1. TB(L)L Task Based (Language) Learning
Presenter: Ben Lu 盧炳仁
Adopted from Steven Murray
Primary School Teacher Training Program, 02/02~02/04, 2015

2. The Definition of TBL
Task-based language learning (TBLL), also known as task-based language teaching (TBLT) or task-based instruction (TBI) focuses on the use of authentic language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target language.

3. A Framework for TBL

4. TBL Lesson Plan Model

5. The Components of a Task
Goals and objectives
Input
Activities
Teacher’s role
Learners’ role
Settings

6. The Definition of a Task
A task involves a primary focus on (pragmatic) meaning.
A task has some kind of ‘gap’ (Prabhu identified the three main types as information gap, reasoning gap, and opinion gap).
The participants choose the linguistic resources needed to complete the task.
A task has a clearly defined, non-linguistic outcome.

7. Three Main Categories of Task
Information-Gap Activity
Reasoning-Gap Activity
Opinion-Gap Activity

8. Information Gap Activity
IGA involves a transfer of given information from one person to another – or from one form to another, or from one place to another – generally calling for the decoding or encoding of information from or into language.
One example is pair work in which each member of the pair has a part of the total information (for example an incomplete picture) and attempts to convey it verbally to the other. Another example is completing a tabular representation with information available in a given piece of text.

9. Reasoning Gap Activity
RGA, which involves deriving some new information from given information through processes of inference, deduction, practical reasoning, or a perception of relationships or patterns.
One example is working out a teacher’s timetable on the basis of given class timetables. Another is deciding what course of action is best (for example cheapest or quickest) for a given purpose and within given constraints.

10. Opinion Gap Activity
OGA, which involves identifying and articulating a personal preference, feeling, or attitude in response to a given situation.
One example is story completion; another is taking part in the discussion of a social issue.

11. Five Stages of TBL Introduction (Pre Task) Planning (Main Task)
Report (Main Task)
Analysis (Post Task, Language Focus)
Practice (Language Focus)

12. Taxonomy of Task Types

13. Task Types Listing: brainstorming, fact-finding
Matching: words and phrases to pictures, directions to maps
Ordering & Sorting: sequencing, ranking and classifying
Comparing & Contrasting: finding differences & similarities
Problem solving: puzzles, prediction
Projects & Creative tasks: class newspaper, poster, survey, fantasy
Sharing personal experiences: storytelling, anecdotes and reminiscences

14. Listing What do cats like doing? What do cats dislike doing?
Why do people like cats?
Why do people dislike cats?
Ideas: How to take good care of your cat?

15. Matching Match these cats with their owners.
Tell your partner why you matched them in the way that you did.

16. Matching
Match the photos of these cats with the descriptions given by their owners.
Compare your answers with your partners.
It’s cute and friendly. It has a white face and blue eyes.
It’s tortoise shell colored. It has serious eyes.

17. Ordering & Sorting What do cats like doing?
Which of these actions can we say are good?
Which of these actions can we say are bad?
Put the things in order that cats like to do from best to worst. (purr, comb its hair, scratch, sleep in a comfortable place, eat meals, take a bath, swim)

18. Ordering & Sorting
Collect ideas from others in your group about how to take good care of cats.
Discuss and decide which are the most useful ideas.
Rank them in order of most to least useful.

19. Comparing & Contrasting
Cats or dogs… Which are the best pets?
Dogs are the best pets because…
Cats are the best pets because…
Now, decide who is right!

20. Problem Solving
Your neighbor’s cat keeps coming into your garden and digging up your flowers.
Think of some ways you can stop it from doing this.
Compare your answers with your friends and decide together the best three ideas!

21. Problem Solving
You’re going on a holiday for three weeks and your cat wants to stay home.
Write down the things you need to teach your cat before you can leave him or her on its own.
Compare your answers with your friends and see if they are the same.

22. Creative Tasks Make a small wall poster that shows:
1. What cats can do
2. What you like and dislike about cats
3. Whether you think cats are the best pets or not
Now introduce your poster to the rest of the class.

23. Creative Tasks
What did these cats do?

24. Creative Tasks Create a newspaper about cats.
In your group write a story about each of the six cats did. You should also add photos, pictures, captions, sayings, comics, beliefs or poems about cats.

25. Sharing Personal Experiences
Ask three people about a cat or other pet they have kept or remember well. If they haven’t had a pet then ask them to make something up.
Write the answers you hear on a wall poster.
Now introduce your poster to the rest of the class.

26. Sharing Personal Experiences
Tell me something about your pet.
Tell me something good, amazing or interesting that your pet did.
Tell me about a time when you left your pet by itself.
How do you think your pet felt when you left it by itself? Why?

27. A Main Task Should… Engage your learners’ interest Focus on meaning
Have an outcome
Be communicative
Relate to real world activities (at the level of meaning, activity or discourse)

28. Post Task: Exploiting the Story
Text search: asking learners to look through text and identify items
Grammaring: taking a string of words, removing many of the grammatical markers and asking learners to restore them
Progressive deletion: writing up a sentence on the board and deleting two or three words at a time and asking learners to recall full sentence
Noticing: asking learners to find useful phrases

29. Post Task: Exploiting the Story
The fire is out. Monkey King and his friends are happy. They can move on again. They find some lemons on the tree. But they are too sour to eat. They find some big pears. The pears taste good. They eat too much, and they all have a stomachache. Monster Bull comes and says, “Ha! Ha! Ha! Got you!” Monkey King is very angry. He kicks Monster Bull away.

30. Find Out the Missing Information
How do Monkey King and his friend feel when the fire is out?
What do Monkey King and his friends do after the fire is out?
What is the first/second fruit they find?
Do you like this fruit? Why?/Why not?
How do the lemons/pears taste?
What do they do when they find the pears?
Would you do the same? Why?/Why not?
Why do they all get a stomachache?
Have you ever had a stomachache? Why?/Why not?
If you were Monster Bull, what would you say?

31. Language or Form

34. Mind Mapping of TBL

35. Thanks for Listening