英语毕业论文

Tasked-based Language Teaching Approach in Middle

School English Teaching

Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………1

Introduction

………………………………………… ………………………2

Chapter I the definition of tasks

……………………………………………

3

1.1

What is a task

………………………………………………………

3

1.2

The structure and component of the tasks

………………………

5

1.3

The distinction between tasks and exercises

……………………

6

Chapter II

Task-based learning approach

…………………………

8

2.1 Development of TBLT

………………………………………………

8

2.2 The stages of the task-based language teaching

……………………

9

2.3

Comparison

of

the

TBL

with

the

PPP

(presentation-

practice-production)

………………… ……………………………………………………………

12

Chapter

III

Applying

the

TBL

in

practical

English

teaching

…………………………………………………………………

14

3.1an example of TBL approach

………………………………………

14

3.2 the advantages of TBL Approach in middle school English teaching

3.3Several suggestions about the task design

…………………………

15

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………

1 6

Bibliography

…………………………………… ……………………………

17

1

Abstract

National

English

Curriculum

Standards for

Primary

and

Secondary

Schools

>emphasizes

the

concept

of

“

language

use

”

and

suggests

adopting

“

task- based approach

”

. But for most English teachers, the TBL is new. Before we

use it in our English teaching, we must know the key questions: what are tasks?

What is task-based learning approach? What is the theoretical basis? How can we

design

the

lively,

effective

tasks?

In

this

paper

I

try

to

explore

the

above

questions.

This paper makes a general description about the task-based approach

in

foreign

language

teaching,

which

is

in

vogue

both

at

home

and

abroad,

tentatively making a suggestion for our own choice. The paper then analyses its

basic

features

and

the

significance

of

its

implementation,

pointing

out

the

possible problems worth our notice.

2

Introduction

Current

teaching

and

research

have

increasingly

focused

on

cognitive

psychological

processes

through

communicative

language

teaching

and

task-based

language

learning

and

teaching

(TBLT)

In

recent

years

increasing

numbers

of

teachers,

in all subjects,

have

been

looking

for

ways

to

change

the

traditional forms of instruction in which knowledge is transmitted, in a one-way

process, from a dominant teacher to a class of silent, obedient, “passive” learners.

They have sought ways to make the classroom more

“

student-

centred” and have

investigated

the

different

ways

in

which

students

can

play

more

active

roles

in

discovering

and

processing knowledge. “Teaching efficiency

is

improved

when

the learners and their learning are the focus of attention instead of the teacher and

his/her teaching”.

This

desire

to

make

learning

more

student-centred

is

reflected

in

widespread

attempts,

in

different

areas

of

the

curriculum,

to

introduce

approaches

which

engage students actively in

the learning process.

These approaches have been

described under a variety of labels: “experiential learning”, “discovery learning”,

“problem

-

based learning”, “co

-

operative learning”, the “activity

-

based approach”,

and others. Underlying all of these approaches is a desire to involve students in

some kind of purposeful interaction with information, objects and/or ideas, often

in groups, in order to develop their skills and knowledge. In the field of language

teaching,

the

approach

which

is

currently

best

known

in

this

respect

is

“

task-

based

learning”.

National

English

Curriculum

Standards for

Primary and Secondary Schools

>emphasizes the concept of

“

language use

”

and

suggests

adopting

“

task- based

approach

”

.

The

task-based

approach

to

language

3

learning

places

emphasis

on

learning

to

communicate

through

purposeful

interaction

in

the

target

language.

Learner

independence

and

their

positive

attitude towards language learning are also essential to make language learning

successful.

Chapter

Ι

The definition of the

“

Task

”

1.1

What is a task?

Confusion often arises in discussions of task-based learning because different

teachers

and

writers

use

different

definitions

of

the

term

?task?.

Some

teachers

and

writers

define

a

language-learning

task

as

including

almost

anything that students are asked (or choose) to do in the classroom, including

formal learning activities such as grammar exercises and controlled practice

activities,

provided

the

objective

of

the

activity

is

related

to

learning

the

language. This is the view,

for example, of Williams and Burden (1997, p.

168):

A task is any activity that learners engage in to further the process of learning

a language.

Long

(1985a)

suggests

that

a

task

is

nothing

more

or less

than

the

things

people

do

in

everyday

life.

He

cites

as

examples

buying

shoes,

making

reservations,

finding

destinations,

and

writing

cheques..

The

Longman

Dictionary

of

Applied

Linguistics

provides

more

pedagogically

oriented

characterization.

Here,

it

is

suggested

that

a

task

is

any

activity

or

action

which

is

carried

out

as

the

result

of

processing

or

understanding

language

4

(i.e., as a response). For example, drawing a map while listening to a tape,

listening to an instruction and performing a command, may be referred to as

tasks. (Richards, Platt, & Weber, 1985, p. 289)

Breen

(1987)

suggests

that

a

task

is

any

structured

language

learning

endeavor

which

has

a

particular

objective,

appropriate

content,

a

specified

working

procedure,

and

a

range

of

outcomes

for

those

who

undertake

the

task. 'Task' is therefore assumed to refer to a range of work plans, which have

the

overall

purpose

of

facilitating

language

learning-from,

the

simple

and

brief

exercise

type,

to

more

complex

and

lengthy

activities

such

as

group

problem solving or simulations and decision-making. (P.23.)

Many

other

teachers

and

writers

use

a

more

restricted

definition.

They

exclude

activities

where

the

learners

are

focusing

on

formal

aspects

of

the

language

(such

as

grammar,

pronunciation

or

vocabulary)

and

reserve

the

term ?task? for

activities in which the purpose is related to the communication

of meanings (i.e. for what Nunan, 1989, p. 10, calls a “communicative task”).

Willis (1996, p. 23) is one writer who adopts this definition:

Tasks are always activities where the learner uses the target language for a

communicative purpose (goal) in order to achieve an outcome.

Although there are many kinds of definitions about tasks,I think, as activities

of class teaching, tasks should include these features:

1

Meaning

is

primary.

They

involve

communicative

language

use

in

which

the

learners? attention is focused on meaning rather than linguistic structures.

5

2 There are some communication problems to solve.

3

There

is

some

sort

of

relationship

to

comparable

real-world

activities.

They

should

be

authentic

and

as

close

as

possible

to

the

real

world

and

daily

life

experience of the learners.

4

Task

completion

has

some

priority.

They

should

involve

learners

in

various

activities in which they are

required to negotiate meaning and make choices in

what, when and how to learn.

5 The assessment of the task is in terms of outcome

1.2 The structure and component of the task

Goals

Teacher role

Input

Task

Learner

roles

Activities

Setting

A framework for analyzing communicative tasks

Nunan

thinks

that

the

tasks

are

instructed .it

is

made

up

of

five

parts:1)goals;

2)the input materials;3)activities; 4)learner and the teacher roles; 5) setting

1)The goals:

The

purpose

of

the

task-based

language

teaching

is

to

train

the

students

?

competence

of

com munication

，

this

is

not

only

the

competence

of

speaking

and

writing,

but

also

including

socialinguistic

competence

,discourse

6

competence

and

strategic

com petence.

（

Canale

，< /p>

Swain

，

1980

）

.it

is

unnecessary to show the students every task goal. And a complex task may have

several different goals.

2)Input: Input refers to the data of the task design

（

data

）

（

Nunan

，

1989

）

。