Task sequencing in academic writing

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Task sequencing in academic writing

• TBLT
• September 2005
• Leuven

P Gaye Tolunguc Middle East Technical
University Ankara Turkey tolunguc_at_metu.edu.tr
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TBLT

• The rationale ?
• Developing implicit knowledge learners can only
  develop implicit knowledge of a second language
  incidentally as a result of the effort to
  communicate.
• Automatization learners can only gain in
  fluency by attempting to use the L2 in real
  operating conditions.
• Ellis, R. (n.d.) Task-Based Language Teaching.
  Slide presentation. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www.tki.org.nz/r/esol/esolonline/teachers/p
  rof_read/taskbased.ppt

teaching does not cannot determine the way the
learners language will develop teachers
learners cannot simply choose what is to be
learned the elements of the target language do
not simply slot into place in a predictable
order The Basque team. (2003) Task Based
Learning. Best Practice Best Language Teaching
Methods, Leonardo II Project. Retrieved June,
2005, from http//www.languages.dk/
methods/documents/tbl-nl_01.pdf.
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• TBLT
• offers the opportunity for natural learning
  inside the classroom
• emphasizes meaning over form but can also cater
  for learning form
• is intrinsically motivating
• is compatible with a learner-centered
  educational philosophy
• can be used alongside a more traditional
  approach
• Ellis, R. (n.d.) Task-Based Language Teaching.
  Slide presentation. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www.tki.org.nz/r/esol/esolonline/teachers/
  prof read/taskbased.ppt

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A task?

• an activity in which the target language is used
  by the learner for a communicative purpose in
  order to achieve an outcome
• Goal oriented activity with a clear purpose
• Meaning-negotiation involved
• Communicative
• Context-based
• Learner-centered (concerning learners needs)
• Achieving an outcome
• Willis J. (1996). A framework for TBL. Harlow,
  U.K Longman Addison-Wesley.

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• "a piece of classroom work which involves
  learners in comprehending, manipulating,
  producing or interacting in the target language
  while their attention is principally focused on
  meaning rather than form"
• Nunan, D. (n.d.) What is task-based language
  teaching? Retrieved June, 2005, from http//
  www.nunan.info/presentations/TBLT_files/frame.htm
• a task is an activity which requires learners to
  use language, with emphasis on meaning, to attain
  an objective
• Skehan, P. (2003) Task-based instruction.
  Language Teacher 36, 114. DOI 10.1017/
  S026144480200188X printed in the UK c_ 2003 CUP.
  Retrieved June, 2005, from http//
  journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type
  1fid 146424jid LTAvolumeId36issueId01ai
  d146423

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form VERSUS message focus ?

• Prabhus dictum form is best learned when the
  main focus is on meaning
• Prabhu N S. (1987). Second Language Pedagogy.
  Oxford, OUP.
• sequences combining a task with pre- and
  post-task work
• ways of injecting a degree of form focus into a
  message focused activity
• Johnson, K. (2003) From communicative activity to
  task a short but significant journey. Asia TEFL
  2003 International Conference. TEFL in Asia
  Emerging Issues. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www.asiatefl.org/ conference/down/Schedule_
  of_Presentations.pdf

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a negotiation of meaning justification VERSUS
the concept of a focus on form ?

• (a) interaction, in itself, is not enough (b)
  insinuation of a focus on form into interactions
  is vital
• Skehan, P. (2003) Task-based instruction.
  Language Teacher 36, 114. DOI 10.1017/
  S026144480200188X printed in the UK c_ 2003 CUP.
  Retrieved June, 2005, from http//
  journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type
  1fid146424jid LTAvolumeId36issueId01aid
  146423

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focus on form (not forms) ?

• focus on form refers to how attentional
  resources are allocated, and involves briefly
  drawing students' attention to linguistic
  elements (words, collocations, grammatical
  structures, pragmatic patterns, and so on), in
  context, as they arise incidentally in lessons
  whose overriding focus is on meaning, or
  communication
• focus on form is learner- centred in a
  radical, psycholinguistic sense it respects the
  learner's internal syllabus...
• Long, M. H. (1997) Focus on form in TBLT. Fourth
  Annual McGraw-Hill Satellite Teleconference. The
  McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www. mhhe.com/socscience/foreignlang/top.ht
  m

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• role for the teacher monitors from a distance
  ready to provide the unpredictable help that will
  be required
• Skehan, P. (2003) Task-based instruction.
  Language Teacher 36, 114. DOI 10.1017/
  S026144480200188X printed in the UK c_ 2003 CUP.
  Retrieved June, 2005, from http//
  journals.cambridge.org/action/ displayFulltext?
  type 1fid146424jidLTAvolumeId36issueId01
  aid146423
• role for the learner experiments with the
  language takes risks in an independent
  spontaneous fashion
• Willis J. (1996). A framework for TBL. Harlow,
  U.K Longman Addison-Wesley.

