Developing Learners Communicative Competence Through TaskBased Instruction

1
Developing Learners Communicative Competence
Through Task-Based Instruction
2
Overview

• Goals of foreign language learning
• Current teaching practices
• Exercise vs. Task
• What is task?
• Why?--Task-Based InstructionTBI
• How to design and use TBI?
• Question-answer

3
Language is

• used as a vehicle for communication

4
Communication is

• Lee (2000)
• Expression
• Interpretation
• Negotiation of meaning
• Long (1996)
• Genuine human interaction
• Input ? feedback ? output

5
Language Competence

• Fluency
• How well?
• Accuracy
• How accurate?
• Pragmatics
• How appropriate?

6
Real-Life Situation

• A sunny afternoon on the street in Granada, Spain
  
• María Hmm Me puedo ,,, puedes decir donde ir
  a banco?
• Desconocido Bueno, está muy cerca de aquí. Pase
  por el semáforo y doble a la derecha en la
  primera calle. El banco está al lado del
  restaurante Pollo Loco
• María Hmm semáforo? confused
• Desconocido point it out the light luces
• María Ah vvvvoy a banco para dinero
• no restaurante, sí?
• Desconocido took the pen out and started to
• draw the picture Mire
• María Sí, sí, sí, gracias! smiling Tú eres muy
  amable.

7
Poor Mary
Pragmatics?
Expression
donde ir a banco
Tú or Ud.?
Accuracy?
Interpretation
HmmAh Hmm
Negotiation of meaning
Fluency?
8
Mary in Class
María, No hables más!
Oye, Me escuchas?
9
Blank, Blank, Blank

• Fill in each blank with the correct form of the
  verb.
• Yo _________ (caminar) por el parque y sus amigos
  ________(practicar) frisbi en la playa.
• Nosotros _________(escribir) composiciones y Luis
  __________(leer) el texto de español.

10
Matching

• Column A
• Cómo es el profesor?
• Cuándo es la clase?
• Quién siempre saca buenas notas?
• Cuántos estudiantes hay?
• Dónde es la clase?

• Column B
• Veintitrés
• En Horton Hall 303
• Miguel DeRosa
• Muy serio y perfeccionista
• E. A la una de la tarde

11
Pattern Practice

• Modelo
• Juan Vas a la escuela?
• María No, no voy a la escuela.
• Vas a la biblioteca?
• Va tu amigo a la playa?
• Van tus amigos a la plaza?
• Vamos al parque?

12
Dialogue

• Perform the following memorized dialogue.
• María Hola! Cómo estás?
• Juan Muy bien. Y tú?
• María Regular. Tienes clase ahora?
• Juan No. Tomamos café juntos?
• María Sí. Me gusta Green Mountain
• Juan A mí también.

13
Communicative Drill

• You partner is asking what you did last week. Be
  sure to answer in complete sentences.
• Buy Christmas gifts
• Study for a exam
• See Halloween decorations
• Attend a birthday party

14
Exercises
No More

• Exercises

• Exercises

15
Lets Discuss

• Why are these exercises?
• What teaching method is used?
• What is the main focus?
• Is it sufficient to practice the language?
• Why?

16
Exercises

• Focus on Form
• No creativity
• Lack of authenticity
• Exhausting and boring

Estoy agotado!
Qué aburrido!
17
Limitations

• Teacher drill leader
• Student learner but not user
• Focus form
• Practice perfect
• Audiolingual Method (ALM)
• Output learned patterns

18
Changes

• Evolution NOT Revolution
• From ALM to Communicative Language TeachingCLT
• From exercises to tasks

19
Differences

• Ellis (2002)
• Exercise
• Form-focused language use
• Language learner
• Intentional
• Task
• Meaning-focused language use
• Language user
• Incidental

20
More Changes

• From form to
• meaning form
• From Communication question answer
• to
• Communication expression, interpretation and
  negotiation of meaning (Lee, 2000)

21

• Tasks

22
Task ...

• A task is an activity where the
• target language is used by the
• learner for a communicative
• purpose (goal) in order to
• achieve an outcome.
• Jane Willis

23
Example 1 Fill in forms

• Listen to the conversation and write the missing
  information of each student.

Name Anna Age 35 Country Birth
Date Married Single Occupation Hobbies
Name Andrew Age Country Birth
Date Married Single Occupation Hobbies
Name John Age Country Birth Date Married Sing
le Occupation Hobbies Jazz
24
Example 1 (continued)

• Now compare your answers with your partner.

Name Anna Age 35 Country Birth
Date Married Single Occupation Hobbies
Name Andrew Age Country Birth
Date Married Single Occupation Hobbies
Name John Age Country Birth Date Married Sing
le Occupation Hobbies Jazz
25
Example 2 Fill in a chart

• Listen to the automated ticketing service for
  Whats on around town this weekend. Make a list
  of movies, and concerts and how much they cost.

