FUNDACION UNIVERSITARIA IBEROAMERICANA – FUNIBER

MASTER’S DEGREE APPLIED TO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN

LANGUAGE – UNIATLANTICO

ASSIGNMENT ON FP011- TASK AND PROJECTS

Name and surname(s): Amalia María del Pilar Piscoya Espinoza

Arlindo João Catchongo Caiombe

Kênia Duarte Machado

Group: FPMTFL_2023-06

October 2024

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 INDEX

Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3

Lesson Analyses -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4

Lesson Adaptation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8

Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9

Bibliography ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10

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 INTRODUCTION

This material comprehensively explores project-based learning and its integration

within task-based teaching methodologies in language education.

The text emphasises the benefits of project-based learning in task-based teaching. It

encourages educators to embrace project work to enhance student engagement,
collaboration, and language development. It differentiates between tasks, work units,
and projects, highlighting tasks as individual activities, work units as interconnected
tasks, and projects as extensive, collaborative efforts. The significance of task-based
learning in language instruction is emphasised, focusing on how tasks facilitate
communication and engagement. Project work is vital to language education,
promoting deeper learning, engagement, collaboration, critical thinking, and applying
language skills in real-world situations. The text also connects project work to
humanistic education principles, advocating for a participatory and democratic learning
environment that fosters learner autonomy and collaboration. Additionally, it stresses
the importance of clear objectives, appropriate task design, and ongoing assessment to
support learners' progress. It addresses assessment strategies specific to project-
based learning, advocating for formative assessments focusing on projects' processes
and outcomes and providing constructive feedback.

In summary, this subject highlights the benefits of project-based learning in language

classrooms for fostering a dynamic and engaging learning environment.

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 Lesson analyses

Ellis (2003) outlines several criteria for designing effective task-based projects,
ensuring they align with the principles of TBLT. These criteria help distinguish tasks
from other language-learning activities and ensure that the projects remain
communicative, learner-centred, and focused on meaningful outcomes. They focus on
ensuring that tasks effectively promote language learning. The general criteria
associated with Ellis's approach to task-based projects are:

1. Tasks should require learners to communicate meaningfully, using the target

language to convey information, express opinions, or solve problems.
2. While tasks should emphasise meaning, they should also focus on form, allowing
learners to pay attention to linguistic structures as they communicate.
3. Reflect on real-world situations and contexts, making them relevant and applicable
to learners' lives outside the classroom.
4. Encourage learner autonomy, allowing students to take responsibility for their
learning and choose how to approach the task.
5. Promote collaboration among learners, fostering interaction and communication as
they complete the task.
6. Vary in complexity, providing opportunities for learners to engage with language at
different levels and challenge their skills appropriately.
7. Tasks should integrate various language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing)
to provide a holistic approach to language learning.

On the other hand, Jane Willis's criteria for task-based projects emphasise the
importance of structured and meaningful learning experiences that promote language
acquisition through collaborative efforts. The general criteria associated with Willis’s
approach to task-based projects are:

1. The project should begin with a “Pre-Task” phase, during which the teacher
introduces the topic, activates learners' schemata and highlights helpful vocabulary
and phrases. This preparation helps students understand the task and prepares
them for the upcoming activities.
2. Task Cycle: This consists of three main stages:
 Task: Learners engage in the task, working in pairs or small groups to complete
it. This stage focuses on communication and the use of language.

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  Planning: Students prepare to report their findings or experiences to the class
after completing the task. This stage encourages them to reflect on language
use and organise their thoughts.
 Report: Students present their reports to the class, sharing what they
discovered or accomplished during the task. This stage allows for further
language practice and peer interaction.
3. Following the task cycle, there should be a language focus phase where students
analyse specific language features used during the task. This analysis helps
learners notice and understand grammatical and lexical patterns.
4. The project should provide opportunities to practice new language items identified
during the language focus phase. This can occur through additional exercises or
activities that reinforce the language learned.
5. The teacher provides feedback and support throughout the project. Feedback
should be given at critical moments, particularly during the planning and reporting
stages, to enhance learning.
6. Projects should integrate various language skills (listening, speaking, reading,
writing) to create a comprehensive learning experience.
7. Engagement and Motivation: the project should be designed to engage learners
and motivate them to participate actively. Relevant and exciting topics that resonate
with students' experiences and interests can achieve this.

According to Ellis R. et al. (2020, p. 15), “In the pre-task, the teachers guided learners’
performance of the task by simplifying, repeating and paraphrasing their input to make
it comprehensible and, where necessary, by reformulating the learners’ attempts to use
the L2 in a target-like way. Willis (1996) proposed a very different framework for a task-
based lesson that prioritised learner-learner interaction.” Rod Ellis and Jane Willis are
committed to Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) principles, but their criteria
emphasise different aspects. Ellis prefers a flexible, meaning-focused approach with
post-task reflection on the form. At the same time, Willis provides a more structured,
cyclical process where learners engage with meaning and form during the planning and
reporting stages of the task cycle. Both frameworks aim to develop communicative
competence but differ in structure and sequencing approaches.

