The differences and connections of Task Based Language teaching，Communicative Language Teaching and Presentation-Practice-ProductionAbstract

Wang Qian

（Inner Mongolia University For The Nationalities028000）

The differences and connections of Task Based Language teaching，Communicative Language Teaching and Presentation-Practice-ProductionAbstract

Wang Qian

（Inner Mongolia University For The Nationalities028000）

There is a lot of teaching approaching applying in the modern English teaching classes.Some of them are popular by the teachers and some of them are favor by the learners.However，weather there is some connections or differences among those teaching method，this article will demonstrate the details from those teaching approaches.

Introduction

Task-Based Language Teaching （TBLT）is a teaching method which highlights on providing students tasksso that they can positivelyparticipating in using and practicing language in communicative conditions，and on measuring the language outcomes that will obtain from those tasks.For instance，a debating task can develop students’ability to think critically and logical when having debate with their peers（Nunan，2004）.In other words，in TBLT，the basic goal of second language teaching is to enable students to use the target language for social functional action or situation communication （Branden，Bygate&Norris，2009）.Depending on the different levels of the students and the different target language aims，the tasks can be adapted flexibly to authentic，practical and functional uses of language for meaning.

1.Definition of CLT，TBLT and PPP

The CLT teaching method appeared in the late 1970s and early 80s to contribute to English language students’communicative competence（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）.The main targets of CLT are the pragmatic，authentic and functional use of language without just emphasizing on the grammatical aspects（Hammer，1999）.The important feature of CLT is that almost everything is done with a communicative purpose.Language students use the language through communicative activities，such as an information gaps，games or problem-solving tasks（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）. The activities are often carried out in small groups of students which can maximize the limited time allotted to each student in order to communicate.Anothercharacteristic of CLT is that the materials designed are considered desirable as they offer students chances to accept the language as it is really applied（Richards&Rodgers，1986）.Learners use the language in rehearsed contexts with more spontaneity.

Task-Based Language Teaching（TBLT）is an educational framework for the theory of teaching foreign or second languages.In TBL，the basic goal of second language teaching is to enable students to use the target language for social functional action or situation communication（Branden，Bygate&Norris，2009）.Unlike the form-based teaching method，TBLT is a meaning-based teaching methodwhichhelps learners to communicate in a meaningful way and the tasks employed in the lessons may be based on reality life situations.One of the main characters in TBLT is that the students are free of language control rather than the language being taught by the teachers（Wills，1996）.The task meaning is like a language problem to solve in relation to real-world situations.

PPP has three main steps during the teaching activities.The first step is presentation which is the key element among three steps.Firstly，teachers present the knowledge and key language points to students.The second step is practice that asks students to take some exercises according to what they learnt from the teacher.The third step is production which means students themselves can understand something，for instance，making up new sentences by the language points they learnt and practiced in the class.

2.The teacher’s and students’role in CLT，TBLT and PPP

According to Breen and Candlin（1980），the teacher has three main functions in the English classroom.The first role is to be a facilitator of the communicative procedure；the second function is that of a participant；and the last is that of a motivator or monitor.The main function of teachers in CLT is to organize communication and observing in the classroom rather than being a model for correct speech and writing（Richard，1996）.The significant role is to be responsible for creating backgrounds that motivate the students’communication.During these programs，the teachers act as advisers in replying the students’questions and as a monitor observing their performance.Following the programs，the teachers offer the learners feedback（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）.The main role of students in CLT is that of a participator and organizer.They are participated in classroom activities based on cooperative rather than individual work（Richard，1996）.The learners feel comfortable by using the language to communicate topics even when their ability of the second language is incomplete（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）.

The main function of the teacher in TBLT transforms away from some traditional of the teacher roles in language teaching （Nunan，1989）.In TBLT，the teacher will reduce the rate of the time spent on communicative procedure. The main function of the teacher in TBLT is same as CLT，such as observing and offering feedback.The teachers are responding not only to the leaner’s’accurate abilities，but also their fluency abilities.More importantly，for hugeamounts of the actual task，the teachers spent more time onintroducing basic information.TBLT is a student’s-centered teaching method（Wills，1996）.The learners’role is the main aspect during language processing.The main characteristics of the learners’role in TBLT are：the learner is a negotiator or interactor，capable of giving as well as taking；the learner is a performer and listener，with little control over the content of the learning；and the learners should take responsibility for their own learning.

3.The approach of CLT，TBLT and PPP

The theorylanguage contents used in CLT are used to practice the students to use language items appropriately in diversified contexts and for different aims.For communicative capable and linguistic ability，the knowledge of items and meanings form parts of the communicative aims in CLT（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）.Students need to accept the forms，meanings and functions of language and take into consideration the social conditions.However，CLT has sometimes been seen as sacrificing accuracy in the teaching of grammar in order to pursue fluency.

