任务型教学法(Task-based English teaching method)

任务型教学法(Task-based English teaching method) 任务型教学法(Task-based English teaching

method) Introduction

Task-based language teaching was first invented by an English linguist Allwright in the 1970s, popularized abroad in the 1980s, and introduced into China in the 1990s.The purpose of this article is to outline the principles that underlie task-based language teaching and to give examples of classroom activities within the approach. Task-based language teaching can be regarded as one particular development within the broader “communicative approach”. It is currently much discussed in many parts of the world and, indeed, is recommended in the official curriculum documents of a growing number of countries and regions. This article has five main sections. The first looks at what is meant by the term “task”. The second looks at the continuum from “focusing on form” to “focusing on meaning” with the continuum I hope to illuminate the distinction often made between “tasks” and other kinds of activity. The continuum is described and explored in more detail in the third section, which provides a range of examples from different parts of it. The fourth section presents a framework for looking at tasks in terms of how they contribute to the linguistic, cognitive and personality development of the students. The conclusion summarizes some of the main aims and benefits of

task-based learning by means of a mnemonic base on the word “task” itself.

Ⅰ. What is task?

Different teachers and writers use different definitions of the term “task”, such as:

1�p?a piece of classroom work which involves learners in

comprehending, manipulating, producing or interesting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on the meaning rather on the form. The task should have a sense of completeness, being also to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right. (Nahan, 1989,15)

2�p?any structured language learning endeavor which has a particular objective appropriate contents, a specified working procedure, and range of outcomes for those who undertake the task . (Breen via Brown, 1994, 83)

3�p?an activity which is designed to help achieve a particular goal . A number of dimensions of tasks influence their use in language teaching. (Richards Etal, 2000, 468)

Most people would probably agree on certain basic characteristics:

1�pTasks are activities in which students work purposefully towards an objective.

2�pThe objective may be one that students have set for themselves or one which has been set by the teacher.

3�pTasks may be carried out in competition with other or(more often) in collaboration.

4�pThey may be carried out individually or (more often) in groups.

5�pThe outcome may be something concrete( e.g. a report or presentation) or something intangible(e.g. agreement or the solution to a problem). The main area of disagreement revolves around the relationship between tasks and communication. Some teachers and writers do not see this relationship as crucial. They define a language learning task as including almost anything

that students are asked (or choose) to do in the classroom, including formal learning activities such as grammar exercises and controlled practice activities, provided the objective of the activity is related to learning the language.

Within this broad definition, some writers distinguish subcategories such as communication tasks and enabling tasks according to the extent to which

they involve communication or focus on form.

Many other teachers and writers use a more restricted definition. They exclude activities where the learners focus on formal aspects of the language (such as grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary) and reserve the term “task”

for activities in which purpose is related to the

communication of meanings. Willis (1996,p.23) is one writer who adopts

this definition. In this book tasks are always activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome.

Activities which focus upon and practice specific elements of knowledge, skills and strategies needed for the task are called exercises. The same distinction between tasks and exercises is supported by Ellis Nunan and Skehan.