TASK BASED LEARNING

WHAT IS TASK-BASED LEARNING?

FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS TBL (Task-based learning), or TBLT (Task-based language teaching) is an approach in which learning revolves around the completion of meaningful tasks. In the TBL approach, the main focus is the authentic use of language for genuine communication. In this post, we'll talk about what defines a task, the possible phases of a TBL lesson and give you an example of a TBL lesson.

Task-Based Learning (TBL) is a lesson structure, a method of sequencing activities in your lessons.

Sometimes called ‘Task-Based Language Teaching’, TBL lessons students solve a task that involves an authentic use of language, rather than completing simple language questions about grammar or vocabulary.

Task-Based Learning is a good way to get students engaged and using English. That, plus the collaborative element, builds confidence with language and social situations. It’s also been shown to be more aligned with how we actually learn a language.

WHAT IS A TASK? The TBL approach requires a specific type of task, which must meet the following requirements:  provide opportunities for students to exchange information with a focus on meaning, not a specific form or pattern/structure;  have a clear purpose: learners should know the outcome they are expected to produce when they finish performing the task. The outcome may vary. It might be making a YouTube video tutorial, finding a solution for a problem or writing an email requesting information;  result in an outcome that can be shared with more people;  relate to real world activities.

Whichever task you choose, like ‘Present, Practice, Production’, Task-Based Learning is a structure with three stages:

1. PRE-TASK The pre-task phase of a TBL lesson is the time when the teacher sets homework, contextualizes the lesson topic, sparks student interest, and prepares students for homework.

To do this, you can show students an example of the completed assignment or model it.

This can be done by activating students' general knowledge of a given topi c and helping them anticipate the type of language they will need to perform the task proposed.

It is extremely important that students understand the objectives of the assignment during this phase. The focus of the stage is to engage students, set expectations, and give directions.

2. TASK Begin the task!

In this stage of the TBL lesson, learners perform the task proposed. Small groups or pairs are good, rather than a bigger group where shyer students can ‘hide’. Ideally you won’t join in the task, but you’ll be monitoring, and only giving hints if students get really stuck.

When students finish performing the task, they need to plan how they are going to report it to the rest of the class or to other groups. They may rehearse and research the language necessary in order to share the outcome of what they had done. Finally, students report the outcome of the task to other students.

The focus of this stage is fluency - using the language to communicate without falling into L1 unless really needed.

3. POST-TASK:

The post-task stage is when students evaluate their performance.Peer reviews are preferable, or if during your monitoring you see an error common to many, a teacher-led delayed correction is also very useful.

For weaker groups, peer correction can be made more effective by giving the students support on how to give feedback - perhaps via a checklist, or a ‘Things to Look For’ list.

It can also involve feedback provided by the teacher and subsequent practice of language items that emerged from the task.

It is important to stress that form-focused language work should be in response to students’ production. That means that the teacher will not teach a grammar lesson and expect that learners use that specific structure while performing the task, neither should the teacher work on a pre-selected language item in this phase of the lesson. This makes the role of the teacher as a monitor extremely important in TBL. The aim for this stage is accuracy - reflecting on completed work and analysing it.

ADVANTAGES FOR TASK-BASED LEARNING 

Student interaction is ‘built in’ to the lesson, as they need to communicate to complete the task

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Students’ communication skills improve

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Students’ confidence can improve, as tasks can mimic real life

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Students’ motivation can improve due to the same reason

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Students’ understanding of language can be deeper, as it’s used in realistic contexts .

DISADVANTAGES FOR TASK-BASED LEARNING 

Tasks have to be carefully planned to meet the correct criteria

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It can take longer to plan

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It’s also time consuming adapting PPP-style course book lessons

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Too much scaffolding in the early stages can turn a TBL class into a PPP class

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Students can avoid using target language to complete the task if:

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Tasks aren’t well-designed

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Students aren’t motivated

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Students are too excited

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Students are feeling lazy

References  Ellis, R. (2018) Reflections on task-based language teaching. Bristol ; Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Multilingual Matters (Second language acquisition, volume 125).  TASK- BASED LEARNING

 Richards, J. C. and Rodgers, T. (2015). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3rd edition