18 Task-Based Language Teaching任务教学法

Chapter18Task-BasedLanguageTeaching任务型教学法Background•Task-BasedLanguageTeaching(TBLT)referstoanapproachbasedontheuseoftasksasthecoreunitofplanningandinstructioninlanguageteaching.•ItispresentedasalogicaldevelopmentofCLTsinceitdrawsonseveralprinciplesthatformedpartoftheCLTmovementfromthe1980s.E.g.1.Activitiesthatinvolverealcommunicationareessentialforlanguagelearning.2.Activitiesinwhichlanguageisusedforcarryingoutmeaningfultaskspromotelearning.3.Languagethatismeaningfultothelearnersupportsthelearningprocess.Background•Tasksareproposedasusefulvehiclesforapplyingtheseprinciples.•EarlyapplicationsofthisapproachinMalaysianandBangalore(班加罗尔，印度南部城市)Projectswereshortlived,buttheroleoftasksreceivedfurthersupportfromresearchofSLA,withoutmuchevidenceofsuccessingrammar-focusedteachingactivities.•Engaginglearnersintaskworkprovidesabettercontextfortheactivationoflearningprocessesthanform-focusedactivities,andhenceultimatelyprovidesbetteropportunitiesforLLtotakeplace.•LLisbelievedtodependonimmersingssnotmerelyin“comprehensibleinput”butintasksthatrequirethemtonegotiatemeaningandengageinnaturalisticandmeaningfulcommunication.Background•BecauseofitslinkstoCLTmethodologyandsupportfromSLAtheorists,TBLThasgainedconsiderableattentionwithinappliedlinguistics,thoughtherehavebeenfewlarge-scalepracticalapplicationsofitandlittledocumentationconcerningitsimplicationsoreffectivenessasabasisforsyllabusdesign,materialsdevelopment,andclassroomteaching.Keyassumptionsoftask-basedinstruction•Thefocusisonprocessratherthanproduct.•Basicelementsarepurposefulactivitiesandtasksthatemphasizecommunicationandmeaning.•Learnerslearnlanguagebyinteractingcommunicativelyandpurposefullywhileengagedintheactivitiesandtasks.•Activitiesandtaskscanbeeither:thosethatlearnersmightneedtoachieveinreallife;thosethathaveapedagogicalpurposespecifictotheclassroom.•Activitiesandtasksofatask-basedsyllabusaresequencedaccordingtodifficulty.•Thedifficultyofataskdependsonarangeoffactorsincludingthepreviousexperienceofthelearner,thecomplexityofthetask,thelanguagerequiredtoundertakethetask,andthedegreeofsupportavailable.Thenotionof“task”•Thenotionof“task”isasacentralunitofplanningandteaching.•Itisanactivityorgoalthatiscarriedoutusinglanguage,suchasfindingasolutiontoapuzzle,readingamapandgivingdirections,makingatelephonecall,writingaletter,orreadingasetofinstructionsandassemblingatoy:•Tasks…areactivitieswhichhavemeaningastheirprimaryfocus.SuccessintasksIevaluatedintermsofachievementofanoutcome,andtasksgenerallybearsomeresemblancetoreal-lifelanguageuse.Sotask-basedinstructiontakesafairlystrongviewofcommunicativelanguageteaching.•Theconceptoftaskfirstappearedinthevocationaltrainingpracticesofthe1950s,focusingontrainingdesignconcernsofthemilitaryregardingnewtechnologiesandspecialties.Taskanalysis•Asinmanualtasks,asimilarprocessoftaskanalysisisneededincurriculumapproach,withthefollowingconcerns:•Analysisofreal-worldtask-usesituations•Thetranslationoftheseintoteachingtasksdescriptions•Thedetaileddesignofinstructionaltasks•Thesequencingofinstructionaltasksinclassroomtraining/teachingTaskanalysis•Theattentionoftaskanalysisandinstructionaldesignhaveturnedfromsolojobperformanceonmanualtaskstoteamtasks,forwhichcommunicationisrequired.Thereare4majorcategoriesofteamperformancefunction:•Orientationfunctions(定位功能)•Organizationalfunctions(组织功能)•Adaptationfunctions(适应功能)•Motivationalfunctions(动力功能)Approach:Theoryoflanguage•ThoughTBLTisprimarilymotivatedbyatheoryoflearning,severalassumptionsaboutthenatureoflanguageunderlieapproachestoTBLT:•Languageisprimarilyameansofmakingmeaning:thecentralroleofmeaninginLuse;meaningisprimary…theassessmentofthetaskisintermsofoutcome.•MultiplemodelsoflanguageinformTBI,whichdrawsonstructural,functional,andinteractionalmodelsoflanguage.•Lexicalunitsarecentralinlanguageuseandlanguagelearning:vocabularyhereincludestheconsiderationoflexicalphrases,sentencestems,prefabricatedroutines,andcollocations.•“Conversation”isthecentralfocusoflanguageandthekeystoneoflanguageacquisition:themajorityoftasksproposedwithinTBLTinvolveconversationthatdrawontheLs’availablelinguisticandcommunicativeresources.Approach:Theoryoflearning•TBIsharesthegeneralassumptionsaboutthenatureofLLunderlyingCLT.SomeoftheprinciplesplayacentralroleinTBLT:•Tasksprovideboththeinputandoutputprocessingnecessaryforlanguageacquisition:KrashenhaslonginsistedthatcomprehensibleinputistheonenecessarycriterionforsuccessfulLA,andothersarguedthatproductiveoutputisalsocriticalforadequateL2development.•Taskactivityandachievementaremotivational:Taskscanimprovelearnermotivationandpromotelearning.•Learningdifficultycanbenegotiatedandfine-tunedforparticularpedagogicalpurpose:specifictaskscanbedesignedtofacilitatetheuseandlearningofparticularaspectsoflanguage.Design:Objectives•GoalsinTBLTareideallytobedeterminedbythespecificneedsofparticularlearners.E.g.TheEnglishLanguageSyllabusinSchoolsMalaysiandescribesthebroadgoalofgivingallMalaysiansecondaryschoollearners•TheabilitytocommunicateaccuratelyandeffectivelyinthemostcommonEng