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• A framework for TBLT
• Real-world / target tasks
• ie. group work discussion decision making task
• Pedagogical tasks
• Rehearsal tasks
• Activation tasks
• Enabling skills
• Language exercises
• Communicative activities
• Nunan, D. (2001) Aspects of Task-BasedSyllabus
  Design. Retrieved June,
• 2005, from http//www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues
  /syllabusdesign.html

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• the relationship of the task to the real
• world ?
• things people do in everyday life
• bears a resemblance, direct or indirect, to the
  way language is used an emphasis on the nature
  of the response by the learner
• the reaction of the learner or the research
  subject which is key, rather than the fact that a
  particular task may have, at some time, been used
  by native speakers (possibly in a different
  context)
• genuineness rather than a form of authenticity
  defined only in relation to the real world
  occurrence of an activity
• Skehan, P. (2003) Task-based instruction.
  Language Teacher 36, 114. DOI 10.1017/
• S026144480200188X printed in the UK c_ 2003 CUP.
  Retrieved June, 2005, from http/
• journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type
  1fid146424jidLTAvol
• meId36issueId01aid146423

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• planning ?
• pre-task planning can have beneficial effects
  upon the nature of task performance, consistently
  leading to greater fluency and complexity and,
  less dependably, greater accuracy
• a post-task activity (such as the need to re-do
  a task publicly after the task has been done
  privately, or the requirement that learners
  transcribe one minute of their own task
  performance subsequent to the task itself ) leads
  to significantly greater accuracy
• Foster, P. Skehan, P. (1999) The influence of
  source of planning and focus
• of planning on TB performance. Language Teaching
  Research,
• Volume3,  Number 3, 1 September 1999, pp.
  215-247(33). Hodder Arnold
• Journals. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www.ingentaconnect.
• com/content/arn/ltr/1999/00000003/00000003/art
  00003

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• components of the framework ?
• Pre-task
• Introduction to topic and task
• Task cycle
• Task
• Planning
• Report
• Language focus
• Analysis
• Practice
• Willis, J. (1998) Task-Based Learning What Kind
  of Adventure? The Language Teacher
• Online 22.07. Retrieved June, 2005, from
  http//www.jaltpublications.org/tlt/files/
• 98/jul/willis.html

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• PREPARING FOR ACADEMIC WRITING (PAW)
• Oniz S Tolunguc G. (2003) Middle East Technical
  University Press. Ankara
• Samples from academic writing materials for
  post-beginner level students at The Middle East
  Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

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STEP 1 PRE-TASK INTRODUCING THE TOPICWhat
trends are indicated in these graphs? Briefly
discuss.
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• The two body paragraphs on the next page respond
  to the following question by incorporating the
  data in the graphs.
• Question
• Innovations in cell phone technology are
  increasing. Discuss the reasons.
• Discuss the possible answers to the question with
  the person sitting next to you and note down your
  ideas.
• Read the paragraphs and compare your ideas with
  the writers. Any similarities/differences?
  Discuss how far the writer answered the question.
  Discuss his conclusions.

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• Question
• Innovations in cell phone technology are
  increasing. Discuss the reasons.
• Innovations in cell phone technology are
  increasing as a result of the soaring number of
  cell phone users all over the world. This growth
  can be detected in the ever-increasing numbers of
  cell phone subscribers and GSM subscribers. First
  of all, global figures indicate an enormous
  increase in the number of subscribers using cell
  phones. According to statistics provided by the
  EMC World Cellular Database, in the period
  between 1993 and 2002, the number of cell phone
  subscribers increased from 35 million to over a
  billion. The figure reached 1.3 billion in 2003,
  which shows how great the demand is for cellular
  technology. Secondly, worldwide figures also
  display .......................................

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• STEP 2 TASK CYCLE
• RESPONDING TO A QUESTION
• Purpose
• To write an answer to a question paying special
• attention to paragraph endings and considering
  the
• criteria covered so far
• This task is about cell phones and their effects
  on users. The question that you will answer later
  in this task is as follows. Read the question so
  that you have a general idea about what you will
  be doing and follow the instructions below
• Question
• How have cell phones changed the users behavior?

