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| September 2006 home | PDF Full Journal
| Volume
8. Issue 3 Article 4
Article
Title Designing Holistic Units for Task-Based Learning Author Roger
Nunn Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi
 Biography: Roger
Nunn has worked in EFL for over 30 years in seven different countries, including
more than 22 years in Asia. He is currently working at the Petroleum Institute,
a new University in Abu Dhabi, where he teaches communications and research skills.
He is also Senior Associate Editor of the Asian EFL Journal. He has a Trinity
College TEFL diploma, an MA and Ph.D. in TEFL from the University of Reading,
UK. His Ph.D. study was on teaching methodology and curriculum development across
cultural boundaries in a Middle East setting. He has published widely on a variety
of topics and is particularly interested in international and intercultural perspectives
on language teaching.
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Introduction This
paper will outline the rationale behind the design of units of learning 'activities'
in the form of interlocking sets of interactive holistic 'tasks' and supporting
'exercises'. The illustrations used to support the argumentation are extracts
from "task-based units" designed for a general education English foundation
course at Kochi University in Japan over a seven-year period, and which are still
being used and developed today. This paper will attempt to describe the theoretical
underpinning of the units in relation to their practical aim: to encourage students
to develop their ability to learn how to use English as a means of international
communication.
Swan (2005) in his critique of task-based learning laments the polarization of
attitudes in relation to recent discussion of language learning. On the one hand
traditionalists argue in favour of a linear, atomistic syllabus design. On the
other hand, hard-line task-based ideologues seem to exclude any atomistic activity
in favour of all-or-nothing holism. Bygate's distinction (2003, p. 176) between
tasks and exercises helps to situate this debate. He defines 'exercises' as "activities
which practise parts of a skill, a new sub-skill, a new piece of knowledge".
In contrast, he defines 'tasks' as "activities which practise the whole integrated
skill in some way". Bygate's discussion (2001, pp.23-48) lends support to
the idea that task-based teaching needs to be situated in a broad curriculum framework,
suggesting that isolated tasks are not sufficient in themselves to promote learning.
The implication drawn from such research and discussion is that units of learning
that involve the strategic use of holistic repeated "tasks" and supporting
atomistic "exercises" provide one means of avoiding narrow ideological
positions.
A task-based unitary framework is therefore proposed here that leads to student-led
holistic outcomes in the form of written reports, spoken presentations and substantial
small-group conversations that lead to decision-making outcomes. However, due
consideration is also given to the design of atomistic exercises within the framework.
In her model for task-based learning, Willis (1996, pp.52-65) proposes a pre-task
component, a task-cycle component (pre-task/task/post-task) and a language focus
component. With regard to focus on form, Willis emphasizes the importance of a
post-task report phase, which could be a written activity such as writing a polished
report or a spoken public-report phase in which students can be encouraged to
focus on accuracy and can be prompted to recast inaccurate forms. Other key stages
for Willis that improve the linguistic focus of task-based learning are the planning
stage during which the teacher can take on a role of language advisor. This 1996
framework by Willis has been influential. In his 2006 Asian EFL Journal (AEJ)
conference keynote speech, for example, Ellis made extensive reference to it,
adopting it as his basic framework. This paper proposes a modified curriculum
framework in the form of "Task-based Units".
Not surprisingly, SLA research does not lend strong support to either of the polarized
positions discussed by Swan. Ellis (2005) outlined ten principles of SLA in instructed
language learning. Rather than referring to work specifically focusing on TBL,
this paper will consider the design of task-based units in relation to these ten
principles. For example, Ellis argues (pp. 19-20) that, "the opportunity
to interact in the L2 is central to developing L2 proficiency" (principle
8), and that this is "more likely to be provided though 'tasks' than through
exercises". However, he also suggests (p. 14) that, "instruction needs
to ensure that learners also focus on form" (principle 3). Ellis also highlights
the need for extensive input (principle 6) and the numerous contributions of output
(principle 7). In the light of Ellis's ten principles, it appears that too much
might be expected of "tasks", and that a more holistic approach, involving
the design of task-based units, flexible combinations of repeated tasks
and supporting exercises, can better respond to Ellis's ten principles. Designing
task-based units also allows us to respond more effectively to the holistic nature
of 'pragmatic' and 'discourse' competence without neglecting the need to focus,
if not systematically, at least regularly, on atomistic aspects of "linguistic"
competence and communicative enabling skills. Language
Education and Holism "Holism" is a simple concept - the 'whole'
is always greater than the sum of its parts - that has resonance when we consider
what we do when we put together the parts to use a language. It helps provide
a rationale for dealing with the complexities of interlocking skills and knowledge
in language education. As Lowe (2005) points out, the EFL profession does not
need another dogma. It might, however, benefit from an alternative conceptual
framework from the fields of education and philosophy, which helps to provide
coherence in what can be a bewilderingly multidisciplinary profession. Attempts
to define the elusive concept of 'competence' for language communication, learning
and assessment always tend to generate inclusive models of interlocking 'competences'.
