TASK BASED INSTRUCTIONWeek 10: Kang, Nam-Joon

WHAT IS TASK

SELECT ONE TASK AND EXPLAIN WHY IT IS A TASK.

Lists of content

What is task? Problems and assumptions in task-

based learning. Cognitive approaches to language

learning (Brief) Goals in task-based instruction Task-based instruction avoiding the

danger

What is task? In Skehan

Concepts ExplanationMeaning is primary Communication of meaningRelationship to the real world Personal information to be ex-

changed, problem to be solved, Include both in-class and out-class relationship

Task completion has priority With the language learning goal

The assessment of task-perfor-mance and outcome

Strong and weak TBI

Strong form Weak form•Unit of language teaching•Task is seen as adequate to drive forward language devel-opment through meaningful in-teraction as is in L1 acquisition

•Vital part of language instruc-tion embedding in a more com-plex pedagogic context.•Preceded by focused instruc-tion use of the language do the task focused instruction using points contingently found from task performance. •Very close to general CLT•Only in production activities in PPP sequence

Others

Names Analysis ExplanationPrabhu (1987)

Reasoning gap tasks

Duff (1986) Divergent and con-vergent

Convergent engage more acquisitional process.

Berwick (1993)

Experiential –exposi-toryDidactic-collaborative

Ylue, Pow-ers, and Macdonald (1992)

Static taskDynamic taskAbstract task

Task difficulty on an empiri-cal basisNarrationOpinion giving

Tarone (1985)

Attention to form has a clear effect on accuracy of per-formance

Foster and Skehan (1993)

Task type and interaction plan

What is task? In Ellis

Concepts ExplanationMeaning is primary Communication of meaningRelationship to the real world Personal information to be ex-

changed, problem to be solved, Include both in-class and out-class relationship

Task completion has priority With the language learning goal

The assessment of task-perfor-mance and outcome

Problems and assumptions in TBI Can you think about it according to

Skehan’s perception.

Meaning primary goal in task Considerable appeal in terms of au-

thenticity and linkage with acquisi-tional accounts

Worry about the exact form.

Reasons

In communication, the major empha-sis will be on the satisfactoriness of the flow of the conversation, not the correctness, or completeness.

Often being dependent on only par-tial use of form as a clue to meaning.

Communication strategies wouldn’t help.

May result in learning fossilized ex-pression.

Communication is lexical in nature will be relexicalized (Skehan, 1992)Idiomaticity has been underesti-

mated (Bolinger, 1975)Relies upon familiar memorized ma-

terial (Pawley and Syder, 1983)

So

We need to have tasks that engage learners to focus on form and at the same time in realistic communitation and as opportunities to trigger ac-quisitional processes.

COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO LL The rule based

Exemplar based

WHY? Need two approaches?

Exemplar based

Automaticity Time pressure

Rule based

Exactness or creativ-

ity, analysibil-

ity

Interlan-guage

development

So We Need Two Ap-proaches?

Form

Com-munica-

tive motiva-

torsTask

Instance vs Restructuring (Logan 1988; Robinson and Ha, 1993)

• Fluency based• Not on rules • Previous rule applica-

tionsInstance

• Using better algo-rithms

• Like rule based ap-proach

Restructur-ing

Procefduralization vs in-stance (Logan 1988; Robinson and Ha, 1993)

•Fluency • vs• Rule governed part

Instance

• Interplay between declarative knowl-edge

• And The Fluency.

Proceduraliza-tion

Need form and function

Exemplar based only• Can become syntactic fos-silization

Rule based only• Lack in noticing gap• Lack in gaining automaticity

Van Patten (1990, 1994)Task with meaning prior

Attention to form only if it is necessary for

the recovery of meaning.

Form can be at-tended to even if it is not cru-cial for mean-

ing

HappyLearning

Goals in task based instruc-tion

• Learners’ control of interlanguage com-plexity

Accuracy

• Elaboration of the underlying interlan-guage system

Complexity (restructuring)

• Learner’s capacity to mobilize an interlan-guage system in communication

Fluency

Why accuracy? Because it could Impair communicative effectiveness, Stigmatize, Fossilize, self-perceived inaccuracy

could be demoralizing to the learner. What is well-known grammar is used,

and what is not is avoided (Schachter)

Why complexity/restruc-turing? Because it Reflect acquisition having taken

place, will enable a greater degree of acceptance as a speaker of the lan-guage concerned.

