Non-orthodox task-based learning at a glance

Exposure to text or dialogue Enabling tasks

Lead in and
Comprehension Noticing Final task
Diagnosis Discovery Practice
(meaning) (form)

 Activate sts’ relevant  Enable sts. to  Enable students to  Enable sts. to discover Enable sts. to accomplish  To give sts. the
schemata and arouse understand the content of move from meaning (i.e., and analyse language rules the final task successfully opportunity to use the new
their interest in the theme the dialogue and/or text understand what message by themselves. by helping them: language in realistic
(lead-in). containing examples of the the dialogue/text is trying to  Long-term objective: to  automatise the new situations under realistic
 Assess how well sts. target language. convey) to form (i.e., notice help sts. become “good language (esp. formulaic operating conditions through
can use the target how certain ideas are language detectives” and chunks). unscripted, meaning-focused
Purpose

language in expressed in the make the most of the input  get their tongues work.
communication and help dialogue/text). Luiz Otavio they are exposed to round longer chunks of  To provide the teacher
them notice gaps in their Barros. Task-based outside the classroom (i.e., language using correct with evidence that the sts. are
own English (which will learning. process it for both meaning intonation and in the process of acquiring
make them more “open” and form) pronunciation. the target forms.
to the subsequent input)
(diagnosis).  Make it easier for the
 To act as a sort of teacher to spot trouble
“benchmark” against areas and correct relevant
which sts.’ performance in errors on the spot (but not
the final task can be mid-sentence!) .
measured.

 Teacher must set a  Pre reading/listening  Left to their own  Sts. should be Within a TBL framework, A TBL final task should
clear, motivating, natural questions should help sts. devices, learners are encouraged to discover controlled practice should ideally look like something
and relevant context. read/listen with a clear believed to process input use, meaning and form as far as possible: the sts. would be expected to
 Important to purpose in mind. for meaning rather than through simple and  Allow at least some do in real life in relation to the
diagnose how well sts.  While reading/listening form, so noticing activities straight-forward questions. degree of linguistic choice. theme chosen. There should
Important features

can use the target questions should help sts. should help them notice  Be meaningful (i.e., always be:
language in realistic understand both global and how certain ideas are sts. should always know  A clear, non-linguistic
situations rather than specific information. expressed in the what they’re saying). purpose (i.e., “talk to each
simply whether they know text/dialogue they  Be fully contextualised. other to find out whether…”
the underlying rules previously read for  For some language rather than “talk to each other
(declarative vs. meaning. Luiz Otavio areas, chorus repetition, to practice these sentences”)
procedural knowledge) Barros. Task-based individual repetition and  A realistic (and as far as
learning. backchaining are extremely possible relevant) context.
important and must be
done. But the pace should
be brisk and to be kept on
their toes sts. should
always be called at
random.
 Exposure to text or dialogue Enabling tasks
Lead in and diagnosis Comprehension Noticing Final task
Discovery Practice
(meaning) (form)

 Meaning-focused Comprehension questions Consciousness-raising Grammar analysis  Chorus and individual  Meaning-focused
Typical activities

communicative or semi- in the moulds of: questions in the moulds of: questions in the moulds of: repetition (particularly activities such as problem-
communicative activities  “Listen and check your  “Listen and write down  “How is the negative useful for formulaic chunks) solving, discussions, role-
such as discussions, role- predictions” what the speaker says to formed?”  Sentence plays and simulations.
plays and simulations.  “Listen and decide express X idea”  “Why did the speaker transformation based on  A final task could be a
 It is sometimes useful which statement best  “Read the text and say I’ve been there but I cue words/visual stimuli etc written task, of course, as
to diagnose sts’ use of describes the woman’s underline examples of how went there in 1988?”  “Semi-communicative” long as it is something
language through attitude” the writer expresses X  “Look at the examples. activities. students could be expected
meaning-oriented written  “Read the article again idea…” Task-based When do we use some and  Gap-filling type to produce in real life (e.g., a
activities too. and fill in the missing learning. any?” exercises. memo or e-mail rather than
details” isolated sentences)
roles

 Organiser  Organiser  Conductor  Organiser

T’s

 Evaluator  Consultant  Corrector  Evaluator

 Consultant
Interact

 T Ss  S  text  T Ss  T Ss  SS

 SS  T Ss  SS  S  S (open pairs)  Ss  Ss
ion

 Ss  Ss  SS

 Teacher should not  Difficult to predict the range of structures and lexis produced by the sts. in this  Only phase of a TBL  Teacher should not try to
Degree of

attempt to control sts.’ phase of the lesson. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense for the teacher to try and control lesson in which the teacher control sts’ output at this
control

output at this stage, students’ oral production here. Luiz Otávio Barros. actually tries to control sts.’ stage. The final task,
otherwise he/she may not output, particularly their however, must be designed
have enough evidence of choice of language. Luiz to make the use of the target
how well they can actually Otavio Barros. Task-based structure as useful as
use the language. learning. possible.

 Since in this phase of Just as it is difficult to predict what language sts. will use in these phases of a TBL  It is probably sensible  The best policy here is
Correction

the lesson the aim is to lesson, there are no hard and fast rules for error correction. The teacher’s decision to correct sts. on the spot probably to make a note of
diagnose what sts. can whether or not to intervene will depend on at least two factors: here (but not mid- relevant mistakes and point
do, the best policy here is  Sts’. profile (Shy? Easily discouraged? Fluent but inaccurate? Accurate but not sentence!) them out to sts. afterwards.
probably to write down fluent?) Further controlled practice
examples of their  The error in question (Recurrent? Serious for the level? Worth correcting at all?) should follow if necessary.
production for subsequent
feedback.
Length and

 Short  It depends on the  Short (sts. just have to  Depends on the  Depends on the sts’.  As a rule, longer than
 Usually at the amount of importance you find out how, say, speaker students’ needs. But as a needs, but as a rule shorter other phases (i.e., sts. should
place

beginning want to attach to skills X expressed idea Y) rule, the longer it lasts the than the final task. spend more time using the
development in any given  After sts. have more likely sts. are to  Before and, if language communicatively
lesson. understood the content of overanalyse and make necessary, after the final than manipulating or
the text or dialogue. mountains out of anthills. task. analysing it )
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