(See Canale and Swain, 1980, Canale, 1983, Bachman, 1990.) Bachman (1990), for
example, includes 'strategic competence', 'language competence', subdivided into
'organizational', 'grammatical', 'textual' and 'pragmatic' competence, which is
still further subdivided into 'illocutionary' and 'sociolinguistic' competence.
To achieve 'competence', language learners need more than just atomistic linguistic
knowledge, however essential this may be. They also need to practise putting together
the parts.
Ellis (2005, p.19) provides support for activities requiring extensive output
that "provide opportunities for learners to develop discourse skills".
Two very important disciplines for language learning, 'discourse analysis' and
'pragmatics', are holistic almost by definition. (See, for example, McCarthy,
1991, Schiffrin, 1994, Kasper, 1997, Mey, 2000.) Discourse analysts consider language
above the sentence or single utterance level, analysing relationships between
form and function, highlighting the way utterances combine to form coherent spoken
or written texts and the way that whole texts relate to broader contexts in which
the text is produced and used. Pragmatics focuses more on the ways language users
cooperate to create and negotiate meaning in whole contexts. Neither discipline
neglects the importance of linguistic form or of conventional meaning, but both
disciplines remind us that language and language use always amount to something
which is greater than the sum of the parts and that using language requires participants
to make many appropriate linguistic choices, which are dependent on what is required
in a broader context. As Oatey and Zegarac (in Schmitt, 2002, p. 74) put it, pragmatics
investigates how people "communicate more than what the words or phrases
of their utterances might mean by themselves". Pragmatic and discourse competences
are therefore holistic competences that take into account relationships between
users, utterances in context, whole texts and the parts that constitute texts.
Halliday's
systemic linguistic approach (See Halliday and Matthiesson, 2004, for a full systemic
linguistic perspective) provides the most comprehensive holistic view of grammar
in relation to the use of language. Halliday and Matthiesson (2004, p.19), explicitly
state that systemic linguistics is: "concerned with language in its entirety;
so that whatever is said about one aspect is to be understood always with reference
to the total picture." (p.19). Assuming that discourse, pragmatic and systemic
approaches to language use are reasonable representations of at least some of
what is required to be a competent user of a language, it seems reasonable to
consider 'holism' as an important concept for professionals involved in supporting
language learning. Educational Philosophy and Holism Task-based
learning may often appear to be underpinned by rational arguments based on selective
use of cognitive SLA theory, but the 'holistic' nature of tasks could lead us
to look outside the confines of EFL theory to broader educational theories which
are humanistic in persuasion and allow us to view students and teachers as 'whole
people' for whom language use is inseparable from their whole personal and cultural
identity. The Holistic Education Network of Australia, which actively promotes
'holism' for education in general, provides a broader view of "holism"
as an educational philosophy that is relevant to language education in its broad
aim of promoting learning and understanding through dialogue. They concede that
the concept, "is difficult to pin down precisely, because by its very nature
it embraces paradox, mystery, and contradiction". Block (2004) however demonstrates
in his very readable online overview that a philosopher's precision can dispel
much of the conceptual vagueness. Mental holism refers to belief systems, the
identity of a "belief content" being "determined by its relation
to a body of theories, or even the whole of a person's belief system."
(p.2) For Block, "claims about the world are confirmed not individually,
but only in conjunction with theories of which they are a part". From a semantic
viewpoint, holism reflects the view that, "the meaning of a sentence is determined
by its place in the web of sentences comprising a whole theory" (p.2).
