ata give your tae. CGasstying words and phases (On the boss, write jumbled-p words and phrases connected! with the topic ant task, Talk about them as you inte. (This wll provide good exposure )APUMEWORE FOR TASK-OASEO LEUNG 9.2.5 Giving task Intrutons “Rea through the words and phrases ent clas Hem in difrent ways, for exemple ‘hep expesiefet~ cold How many categories a You HK of to mines? 08 one out ‘Write sts of related worde and phraceson the board, inerting ane sem in each set that doesnt ft, Best Black roses, lng des, smart te, ‘Sy the prac to your partner and deus which th od one out ary. Then mate up some mar sts for anther part do. Matching phrases to pictures ‘Younced a cet of pictures related to your topic—rome can be quite detailed ~and ‘90 or three phrases or captions for ench picture (cluding, if you like, one that does’ fi), Mix all the phrases or captions up and write them on the board in 2 jambled ist ‘T Which praeseptons go with ech ptre? (There ay be som lft oer Bat don’ {itd Write your cum eaptions for any to pictures Con your partner tl wiih tures they ae for? ‘Memory challenge “This the ame asthe matching activity only you tke the pictures down aftr ‘one or two minutes and students must match the phrates or eaptions to the pictures from memory. Its beter nt to number the pictures Then students wil Ihave to specify verbally which pictuze they mean by describing it, which of ‘course simulates more language use ‘Branstomning and minésmape Wirt the main topic word(s) inthe conte ofthe board. I you have a picture related to your topic, show the dass. Encourage students to call oat other words and plases and ask whesebouts onthe board you shoal wate tem. Some eas for elasifcation wall develop. ‘T What do you think of when you ker ese words andlor see these pictures? “Thinking of questions fo ask White four questions you might ask if you woe ding a survey on TV viewing, interscwing. someone to teach tn your college, et. Eathonge questions ‘with enter pal and then lif the el. Teacher mounting a siniler axpevionce Sm going ttl you abut ws acidet I ence Ba. Tite nd se whether mything ie as evr happened to you Alter th larners have dove a pretask orto (or even while hey are doing them), writeup other usefal words and phrases they have produced, expecially cones that lamers have contibtedthemslves ‘Tete step in he pretask phases to ensure hat al lees inderstand what the task involves what its goals are and what ostoome i equized. They will ‘want to keowhow they should begin, exactly what each person should de how "much ine they have and whet wil happen once they have finished. ‘Texthook inetrictions have wally been ploted with students, so they hoald be cose IF it isa tack you have designed yourself, however, cr one You have adapted from another source, vite down the inetrctons before the lsson and ‘ty them out on a colleague. What soma clear to you may nct be dear to an ‘outsider. If your colleague is unsure about what to do, you can darify the Instructions and write a final version to we in cass. “The main problem in language dassroms is often actully getting stents to tain 222 T thst the more specie the goal, and hance the Inatrctions, dhe more likely students are to fel secure about doing the atk. Ty ‘tomske the goa ax specific as possible by using numbers for example Find seen AieencesiGive 09 reo. ‘Att staents who are not ured to tak-hasedJeaming may have dificles in understanding what to do. But ar wwe have sen, thove isa fly limited ‘numberof ask typea And once learere get used tothe procedures ofthese, hey ‘wil begin to recognise what the tsk roles. You wil hear comments ike: OF, {senator ‘Spo he ference task Now see. OK, you are A, you start. Ye ask me frst, OF ‘Many teachers simply read out the textbook instructions and/or give an ‘explanation. If done inthe target language, thie certainly gives saafl exposure, Since students have to icten caeflly to make sare they understand. "There are, however, alternative ways to ensure that students know how to do the task, and these provide ctfrent kinds of leaming opportunities. ‘Students read the nsractons by themseWves IF your textbook: hat intrutions which are specific enough, ak your students {o rea and follow them on their own This (rains them tobe independent and {sin tea usefal reading all. They can always ask you i they get stuck “Get int pielroups Read the instracton on your carlo page. On your a, spend to or tte mies ning about what you tatty, aa then begin the ‘a Yu wl ae abou! ioe mints odo he tas. If here i anything yu relly on’ erst ask each ther, then