Myong Hee Ko
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Myong@hawaii.edu
Need Analysis, A TBLT Module,
& Reactions
Need Analysis, A TBLT Module,
& Reactions
Myong Hee Ko
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The Purpose
1. How the findings of needs analysis can
be connected to the production of
task-based teaching materials?
2. What are Korean university students’
and a teacher’s reactions to the TBLT
approach?
Instructional Context
• Reading 1 course at a university during the winter
session 2006-7
• Curriculum: a mixture of grammar-translation & CLT
approach
• 26 students from all grade levels & various majors
• Shin-Hee was an instructor (an observer for my
teaching) & I was a substitute instructor for 2 days
(4 hours)
Why Summary Writing is Important
in a Reading 1 Course?
• A reading course with graded readers
creates/increases context to write.
• Students write to summarize chapters, to
express opinions & to predict stories.
• Connecting reading & writing can facilitate
deeper reading comprehension
I. Needs Analysis
Table 1. Students’ Previous Formal Instruction in Summary Writing
Students’ Responses & Frequency
I do not have any formal instruction on this. (5)
● I do not remember well but it seems that I was taught in
elementary school years. (6)
● It seems I have learned in middle or high school but I do not
know how because I was not taught how to do it through
hands-on practice (lecture type instruction). (6)
● I have learned about picking out main ideas in high school in
preparation for the college entrance exam
●
(lecture type instruction). (5)
II. A Task-Based Lesson Module
1. Pre-Task Phase
2. During-Task Phase
3. Post-Task Phase
Pre-Task Phase
1. Input Task
•
•
•
Instruction
A teacher distributed the summaries of A
Christmas Carol & Forrest Gump and let students
read them.
Then, the teacher and students discussed
the content of the story.
They talked about general things, such as
do you remember the stories; when did you
read them; to what extent do the summaries
remind you of the stories?
Pre-Task Phase
2. Schematization Task
Instruction
• Students were asked to pair up and share their
thoughts about the following questions: what is a
good summary; what is the purpose of writing a
summary?
• Then, the whole class shared their thoughts and the
teacher listed their ideas one by one on the
chalkboard.
Pre-Task Phase
3. A Genre Analysis Task
Instruction
• Students were asked to read the first two chapters of
a book (graded readers), Gone with the Wind, and
were given a summary of them.
• Then, students (in small groups) were asked to
analyze the structure & language style of a summary.
After that, a teacher revised the key features of a
good summary on the chalkboard.
Pre-Task Phase
4. Selecting a Best Summary Task
Instruction: Students were asked to carry out the
following sub-tasks one by one.
Sub-Task A: Read The Queen Swallow’s Gift and
choose the best summary among three examples given
and discuss why
Sub-Task B: Analyze the other two summaries and
discuss how they are written
During-Task Phase
Make students focus on meaning/fluency
Task: Read chapter 3 of the book and complete
the following sub-tasks individually.
Step 1. Write down the main idea of the chapter.
Step 2. Read the story again quickly, underline the
important ideas of the story, and then list the
main points below.
Step 3. Write a first draft of your summary in your own
words based on your notes.
Teacher’s Feedback
Teacher: Concerned with organization and
how to present material in a condensed form
1. To make sure students were on the
right track
2. To find out their most prominent
mistakes/errors to prepare for further
instruction
Post-Task Phase
•Make students focus on accuracy
Task: Revise your summary
Sub-Task 1: Sharing feedback with others
Students were asked to form a small group with three
people and share their written feedback with one
another.
Sub-Task 2: Revising a summary individually
Students were asked to revise their summary individually
based on what they have learned from teacher’s
feedback and their peers.
III. Reactions to TBLT
1. Students’ Reactions
2. Observer’s (Shin-Hee) Reaction
Students’ Reactions
Advantages
• Offers an opportunity to learn/work with other
students (14)
• Students can be taught easily and effectively
through a step-by-step procedure (13)
• Instruction is two-way between teachers and
students whereas the traditional method was
one-way instruction (11)
“I liked it because it was interactive in many
aspects. I had to participate in small/pair
work. This was not one-way instruction that
students received things from a teacher. I
could learn how to write a summary easily
through a step-by-step procedure.”
