Developing Learners’
Communicative Competence
Through
Task-Based Instruction
Overview
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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
Language is …
 used as a vehicle for communication
Communication is …
 Lee (2000)
• Expression
• Interpretation
• Negotiation of meaning
 Long (1996)
• Genuine human interaction
• Input  feedback  output
Language Competence …
 Fluency
 How well?
 Accuracy
 How accurate?
 Pragmatics
 How appropriate?
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.
“Poor Mary”
Pragmatics?
Expression
Interpretation
Negotiation of meaning
“Mary in Class”
Oye,
¿Me escuchas?
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.
Matching
Column A
Column B
1.
¿Cómo es el profesor?
A. Veintitrés
2.
¿Cuándo es la clase?
B. En Horton Hall 303
3.
¿Quién siempre saca
buenas notas?
C. Miguel DeRosa
4.
¿Cuántos estudiantes
hay?
D. Muy serio y
perfeccionista
5.
¿Dónde es la clase?
E. A la una de la tarde
Pattern Practice
Modelo
 Juan: ¿Vas a la escuela?
 María: No, no voy a la escuela.
1.
2.
3.
4.
¿Vas a la biblioteca?
¿Va tu amigo a la playa?
¿Van tus amigos a la plaza?
¿Vamos al parque?
Dialogue
 Perform the following memorized dialogue.
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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.
Communicative Drill
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1.
2.
3.
4.
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
No More …
Exercises
Exercises
Exercises
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?
Exercises …
Focus on “Form”
 No “creativity”
 Lack of “authenticity”
 Exhausting and boring
¡Qué aburrido!
¡Estoy agotado!
Limitations …
Teacher = “drill” leader
Student = “learner” but not “user”
Focus = “form”
Practice = perfect
• Audiolingual Method (ALM)
 Output = learned patterns
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Changes …
 Evolution NOT Revolution
 From ALM to Communicative
Language Teaching—CLT
 From exercises to tasks
Differences …
Ellis (2002)
 Exercise
• Form-focused language use
• Language “learner”
• Intentional
 Task
• Meaning-focused language use
• Language “user”
• Incidental
More Changes …
 From “form” to
“meaning” + “form”
 From Communication = question +
answer
to
Communication = expression,
interpretation and negotiation of
meaning (Lee, 2000)
Tasks
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
Example #1: Fill in forms
 Listen to the conversation and write the
missing information of each student.
Name: John
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies: Jazz
Name: Anna
Age: 35
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: Andrew
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Example #1: (continued)
 Now compare your answers with your
partner.
Name: John
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies: Jazz
Name: Anna
Age: 35
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
Name: Andrew
Age:
Country:
Birth Date:
Married:
Single:
Occupation:
Hobbies:
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
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
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
Activity 2
Activity 3
What?
What?
What?
Where?
Where?
Where?
How much?
How much?
How much?
What time?
What time?
What time?
Example #3: Role-play
 You are in a clothing store and have
$150 to spend.
Card A: You are customer
Card B: You are clerk
--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
--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
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.
Example #4 (continued)
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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)
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
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
Esteban se
Textbook: ¿Sabías qué? (2002)
levanta y
se lava ….
Let’s Discuss …
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Task?
Why?
What are the common features?
Other types?
Task ...
 Focus on both “meaning” and “form”
• “Meaning”—information, idea
• “Form”—grammar, vocabulary
¡Qué
música!
¡Qué divertido!
Task-Based
Instruction
TBI …
 promotes communication,
interaction and negotiation
 fosters active participation and
scaffolding
 allows extended discourse
TBI …
 requires linguistic and cognitive
skills
 focuses on both accuracy and
fluency
 engages in real-time language
processing
One Step More …
From
Question-Answer
To
Task-based Activities
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?
(select a student)
Mary: No, I watched TV and ate pop corn.
Teacher: What program did you watch?
Mary: “The Sopranos”
Task-Based Activity
What did you do last weekend?
Step 1
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Activity
Dance at a party
Running five miles
Playing video games
Playing a sport
Reading a book
Watching TV
Writing a letter
Making dinner
Source: Lee (2000)
Sedentary
Active
__________________
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__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
Step 2: Five More Activities
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Activity
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Sedentary Active
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Step 3: Interview …
 --Did you go fishing last week?
 --No, I read a book “How to become a
millionaire?”
Step 4: Compare …
 Your partners responses to the
categorizations you made in Steps 1 and 2.
Step 5: Conclusion …
 Use the scale to rate your partner’s week.
very sedentary
1
as sedentary
as active
2
3
very active
4
5
Task-Based Activity
“The Most Interesting Person”
Steps …
 Step 1
• 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?”
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/…
Types
 Listing
 Ordering and sorting
• Sequencing/ranking
• Categorizing/classifying
 Comparing similarities/differences
 Problem solving
• Decision making
• Information gap
 Sharing experiences
• Describing/narrating
Participatory Structure
 Individual
• Intra-personal (private speech)
 Social
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Interpersonal
Teacher-students
Student-teacher/other students
Student-student (group or pair-work)
Final Thoughts
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Incorporation of four skills plus culture
“Tasks” instead of “exercises”
Authentic materials/pictures
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