The Holistic Education Network of Australia advocates holism as a broad, educational
philosophy that engages the "whole person" in the learning process,
implying that atomistic classroom approaches that only focus on exercise-like
activities, only engage a part of a student's learning capacity. The following
points, adapted from their website, summarize the concept for education in general,
and elucidate what is meant by the "whole person": *Holism
actively engages students in the teaching/learning process and encourages personal
and collective responsibility. *Its aim is to nurture a "sense of wholeness"
in healthy, whole, enquiring people who can learn whatever they need to know in
any new context. *It encourages the transfer of learning across separate academic
disciplines. *It explores the relationship between diversity and unity, not
rejecting the group, but equally valuing diversity, variety and uniqueness. *It
is 'negotiated, not preordained', 'and created not found'.
While
they are not concerned directly with language earning, the network emphasizes
the principle of learning and understanding through dialogue, a principle that
has a direct parallel in Ellis's SLA theory. The Education Network states that,
"holism asserts that everything exists in relationship, in a context of connection
and meaning -- and that any change or event causes a realignment, however slight,
throughout the entire pattern. 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'
means that the whole is comprised of a pattern of relationships that are not contained
by the parts but ultimately define them". The website uses colourful charts,
illustrating how 'holism' can be presented as a colourful educational concept,
underlining at the same time the promotional tone of the site.
Holistic
Education Network of Tasmania, Australia Free to use for educational
purposes but please acknowledge source. (http://www.hent.org/maps_models.htm)
Holism
and Language Learning While we must not fall into the trap of imagining
that historical views of "progress" as reported in academic publications
reflect practice regardless of context, language learning theory has seen a gradual
move towards a more holistic view of language use. In their review of applied
linguistics, Schmitt and Celce-Murcia (2002, p.12) for example argue that, "the
last thirty years has seen a move towards viewing language in much more integrative
and holistic terms". Nunan (1989, 2005) considers skills integration as an
important feature of language learning, appealing to such notions as interaction,
task continuity, real world focus, language and learning focus and task outcomes.
Skehan, too, (in Bygate et al., 2001, p.10) emphasizes whole task completion and
outcomes, a relationship with real-world activities and giving priority to learners'
own meanings. "Can
you learn a language in a holistic way?" In an IATEFL conference debate
(Bygate et al., 2003, p.177), a speaker from the floor asked the following question:
Traditional
approaches are often condemned in the task-based literature for taking a 'discrete
item' or 'atomistic' approach to the teaching of structure. The alternative, so-called
holistic 'focus on form' during the communicative activity, sounds impressive.
But how, actually, can you focus on structural points without looking at them
one at a time?
This
question is partly addressed by Bygate's (2003) distinction between 'exercises'
and 'tasks' discussed above. Similarly, Candlin (in Bygate et al., 2001, p. 235)
defines 'exercises' as "serving as sequenceable preliminaries to, or supporters,
of tasks", whereas 'tasks' are more inclusive activities, engaging students
in a variety of interlocking processes, and encouraging them to "practise
the integrated use of language, acquire language development strategies and use
language meaningfully and creatively." This is a useful distinction, because
it allows us to consider a combination of enabling 'exercises' and 'tasks' in
larger, integrated units of learning, which might span several lessons. We may
then continually change the focus between the 'parts' and the 'whole'. The smaller
'exercises' are used in support of 'tasks' and the 'tasks' in support of reinforcing
language learning. The 'tasks' have two purposes. They provide a forum and a focus
for intensive language practice and they assist in language learning. The latter
is supported by providing comprehensible input, or obliging students to negotiate
to make input comprehensible, but also by providing students and teachers with
feedback on strengths and weaknesses when exposed to unscripted communication
to plan for further practice. The effectiveness of tasks is enhanced by task repetition,
(Bygate, 2001), allowing students to focus more on form-meaning relationships
and develop fluency. Ellis's
10 Principles of Instructed Learning (2005) Ellis's principles of instructed
learning have been used as a convenient summary of principles that help provide
appropriate conditions for second language acquisition. These act as a kind of
checklist for unit design that is independent of the rationale of the task-based
approach. *Instruction
needs to ensure that learners develop a rich repertoire of formulaic expressions
and a rule-based competence. (Linguistic Competence) *Instruction needs to
ensure that learners focus predominantly on meaning. *Instruction needs to
ensure that learners also focus on form. *Instruction needs to be predominantly
directed at developing implicit knowledge of the L2 but should not neglect explicit
knowledge. *Instruction needs to take account of the learner's built-in syllabusing.
