Addressing the grammar gap in task work

successful language learning depends on immersing students in tasks that require them to negotiate meaning and engage in naturalistic and meaningful communication . 

From grammar-focused to task-focused instruction The differences between traditional grammar-focused activities and communicative tasks are as follows: Grammar-focused activities Reflect typical classroom use of language. Focus on the formation of correct examples Monitored speech style Do not require authentic communication Communicative tasks

Reflect natural language use. Colloquial speech style Require improving, repair and reorganization. Allow students to select language they use. Task work is seen as a part of linguistic and communicative competence development.

Second thoughts about task work The researcher found that negotiation for meaning is not a strategy that language learners are influenced to employ when they encounter gaps in their understanding. Accurate grammar use is not necessary in such a grammar-gap task. These strategies provide an effective incentive to make best use of language that already have but it doesn’t encourage them to focus on form.

Grammar in relation to second language acquisition processes Input: language sources used to initiated the language learning process. At the input stage, an attempt may be made to focus learners’ attention on particular features of inputs. Intake: subset of the input that is comprehended and attended to in some way. Those items are needed to meet certain criteria such as complexity(appropriate level of difficulty), saliency(be noticed or attended to), frequency(be experienced frequently) and need(fulfill a communicative need).

Acquisition: the learner incorporate a new learning item into his or her developing system or inter language. Noticing the difference between forms they are using and target like forms. Discovering rules of target language Make those into long-term memory Access: learner’s ability to utilize the inter language system during communication which includes making use of the developing system to create output. Output: observed result. In the output you should practice in an oral way such as role play.