Teacher demonstrates the task wit good student ‘Aska good student todo the task with you, rs heist par ifitsaproblen- sclving task or game. Alterativlyaska pal of good students todo a sinilar task togedier while the olhers watch You may need to tak to the chosen students) about this before tr Ieson to give them time to think about “Tm going to ask Ana to do (arto his tsk wit me wil you wath. Listen for to things tha Teacher plays aualo or video recording of fvent speakers ding the tsk ‘This works well with experienoe-sharing tasks and comparing tasks based on Jeers! own input I could be Betis, howe tol theIerers do the tsk their oven way frst and then hear the recording afterwards, especialy i the recording will give the eclutions aay (ae 6:22) Listen wfWatch these paople dang te sme tsk tat you wil be ding later. Note oun thre tinge they find ont abou... ih rao th. ?3.2 Allowing reparation time 3.3 Managing | learner talk’ 33.1 Patems of Intecacion an ‘umtaking Teacher shows the les wha! previous students have achieved ‘T These ae descriptions of teachers writen by lst year's ls. Pas thm round and read tye of them fd ot. Fr yeu ak, you wil be talking abot cers yo remember, then writing sbou ne of your partner teschee. Whether you choose spoken or writen intrucons, and with or without demonstration, remember tat instruction giving Isa truly communicative use ofthe target language It provides valuable expooure and a chance for learners to grapple with meaning and 0 should be considered another Ieening ‘opportunity Resist the temptation to revert to the stents frst language unless {here is a major breakdown in communication. Allowing 2 few mites for leamers to prepare themselves individually for ‘certain tasks has been shove to result language woe that sicher infers of ‘complexity and variety of syntax, breadth of vocabulary, andi flueney and naturalness? Sometimes, however, yet may want to give learners chance fo practise sapoaking enily spontaneously ao thy would have to te many Fale Stations Ia this tase cast the prparton tie) get them fo send the Instrciong ego sigh into the ck ifthe tk ells for preparation how much tie shoud yo allow 1 dopends ply on ie fener top and party on he coghive demands o te fk. A pusle oe probemolving lak or ceave one, wd be mare demanding or el tdentthnnsnenp one Theron copes the tsk andthe more snr the ope he loge you shoul low For slementry lamers witha short ask ona fiir pte mine ay be nog Foc amore complex kona les fair tpi fener ma) eet from as ong 2 on inate ‘sing the preparation ine learners wil be able to plan how tote the tak think of hat ony an how o sy. infresingy in the eeu quoted above the props ofits who were ive pec nguoge gran ott Stage actualy performed le arate han hose who prepared on hm Ie could be dat srg inerporate the language guanc ino wat they alady kre they overt ting este, nd we a alee rset na reparation tie over, stents bein the task te Ager ey gad pe wil ecb ea er etore deserting the task cyte, let ue conser some aepestaof lamer talk, anc then preempt some ofthe prablems that may fae teachers managing group and pairwork. [Nomatter what type of tasitis thre willbe diferent ways ofsttng itp, You will ned to decide which way you prefer in the pre-task phase. Te way the tack {is setup will directly inluence the amount and quality of talk generated, Here ‘are some typical interaction patterns: ‘individual students carving out a ark on their wn 4 individual students circling talking to diferent students; 93.8.2 Mixed level ‘asses ‘+ students doing a tak ingly then exchanging ideas in pais: ‘students in pats (es equals or with one student leading) ‘students in groupe (tor without a chairperson) {teacher working with groups or pars in turn; {teacher working withthe whole dass. 4 ‘Each way wil give rise fo elfeent pattems of turetaking, The teacher working with the whole case Je common in early tasks for real beginners Iatening asks can be done with the whole dass and many require oaly minal responses. The each aks inthe target language while the learmers stn anc _rapple with meaning (se Chapter 8). ‘Tn the pattere ited above which involve group- and pairvork, one person on be formally designated to led the discussion and ensure that each person {ets an equal chance fo contribute in other cases, speakers within a group oF pair ‘nave equal rights, and can take turns to speak or choose simply to Usten. They can ask questions, as well as answer and age free to interrupt or change the ‘ireton of the tll This important as we sae in 142. Logically, pairwork allows move individual siden alk