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TASK IT UP!

TOWARDS A TASK BASED APPROACH IN THE YOUNG LEARNER CLASSROOM

Helen Legge

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- look at activities often used in YL classes , particularly at productive activities.

- focus on how integrating a more task-based approach can benefit learners

Task it up!

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Typical YL resourcesAll focus on specific language items

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Some examples teachers tend to use:• Gap fills• Stem sentences• Role plays• Notes, letters and essays• Drawing dictations• Writing a story or a newspaper report• Describing pictures

Some of these could become ‘tasks’ with right approach.

How do children make sense of language?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-rebuts-chomsky-s-theory-of-language-learning/

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They aren’t ‘taught’ theirL1.

They learn through meaningful language acts.

Why should it be different for L2?

Are the activities we use in the ELT classroom meaningful?

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What is a task?

Samuda and Bygate (2008) define a pedagogical task as

“a holistic activity which engages language use in order to achieve some non-linguistic outcomes … with the overall aim of promoting language learning”

Meaning (the non-linguistic objective) overForm (language objective).

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Jane Willis (2009) encourages us to consider the following questions to understand how task-like an activity is:

- Does the activity engage learners’ interest?

- Is there a primary focus on meaning?

- Is there an outcome?

- Is success judged in terms of outcome? Is completion a priority?

- Does the activity relate to real world activities?

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• Are students motivated to do the task?

• Is the attention on language or aim?

• What do learners have to do?

• ..or are we focusing on language used?

• …what would my learners really do?

• Does the activity engage learners’ interest?

• Is there a primary focus on meaning?

• Is there an outcome?• Is success judged in

terms of outcome? Is completion a priority?

• Does the activity relate to real world activities?

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As we go through 2 activities, consider:

What is the aim?

What language are our learners likely to use?

What other skills can learners apply?

MENUStarter:________________________________

Main Course:________________________________

Dessert:________________________________

chicken burger soup ice-cream salad cheese and crackers

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Students match vocab, use this to complete menu and roleplay ordering food.

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Provide speaking practice using certain food vocabulary

The target language plusI’ll have…/ Can I have…?Please/Thankyou.

Some social skills: Politeness

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Images from pixabay.com

Compare, then brainstorm what they can eat here.

Plan a party meal for a special occasion with your friends and family.

How many different dishes will you include?

Are there allergies/dislikes youneed to think about to make thisan enjoyable event for everyone?

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Plan a menu/meal for friends and family.

The language they know.

Empathy, problem solving…

Teacher/peers feed in what is relevant to the student as he/she considers task

Stories are tasks in themselves.Students cut up comic-strip story and classmate re-orders it.

Opportunities for meaningful language practice.

Platforms for language instruction.

Platforms for practising other skills.

Student-centred.

Helpful in mixed ability classes as Ls can achieve task in a variety of ways.

markers of progress for learners.

Relevant to the real world and therefore, to learner needs.

TASKSARE

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Is there a primary focus on meaning? Is there an outcome?

Is success judged in terms of outcome? - language-led or meaning-led? - criteria to evaluate success?

- reason for students doing the task? - non-linguistic aim to what they are doing?

Create a story \ plan a menu \ make a schedule convince other students to join a club\

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Does the activity relate to real world activities? - Tasks can be closely linked to their lives:

Inventing a game and explaining how to play it, making a model frominstructions, deciding on a present for a friend…

Or also imaginative (and therefore linked to their lives!):

Imagine you discover a new planet: Write a survival guide to living there.

Imagine there has been a natural disaster. Discuss an action plan for the first 3 days afterwards.

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Great opportunities to develop other skills: negotiating, decision-making, leadership…

• Is there a non-linguistic aim to my task? Is it meaning focused?

• Is task achievement part of the evaluation criteria? Or am I still only focusing on language used?

• Is the task relevant to my students’ lives? Will they be motivated to attempt the task?

To start integrating tasks, start with productive activities and consider:

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Helen LeggeTwitter @ITlegge

References and resources:

Paul Ibbotson, Michael Tomasello: Evidence rebuts Chomsky’s theory of language learning, New Scientist (2016).https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evidence-rebuts-chomsky-s-theory-of-language-learning/ V. Samuda and M. Bygate: Tasks in Second Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, (2008).Jane Willis: Criteria for Identifying Tasks, Teaching English (2009). http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/criteria-identifying-tasks-tbl

English with Crosswords, ELI 2001Primary Vocabulary Box, Nixon & Tomlinson, CUP (2003).Jet Primary Resources, DELTA, 1996 Timesavers Grammar Activities, Scholastic, 2002

All images from www.pixabay.com or my own.Join #TBLTchat on Twitter!