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• A. Brief discussion
• As a cell phone user, think back to the time when
  you first started to use a cell phone.
• You may not be a cell phone user Think back to
  the time when someone you know well first started
  to use a cell phone.
• How did the cell phone affect your/their behavior
  and relationships?
• Are there any behaviors that specifically only
  mobile phone users display?
• What are these?
• What do others think about them?

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• B. Mini class survey
• Prepare two questions about how cell phone use
  has changed your classmates behavior. Word your
  questions so that the answers are only one or two
  words. You will have to group all the answers in
  the end so formulate questions with short and
  clear answers.
• Example
• (Before you started using a cell phone), how
  often did you used to talk to your best friend
  (on a regular phone)?

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• Go around the class collecting answers to your
  questions.
• Include the name of your classmate while noting
  down the responses in the mini survey.
• Group the answers in such a way that you can
  generalize about frequencies or girls
  preferences versus boys, and so on.
• Write down your findings/generalizations.
• Form groups with four other classmates who have
  at least one similar question as you do. Exchange
  your findings.

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• C. The question
• How have cell phones changed the users behavior?
• In your group, analyze the question and plan your
• answer using the Answer Layout Form.
• Answer Layout
• Key words
• Write about
• From what aspect
• Stance
• Organization

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• D. Collecting data planning
• You have conducted a mini survey and collected
  some data
• about your classmates behavior. Now imagine you
  have gone
• to the library, surfed the net and compiled all
  the info in
• section F (The Data Sheet) as your notes and
  photocopies. In
• your group, share the info on the next pages and
  read it in
• order to select supporting ideas for your answer.
  Decide how
• to outline the info in your answer.
• How many points will there be in your group
  report?
• What will each point be about?
• How much of the survey findings can you
  incorporate?
• Do you have enough info (i.e. explanations and
  examples)?
• Present your ideas to the class and get feedback.

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• E. Writing editing the answer
• At home write your answer on a piece of paper.
• Using the criteria at the end of the task,
  evaluate your work.
• Hand in your work for feedback to another the
  next day.
• After you get your paper back, read the feedback,
  rewrite parts if there are suggestions and hand
  in your work to the teacher.

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• F. Data Sheet
• Behavioral effects of mobile phones
• Fingers and thumbs
• Sadie Plant, founder of the Cybernetic Culture
  Research
• Unit at Warwick University, collected data on
  hundreds of
• mobile phone users in nine cities around the
  world,
• including Beijing, Chicago, London and Tokyo over
  six
• months and discovered
• People who've grown up with mobile phones tend
  to use their thumbs when
• others would use their fingers.
  ......................................
• ..................................................
  ....................................
• Social status symbol
• Plant The mobile is fast becoming an essential
  prop in the
• social life of 20-year-olds. It has even become
  part of their mating
• display with young men trying to impress women
  with the advanced
• technology of their phones.
• Donald Ball (the conventional telephone) was
  considered something
• that one apologized...............................
  ..........

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• Sources
• http//www.newscientist.com/hottopics/phones/phone
  s.jsp?id23151900
• http//cellular.co.za/news_2002/061102mms_to_overt
  ake_sms_messaging_by.htm
• Mobile phone users A small-scale observational
  study by Alice Johns, Apr 2001 http//www.aber.ac.
  uk/media/Students/abj0001.html
• Mobile phone users A small-scale observational
  study by Jonathan Swallowe, Oct 2002
  http//www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/jos0101.html
• Anonymous (2002) On the mobile Groundbreaking
  global study explores behavioral effects of
  mobile phone use. WWW document URL
• http//www.mobileguy.com/publish/article70.shtml
• Ball, D. (1968). Towards a Society of Telephones
  and Telephoners. In Marcello Truzzi (Ed.)
  Sociology and Everyday Life. Englewood Cliffs,
  NJ. Prentice-Hall.

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• STEP 3 POST-TASK REFLECTION
• What are you really good at, concerning writing
  at paragraph-level?
• What seems difficult? Can you think of a solution
  to your problem?
• Which task in this unit was easy for you? Why?

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• FOCUS ON FORM 1
• LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE THE GRAPHS
• FOCUS ON FORM 2
• CONCLUDING SENTENCES (CSs)
• FOCUS ON FORM 3
• REFERRING TO RESEARCHERS
• AUTHORS

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• Please write to
• tolunguc_at_metu.edu.tr
• for feedback
• Thank you!