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TASK IT UP!
TOWARDS A TASK BASED APPROACH IN THE YOUNG LEARNER CLASSROOM
Helen Legge
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- look at activities often used in YL classes , particularly at productive activities.
- focus on how integrating a more task-based approach can benefit learners
Task it up!
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Typical YL resourcesAll focus on specific language items
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Some examples teachers tend to use:• Gap fills• Stem sentences• Role plays• Notes, letters and essays• Drawing dictations• Writing a story or a newspaper report• Describing pictures
Some of these could become ‘tasks’ with right approach.
How do children make sense of language?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-rebuts-chomsky-s-theory-of-language-learning/
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They aren’t ‘taught’ theirL1.
They learn through meaningful language acts.
Why should it be different for L2?
Are the activities we use in the ELT classroom meaningful?
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What is a task?
Samuda and Bygate (2008) define a pedagogical task as
“a holistic activity which engages language use in order to achieve some non-linguistic outcomes … with the overall aim of promoting language learning”
Meaning (the non-linguistic objective) overForm (language objective).
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Jane Willis (2009) encourages us to consider the following questions to understand how task-like an activity is:
- Does the activity engage learners’ interest?
- Is there a primary focus on meaning?
- Is there an outcome?
- Is success judged in terms of outcome? Is completion a priority?
- Does the activity relate to real world activities?
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• Are students motivated to do the task?
• Is the attention on language or aim?
• What do learners have to do?
• ..or are we focusing on language used?
• …what would my learners really do?
• Does the activity engage learners’ interest?
• Is there a primary focus on meaning?
• Is there an outcome?• Is success judged in
terms of outcome? Is completion a priority?
• Does the activity relate to real world activities?
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As we go through 2 activities, consider:
What is the aim?
What language are our learners likely to use?
What other skills can learners apply?
MENUStarter:________________________________
Main Course:________________________________
Dessert:________________________________
chicken burger soup ice-cream salad cheese and crackers
chocolate cake10Helen Legge
Students match vocab, use this to complete menu and roleplay ordering food.
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Provide speaking practice using certain food vocabulary
The target language plusI’ll have…/ Can I have…?Please/Thankyou.
Some social skills: Politeness
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Images from pixabay.com
Compare, then brainstorm what they can eat here.
Plan a party meal for a special occasion with your friends and family.
How many different dishes will you include?
Are there allergies/dislikes youneed to think about to make thisan enjoyable event for everyone?
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Plan a menu/meal for friends and family.
The language they know.
Empathy, problem solving…
Teacher/peers feed in what is relevant to the student as he/she considers task
Stories are tasks in themselves.Students cut up comic-strip story and classmate re-orders it.
Opportunities for meaningful language practice.
Platforms for language instruction.
Platforms for practising other skills.
Student-centred.
Helpful in mixed ability classes as Ls can achieve task in a variety of ways.
markers of progress for learners.
Relevant to the real world and therefore, to learner needs.
TASKSARE
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Is there a primary focus on meaning? Is there an outcome?
Is success judged in terms of outcome? - language-led or meaning-led? - criteria to evaluate success?
- reason for students doing the task? - non-linguistic aim to what they are doing?
Create a story \ plan a menu \ make a schedule convince other students to join a club\
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Does the activity relate to real world activities? - Tasks can be closely linked to their lives:
Inventing a game and explaining how to play it, making a model frominstructions, deciding on a present for a friend…
Or also imaginative (and therefore linked to their lives!):
Imagine you discover a new planet: Write a survival guide to living there.
Imagine there has been a natural disaster. Discuss an action plan for the first 3 days afterwards.
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Great opportunities to develop other skills: negotiating, decision-making, leadership…
• Is there a non-linguistic aim to my task? Is it meaning focused?
• Is task achievement part of the evaluation criteria? Or am I still only focusing on language used?
• Is the task relevant to my students’ lives? Will they be motivated to attempt the task?
To start integrating tasks, start with productive activities and consider:
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Helen LeggeTwitter @ITlegge
References and resources:
Paul Ibbotson, Michael Tomasello: Evidence rebuts Chomsky’s theory of language learning, New Scientist (2016).https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-rebuts-chomsky-s-theory-of-language-learning/ V. Samuda and M. Bygate: Tasks in Second Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, (2008).Jane Willis: Criteria for Identifying Tasks, Teaching English (2009). http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/criteria-identifying-tasks-tbl
English with Crosswords, ELI 2001Primary Vocabulary Box, Nixon & Tomlinson, CUP (2003).Jet Primary Resources, DELTA, 1996 Timesavers Grammar Activities, Scholastic, 2002
All images from www.pixabay.com or my own.Join #TBLTchat on Twitter!