*Successful instructed language learning requires extensive L2 input. *Successful
instructed language learning also requires opportunities for output. *The opportunity
to interact in the L2 is central to developing L2 proficiency. *Instruction
needs to take account of individual differences in learners. *When assessing
learners' L2 proficiency it is important to examine free as well as controlled
production.
The
design features of the units outlined below can be seen as an attempt to respond
to many of these ten principles. In particular, the units provide extensive input,
extensive opportunities for interaction and output and provide a framework for
assessing free production. They are predominantly directed at implicit knowledge,
but do provide opportunities for focus on form and developing explicit knowledge.
At later stages of the units, after extensive teacher input, students too assist
in the design of materials for input, providing them with a full participatory
role. They focus on meaning, in particular, pragmatic meaning, which Ellis highlights
as an essential focus.
In her paper asking, 'can pragmatic competence be taught', Kasper (1997, p.9)
emphasizes that, "the language classroom in its classical format does not
offer students what they need - not in terms of teacher's input, nor in terms
of students' productive language use". She advocates student-centred activities,
which not only extend students' speaking time, but also provide practice in: conversational
management, using a wider repertoire of communicative acts, and interacting with
other participants to cooperate to achieve understanding. Pragmatic competence
also involves understanding and responding spontaneously and appropriately to
unpredictable utterances. The positive and negative results of strategic competence
needs careful consideration during spontaneous communication, as an important
aim of a language lesson is to acquire language, but avoidance strategies are
expedient communication skills which might even hinder language learning. Holistic
activities are not always group activities: making a full solo presentation is
also an interactive activity involving the production of a whole stretch of meaningful
language. This activity may even encourage (if not require) students to re-use
pre-taught atomistic skills and language in a less controlled environment. Both
students and teachers have to become familiar with a broad variety of discourse
roles.
Lowe (2005, p.12) argues against dogma in relation to Task Based Learning, the
hard version of which, according to Lowe, says, "on no account teach a language
form without performing a task". He suggests that context rather than dogma
should determine whether the task comes first and the language work second or
vice versa. There are arguments for doing 'tasks' and 'exercises' at different
stages during a holistic learning unit. The 'task' often comes last in the classroom
activities described below, but this is not an absolute requirement. Some units
use two or more tasks, and it is possible to use tasks at the start, in the middle
or at the end of units. Doing a task first with no preparation can be an excellent
diagnostic tool. Practice in the form of exercises can then be provided before
doing the same or a similar task again. This approach is also useful for assessment
and course evaluation purposes, rating scales being used by teachers and students
to assess performance before and after teaching. The units of learning discussed
below use a combination of exercises and tasks in integrated units of learning.
It is only loosely based on Willis's (1996) framework for a task-based cycle.
Richards (2005) summarizes the main concern about task-based learning, stating,
"Learners' grammar needs are determined on the basis of task performance
rather than through a predetermined grammar syllabus. However, whether learners
develop acceptable levels of grammatical proficiency through such an approach
is problematic (p.153)." Richards points to research findings that challenge
basic premises of TBL such as whether it always leads to negotiation of meaning
(Foster, 1998 and Musumeci, 1996). Richards also discusses different ways of addressing
grammar within task work (pp. 160-164) which include pre-teaching linguistic forms
useful for the task, reducing the complexity of the task to allow students to
focus more on form, and allowing students adequate planning time before performing
a task, enabling them to coordinate both linguistic resources (such as vocabulary)
and non-linguistic resources (such as problem solving strategies). He points out
(p. 162) that the teacher has a key role in determining the extent to which the
task is implemented with different emphases on fluency, accuracy and strategy
use. Richards concludes (p. 164) that there is a need to consider "how a
greater focus on grammatical form can be achieved during the process of designing
and using tasks." The design of task-based units, distinguishing between
exercises and tasks and looking at ways to enhance the effectiveness of focus
on form during tasks, is an attempt to respond to this need. Willis
(1996, p.54) favours a non-interventionist, monitoring role during the task performance
itself. It is, however, unwise to make de-contextualized prescriptions about any
classroom approach. Teachers have to make their own decisions as their classroom
interaction develops. Experience on our long-term project leads to the conclusion
that, once task-based learning is well-established in a class, there can be a
role for deliberate interruption, though not as a very regular occurrence, even
when the task is running smoothly. Otherwise students become so absorbed in the
task that they tend to neglect form, while it seems preferable that even during
a task, language learners who need to acquire a language system should focus their
attention equally on what they want to say and the best way to say it linguistically.