in a given time than sroupwork ean, unies everyone talks together It is harder fora shy or lazy Student to avoid taking oF Switch off sna ptr, where both students have to ‘concentrate. Sometimes it may be beter to put two shy students together, and, sechow they get on. They may talk more if uninhibited by better students "The same task cn, then beset wp in diferent ways resulting in diferent tare taking pattems within the group ex pai. As an example; see Task Bin Focus 2 ‘There are thre totally diferent ways of sting this up. Consider the diferent learning opportunities each one offer, the probable lengths of speaking turns and the amount of clzfcation likely im each The tank eotld be done a) in groups, owing that one person wil fer en minute, be ent 36 ‘ambassador’ to another group, explsn what their own group has cided, and to compare outcomes. The ‘ambassador’ might or might not be designated in advance. ) with one student chasing a group discussion, to ensure all members have a chance fo expres an opinion. Another student sacked to take formal ‘ites, inorder rept the group's decisions to the dss. ) with each stadent beginning itn advance for homework In lass they ‘explain their decisions tos partner and reach a eonsensus, justifying their ranking. Two pair then exchange views and each a nal consensus. “Teacher who have mixed lov dastes find thtthe same tas can be done quite Adequstely by leamers at diferent developmental sage. People of diferent Abies naturally ind thei ownevel and ways of coping, kn axed eve pals ‘or groups weaker students can benefit by hearing wht beter sents oy and beter dents oy, mprove, dough hing to poraphess and eplain However, varying soupings is probaly a god iden st stops students paired with slow leemers becoming fasted. The requncy with which You “Change gee around depends on the age, situs, neods and felings ofthe teamecs themecives i some piso groups finish th kor planning tage long before the others teat check toy have not done so by missing sone out! They could in ep ‘th anther pir ho have Rthed and lech oer what hey dio ask239 Takatve 334 Contoting large lasses ‘ach other to checl-thelr wilting, Altomatvely, they could writ afiet of phracos they and the other students might Find useful. Some students perceive tasks purely as "vehicles for sof Y and so dominate in any group or pair situation? The effec is heightened i other students ae shy or fll to understand the purpose of the task, and do not really now how to contribute, (Once the group realise that someone's ‘ontibutions are off the point, tis kel that they sel begin to ignore ox Bleck ‘hat persen) ‘Ty aking a talkative student tobe the group chaizperson, wise job it isto make sure everyone else gets equal chances to talk (ee b in 3.3.1). If you notice seme students hardly talking st all ase pir- rather than groupwork fea opel ‘Some teachers have tied ising greupwork seléaseessment or pps eeets such as those in Appendix D. Used a fow times each term. they help stidents ‘become more aware of how they participate in groups and ofthe efecs oftheir ‘own typical tar-aking pattern. Ata very elementary lev these sheets could >be treelatd into the mother tongue: ‘Another sensisation procedure isto use recordings. One toacher who flt that, {he boys dominated oer the gi eorded groups working together and gt them to sen tothe tape afterwards to see if this was tue? They counted the speaking turns the boys an girs had. They also noted whether boys interrupted ails more, or vie vers, It turned out inthis ease that there was one very talkative boy, but otherwise the intaraction was fairly equal Both eudont and teacher benfite from the insights they gained through doing this® Big dases may bea problem. Logically, hough; the Tanger the clas, the greater the need for small group or palrwork to give learners more chance fo practise speaking. have ssen quite sucouul pairwrerkin castes of 8, but itis ot easy apd it is certainly not possible to monitor them all It depends a lot on age ‘motivation and understanding. end acueptance of common goals 25 well as general levels of dscpline. ‘Learning to speaks language often involves higher levesf noise than is sal ‘nother lessons. Algo, in rooms with thin wall or ao walls at al, you ail have to be considerate of your neighbours. Ty some short tas done in whispers Decide on @ signal which means that students should lower ther voces and another which means they should stop altogether antl theres total lence then start off agin ina whisper ‘Some teachers find tht text-based tasks svork best, sine they are gulster