English Language
Teaching Approach
* TASK-BASED LEARNING
BY: NASIHAH BINTI GHAZALI
Introduction
As teachers, we always complain about our
students do not speak in English in classroom.
WHY???
They might be threaten or shy but the fact is, few
of them actually dare.
The Task-Based Learning (TBL) helps students to
have a meaningful experience with the language
and give them context and the result is motivation.
What is task?
A task is any activity that learners
engage in to process of learning a
language.
(Williams and Burden, 1997)
A task is a range of learning activities
from the simple and exercises to more
complex and lengthy activities such as
group problem-solving or simulations
and decision- making.
(Breen, 1987)
An activity which required learners to
arrive at an outcome from given
information through some process of
thought and which allowed teachers to
control and regulate that process was
regarded as a task.
(Prabhu, 1987)
TASK-BASED
LEARNING
What?
TBL is a teaching approach which
focuses on the student by asking to do
meaningful activities or task.
These task can be daily routines ;
Eg: - buying a cup of coffee
- going to the doctor
- talking to someone on the phone
Instead of a language structure or
function to be learnt, students are
presented with a task they have to
perform or a problem they have to
solve.
(Harmer, J. 2007)
Why?
Tasks can be easily related to students reallife language needs.
They create contexts that facilitate second
language acquisition.
Tasks create opportunities for focusing on
form.
Students are more likely to develop intrinsic
motivation in a task-based approach.
Will enable teachers to see if the students are
developing the ability to communicate in
second language.
OBJECTIVES :
To give learners confidence in trying
out whatever language they know
To give learners experience of
spontaneous interaction
To give learners the chance to benefit
from noticing how others express
similar meanings
To give learners chances for
negotiating turns to speak
Roles
Roles in
in tasktaskbased
based
Teacher
Teacher roles
roles
selector
selector and
and
sequencer
sequencer of
of
tasks
tasks
Preparing
Preparing
learners
learners for
for
tasks
tasks
Learner
Learner roles
roles
ConsciousnessConsciousnessraising
raising
Monitor
Monitor
Risk-taker
Risk-taker and
and
innovator
innovator
Group
Group
participant
participant
Jigsaw Tasks
Decisionmaking
tasks
Opinion
exchange
tasks
Activitie
s
Informationgap tasks
Problemsolving
tasks
Books
CDs
TV
Internet
Instructional
materials
Radio
Radio
programs
Newspaper
Magazine
Boards/
Worksheet
The framework / procedure
Pretask
Task
cycle
Posttask
Communication is the central point to
the framework.
Strength
It is more student-centred
Allows more meaningful
communication
(because the tasks are likely to be
familiar to the students students are
more likely to be engaged, which may
motivate them of their learning)
Strength
Allows meaningful communication
Students will be exposed to a whole range
of lexical phrases, collocations and
patterns as well as language forms.
Encourage students to be more ambitious
in the language they use.
The psychological dynamics of the group
which work together to complete a task
will have a great influence on the success.
Shortcoming
Students will stay within the narrow
confines of familiar words and forms.
Some students can hide and rely on
others to do bulk of the work and
learning.
Difficulty of implementing task-based
teaching where classes are large and
space limited or inflexible.
Conclusion
The TBL framework may be
recommended to all language teachers
so that they can evaluate this approach
on the basis of their teaching
knowledge and their experience.