For example, in a negotiation about what different drivers should have done to
avoid an accident, a five-minute pause may be taken, to respond to inappropriate
tense use, to generate "if" sentences or past modal expressions within
the context of their discussion. Students generate as many utterances as possible
such as "if the mini-driver had not parked on the corner, the escort driver
would have seen the other car coming", or "the mini driver should've
waited longer at the intersection" and then go back to their negotiation.
Assessment Micro-linguistic
knowledge and micro-skills are characterized as the enabling skills and knowledge
that support macro-activities, but performing in the macro-activities is the ultimate
course goal. Tests are therefore always macro-activities such as giving a presentation
or keeping a conversation going in a small group and are linked to the formative
evaluation each student sets in motion in the placement testing prior to the course.
Common rating scales for self, peer and teacher assessment has now been fully
established to co-ordinate assessment and embody course aims. An example of one
of four scales, the use of which has been developed over many years, is provided
below. Eight areas of competence were defined for assessment of performance in
tasks. These generated eight scales that were reduced to four scales, each of
which combined two skills areas, as illustrated below. (See Nunn, 2000, for a
full description.) Once such scales became established, they served as a basis
for studies in intra-rater and inter-rater reliability to be reported elsewhere.
Keeping
a Conversation Going: Turn-taking and Negotiation Combined Scale
| 1
Has (almost) no ability to keep a conversation going. Without constant help, the
conversation is always likely to break down. 2 Rarely self selects, but responds
minimally to other speakers and sometimes supports their Contributions. Negotiates
rarely and/or only with a very limited repertoire. Communication sometimes breaks
down without support. 3 Responds fully when nominated, supports other speakers
and sometimes self selects. Has an adequate repertoire for negotiation. Communication
almost never breaks down. 4 Is able to take initiatives, self-selecting and
negotiating whenever necessary drawing on a wide repertoire of expressions and
techniques. Helps other participants to join in and interrupts politely when appropriate.
|
Keeping
a Conversation Going: Turn-taking
| 1
Has (almost) no ability to exploit turn-taking to keep a conversation going. Without
constant help, the conversation is always likely to break down. 2 Rarely self
selects, but responds minimally to other speakers and sometimes supports their
contributions. Only rarely nominates other speakers, even when he/she has the
floor. Communication sometimes breaks down without support. 3 Responds fully
when nominated, supports other speakers and sometimes self selects. Communication
almost never breaks down. 4 Is able to take initiatives, self-selecting, holding
the floor, interrupting or nominating as the conversation demands. Helps other
participants to join in.
| Making
Communica-tion Effective: Negotiation
| 1
Has (almost) no ability to negotiate effectively. Without constant help, communication
of even basic information is unlikely to be successful. 2 Sometimes adjusts
to the contributions of other speakers, but only rarely negotiates and then only
with a very limited repertoire limiting the effectiveness of the communication. 3
Is able to negotiate when necessary, adjusting to the contributions of other speakers
and demonstrating an adequate repertoire for negotiation. Communication is normally
effective and successful. 4 Is able to adjust fully to other speakers` contributions,
taking initiatives and negotiating persistently whenever necessary, drawing on
a wide repertoire of expressions and techniques. Takes a full share of the responsibility
for successful communication.
|
An
Overview of a Task-based Project Unit: Preparing to Visit Foreign Countries The
unit outlined below represented the first stage in a long-term curriculum process
to design task-based units. A pool of task-based units was then prepared by a
team of three full and twelve part-time course tutors. These units are constantly
being revised and developed. They are made available to all other instructors
for use in the courses. In this way, new teachers are provided with a resource
bank of units. Experienced teachers tend to adapt the materials to fit their own
teaching styles and the identified needs of particular classes. Table 1 below
outlines the first unit of recorded and photocopiable materials prepared by full-time
staff for course tutors to modify and re-design to meet the precise needs of their
teaching groups. Several course tutors also used it as a kind of model for developing
parallel units. Teaching method and classroom activities all had the ultimate
aim of preparing students to take part in macro-activities that can be classified
into two basic kinds, the second of which is illustrated below: 1. Solo-speaking:
Giving
a short speech or presentation. Narratives. Telling or retelling a story.