ser to conte. Chase taske that make groator use of wring eo"= “Tori of communication or tescherled tasks, with short intervals of quiet ‘alrwork It may be the noise level hat risen simply because ow have let task ‘0 on too long Alay give a tie init and never walt for everyone to finish Rest kme, your dents il smenber you sek o your ie stad work ‘And if you fel you are losing control ~ dent panic. You can aleaye stp the task and ask every pat o write down siletly in Engis three things they ave {ound out or decided so fa. Go round and monitor. Noise and discipline ae problems you ean involve learners in helping to solve 335 Balancing target language and mother tongue {7 TL FRAME MOR EFI AND PETAR SE ‘When tsi-baed eting is bing cd out forthe fst ine explain to students that they want fo communicate in the age aaguage, they eed to practi Biss hw rope earth odin fering, how sang a bp ‘hen learn acd eplain why yo ne akg them oy talk even ‘ach other Make sue they vals that doing a ask no mater how weak thei Tanguage, sa learsing opportunity, acne to practise i Ue pracy of thee Sem group or pal before having fo talkin publ in font ofthe whole das, ot ‘renin eal ie Te some countries, students are very obedient and wil tick to the target language if they ar tld why vober countries, ther fons of persuasion might ‘bended, But even if only half the task s done nthe target language hs til ‘eal in 0 per cent more target language being spoken than if tasks were ‘ore, be if the inteceton pale was teacher to feviual ton. Banning moths tongue ie allogsther may not be advisable. A sty carted ‘ut ecenly in Farksh secondary shoo dass with 2-ear-lds revealed that inézeumstances when the mee tongue was tly banned ingroup tall the rolling interaction tended fo be shore more ted and less atazl? Many tweaker students gate up after avery shot ae lamers els they are using the target Inguoge to communi hey wil til uz te mother ongue on tncsions, but they will use tin a way which ie systema eapporve and ‘Slovant tothe ack goals-the eamersin he study for example, wed Taksh 0 {ind out how tosay words they didnt now; t fl gape (phrases equivalent 0 inet wrd Well crm) and to old the Door. They aso used 10 explain Scneting complex so ta thers in he group, or the teacher could lp then, ‘apres itn Englch The message is cea by allowing such use of mother {Onpue you avin ct allowing studensto generate more opportunites for use ‘fe lage language, nt fever in lingual stuaens out the cassoom, ‘uch language siting equi natal. {Sse nic on moter we fom ent For ‘example, the mother tengue cn only be sper: “Tf erudene has a question task te sacra they cantot expan ~ Engle «+ ifthe teacher ak the das how thay wold sy @ word or phrase in her Ianguage, to dec tat it hasbeen underatood comet + ifthe teacher nvede to explain something quickly, 1 ifatudento ace comparing tare! engage with mathertongse we; 1 fuente doing tasks involving translation or summary of arget langage tat Some ear ivove tel student he rule-making proces, aoe togsther they draw up a et of gudelines ut the whole dats agrocs or. Thee cm Be renegotated as earners progres’ (And infact the procts of dang up s0°h Tatwould make an excelent communicative task, witha very rea otcore!) "i you fe stadents ares using moter tongue when hey ould be usage target language, ty to find out te rexson With adolescent, hey my jut Feel Sy inmerecg fv. suange language, You might try giving them a choice of {oplcs and tas. hat dosent work concentrate fr apa on Histening and ‘eading with excbaed take that pve good expomse (ee Cher 5) ur hey Fave mare confidence in ther Hogue abiliy After an agreed Hime, gradually reintroduce wey simple tsk ha eure mote spoken langage34 Summary Peihaps the ask youre seine to ic. Ty sting some simple cees (ke Bingo or Spot the dference onl tudes hae got used neat the target gage Pas nd encourage, One thy cn manage cpl ak ‘uly the tga language st ighiy move comple ene ws ange Printout them hw ach English they have been ing “Reshing them weed procedural lrgunge someting helps eg. whole ‘phrase Soy ht yon Wat a inte, Ci ou tar, an {or Indah on cto aime te re ended. Sone eacherave oun el oie tc aman agrpoten bathe das exhumed how ayn hy mae Te ou could sar sting targets sy thes ito mote nga cep at Slowed by the golden). Graal inate the ne tine You could se inte tome competion: per presue canbe ute song in suc ce ‘You wll probly tht tu th plang seep sages athe ook gene doing in the tage language tis has wash bc eet on he ak ite. And with enouregement stents pal ue tore end moe tet language o dt even over a