1. Developing Learners’ Communicative Competence Through Task-Based Instruction

2. Overview Goals of foreign language learning Current teaching practices
“Exercise” vs. “Task”
What is task?
Why?--Task-Based Instruction—TBI
How to design and use TBI?
Question-answer

3. Language is …
used as a vehicle for communication

4. Communication is … Lee (2000) Long (1996) Expression Interpretation
Negotiation of meaning
Long (1996)
Genuine human interaction
Input  feedback  output

5. Language Competence … Fluency Accuracy Pragmatics How well?
How accurate?
Pragmatics
How appropriate?

6. Real-Life Situation …
A sunny afternoon on the street in Granada, Spain …
María: Hmm … ¿Me puedo ,,, puedes decir donde ir a banco?
Desconocido: Bueno, está muy cerca de aquí. Pase por el semáforo y doble a la derecha en la primera calle. El banco está al lado del restaurante “Pollo Loco”
María: Hmm … ¿semáforo? [confused]
Desconocido: [point it out the light] luces
María: Ah …vvvvoy a banco para dinero
no restaurante, sí?
Desconocido: [took the pen out and started to
draw the picture] Mire …
María: Sí, sí, sí, gracias! [smiling] Tú eres muy amable.

7. “Poor Mary” Pragmatics? Accuracy? Fluency? Expression donde ir a banco
¿Tú or Ud.?
Accuracy?
Interpretation
Hmm…Ah… Hmm…
Negotiation of meaning
Fluency?

8. “Mary in Class”
María,
¡No hables más!
Oye,
¿Me escuchas?

9. Blank, Blank, Blank …
Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb.
Yo _________ (caminar) por el parque y sus amigos ________(practicar) frisbi en la playa.
Nosotros _________(escribir) composiciones y Luis __________(leer) el texto de español.

10. Matching Column A ¿Cómo es el profesor? ¿Cuándo es la clase?
¿Quién siempre saca buenas notas?
¿Cuántos estudiantes hay?
¿Dónde es la clase?
Column B
Veintitrés
En Horton Hall 303
Miguel DeRosa
Muy serio y perfeccionista
E. A la una de la tarde

11. Pattern Practice Modelo Juan: ¿Vas a la escuela?
María: No, no voy a la escuela.
¿Vas a la biblioteca?
¿Va tu amigo a la playa?
¿Van tus amigos a la plaza?
¿Vamos al parque?

12. Dialogue Perform the following memorized dialogue.
María: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
Juan: Muy bien. ¿Y tú?
María: Regular. ¿Tienes clase ahora?
Juan: No. ¿Tomamos café juntos?
María: Sí. Me gusta “Green Mountain”
Juan: A mí también.

13. Communicative Drill
Your partner is asking what you did last week. Be sure to answer in complete sentences.
Buy Christmas gifts
Study for a exam
See Halloween decorations
Attend a birthday party

14. No More …
Exercises
Exercises
Exercises

15. Let’s Discuss … Why are these “exercises”?
What teaching method is used?
What is the main focus?
Is it sufficient to “practice” the language?
Why?

16. Exercises … Focus on “Form” No “creativity” Lack of “authenticity”
Exhausting and boring
¡Estoy agotado!
¡Qué aburrido!

17. Limitations … Teacher = “drill” leader
Student = “learner” but not “user”
Focus = “form”
Practice = perfect
Audiolingual Method (ALM)
Output = learned patterns

18. Changes … Evolution NOT Revolution
From ALM to Communicative Language Teaching—CLT
From exercises to tasks

19. Differences … Ellis (2002) Exercise Task Form-focused language use
Language “learner”
Intentional
Task
Meaning-focused language use
Language “user”
Incidental

20. More Changes … From “form” to From Communication = question + answer
“meaning” + “form”
From Communication = question + answer to
Communication = expression, interpretation and negotiation of meaning (Lee, 2000)

21. Tasks

22. Task ... A task is an activity “where the
target language is used by the
learner for a communicative
purpose (goal) in order to
achieve an outcome.”
Jane Willis

23. Example #1: Fill in forms
Listen to the conversation and write the missing information of each student.
Name: Anna
Age: 35
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: Andrew
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: John
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies: Jazz

24. Example #1: (continued)
Now compare your answers with your partner.
Name: Anna
Age: 35
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: Andrew
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: John
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies: Jazz

25. Example #2: Fill in a chart
Listen to the automated ticketing service for ‘What’s on around town this weekend’. Make a list of movies, and concerts and how much they cost.
Movies Concerts
$$$ ________________

26. Example #2 (continued)
First decide three activities you would like to do and then work with your partner to make up the schedule for the activities.
Activity 1
What?
Where?
How much?
What time?
Activity 3
What?
Where?
How much?
What time?
Activity 2
What?
Where?
How much?
What time?

