Until the late 1960s it was assumed that the ability to communicate in a foreign language would be exclusively based on the knowledge of grammar rules and vocabulary. The 1970s, however, saw a major shift in focus away from form to meaning. This basic insight led to the emergence of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the 1980s which until now serves as an umbrella term for a number of approaches, valuing communicative competence higher than linguistic knowledge.
Among the strongest versions of CLT, there is Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) which basically promotes the use of tasks as the core unit of foreign language teaching (cf. Larsen-Freeman, 2000:121). Accordingly, it will be the aim of the present paper to verify whether TBLT is also a valid approach for the EFL classroom and how this can be justified in terms of current teaching objectives and learners’ needs. The first section of the paper will provide the theoretical background to TBLT. It will be relevant here to compare different definitions of the term task, in order to identify useful criteria that help to distinguish a task from the concept of an exercise.
Moreover, the functions and interrelations of a few selected types and components of tasks shall be discussed. In the second section, the focus will be put on factors to consider when implementing task-based language learning in EFL. For this purpose, the main principles of TBLT will be portrayed drawing on the potential assets and drawbacks of the approach. It will be relevant here to answer the following controversial questions related to TBLT:
1. How to avoid that the focus on “authentic” communication is done at the expense of formal accuracy? 2. How does TBLT affect teacher and learner roles in a TBLT classroom? 3. How can tasks be used to assess what learners can do in the L2? Finally, there will be provided a sample lesson of TBLT. This lesson is built around a speed-dating activity and is designed for grade 11/1. An attempt shall be made here to analyze how the lesson relates to the formerly defined criteria of TBLT and how this meets the latest standards of the official curriculum of Brandenburg for ESL at upper secondary school level.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theoretical Underpinning
- Defining a task
- Classifying task types and their components
- The assets and drawbacks of TBLT
- Authenticity
- Learner and teacher roles
- Assessment
- A sample task: “Find your dream date”.
- The pre-task stage
- The main-task stage
- The post-task stage
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The primary objective of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in the EFL classroom. The paper aims to investigate whether TBLT is a valid approach for teaching English as a Foreign Language, considering current teaching objectives and learners' needs.
- Defining and distinguishing tasks from exercises
- Analyzing the functions and interrelations of different task types
- Exploring the potential assets and drawbacks of TBLT
- Examining the role of authenticity in TBLT and its potential impact on language learning
- Investigating the impact of TBLT on teacher and learner roles in the classroom
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the concept of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and its historical context within the development of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). It explores the key principles of TBLT, emphasizing its focus on meaning and communicative competence over form-focused exercises. The chapter also introduces the concept of tasks and discusses its definition, differentiating it from the concept of exercises. The second chapter delves into the theoretical underpinnings of TBLT, examining various definitions of tasks and analyzing their distinguishing features. The chapter also presents different classifications of task types, highlighting the distinction between focused and unfocused tasks as well as closed and open tasks. The chapter concludes by outlining the three stages of a task: pre-task, main-task, and post-task, explaining the role of each stage in facilitating effective language learning.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this text include Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), task definition, task types, authenticity, teacher roles, learner roles, assessment, pre-task, main-task, post-task, and language learning.
- Quote paper
- Francesca Cavaliere (Author), 2014, The needs and potentials of task-based EFL teaching using the sample task of speed-dating, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/315228