tery notherfong te decease heal Coping with prtlensand experimenting withelatorsisanongrng pstof any toe ob ly ny fo plement change and ke proves fst you dort sce. tye san crainlyapglon hee Bt ee ce sala to be fouling other teachers shut how they cope te lsc an fp Ak you ean St on some lor, Salany you fd Solon that work you then pn them otter colengues ea xchange eas. Chap giver nn ade shot ingle tah aed naan “Theft pt fh chapter contained an overview ofthe thee phases of he teal menor peti eye and language os We saw Row he tek cee ennurge Flt eo language ft suport by free txposue inte form of et anor atk coding. Leer he ty ‘Spa sopecs ofthat language deta in the Inge fore hace with ‘Elis at vate analyst price Meecamined te lecl the cher ths how the ramework can be sed as bac for ton planing ane components can be weighted diferent accong ets ude “The second par ofthe copter intedoced the Pret phase of he framework In ths pase, lennee nocd en intron tothe pte ane wage tofeip them rec tvfl words and phn an ew a ew on tl Help dm cope wth he sand the texto rconing. To aleve fandanty wih the tole ea rang of short peta cena sagged Wek Ferien tpg oe in iad the fn of prope tine. Tho alu f expense 1 te ty Inngeage wes nteinnd eee Tel pat of chapter deere alternative ways of eting up ta very paters of ntraon tl tarakng Te suggest slut 6 Yea Dba tat cher ence concening pia rope Wesel thr ts ad oh ep dns for pup ‘management. The tlane of othr ape and wae rage tage language We aso Hing kein deal tthe pre-tak phase, there hap ake uso to themuin ak gle Planning Further reading 3+ THE TL ANEW OERVEW AND PRETASK PHASE 11 Lookat Leston Outine 1 in Appendix C. How would you change the pretask phase i 2) the lass was partly made up of students who had recently joined and had ‘not done the frst three unit? ') you intended 1o split thom into A/B pais, where they could not so each ‘other's picture? 2 Lookat resource book ora coursebook which contains some tasks (inthe TL. sense, soe211-212) £2) What pre-tsk activites do they suggsot? What language belp do they give? ‘Would you need to adapt this for your classes? 'b) How clear ate the task instructions in the rubrics ofthe Student's Book? Cot you sk your studensto read an follow them on their own, without youreedng them ot Toud fist? fs, try doing thisin ass. (You may need tocxplan to students why you are asking thom to do this) 8 Look back tthe pro task activities fa 32.4 2) Think of suitable epics for your clasts that you could use with each one ') Work witha colleague Select topic and tsk: Choose oor thee pretask sacvities to try out together by planing then doing them yourselves. 4 Laokat the tas onthe topic of ‘Familie in Focus 2. 2) Which ene could you tse asa preask, in onder to discover how mach elementary learners know already? by How might you introduce the topic of Teaches you remeraber best ifyou want #9 lead on to a survey to discover whether most teachers are remembered for positive or negative reasons? '5 Record some group work and listen to the recording to discover: ‘when your learners use thei mother tongue (68 335); ‘wheter day help each other with words they dow know how often they correct each other oreelFcorrety ‘whether some lamers deminat o interrupt more. Formore om tesching and learning vocabulary, of relevance tothe pre-task phase, Nand D Schmitt, 1995, who summarise clearly on pages 199-337 eleven principles for teachers to follow. P Nation, 1990, examines the underlying principles of vocabulary acquisition spd illustrates a range of practical teaching techriques ~ an excellent overview. 4 PSkchan in J and D Wiis (ds, 1996, 2 Poster inJ and D Wills ds), 1996, 5 J Gore, 1995. 4 For othe ideas for slacsecsment checklists see R Ribé and N Vidal 1983 5 G Alban, 1992. © MBygate 1987 7 } Bldg, 1998 8 Aiton, 1963> PRTG 2reconcrorscesen cama 4 Components of the Task Cycle Look atthe thee components of ho task eee Dating which comport) 1 wil students be commuricang in a pvate sotingla tore publ cotng? How might heel okra of language they use? J ight etude fd a ctonary most use? till you tho toacher, be most active? ‘© teacher eorecton most Bel tobe electveoast Healy tobe otooive? ‘Stutortspropare to report the | Teacher selects come greups 12 femal pecans hole lass (oraly erin wring) | prosont thir ropert of te tak Lreacher morte and encourages, | NOW thy dite task wat hay | the clase, erly or wrtng. cops he tack whon most pare | decided or dsovered, “Teacher ects as chaiperson, Teacher act a ingle advoor, | inking the cortrbusens, eumeing ving feedback helping studerés | up. 