AL-FARABI KAZAKH NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY

Course name: Methodology of

foreign language education

Name of author: Aliakbarova A.T.

Lecture 11
Task-based language learning as an
approach
 LECTURE 11

1. Definition of the TBLT.

2. History of the TBLT.
3. Objectives of the TBLT.
4. Principles of the TBLT.
5. Teaching through TBLT.
6. Advantages and disadvantages of the TBLT.
7. Samples of tasks used in the TBLT.
 1. Definition of the TBLT (1/3)
What is a task?
• A task is a piece of work that must be done, especially one that is
difficult or that must be done regularly.
• A task is any activity that learners engage in to process of learning a
language. (William and Burden, 1997)
• A task is a range of learning activities from the simple and brief
exercises to more complex and lengthy activities such as group
problem-solving or simulations and decision-making. (Breen, 1987)
• A task is an activity which requires learners to arrive at outcome
from given information through some process of thought and which
allowed teachers to control and regulate that process. (Prabhu,
1987)
 1. Definition of the TBLT (2/3)

• What is Task Based Language Teaching?

• Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is an approach

which offers students opportunities to actively engage in
communication in order to achieve a goal or complete a
task.
 1. Definition of the TBLT (3/3)

• Task-based language teaching (TBLT), also known

as task-based instruction (TBI), focuses on the use of
authentic language to complete meaningful tasks in the
target language.
• Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an
interview, or calling customer service for help.
• Assessment is primarily based on task outcome (the
appropriate completion of real-world tasks) rather than
on accuracy of prescribed language forms. This makes
TBLT especially popular for developing target language
fluency and student confidence. As such, TBLT can be
considered a branch of communicative language
teaching (CLT).
2. History of the TBLT (1/3)

• It was first developed by N. Prabhu in

Bangladore, Southern India.
• Prabhu believed that students may learn
more effectively when their minds are
focused on the task, rather than on the
language they are using.
 2. History of the TBLT (2/3)

• Educators adopted task-based language learning for a

variety of reasons. Some moved to task-based syllabus in
an attempt to make language in the classroom truly
communicative, rather than the pseudo-communication
that results from classroom activities with no direct
connection to real-life situations.
 2. History of the TBLT (3/3)

• The teaching in ESL primary and secondary classes in India

consisted of the implementation of series of classroom
tasks.
• The emphasis was on the WHAT of messages (the content
of meanings) rather than on the HOW of messages
(forms).
• The learners did not focus on language but in the
completion of the task.
 3. Objectives of the TBLT

 To facilitate students’ language learning by engaging them in

a variety of tasks that have a clear outcome.
 To give learners confidence in trying out whatever language
they know.
 To give learners experience of spontaneous interaction.
 to engage learners in using language purposefully and
cooperatively.
 To make learners participate in a complete interaction, not
just one-off sentence (they need to express a whole idea)
 To give learners chances to try out communication strategies.
 To give learners the chance to benefit from noticing how
others express similar meanings.
 4. Principles of the TBLT
(1/2)

1. Making errors is natural and is considered as a part of the

process in acquiring the target language.
2. Learners need to be encouraged to produce the target
language as producing the target language facilitates learning.
3. Language learning tasks should be varied to cater for the
needs for both extrovert (lively and confident person) and
introvert (the opposite of extrovert) students
4. Teaching and learning processes should foster (boost)
motivation and minimize the learner’s anxiety.
 4. Principles of the TBLT
(2/2)

5. The choice of teaching and learning tasks and content

should be based on the learner’s age.
6. Learning tasks should trigger and maintain learners’
learning motivation.
7. Second language teaching and learning pace should be
made reasonable for both learners with both higher
and lower aptitude.
 5. Teaching through TBLT
(1/3)

1) The learner’s role:

 Group participant: the learner has to be active and participate in
group conversations.

 Monitor: the learner has to observe and listen carefully to what is

said.

 Risk taker and Innovator: the student needs to be creative and risk
sharing new ideas with the group.
 5. Teaching through TBLT
(2/3)

2) The teacher’s role:

 Selector and sequencer: the teacher has to manage the group
and select tasks.

 Preparing learners for tasks: explaining and let them know what
they are about to do.

