Task Based Language Teaching- Rod Ellis

2. TBLT
Books
First attention
Teacher
trainers
Critics
Originated from
Dewey’s view
Crookes and Gass (1993)
Skehan (1998a)
Garcia Mayo (2007)
Eckerth and siekman (2008)
Candlin and Murphy
(1987)
Prabhu (1987)
Estaire and Zanon (1994)
Willis (1996)
Nunan (1989; 2004)
Sheen (1994;2004)
Swan (2005)
Seedhouse (1999 and 2005)
Widdowson (2003)

3. Task
Meaning
Gap
Their
own
resources
Outcome

4. Kinds of task
Task
Focused
Hidden target language
Opportunities for communicating
using some specific linguistic
feature
Unfocused Opportunities for using language in
general communication

5. Task vs. Situational Grammar Exercise
Situational Grammar Exercise
Task-support
Structural syllabus
PPP
Satisfying gap and own
resources
Task
All four criteria
Task-based
Unfocused task syllabus
Input-providing
Output-prompting

6. Task-based
lesson
Pre-task
phase
Main
task
phase
Post task
phase

8. Misunderstanding about TBLT
• Misrepresentations of theoretical rationale of TBLT
• Failure to acknowledge the difference among advocates of TBLT

9. Misunderstanding about TBLT
1. The definition of a ‘task’
2. Semantic vs. pragmatic meaning
3. Impoverished interaction
4. Task-as-work plan vs. task-as-process
5. Inadequate coverage of grammar
6. Attention to form
7. Consciousness-raising tasks
8. Vocabulary and pronunciation
9. Output- vs. input-based task-based language teaching
10. The role of the teacher
11. Acquisition-rich vs. acquisition-poor environments
12. ‘Legislation by hypothesis’

10. Problems in implementing TBLT
1. wide use of the students’ mother tongue
2. discipline challenges Carless (2004)
3. non-linguistic activity rather than use of the L2
4. increased learner independence
5. lack of grammar McDonough and Chaikitmongkol (2007)
6. students’ recognition that the course was relevant to their real-world academic needs but not to their
needs outside the academic context

11. Pedagogic problems
Problem Solution
1. Teachers often believe that TBLT is not possible
with beginners.
Teachers need to understand that TBLT involves
input-based as well as out-put based tasks and that
it is possible to build up proficiency initially through a
series of simple input-based tasks.
2. Students may be unwilling to risk communicating
‘freely’.
• Allow planning time
• Learner-training.
3. Students will resort to communicating in their L1. This is arguably not a problem; as
proficiency develops learners
automatically begin to use more of
the L2.
4. Teachers may not fully understand the principles
or TBLT or have the proficiency to teach
‘communicatively’.
More effective teacher training.

12. Principles for implementing TBLT
1. The tasks must be tailored to the proficiency levels of the students.
2. Tasks need to be trialed to ensure that they result in appropriate L2 use and revised in the light
of experience.
3. Teachers’ need for clear understanding of what a task is.
4. awareness of the purpose and rationale for performing tasks.
5. Ideally, teachers involvement in the development of the task materials.

13. Conclusion
1. Task-based teaching offers the opportunity for ‘natural’ learning inside the classroom.
2. It emphasizes meaning over form but can also cater for learning form.
3. It is intrinsically motivating.
4. It is compatible with a learner-centred educational philosophy but also allows for teacher input and
direction.
5. It caters to the development of communicative fluency while not neglecting accuracy.
6. It can be used alongside a more traditional approach.