'o.omoc. rephrase, rehearse | Teacher gies feedback on cortont andor dat a wetten por. and frm, I Wiehe. “The tsk ole maybe based on a reading txt or Istening txt. tt may be flowed by staderts bear & recording of otors doing the same tsk. Thasa bah give addlenal anc relted exposure, ‘Audiences for roports (Ada your ioas for others} Oat prosertatons may be: ton presentations may be: Fecardod on vitoo Playback othe ‘Tacks with witten outcomes "= InFocus, wo tasks have writen outcrnes 6 be onger, ore dvd nt wo sages? snd 9. Cheese one and discus bry ow yeu wack or tasks in Appandi A thal wou natural git uso tho TEL framowar (pro-ask arc task "Jean wien reseriaions. Sle he a {je lan your eason. lscuss who the audonco[) sod pose be, Which component inthe task eylo might nee to rr aS ST] 44 The tack stage 4.1.1 The weachor The TBL framework: the task cycle 44 The task stage 4.14 The teacher as monitor 42 After the task 421 Why tasks are not encugh 422 Creating a need for accuracy 4.3 The planning stage 43.1 Setting up te planning stage 432 The teachor as language acveor 44 Tho report stage 44.1 The teacher as chakperson 45 Writing in the task eycle 45.4 Meeting learners! needs 452 Planning what o write 459 Doing avwiten ask 45.4 Wing fora wider audience 48 ESL and one-to-one: tatk cycle adaptations 47 Summary Reflection Further readingNotes “This cpr covers the second phase in the task based leaning framework =the tak cyte. It desis in deal the three eamponents ofthe tsk cycle, task, planaing and report, and examines the ole of the teacher in each It temphaciaes the imporance of writing in the learning process and shows hhow the stages of the tak cycle can be adapted to diferent teaching situations, {hn Chapter 1 we wnmiden vasious cea why many leamem lft school ot allege without learning how to communicate in the target language. We femiphasised that both exposure to and use of the target language aze vital tots scquiston. We sav that output Le- use of language, is likely to belp stimulate Intake, i. acquisition of nev forms. We savin 33 that lamers’ confidence rove when thoy realize they can do something without the teacher's direct Support. The tak stage i hecefore wt opportunity for al learners 10 use ‘whatever language they can must, working simultaneously, in pairs or small ‘groups to achleve the goals of the tsk (ee 212). 1 you are not used 19 TBL, the hardest thing to do at frst to stop teaching daring the task slage and just monitor You heed to have the selcantol andcourage to and Bick ot the leners got on wih he tsk on hl wn esi th epaton t go ound and help or shoul we sy tere?) foe : by ererting pronunciation eres aye fang the heart and encrege fs sigh dane emote ngs Sops tpinone group to ser uty ocr an uggs en gis elegy te pis opie lp donot bu es weap ot tsar toc ors Ityon dt wl wk ou fr they der Tino ier fan ying hank tater ay fexpreing Ur msiiag theodes We mustek ounces providginfomation ke Ista lito cman own ern he & ‘conection sr ngage sport se more valued ove ‘likely to be remembered. pr te ‘Mr working et th scene nthe lntoduton phase, he aches merit rl dug th tk tage ee ve, nd sul now be make suet l por pe ar eg ight wk oe oe eae Bost the env + loencorageal ident tots par no materhow wesk thle Innguage + tbe agvng about eno of fae (eaembe how pole parents rector yrrgclersstenpato us new vents an Puss) + (inter and lp out only the a major commence beeldowe + teawrce which student seem odo mean and corning nd if _nyone ees to be eo (next ne you mig change tse pong Barc win ges oc non 7 any pac group wich to mates ong, a later perhaps to find out why oi + wacastime keeper Timing i importer. Tasks can take from one minal © to of more, 7 depengon the spo ak anit comply Seta in Bats too shart Eee ie rt cn ih ty ts ae sup tis bet stop bee any gt boned even ome pa hare sot fed, Gives one-mite warning bore the end of heals Ted afer ta tg iden to ae upc or w0 potts ater yet ead while mortring ant coment postion the way Students have done the as vial oto cmnment inca or uma ther outcomes or edings, echo those wil cnet the cont edn of the next two and repost, which lamers for the net two component planing and report which ener illo dof 4.2 After the After your brie comments on how the task went the lesson will probabl . lesson wi ly task Poosed smoothly ino the planning and report tages, where student prepare to tel the clas about thei Bindings: These components are the focss of 3 rd 444 below, But first, we should consider why there isa need forthe tsk to be followed up in this way 42.1 Why tasks Thettask component, as we have see, helps