 Consciousness raising
 5. Teaching through TBLT
(3/3)

• The role of instructional materials:

• “Materials that can be exploited for instruction in TBLT are
limited only to the imagination of the task designer” (Richards &
Rodgers 2001:236)
 6. Advantages and
disadvantages of the TBLT

Can you think of any advantages and

disadvantages of TBLT?
 6. Advantages of the TBLT

• TBLT offers the opportunity for ‘natural’ learning inside

the classroom.
•It emphasizes meaning over form but can also cater for
the learning form.
•It affords learners a rich input of target language.
•It is intrinsically motivating.
•It is compatible with a learner-centered educational
philosophy but also allows for teacher input and
direction.
•It caters to the development of communicative fluency
while not neglecting accuracy.
•It can be used alongside a more traditional approach.
(Ellis, 2009)
 6. Disadvantages of the TBLT

• It is difficult to identify what TBLT exactly is (Hall,

2011), due to the many interpretations of tasks – very
similar to communicative activities – and other issues
such as task sequencing in lesson planning.
•Little or virtually no evidence that TBLT works more
effectively than the PPP. (Richards, 2005)
•Complexity of establishing a clear, workable
sequencing criteria for tasks in a syllabus.
•How to implement TBLT with beginners or learners
who do not master the basic foundations of the L2?
(Bruton, 2003; Swan, 2005)
•Real-life relevance is desirable but difficult to obtain
in practice.
 6. Disadvantages of the TBLT

•Potentially unpredictable as it is impossible to plan

100% what language the students will use during the
task, therefore the teacher should be very flexible.
•Time-consuming. Doing a task might extend over
longer periods of time, more than just one lesson. If
you want your students to make a poster or a video,
they will have to do after the lesson in their free time.
 Videos about TBLT:

1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSn0cusYduM

2
https://skyteach.ru/2018/04/20/an-approach-to-teachi
ng-english-task-based-learning/
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (1/9)

Pre-task

In the pre-task, the teacher introduces the topic, gives instructions and
presents what will be expected of the students in the task phase.
Skehan distinguishes between the ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ versions of TBLT
approach. In weak end version a model of the task is shown before the
students do it, the teacher may help the students to recall some key
vocabulary or grammatical constructions. Moreover, teachers may
present a model of the task by doing it themselves or by presenting
pictures, audios, or video demonstrating the task. This gives the
students a clear model of what will be expected of them. In «strong»
task-based learning lessons, learners are responsible for selecting the
appropriate language for any given context themselves.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (2/9)

Task

During the task phase, the students perform the task,

typically in small groups, although this depends on the
type of activity. Unless the teacher plays a particular
role in the task, the teacher's role is typically limited to
one of an observer or counselor—thereby making it a
more student-centered methodology.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (3/9)

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.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (4/9)

Analysis

The teacher then highlights relevant parts from the text of

the recording for the students to analyse. They may ask
students to notice interesting features within this text. The
teacher can also highlight the language that the students
used during the report phase for analysis.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (5/9)

Practice

Finally, the teacher selects language areas to practise

based upon the needs of the students and what
emerged from the task and report phases. The
students then do practice activities to increase their
confidence and make a note of useful language.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (6/9)

Plan a trip

Divide students into groups and after having an

exciting travelling conversation, ask them to
brainstorm on planning a trip. Prompt them to ask
questions like how long the trip will last; what is the
budget; what kind of activities they should do.
Provide them with objects like a map, set a specific
time, and let them pick a real or imaginary
destination and create the travelling plan.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (7/9)

Problem-solving

You could present them with various everyday

problems they might face. For example, you could
encourage them to brainstorm solutions to a certain
school problem and create a poster to display that to
the rest of the school community. For more advanced
or older in age groups, you could set up debates on
social issues.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (8/9)

Story making

Give them a character or the beginning of an

unknown story or fairytale to them and give them
some minutes to brainstorm the story’s ending on
their own before being paired. When the groups are
formed they will have the chance to listen to their
classmates’ ideas and decide on a specific ending
after debating all the ideas.
 7. Samples of task used in the
TBLT (9/9)

Reading dialogues/ performances/role-playings:

This is another way to encourage students into

communication and acting. These type of activities
develop students speaking skills, improve their
pronunciation, intonation, acting skills, imagination
and so on.
 Conclusion

TBLT is based on the principle that language learning will progress

most successfully if teaching aims simply to create contexts in which
the learner’s natural language learning capacity can be nurtured
rather than making a systematic attempt to teach the language bit
by bit. (Ellis, 2009)

TBLT is a way of teaching that has been developped by Prabhu and it

helps the learner control and master the language using specific
methods.

The basic assumption of TBLT: that it provides for a more effective

basis for teaching than other language teaching approaches. And
TBLT has many advantages that we have already mentionned but it
has also several disadvantages especially on the psychological level.
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