Telling a well-known story, a personal or funny story.
2.
Small-group conversations (including pairs and small groups of three and four):
Decision
making conversations Information exchange conversations Opinion exchange
conversations Negotiations Surveys
Preparation
Stage Extensive and intensive listening and reading activities provide
extensive input in both listening and reading in the topic area. The listening
components also model the interactive tasks that the units highlight. Unit
Overview (Part 1)
| Activity
type | Purpose | Details | Preparatory activities
Listening/ Reading Activities
| Providing
input Introducing topic area and lexis Extensive reading and listening Modelling
future activities
| A
set of reading texts on foreign trips, e.g., Darren's trip to Fiji A
recorded two-person conversation choosing a foreign country for a holiday A
three-person conversation choosing a country for a homestay or study visit
|
Example
from part 1. A reading text (also available as a spoken narrative for listening)
: A trip to Fiji Read
about Darren's trip to Fiji and fill in the gaps using the words in the table.
| Main
curries east Indian months lessons hitchhiking electricity family western seasick
crew afford youth giant lay rainwater humid cheap capital coral Fiji traditional
Pacific Fijian spending sun-bathing thirty-four |
After
I graduated from university, I wanted to go somewhere very different from Canada
so I decided to go to ________, a small island country in the ______________ Ocean.
Fiji is a very interesting place because it has two cultures - the native ________
people and people of ________ descent. In addition to the local food, you can
also find many Indian restaurants with tandoori chicken and lots of ________.
Everyone knows Fiji has very warm weather but I want to explain it in more detail.
On the ___________, the weather is very different. On the west side, it's hot
and very dry but on the _____ side the weather is wet and __________. Fiji's ______
city, Suva, is on the east side. Nadi, which has the international airport, is
in ________ Fiji. I didn't have very much money when I went to Fiji so I couldn't
_______ hotels. Usually I stayed in a _______ hostel which costs about 1000 yen
per night with breakfast. This is very _______ but you have to share a _________-style
room with six to ten beds. In the countryside, you can stay in the ___________
huts called bures. These are very cheap but they have no__________. I also used
my tent a lot when camping on the beaches. The most interesting part of my trip
was ________ time on a small island by myself. I was taken to the island by motorboat,
and picked up two weeks later. The island had a small kitchen area for cooking,
_________for taking a shower and a small bure to sleep in. There was nothing else.
I spent every day snorkeling, reading, and ___________. The _______ was beautiful
with many tropical fish. After spending three _______ in Fiji, I was ready
to try something different. A popular way to travel in the South Pacific is ___________.
But not by car. I didn't have enough money to buy an airplane ticket so I went
to the yacht club and I found that you can get a job as a ______ member on sailboats
going to Australia or New Zealand. I was very lucky to join a _____________ going
to Australia. The trip from Fiji to Australia took _________ days, including a
one-week stop in a small country called Vanuato. I was ________ for the first
week but after that I got used to it and it was a very good experience for me.
I had two jobs on the yacht. In the mornings from 8-12 I taught the three
children their school_______. Also, I had to do a night watch from 8 p.m. until
midnight. The most exciting part of the trip was stopping at a small island near
New Caledonia to watch the _______sea turtles come up on the beach to _______their
eggs.
What do you think? Answer these questions in writing and
explain your answers. Which part of Darren's trip would you have enjoyed the
most? Which part would you not have enjoyed? Now make a group of three
students and compare your answers. Be ready to report your discussion to the whole
class. Part
2 Micro-linguistic Exercises There are arguments for doing micro-linguistic
activities at different stages of the unit. As the aim is to encourage focus on
form, it is intended that this would encourage students to continue focusing partly
on the form of their message during the holistic interactive tasks. A pool of
exercises is available: instructors decide if and when to apply them, before,
between or after tasks, depending on the perceived needs of students at different
stages of the unit. Unit
Overview (Part 2) Language
exercises at various stages of the unit
| Warm-up
activities, Focus on form, Practising language useful for tasks Intensive
reading and listening practice
| Anagrams
- names of countries and nationality words A set of exercises for question
practice (atomistic written exercises, and exercises combined with listening/reading
texts), (direct, indirect, conversational questions, follow-up questions, asking
for clarification) Comparisons Decision-making expressions
|
Examples
from Part 2. Enabling Skill 1: How to stay in English when you don't understand. The
post office employee can't always understand what the customer wants. Use the
expressions in the box to help him keep the conversation going in English.