Greater communicative efficiency. Express more complex ideas effec-

tively

An interest, helpful input, both ex-plicit and implicit, preparation time.

Needs

Why fluency? Because it

Help learners to be acceptable as a worthwhile interlocutor (Schmidt, 1983).

Proceduraliza-tion

Lexicaliza-tion

Need

Three fluency

• Accuracy, precision and complexity of speech

Lack of fluency

• Insufficient proceduralization of language• For the development of an adequate repertoire of ex-

emplars to sustain in a real time communication

Undesirable fluency

• Previous restructuring becomes automatized or• Becomes a exemplar. fluency comes at the right mo-

ment after restructuring has occurred.

Effective fluency

Effective fluency: Dual mode

Analysis• Restructuring

Synthesis• Fluency lexicalized, au-tomatized

Avoiding the dangers

HOW?

Task sequencing

• Syntactic and lexical complexity Code com-plexity

• Cognitive processing on-line computation, actual think through

• Cognitive familiarity ready-made, pre-packaged solutions

Cognitive complexity

• Time pressure Modality• Scale, Stakes• Control

Communica-tive stress

Factors influencing

Stage Goal Typical techniquesPre-emptive work

Restructuring•Establish target lan-guage•Reduce cognitive load

Consciousness-raising Planning

During Mediate accuracy and fluency

Task ChoicePressure Manipulation

Post 1 Discourage excessive fluencyEncourage accuracy and restructuring

Public PerformanceAnalysis

Post 2 Cycle of synthesis and analysis

Task Sequences (re-peated use of tasks with different reasons)Task Families (use same types of tasks for the same purpose)

What is task? In Ellis

Concepts ExplanationMeaning is primary Communication of meaningRelationship to the real world Personal information to be ex-

changed, problem to be solved, Include both in-class and out-class relationship

Task completion has priority With the language learning goal

The assessment of task-perfor-mance and outcome

Ellis

The interaction Hypothesis A cognitive approach to tasks Communicative effectiveness Evaluating the psycholinguistic per-

spective Task from a socio-cultural perspec-

tive

Communica-tive effec-tiveness

The interac-tion Hypothe-

sis

A cognitive approach to

tasks A socio-cul-tural perspec-

tiveEvaluating the psy-

cholinguistic perspective

Interactionist

Learners should be provided with comprehensible input through mean-ingful interaction in which they can have meaning negotiation

• Learners should have opportuni-ties for ‘scaffolded’ help during the interaction both in comprehending and in producing language.

Goal of task?

Communicative effectiveness?

Or

L2 acquisition?

Willis (1996) eight goals

1. To give learners confidence in trying out whatever lan-guage they know;

2. To give learners experience of spontaneous interaction3. To give learners the chance to benefit from noticing

how others express similar meanings4. To give learners chances for negotiating turns to speak5. To engage learners in using language purposefully and

co-operatively6. To make learners participate in a complete interaction,

not just one-off sentences7. To give learners chances to try out communication

strategies8. To develop learners’ confidence that they can achieve

communicative goals.

1. To give learners confidence in trying out whatever language they know;

2. To give learners experience of spontaneous interac-tion

3. To give learners chances for negotiating turns to speak

4. To engage learners in using language purposefully and co-operatively

5. To make learners participate in a complete interac-tion, not just one-off sentences

6. To give learners chances to try out communication strategies

7. To develop learners’ confidence that they can achieve communicative goals.

1. To give learners the chance to bene-fit from noticing how others express similar meanings

L2 acquisition

So following Skehan, El-lis

Communicative ef -fectiveness

FunctionAccuracy

Language acquisi-tionForm

Fluency

Socio-cultural the-ory

Then we need

Planning and mak-ing decision (either plan or improvisa-

tion)

Recognition of propensity of tasks

?Skehan?

Then, we need different kinds of tasks (in Bygate, 1999) Target different features of language

(20 question) Different tasks systematically affect

the way language is processed. The teachers’ use of different tasks

contribute to language development. varying focus through task repeti-

tion.pre-and post- task phases for inte-

grating fluency and accuracy.

THANKS

Homework

Analyze three tasks that you use in your own context on the basis of task types.

Try to assume how much does the lesson would lead interlanguage de-velopment.

Readings.