Movies Concerts ________________ _____
___________ ________________ _____________
___ ________________ ________________
26
Example 2 (continued)

• First decide three activities you would like to
  do and then work with your partner to make up the
  schedule for the activities.

Activity 1 What? Where? How much? What time?
Activity 3 What? Where? How much? What time?
Activity 2 What? Where? How much? What time?
27
Example 3 Role-play

• You are in a clothing store and have 150 to
  spend.

Card B You are clerk --Offer to help --Tell
him/her what is on sale --Suggestions a
bottle of perfume for mom, a pair of pants for
brother, watch for boyfriend --Go to the
customer Service
Card A You are customer --You are looking
for gifts for three people --Your mom, brother
and boyfriend --Ask for suggestions --Ask for
prices --Ask him/her to wrap the gifts --Thanks
him/her
28
Example 4 Decision-making

• You are on a ship that is sinking. You have to
  swim to a nearby island. You have a waterproof
  container, but can only carry 20 kilos of items
  in it. Decide which of the following items you
  will take.

29
Example 4 (continued)

• Axe (8 kilos)
• Waterproof sheets of fabric (3 kilos each.)
• Notebook computer (3.5 kilos)
• Rope (6 kilos).
• Fire lighting kits (500 grams each)
• Portable CD player and CDs (4 kilos.)
• Short-wave radio (12 kilos)
• Medical kit (2 kilos.)
• Bottles of water (1.5 kilos each)
• Packets of sugar, flour, rice, powdered milk,
  coffee, tea. (Each packet weighs 500 grams)
• Cans of food (500 grams each)
• Box of novels and magazines (3 kilos)
• Source Nunan D. (2000)

30
Example 4 (continued)

• Now work with three other students and choose the
  most important three items that you absolutely
  need to take with you.

Item 1 Item 2 Item 3
31
Example 5 Jigsaw

• Estebans routine
• Student A drawings1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15
• Student B drawings2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14
• Generate the story orally with your partner
• Write an essay together on a blank sheet of paper
• Time 30 minutes
• Textbook Sabías qué? (2002)

Esteban se levanta y se lava .
32
Lets Discuss

• Task?
• Why?
• What are the common features?
• Other types?

33
Task ...

• Focus on both meaning and form
• Meaninginformation, idea
• Formgrammar, vocabulary

Qué divertido!
Qué música!
34

• Task-Based Instruction

35
TBI

• promotes communication, interaction and
  negotiation
• fosters active participation and scaffolding
• allows extended discourse

36
TBI

• requires linguistic and cognitive skills
• focuses on both accuracy and fluency
• engages in real-time language processing

37
One Step More

• From
• Question-Answer
• To
• Task-based Activities

38
Question-Answer Discussion

• --What did you do last weekend?
• Teacher Did you go to the library?
• (select a student)
• John No, I went to see a movie
• Teacher What movie did you see?
• John Shall we dance?
• Teacher Who else went to see a movie?
• (select a student)
• Mary No, I watched TV and ate pop corn.
• Teacher What program did you watch?
• Mary The Sopranos

39
Task-Based Activity
What did you do last weekend?
40
Step 1

• Activity
• Dance at a party
• Running five miles
• Playing video games
• Playing a sport
• Reading a book
• Watching TV
• Writing a letter
• Making dinner

• Sedentary Active
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________
• __________________

Source Lee (2000)
41
Step 2 Five More Activities

• Activity
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________
• ______________

• Sedentary Active
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________
• _______________

42
Step 3 Interview

• --Did you go fishing last week?
• --No, I read a book How to become a
  millionaire?

43
Step 4 Compare

• Your partners responses to the categorizations
  you made in Steps 1 and 2.

44
Step 5 Conclusion

• Use the scale to rate your partners week.

very sedentary as sedentary very active as
active 1 2 3 4 5
45
Task-Based Activity
The Most Interesting Person
46
Steps

• Step 1
• List 10 words that associate with interesting
• Step 2
• Describe the person in U.S./in Spain/in France,
  etc.
• Step 3
• Compare your answers with your partner
• Step 4
• Who is the most interesting person? And why?

47
Criteria

• Identifying a desired outcome
• Describe the person
• Breaking down the topic into subtopics
• 3-4 steps from easy to difficult
• Creating concrete tasks
• From words to sentences
• Building in linguistic support
• Vocabulary adjectives
• Grammar to be/like/

48
Types

• Listing
• Ordering and sorting
• Sequencing/ranking
• Categorizing/classifying
• Comparing similarities/differences
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Information gap
• Sharing experiences
• Describing/narrating

49
Participatory Structure

• Individual
• Intra-personal (private speech)
• Social
• Interpersonal
• Teacher-students
• Student-teacher/other students
• Student-student (group or pair-work)

50
Final Thoughts
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Incorporation of four skills plus culture
Tasks instead of exercises
Authentic materials/pictures
Feedback