I'm
sorry. Could you repeat that more slowly please? Could you spell that, please? Would
you mind repeating the name of the country again, please? Excuse me, I didn't
quite catch that. I still haven't quite got that. I'm sorry. I don't understand
X. Customer: I'd like a stamp for Afghanistan, please.
|
Assistant:
Excuse me,
.
Customer: I'd like a stamp for this airmail letter to Afghanistan. Assistant:
I still haven`t quite got that. Would
..
the name of the country again, please? Customer: Afghanistan. Assistant:
Afghanistan, sure. That's 110 yen. Customer: And I've got another airmail letter
for Qatar. Assistant: I'm sorry. Could you
.
please? Customer: Yes, sure. I need another stamp for Qatar. Assistant:
Could
.., please? Customer:
Sure. Qatar is spelt Q-A-T-A-R. Assistant: Q-U-A Customer: No. There isn`t
a U. Q-A-T-A-R. Assistant: Q-A-T-A-R. Oh, I've got it. Near Saudi Arabia. That's
110 yen too. Customer: My father is a philatelist. Do you have any special
stamps? Assistant: I'm sorry.
.
.
philatelist. Customer: My father collects stamps. Assistant: Oh! I understand.
Yes, we have some very nice collection stamps this week.
Practise
reading the conversation with your partner. If you are the customer, change
the underlined information. If you are the assistant, check when you don't
understand. Skill
2: Practise asking questions to find out information. Daisuke is preparing
some questions for his conversation. The words are in the wrong order. Write them
again correctly.
| Location | in
exactly England we where would go ? | | Accommodation | kind
accommodation Scarborough is what of there in ? | | Activities | what
us of activities there could kind you we do ? | | Weather | weather
is during what the like the in summer England | | Length
of stay | how
we would long there stay? | | Price | Cost
how would it much? price in what is the included?
| | Other
information | know
is need else there anything we to? |
Part
3: Interactive Tasks The interactive tasks illustrated below are central
to the design of the units. They are used by teachers to design and record listening
materials. They are used by students to practice using language in an interactive
activity, to put into practice what they have learned and to develop their ability
to communicate in a semi-authentic situation. Unit Overview Part 3:
Interactive Task 1:
| Initial
Tasks Teacher-
Generated | Providing
output activities, Providing opportunities for extensive interaction, Promoting
pragmatic functional ability, Providing opportunities to practise lexico-grammar
| A
small-group conversation a. exchanging information on three countries from
an information sheet provided by the teacher b. comparing the information c.
reaching a decision |
Example
of Part 3. Choosing a Foreign Country Each group member has information
about a different English-speaking location. The students (1) exchange information,
(2) exchange opinions about the three or four locations, (3) try to make a decision
about one country they will visit together. You are planning to spend
about one month in an English speaking country. Each student in your group has
information about a different country. 1.
Read this sheet carefully. Prepare to speak. Remember these are only notes. Try
to speak clearly and correctly. You may add information from your knowledge or
imagination. 2. You will need to ask questions to find out information about
the other countries. 3. You will need to stay in English when you can't understand. 4.
you will need to remember the information to decide which country your group will
visit.
Student
A | Country | England | | Location | Scarborough
- Small seaside town North East England
| | Accommodation | With
an English family (the father is a fisherman) | | Weather | 15-25
C in summer - often changes | | Activities | Fishing Windsurfing Sailing
| | Length
of stay | 3
weeks | | Price | 60,000
yen (Includes accommodation, food and activities)
|
Example:
- Where exactly would we go in England? Scarborough - Small seaside town
North East England - (Have you heard of ) Scarborough. (It's) a small, but
very attractive seaside town in the North East of England.