Rod Ellis’s Task-Based Criteria Analysis

1. Pre-task Phase: The lesson begins with a question that engages students’ curiosity
and activates their background knowledge through open discussion and voting.
This phase effectively prepares students for the main task and meets Ellis’s criteria
of focusing on meaning and interaction, with no pre-teaching of specific language
forms.

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2. Task Cycle: Lesson’s Task (Preparation): The students work in groups, discussing
true or false statements and preparing their spokesperson to present the group's
findings. The emphasis is on meaning, as students must discuss, negotiate, and
present their understanding of the polar regions. The activity encourages
collaborative problem-solving and decision-making, which aligns with Ellis’s focus
on real-world communication. The group activity and preparation phase strongly
align with Ellis’s criteria, as they focus on meaningful communication and
collaboration without explicitly teaching language forms at this stage.
3. Post-task Phase: Lesson’s Post-task (Reading Activity, Review, and
Consciousness-Raising): After the task, students read a factual text about the polar
regions, compare their conclusions, and reflect on the expressions related to
comparison. The consciousness-raising activity effectively highlights specific
language forms, such as comparative structures, which students encountered
during the task. This phase allows learners to focus on form after completing the
task, fitting Ellis's approach. The post-task activities meet Ellis’s criteria by
encouraging reflection on both meaning (in the reading) and form (in the
consciousness-raising activity), thereby promoting linguistic awareness after
completing the task.
4. Link to Grammar (Post-task): Lesson’s Grammar Link: The lesson includes a
grammar reinforcement phase, during which learners are directed to their grammar
book for exercises on comparison. This allows students to consolidate what they’ve
learned in a structured way and complements Ellis’s approach, enabling form-
focused instruction after meaningful task completion.
5. Focus on Meaning Before Form: This lesson prioritises meaning during the task
cycle and only addresses form in the post-task phase, matching Ellis’s emphasis on
meaning before form.

Jane Willis’s Task-Based Criteria Analysis

1. Pre-task Phase: Lesson’s Pre-task (Introduction): The lesson begins with an open
question and discussion, which sparks interest and activates background
knowledge. This fits Willis's pre-task phase, as it introduces the topic but does not
teach specific grammar or vocabulary. The introduction phase aligns with Willis’s
criteria, encouraging meaning-focused exploration before the task.
2. Task Cycle: Lesson’s Task Cycle (Group Activity, Spokesperson Preparation, and
Class Reports): The lesson follows this structure closely. During the group activity,
students discuss and understand the true or false statements (task). The
spokesperson's preparation aligns with the planning stage, where learners plan
how to present their ideas. The class reports fit Willis’s reporting stage, where
learners present their findings and engage in peer discussion. The group activity,

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 preparation, and class reports fit perfectly with Willis’s task cycle, following her
three-part structure and promoting meaningful communication.
3. Post-task: Language Focus: Lesson’s Post-task (Consciousness-Raising,
Vanishing Words): The post-task activities include comparing expressions related
to “comparison” and reviewing useful phrases. This consciousness-raising activity
aligns well with Willis’s language focus phase, highlighting necessary language
forms that emerged during the task. The vanishing words activity further reinforces
these structures in a playful, interactive way. Alignment: The post-task activities fit
Willis’s framework, emphasising a language focus after the communicative task
cycle, where learners reflect on and practice language forms used during the task.
4. Planning and Reporting: Lesson’s Spokesperson Preparation and Class Reports:
The spokesperson preparation and reporting phases align well with Willis’s
planning and reporting stages, where learners reflect on the task and organise their
presentation of findings. This phase allows for both language refinement and
meaning-focused output. The lesson meets Willis’s criteria for planning and
reporting, providing students with time to refine their language use and collaborate
on how best to present their conclusions.

Missing Information

 Pre-task Exposure: Willis’s framework often includes exposure to relevant language

through listening or reading before the task. Adding a brief text or video that
introduces the topic (polar regions) in a natural context would give learners more
input before starting the task.
 Post-task Reflection: Ellis advocates more explicit reflection on task performance.
After the class reports and reading, the teacher could encourage students to reflect
on their group work dynamics and communication strategies during the task. This
could be done through a reflective discussion or questionnaire.
 Comparative Structures: To align more explicitly with both frameworks, the pre-task
phase could include a brainstorming session on ways to compare (e.g.,
brainstorming comparison phrases) without explicitly teaching them. This would
prime students for the consciousness-raising activity that follows.
 More Real-World Application: Adding a real-world task, such as writing an
informative blog post or making a class poster on the differences between the
poles, could provide a more tangible outcome. This would enhance task
authenticity, a key criterion for Ellis and Willis.

