TBL and PBL Two Learner-Centered Approaches

8/10/2019 TBL and PBL Two Learner-Centered Approaches

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TBL and PBL: Two Learner-Centered Approaches

By Katherine Bilsborough

Many newly qualified or inexperienced teachers tend to base their lesson planning on the

traditional PPP approach (Presentation, Practice, and Production) because it is reliable and itis a valid framework around which to base a series of classroom activities. It is also usually

the best way of covering all the lexical areas and grammar points in the course book or

syllabus. The problem is that PPP serves the teachers needs but it is debatable whether or not

it fulfills the needs of the learner. The language presented and practiced does not take into

account the particular needs of each learner; the language content is almost always dictated

by the course book and/or syllabus. For this reason, many teachers, having experimented withthe PPP approach turn to more learner-centered approaches where the needs of the learner are

central to the lesson content. Two such approaches are TBL (Task-Based Learning) and PBL(Project-Based Learning).

What Is Task-Based Learning (TBL)?

In task-based learning, the central focus of the lesson is the task itself, not a grammar point or

a lexical area, and the objective is not to "learn the structure" but to "complete the task." Of

course, to complete the task successfully students have to use the right language andcommunicate their ideas. The language therefore becomes an instrument of communication,

whose purpose is to help complete the task successfully. The students can use any language

they need to reach their objective. Usually there is no "correct answer" for a task outcome.

Students decide on their own way of completing it, using the language they see fit. Different

teachers use TBL in different ways. Some integrate it into the existing syllabus, some use it to

replace the syllabus altogether, and some use it as an extra to their traditional classroomactivities. But generally, teachers using a TBL approach divide their task-based classes into

three stages:

Stage 1:This is the pre-task stage. The teacher introduces the topic and familiarizes students

with situations/lexical areas/texts (reading and listening). This draws the students into the

topic and brings up language that may be useful. The teacher then explains what the task isand sets up the activity.

Stage 2: Students perform the task in pairs or groups. They may then present their

findings/conclusions to the rest of the class. In this stage, mistakes are not important; the

teacher provides support and monitors. The learners focus on communication, perhaps at theexpense of accuracy, but this will be dealt with in the next stage.

Stage 3:The teacher works on specific language points which come up in stage 2. (During

the monitoring stage, most teachers take notes of common errors and students particularlearning needs). Students reflect on the language needed to complete the task and how well

they did. This is their opportunity to concentrate on accuracy and make sure they resolve any

doubts or problems they had.

Tasks can be as simple as putting a list of animals in order from fastest to slowest and then

trying to agree with a partner on the correct order. Or it could be something more

complicated like a survey to find out which parts of town your classmates live in and howthey get to school, ending in visual information presented in the form of pie charts and maps.


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Or it could be something really complicated like a role-play involving a meeting in the Town

Hall of the different people affected by a new shopping center development and the

consequent demolition of a youth center and old peoples home. Whatever the task, it should

always have some kind of completion; and this completion should be central to the class the

language resulting naturally from the task and not the other way around.

The advantage of TBL over more traditional methods is that it allows students to focus onreal communication before doing any serious language analysis. It focuses on students needs

by putting them into authentic communicative situations and allowing them to use all theirlanguage resources to deal with them. This draws the learners attention to what they know

how to do, what they dont know how to do, and what they only half know. It makes learners

aware of their needs and encourages them to take (some of the) responsibility for their own

learning. TBL is good for mixed-ability classes; a task can be completed successfully by a

weaker or stronger student with more or less accuracy in language production. The important

thing is that both learners have had the same communicative experience and are now aware

of their own individual learning needs.

Another advantage of this approach is that learners are exposed to a wide variety of language

and not just grammar. Collocations, lexical phrases and expressions, chunks of language, and

things that often escape the constraints of the traditional syllabus come up naturally in task-

based lessons. But this can also be a disadvantage. One of the criticisms of TBL is this

randomness. It doesnt often fit in with the course book/syllabus, which tends to present

language in neat packages. Some teachers (and learners) also find the move away from an

explicit language focus difficult and anarchistic. Many teachers also agree that it is not thebest method to use with beginners, since they have very few language resources to draw on to

be able to complete meaningful tasks successfully.

What Is Project-Based Learning (PBL)?

The PBL approach takes learner-centeredness to a higher level. It shares many aspects with

TBL, but if anything, it is even more ambitious. Whereas TBL makes a task the central focusof a lesson, PBL often makes a task the focus of a whole term or academic year. Again, as

with TBL, different teachers approach project work in different ways. Some use it as thebasis for a whole years work; others dedicate a certain amount of time alongside the

syllabus. Some use projects only on short courses or "intensives." Others try to get theirschools to base their whole curriculums on it. But there are generally considered to be four

elements which are common to all project-based activities/classes/courses:

1. A central topic from which all the activities derive and which drives the project toward afinal objective.

2. Access to means of investigation (the Internet has made this part of project work mucheasier) to collect, analyze, and use information.

3. Plenty of opportunities for sharing ideas, collaborating, and communicating. Interactionwith other learners is fundamental to PBL.

4. A final product (often produced using new technologies available to us) in the form ofposters, presentations, reports, videos, web pages, blogs, and so on.

The role of the teacher and the learner in the PBL approach is very similar to the TBL

approach. Learners are given freedom to go about solving problems or sharing information inthe way they see fit. The teacher acts as a monitor and facilitator, setting up frameworks for


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communication, providing access to information and helping with language where necessary,

and giving students opportunities to produce a final product or presentation. As with TBL, the

teacher monitors interaction but doesnt interrupt, dealing with language problems at another

moment.

The advantages and disadvantages of PBL are similar to those of TBL, but the obviousattraction of project-based learning is the motivating element, especially for younger learners.

Projects bring real life into the classroom; instead of learning about how plants grow (and all

the language that goes with it), you actually grow the plant and see for yourself. It bringsfacts to life. The American educational theorist John Dewey wrote education is not a

preparation for life; education is life itself. Project work allows life itselfto form part of

the classroom and provides hundreds of opportunities for learning. Apart from the fun

element, project work involves real-life communicative situations (analyzing, deciding,

editing, rejecting, organizing, delegating ) and often involves multi-disciplinary skills

which can be brought from other subjects. All in all, it promotes a higher level of thinking

than just learning vocabulary and structures.

Conclusion

Both TBL and PBL focus primarily on the achievement of realistic objectives, and then onthe language that is needed to achieve those objectives. They both treat language as an

instrument to complete a given objective rather than an isolated grammar point or lexical setto learn and practice. They give plenty of opportunity for communication in authentic

contexts and give the learner freedom to use the linguistic resources he/she has, and then

reflect on what they learned or need to learn. Finally, as EFL/ESL teachers are eclectic by

nature, teachers often use a combination of TBL, PBL, and traditional techniques such as

PPP. Some teachers use TBL and PBL as a small part of a more conventional approach and

many teachers on 100% TBL/PBL courses resort to PPP type activities when dealing with

grammar or vocabulary problems. As always, the important thing is to use what works best

for you and your learners.

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TBL and PBL Two Learner-Centered Approaches