stents to develop fluency inthe fate not enough target language and strategie for corsutniation, To achieve the gos ofthe ‘ask their man focusis on getting theic mening across, rather than am the form 422 Creating a need for accuracy (or TRL MANOR THE TASK HOLE ‘ofthe language tel. So there could be problems such a those listed below, if tasks ave the sole means of language development. “Scan Iemers revert to mother tongue when things get dificult or if the soup fel impatient, + Some individuals develop excelent communication strategies. ‘miming and using gestures, but get by using jst odd words and phrases fd et others supply the more challenging language they need. + Some leamers tend to get eaught up in trying to find the right word, and dor't worry over much about how it its into the discourse + There is raturally more concem for us of exis and Teil chunks than fo grammar an grammatical accuracy. ‘Through tasks, students may well ecome beter communicators anc lesen new words and phrases from each other but how far dows the task sitation ttzetch their language development and help with intemalistion of grammar? In peycholingistic terms, how far does this type of ‘ouput help “intake To avoid the rise of leamers achieving fluency atthe expense of accuracy and to spuron language development another lage needed after the task itel This ‘S supplied by the report etage wher learnro naturally save for accuracy and Auency together and weaker students can got additional seuppot ‘Aer completing the task neal groups ther is nly natural cus thong saree det ie hie ene ens Tea Stages when groups sepa ily in spoken owen fn Se whole case ee me tir ba ash i won gine Po to ed hepsi or ocr tres things they fund ut Eom ach ther In tn, Stace a eels na union whee ey lB aig ot wing 0F $e pbc ude InChuper3 we cried erencesberwee pontancous and planned langsage ard sr that he guage edn pubis planed ial fc permunen Tot pe stage tents wl natal wane use ie istlanguagead vot aking kes that oder might re They wile! thc noa to sgl Geary whe ny want ay appropiate language and ‘heck tha i cones, They may ty fo Sind new wordings to expres thet treming ore coal Thy wilt working towacdss phe fal defwhich ‘rilnocnaly be 1 preen orlywhile the das takes nots of evar ois ot 1 etn down and played o cle or obesto re ov om eco ay be eared ox sud cto play Tak ate 1 rowed on wd tbe shows etme pole and pennant the pression. the ngs tides wil ‘wan fora Planing sage is aay te daunting to Stand up and speck inion’ othe ase But students preparing to be ecrded wl want fr longer wo peal th work then pup wh ent hey ae weg tier fran bide audience xy fo pulon in newepper hey wil hap do Svea dat toe t gon enoeh “Te report singe thaw gives teen's # nara stimu to upprade and improve their language ft preceees very al ngitic halerge ~ to “inmurzte der and nacre ngsge oppor tthe crcamstanesARAMEWORK FOR TASL-OASED LEANING 4.2 The planning stage 43 Seting up the planning stage Students cannot get by just tacking words and phases together in an improvised fachion, os they ald winen they were epeaking in ral tins. In planaing their report they have time to create anew, experiment with language and compose ‘with the support oftheir group, teacher, dictionaries and grammar books. And {tis thie proces thats Hkely to drive their anguage development fcrward and sive them new insights into language use. students know at the beginning ofthe tsk cycle that they willbe called upon to present tele ndings af the eport stage, they ae also more kaly to think harder about their useef language daring the task. They may alg attempt to use more complex language, and ty to be more acurate* ‘This section dels with the planing sage. avhich comes after the tsk and before Forming th central part ofthe tank eye. Te describes how to help lamers plan this reports effectively and maxive their learning opportuniis. It takes us back to the classoom situation we reached in 4.1 where most students havejust completed the task, and you have comumented on one oF two interesting things you heard while walking round, observing froma distance After you have stopped the task, what you need to doi: 1. Explain if you havent already, that you will want someone from each palror group to report ther findings to the cass. you tell students this before they start the tsk, it may motivate them to take it more cxrously 2. Be very clear about the purpose ofthe sepa (se table opposite) Le whet ind of iaforination students are going to lok c listen for in each others repars and what they will then do with the formation. 