To conclude, the lesson plan aligns well with Rod Ellis’s and Jane Willis’s criteria for
task-based projects. It emphasises meaning over form during the task, offers
opportunities for collaboration and reflection, and includes post-task activities that focus

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on language awareness. Minor additions, such as pre-task language exposure and
more explicit task reflection, would enhance its alignment with both frameworks.

Lesson adaptation

Maulana, R. et al. (eds.) affirm that an essential precondition for effective teaching is
that teachers continuously try to obtain a valid picture of how much their students
progress towards the learning objective(s) and adapt their teaching based on that
picture. However, the process of adapting a lesson requires teachers to have a clear
understanding of the subject, context, and the group of learners that lesson might be
taught to.

In our context, we focus on the Instituto Técnico Privado de Saúde Francisco I, situated
in Huambo, Angola. This institution serves as a vital educational hub where Arlindo, a
dedicated member of our project, engages with students part-time.

English is a pivotal subject at this school, introduced to students in grades 10 and 11.
Arlindo specifically teaches 10th-grade students, who typically range in age from 14 to
18. The school adopts a communicative approach to language learning, emphasising
interaction and practical usage over rote memorisation.

In the 10th grade, learners are immersed in general English, utilising materials that
align with the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages. This foundational course is designed to equip students with essential
language skills, preparing them for a more specialised English curriculum in the 11th
grade. The aim is to build their confidence and proficiency as they advance in their
studies.

Concerning the lesson adaptation proposed by Jane Wills, it is believed that such a
lesson would be at the level of grade 10 students of that institution because the topics
covered in their material are for general purposes. As one of the TBL principles is to
allow students to join forces to reach a common goal (being competent speakers of the
target language), grade 10 students at Instituto Tecnico Privado de Saude Francisco
will not have a lot of difficulties learning the structure “Which is colder: The North Pole
or the South Pole?”. As united teachers from different countries, we would start that
class like Jane Wills suggests: creating a setting where students can develop their
speaking skills. Then, we would also use pictures to describe what they can see in it.
Due to the limited time of the lesson, it is impossible to pass through all the stages that
follow the question discussion. However, we will pay more attention to drills that elicit
students to engage actively in a conversation. Afterwards, we would also take the
lesson from a personal perspective, where the learners can speak about what comes
into their minds based on the main topic.

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 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is evident that “Lesson 2: Which is colder: The North Pole or the South
Pole?”, developed by Jane Willis, serves as an excellent resource for enhancing
students' skills and fostering creativity in the target language. The lesson plan is
meticulously structured and organised, presenting clear instructions and a logical
sequence of activities designed to engage students effectively.

Furthermore, the lesson plan emphasises the role of classroom teachers as guides and
facilitators throughout the learning process. This approach highlights the teachers'
responsibilities in creating an environment where students feel supported and
encouraged to take risks in their language learning.

In addition, learners are encouraged to assume ownership of their educational

experience. This is accomplished through active interaction with their peers, allowing
them to contribute to and benefit from a collaborative learning atmosphere. Engaging in
discussions and exchanging information empowers students to complete tasks
effectively, fostering a sense of community in the classroom.

Task-based learning (TBL) in this lesson promotes cooperative work among learners.
This methodology enables students to collaborate, brainstorm ideas, record their
thoughts, discover new concepts, and communicatively report their findings. Such
interaction not only enhances language proficiency but also builds essential social
skills.

Finally, the tasks outlined in this lesson are specifically designed to boost students’
confidence, autonomy, and responsibility. As learners navigate these challenges, they
develop a stronger sense of ownership over their learning process, thus equipping
them to perform competently and confidently in the target language. This
comprehensive approach ensures that students not only learn the language but also
grow personally and academically through their engagements in the classroom.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford: Oxford

University Press.

Ellis, R. (2012). Task-based language teaching: Responding to the critics. University of

Sydney Papers in TESOL 8, 1-28.

Ellis, R., Skehan, P., Li, S., Shintani, N., & Lambert, C. (2020). Task-based language
teaching: Theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Van Geel, M. et al. (2023). Adapting Teaching to Students’ Needs: What Does It
Require from Teachers? In: Maulana, R., Helms-Lorenz, M., Klassen, R.M.
(eds) Effective Teaching Around the World. Springer, Cham.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31678-4_33

Willis, J, & D. Willis (1996). Challenge and Change in Language

Teaching Language. Oxford: Heinemann.

Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-based Learning. London: Longman

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