27. Example #3: Role-play
You are in a clothing store and have $150 to spend.
Card B: You are clerk
--Offer to help
--Tell him/her what
is on sale
--Suggestions: a bottle
of perfume for mom, a
pair of pants for brother,
watch for boyfriend
--Go to the customer
Service
Card A: You are customer
--You are looking for
gifts for three people
--Your mom, brother and
boyfriend
--Ask for suggestions
--Ask for prices
--Ask him/her to wrap
the gifts
--Thanks him/her

28. Example #4: Decision-making
You are on a ship that is sinking. You have to swim to a nearby island. You have a waterproof container, but can only carry 20 kilos of items in it. Decide which of the following items you will take.

29. Example #4 (continued) Axe (8 kilos)
Waterproof sheets of fabric (3 kilos each.)
Notebook computer (3.5 kilos)
Rope (6 kilos).
Fire lighting kits (500 grams each)
Portable CD player and CDs (4 kilos.)
Short-wave radio (12 kilos)
Medical kit (2 kilos.)
Bottles of water (1.5 kilos each)
Packets of sugar, flour, rice, powdered milk, coffee, tea. (Each packet weighs 500 grams)
Cans of food (500 grams each)
Box of novels and magazines (3 kilos)
Source: Nunan D. (2000)

30. Example #4 (continued)
Now work with three other students and choose the most important three items that you absolutely need to take with you.
Item #1
Item #2
Item #3

31. Example #5: Jigsaw “Esteban’s routine”
Student A: drawings—1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15
Student B: drawings—2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14
Generate the story orally with your partner
Write an essay together on a blank sheet of paper
Time: 30 minutes
Textbook: ¿Sabías qué? (2002)
Esteban se levanta y se lava ….

32. Let’s Discuss …
Task?
Why?
What are the common features?
Other types?

33. Task ... Focus on both “meaning” and “form”
“Meaning”—information, idea
“Form”—grammar, vocabulary
¡Qué divertido!
¡Qué música!

34. Task-Based Instruction

35. TBI … promotes communication, interaction and negotiation
fosters active participation and scaffolding
allows extended discourse

36. TBI … requires linguistic and cognitive skills
focuses on both accuracy and fluency
engages in real-time language processing

37. Task-based Activities
One Step More …
From
Question-Answer To
Task-based Activities

38. Question-Answer Discussion
--What did you do last weekend?
Teacher: Did you go to the library?
(select a student)
John: No, I went to see a movie
Teacher: What movie did you see?
John: “Shall we dance?”
Teacher: Who else went to see a movie?
Mary: No, I watched TV and ate pop corn.
Teacher: What program did you watch?
Mary: “The Sopranos”

39. Task-Based Activity
What did you do last weekend?

40. Step 1 Activity Dance at a party Running five miles
Playing video games
Playing a sport
Reading a book
Watching TV
Writing a letter
Making dinner
Sedentary Active
__________________
Source: Lee (2000)

41. Step 2: Five More Activities
Activity
______________
Sedentary Active
_______________

42. Step 3: Interview … --Did you go fishing last week?
--No, I read a book “How to become a millionaire?”

43. Step 4: Compare …
Your partners responses to the categorizations you made in Steps 1 and 2.

44. Step 5: Conclusion … Use the scale to rate your partner’s week.
very sedentary as sedentary very active
as active

45. Task-Based Activity
“The Most Interesting Person”

46. Steps … Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4
List 10 words that associate with “interesting”
Step 2
Describe the person in U.S./in Spain/in France, etc.
Step 3
Compare your answers with your partner
Step 4
“Who is the most interesting person? And why?”

47. Criteria … Identifying a desired outcome
Describe the person
Breaking down the topic into subtopics
3-4 steps from easy to difficult
Creating concrete tasks
From words to sentences
Building in linguistic support
Vocabulary: adjectives
Grammar: to be/like/…

48. Types Listing Ordering and sorting Comparing similarities/differences
Sequencing/ranking
Categorizing/classifying
Comparing similarities/differences
Problem solving
Decision making
Information gap
Sharing experiences
Describing/narrating

49. Participatory Structure
Individual
Intra-personal (private speech)
Social
Interpersonal
Teacher-students
Student-teacher/other students
Student-student (group or pair-work)

50. Final Thoughts “Tasks” instead of “exercises”
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Incorporation of four skills plus culture
“Tasks” instead of “exercises”
Authentic materials/pictures
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