9. the report is for an outside audience, explain who it's for and what ‘tadents can hope to achieve trough their writing. 4 Be the report wil take, Explain what facies ‘tidens can use (oral presentation with/without OFF, with written ‘oes ora fll sexpt, or in writen form for display). {5 Make sure students know what sources they have at ther disposal — ) What opporturitos were students given to use a prestige version ofthe target language? Were they given sfcens planning ine? At what stages? 4 Look a the Purposes for Reports table on page 87. Think of tasks you are familiar with or go through the tasks in Appendix A) and see if you can add some more prpores tothe table: 5 Think of two ways you might encourage students to weit quickly, spontaneously and without worrying about frm, in onder t inereae their confidence and fait in writing 6 Lookat the tasks in Appendix A or find some in a resource book, and select {eeocor thie that you could adapt os sable writing tasks for tadents you now. What pre-task activites might you do? 17 Bind some auggeetons for writing activites in a textbook you know. Bynlute them by deciding whi of the optimum conditions Cra they full. How would you adapt them to ita task-based eye as described here (eee a0 94.2)? or move ideas fr wilting taaks and games, te Cand J Hadfield, 1992, Ex detailed gulanor on handing the procte of wating ey Wate Von ood. nd neat 1 P Skehan and P Foeter (in preparation) 2 For more on tie see R Cope, 193. 3 PSkehary 1954PT smscwoncron tases cama Tota Bow are the hastne and cpaing ines of@ nowepepe ton Wat uations come ond when you have read ‘hs operg? Wie conn even ow many yo ek il be snewore hou soy? The boy who came out from the cold A schoolboy who spent the night tapped ‘a butcher's cold store after being locked in cident aly read the whl text on page 18. How many of your questions were answered? ‘Discussion Poin {) Ar tooting at th mioé:maps atthe op of ‘his pag, araw your own mind-ap of ‘sours of writen or spoken texts is YoU oul tap (0) Fi, do te take bosed on oxts A and 8 Banove, (0) Canyou suggest a secon tsk fr tent Aor B that woul encourage to class to rod the cempat oet o aaaoee nara od “Thine of Wo Pretant aetiies for tarts A and 5 Exposure to language Text 5 ‘One sentence has bean missod outa he Spiders story below and wien uncemeath Can you tind whee RS best? Phobias make lite 3 misery for thoussads A now ‘reunisaton called “Taursph Over Phobia’ (TOP) as ben oma ty a poneeing oop af wont, ‘help peopl curt: phobias. Hees oe success story. Spiders : ‘One woman was so aftid of spiders she could not be lei se sores ee wei sels iat alegre dora ed cot Stoo erm dace ‘Daring eri TOP meine cal does ‘om 8 page which resembled spiders a suddenly secoiled in hooror. eet St vate ead hk pag ot soe fe tots ene te ago ES Sotan he sa hom caches he Het ‘snd een oath to of sk cok changes peso oe era ees, Afr re el twp gle spc TOP oectg wd oak hes acre ‘ete ier mel give te ans Soar Two sid shal rane se ft gupta pap teri pe ee Lost sentence: Ohne of the group tok a el epider in arto he ext moating whee was gradually moved nearer fo the slr” Text-based tasks 5.1 Defining text-based tasks 5.2 Selecting and balancing exposure 5.21 Coursebooks and students needs 5.22 Sources of useful material 523 Selection erteria for metoil 5.24 Grading the txt or he task? 5.3 Reading and listening stratogios 53.1 eating 532 Listering 6.23. Awarenece of patome intext 54 Designing text-based tasks 54. Prediction tasks 542 Jumbles 8.43 Restoration tasks 544 sigsaw tasks 5.45 Comparison tasks 5.48 Memory challenge tasks 5.5 Planning a text-based task lesson _. 86 Summary Material appralsalFurther resdingtotes “This chapter wil lostrate some basic ways to desiga communicative tasks bsed on meding ad listening txts or video exezes | Tebegine by focusing n ses concerning the selection of suitable wexts | from available sources, and discusses wheter We should grade texts or tasks explores te strategies involved in reading and listening, and locks Se eypieal fen paternal re inpontanae of veopaing Ween. 1 then ‘yetiates se diffrent tack designe which am to encourage nataral reading nd listening strategies Finally i ostrates how texts canbe presented in the task-based framework, and shows what teacher and Jeamers do at each stage, S.A Defining Chapter? offered a range of starting polns for tasks. ln this chapter, we shall text-based Took mow closely atone of them: texts. tasks From now on I chal be using the word “text” In a general sonse to mean 3 continous piece of epoken or writen langage. Texts in this sense will include