Student
B
| Country | U.S.A. | | Location | New
York | | Accommodation | Dormitory
for international students | | Weather | Very
cold in winter Hot and humid in summer
| | Activities | Many
sports Night clubs
| | Length
of stay | 5
weeks | | Price | 150,000
yen Includes accommodation, breakfast and evening meal, indoor sports at the
hostel
|
Example. -
Where exactly would we go in America? New York - (We could try) New York.
(It's ) a really interesting and lively city. Unit
Overview Part 3 | Final
Tasks | Task
repetition Internet research skills Extensive reading Student generated
input and information Assessment/evaluation of students and unit Final
self-assessment Reaching a decision in a teamReporting
a decision individually
| Students
fill in similar sheets to task 1, researching information from countries where
English is not a first language Assessment in a three-person conversation using
student-prepared information with unknown interlocutorsgroup
report - spoken individual report - written (letter)
|
Example of Part
3: Interactive Task 2 The final task is student centred, in that the students
research information using the same categories as for task one, about a potential
destination, in which English is spoken as a foreign language. Students are encouraged
to research beyond contexts where English a native language. The task format itself
is very similar to task one, except the information is different, and is supplied
by the students. This provides the kind of task repetition discussed above that
has been found to be beneficial by Bygate (2001). Choosing
a Foreign Country: Preparation Sheet Prepare detailed information for your
next conversation. You are planning to spend about one month in a foreign country
where English is spoken as a second or foreign language. Each student in your
group has information about a different country. Use books or the Internet to
find out interesting information to fill out the table below. Make notes using
key word and phrases, do not write full sentences.
| Country | | | Location | | | Accommodation | | | Activities | | | Weather | | | Length
of stay | | | Price | | | Other
important information | | | Interesting
cultural information | |
Optional
final Written Assignment Write a letter in English to your parents asking
for help to visit the foreign country your group has chosen. Start like this. My
dear parents, I am writing to you in English to show you that I am working
very hard to improve my English ability. 1. Explain why you need to visit
a country where English is a foreign language and how this will improve your English
in our international world. 2. Explain which countries you thought about in
your group. 3. Explain why you chose the country you did. 4. Explain the
expenses. 5. Explain about things like safety, accommodation, etc. 6. Ask
for help and permission. Conclusions "Task-based
units", rather than "task-based learning" per se, have been presented
here as a flexible curriculum tool that supports the teacher by providing a large
pool of possible materials, but which does not impose a linear syllabus for teachers
to follow inflexibly. Decisions about the balance between focus on task and focus
on form are ultimately left to the teacher. How much of a unit will be used in
a particular class is also left to the judgement of the teacher. Even the order
of materials is not fixed. Worksheets use simple word processing tools and can
also be modified by individual teachers according to their needs. Teachers are
also encouraged to design alternative units that match their own teaching style.
To ensure fairness in assessment between different classes, the rating scales
are used by all classes as common criteria for all task assessments. A
set of task-based units provides the kind of practice that fulfils many of Ellis's
ten principles for SLA, such as extensive input, focus on meaning, focus on form,
opportunities to interact and extensive opportunities for output. It does not
assume that students should not be thinking of the form of the message, just because
they are required to focus on the message itself. An underlying assumption is
that ways need to be found to encourage students to reflect on the form of the
message during the interactive task phases. The teacher may decide to adopt different
roles, during the tasks. In addition to independent, student-led group work, teacher-led
performances by small groups in front of the class can be used to focus on form.
During such sessions the teacher may interrupt or even take a role in the conversation.
In the
context where they were designed, after initial innovation difficulties of an
administrative nature, the units have become a standard accepted format, well-supported
by students, who testify to improved ability by the end of the course. Indeed,
some students state that these units provided them with their first opportunities
to really use English effectively. However, student feedback is not taken as irrefutable
evidence of progress. Students and teachers use the assessment criteria for self,
peer and course evaluation. Students are graded in task performance at the beginning,
in the middle and at the end of the course using these common rating criteria.
Teachers are not judged on their students final grades and are encouraged to use
assessment to help them find their own ways of improving students' language ability
during task performances. This approach has also led to professional development
opportunities for teachers, some of whom are gaining their first experience in
the profession, in areas such as, designing and developing materials, learning
to evaluate spoken performances using rating scales and making mini-presentations
at local academic meetings and participants are encouraged to conduct data-supported
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