TASK-BASED

I. Definition:
Task-based language teaching is a student-centered approach to second language
instruction. It is an offshoot of the communicative approach, wherein activities focus on
having students use authentic target language in order to complete meaningful tasks, i.e.
situations they might encounter in the real world and other project-based assignments.

These project could include visiting the doctor, making a phone call, conducting an
interview in order to find answers to specific questions or gathering information to
make a poster or advertisement.

In task-based teaching the focus is not on grammar you have already introduced your
students to necessary constructions earlier in the chapter or unit, as well as to
the vocabulary they will need to complete the task but rather on helping students
develop linguistic strategies for completing the assigned tasks within the constraints of
what they know of the target language. Because the emphasis is on
spontaneous, creative language use, whether spoken or written, rather than on absolute
accuracy, assessment is based on task outcome.

II. Advantages

In task-based teaching, the center of the learning process moves to the students
themselves and allows them to come to the realization that language is a tool to tackle
and (re)solve real-world problems.

The process of task-based learning itself teaches important skills. Students learn how to
ask questions, how to negotiate meaning and how to interact in and work within groups.
Within this group work, they are able to observe different approaches to problem
solving as well as to learn how others think and make decisions.

These are all skills that our students will need in order to be successful in the real world,
regardless of which language(s) they use there.

In addition, task-based teaching provides students with the linguistic components they
will need to accomplish these real-world tasks. These include: How to introduce
themselves, how to talk about themselves, their families, their interests, their likes and
dislikes, their needs, etc. in the right socio-cultural context.

By moving the focus away from mechanical drills—although such drills do still have
their place even today in language teaching, especially when teaching highly inflected
languages—task-based teaching focuses on communication and interaction, using
appropriate language at the correct time.

III. Types
There are three basic types of tasks:
Information gap activities are those that involve the transfer of information from one
person to another, from one form to another or from one place to another. For example,
two students might have different schedules, but they want to find time to get together
to have tea. They need to get relevant information from each other to determine when
they are both free, as well as when the available times coincide with when a tea house is
open. This type of activity allows students to request information, ask for clarification
and negotiate both meaning, particularly when misunderstandings occur, and
appropriate conclusions to the task.

Reasoning gap activities are those in which you ask your students to derive some
information from that which you give them. They are required to comprehend and
convey information, much as in an information gap activity, but the information that
they are asked to convey is not exactly the same that they comprehend. They are asked
to use reason and logic to decide what information to convey and what resolution to
make for the problem at hand. For example, you might ask your students to make a
decision between speed and cost or cost and quality, given a certain situation and
various constraints.

Opinion gap activities are those that ask students to convey their own personal
preferences, feelings or ideas about a particular situation. On a higher level, you might
ask them to take part in a discussion or debate about a political or social issue. On a
lower level, you might ask them to complete a story. In these types of activities, there is
no right or wrong answer, and, therefore, there is no objective means by which to judge
outcomes, outside of whether what the students do or say addresses the task at hand.
You might require them to speak or write for a certain amount (words or time) and you
might ask them to use certain constructions. Otherwise, assessment is subjective rather
than objective.

IV. Steps
Before even stepping into the classroom and using a task-based activity, it is important
to have a firm objective in mind: Why are you using this activity? What do you want
your students to learn and accomplish through it? Is it designed so that they can meet
those goals? If you can answer each of these questions logically or positively, then you
are well on your way to success in the classroom!

What steps do you need to take there in order for your students to succeed?

1. Pre-task

This stage starts with the instructor explaining to her students what will be expected in
the task cycle and post-task review stages. In a lower-level class, it will likely include
an introduction or review of key vocabulary or grammatical concepts the students will
need to accomplish the assigned task.

This is very much in line with the PPP (presentation, practice, performance) approach to
instructional design. In a higher-level class, where the grammar and vocabulary have
already been introduced, the students might be asked to brainstorm as to what language
and linguistic features they would expect to need in order to complete the task
successfully.
2. Task cycle

In this stage, the students complete the task either in pairs or small groups. The
instructor is generally reduced to the role of observer, stepping in only when the
students seem to be going too far astray from the assignment at hand.
Task
The students complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they
have as the teacher monitors and offers encouragement.

Planning
Students prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during
their task. They then practise what they are going to say in their groups. Meanwhile the
teacher is available for the students to ask for advice to clear up any language questions
they may have.

Report
Students then report back to the class orally or read the written report. The teacher
chooses the order of when students will present their reports and may give the students
some quick feedback on the content. At this stage the teacher may also play a recording
of others doing the same task for the students to compare.

3. post-task

A balance should be kept between fluency, which is what the task provides, and
accuracy, which is provided by task feedback

This is where the students present their work in some fashion. They might report their
findings to the class as a whole. They might perform a dialog or skit. They might share
their written story or video or poster with their classmates.

Depending on your goals and the time available, you can ask your students to perform
some type of peer assessment at this point. This also assures you that your students pay
attention to the presentations of their classmates!

Unless the activity is the culmination of a unit, chapter or class, you will likely need to
come up with an appropriate homework assignment and a logical follow-up to the
activity just completed in class. This too can take a number of forms.

You might want to ask your students to write an essay based on their in-class work.
They might write a reflective piece, a self-critique about what they accomplished and
learned. They might write an assessment of the others in their group, of the other groups
or of the project as a useful learning mechanism. They might turn in their own version
of the project, as they would have done it if they could have worked independently,
explaining why they would have done things differently had they had the opportunity.

Bibliography

https://www.fluentu.com

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/a-task-based-approach
http://www.onestopenglish.com