Students’ Reactions
Concerns
1. If students are reluctant to participate in the tasks,
this approach may not be effective (4)
“Considering educational and cultural background of Korean
students, I can see that student participation is not that active as
it is supposed to be. Since we are not used to learning by
discussing or sharing our thoughts with others, it may take a
while to get used to this type of learning. I myself had a little
difficulty to adjust to a new approach. I think a teacher needs to
find a way to motivate us to participate actively in small group
work”
2.Takes more class time to learn compared to
the traditional method (4)
“I have learned that this approach requires much
more time, compared to the traditional lecture type
because it involves a series of tasks. We have many
other things to learn and to do in the class, so I
wonder whether the number of tasks can be cut down.
It seems it takes too much time and effort for going
through 8 steps to learn a summary.”
Students’ Reactions
Suggestions
It may be more effective if task-based instruction
combines with the traditional method
(providing a teacher-led lecture) (3)
“When summarizing features of a good summary, it was good to
gather ideas from students. One thing that I missed is that I hoped
a teacher went over the list one by one. I think It might have been
better or more effective if the teacher could have stressed or
explained explicitly what was really important after the task.”
Observer’s Reaction
Advantages
This approach seems to make students think and work a lot by
completing a series of tasks. As students complete each task one
by one, they learn to manage their own learning more independently,
compared to the traditional lecture-type instruction. Accordingly,
students may learn to value the knowledge which they have
constructed by themselves through performing tasks, for example,
good features of a summary. In other words, they are not just
passively accepting the list of good features of a summary
transmitted from a well-known academic authority. They may learn
to appreciate their active construction of solutions as time goes on.
Since Korean students are lacking in this kind of ability, it is a good
way to promote an independent/voluntary learning attitude in the
class.
Observer’s Reaction
Suggestions
A learning community such as a university is part of this country,
and thus it is under the influence of the Korean culture that all
Koreans have been accustomed to for a long time.
For example, there is a subordinate relationship between a
teacher and a learner. Students may see learning as a process
where they receive knowledge or information from their teachers.
Consequently, new knowledge constructed by themselves
through discussion may be seen as doubtful information, that is,
not 100 percent reliable. ….. So, I believe that it might be better
if we combine the new approach and the traditional method for
the sake of effectiveness. For example, we can include lectures
whenever necessary while letting students complete series of
tasks. Regarding the list of good features of summaries, a
teacher may give students a lecture after recruiting the listing
from students.
Limitations
•
It was a one-time experiment embedded in
a non-TBLT course/program.
•
We need long-term studies in order to draw
more precise conclusions
Reflection
• What do we learn from reactions of
Korean university students and the
observer (teacher)?
• How would I plan my future TBLT lesson?
Localizing TBLT to Korean Context
Plan for Future Implementation
1. Make students get used to small group/pair work
TBLT underpins student-centered learning.
Makes them expose to group work.
A teacher needs to find a way to motivate students’ participation
2. Add teacher’s authoritative voice
A teacher needs to keep a traditional role.
Combining student-centered learning & teacher-fronted class
Add a teacher’s affirmative explanations when wrapping up each task.
3. Number of tasks needs to be reduced
Time constraint (3 hrs a week)
8 tasks  6 tasks (combining schematization & genre analysis due to
overlapping + take away a post-task (sharing feedback w/others)
Importance of Local Context
 Need to consider a unique Korean EFL Context
(teachers, students, class time allotment, class size,
cultural/educational backgrounds, etc.)
 Rather than simply jumping onto the new approach,
Korean EFL teachers need to carefully study their
situations and to decide how TBLT can best serve
their needs and interests.
 Adapting it instead of Adopting it.
Thank You