In TBLT，students develop a language system through attempting to use meaning-based language.The teacherdesigns opportunities for the students through meaningful，authentic and interesting activities（Eills，2003）.The students have a much more varied exposure to the language and the all of language issues that they need.Learners spend a lot of time communicating during the task（Hammer，1999）.In TBLT，specific language forms will never be considered；instead，the learners are allowed freely to make meaning in any way they like.The tasks provide learners’outcomes that can be assessed.Using tasks is based on building a syllabus design for to both sequence lessons and assessing the students’outcomes.

Procedure is the essential part of the lesson plan which consists of the different steps or the stages in the lesson to guarantee that the aims are achieved（Gower，Phillips&Walters，2005）.All of procedure elements should be introduced in of this plan including：Engage，Study，and Activity.

The PPP applied for this lesson is ESA，which conclude the engage，study and activity.The applied teaching approach is Presentation-Practice-Production.Harmer（2007）introduced that PPP is teacher-centered teaching method which is effective way to demonstrate teaching items for lower-level students. Engage is the stage involving learners to the lesson topic and to draw their attentions to the class.Study is the Presentation stages in PPP；it is the essential part for students to learn the language items or knowledge.Activity is the way to activate learners’knowledge and ability to use the knowledge and it is the Practice and Production stages in PPP.The procedure of this plan is five stages：warming up；focus on language；practice；feedback and review.

4.Characteristics of the teaching/learning process in CLT，TBLT and PPP

The main characteristic of CLT is that everything is aimed for communication.All activities are designed to enhance the learners’communicative competence.According to Morrow （1981），activities in CLT have three features：information gap，choice and feedback.The information gap is the precondition that the students have a desire to communicate with the content. During the communication，the students have opportunities to choose which language to use in the specific contents.After the communication，the learners get feedback from the teachers about their performance.Furthermore，there are three different distinctive types of practice in CLT：mechanical，meaningful and communicative.Mechanical practice is a language controlled activity whereby learners can successfully use language without necessarily understanding it.Meaningful practice is an activity where the language items are controlled but where the learners are required to understand the meaningful choices made when the language are used.Communicative practice refers to activities whereby the language is used not totally predictably and for real communicative purposes（Richard，1996）.

Long and Crookes （1992）have classified three different types of task-based approach.The first is the procedural task，whereby the teacher designs the procedure of the task and learners complete it.Designed tasks are more accessible for learners and more manageable by teachers than real-world tasks.The second is when the teachers and learners decide together what task to do.It is project work but connects to the real-world and distinctive enough，with special consideration of the project’s world.The third type of approach is when learners engage in TBLT drawing strong attention to the language as needed.These tasks can be adapted flexibly according to the different levels of the students and the different target language items.

5.TBLT and its Connection with CLT

As mentionedabove，TBLT and CLT have several differences and similarities.TBLT has theoretically grown out of CLT and improves several of its disadvantages which are unrelated to learners’language skills about negotiating meaning.CLT is directed at motivating students to negotiate meanings in a second language.Widdowson and Allwright（1984）stated that communicative classes are a theory use of communicative competence and draw a functional model for language.TBLT essentially develop from the communicative class teaching theory，and the aim is also to improve learners’communicative competence，focusing on students’language interaction.The principle of CLT is how learner best learn a language when there is an opportunity for students to focus on meaning rather than form.However，the problem of how to present opportunities for learners truly to communicate in the CLT classrooms is a controversial issue.Repeat dialogues or substitution drills are limited in terms of authentic negotiation of meaning.In addition，design a conversation for learners is often unclearly taught.Students will be what exactly to do while talking and the teacher is limited to evaluating the systematic instruction（Nunan，2004）.Another disadvantage of CLT is that the aims of language teaching sometimes favor fluency over accuracy.The TBLT approach overcomes many of the criticisms of CLT.

TBLT is a kind of“strong version”of CLT，whereby language is applied primarily by focusing on communicative meanings（Larsen-Freeman&Anderson，2000）.In TBLT，students have a much more varied exposure to language and can use any of language forms.The learners are focus on the class and spend a lot of time communicating during the task（Hammer，1999）.Furthermore，in TBLT，the task meaning is like a language problem to solve in relation to real-world situations（Wills，1996）.The other advantage of TBLT is that，according to the level of difficulty for the students，it is classified in tasks in term of task type，theme or topic and sequencing criteria（Ellis 2003）.The task types，topics and sequencing criteria are flexible and can be changed depending on the level of the students and their interesting in the language items. The course design in TBLT is more flexible than in CLT classes.Tasks can be possible assessed based on the learners’outcomes.The purpose of the assessment is to provide data on the learners’strengths and weaknesses for task design purposes and encourage them to take responsibility for their language learning（Brindley，1989）.In conclusion，on the one hand，TBLT has theoretically grown out of CLT.Their aim is to enable students tonegotiate meaning in a second language and improve the learners’communicative competence.On the other hand，the TBLT approach overcomes much of the criticisms of CLT. Learners are free to use language forms，the task lesson is flexible and the task results can enable teacher to assess the learners’outcomes.

Conclusion

From the discussion above，there are details which can prove that the differences and connections among Task Based Language teaching，Communicative Language Teaching and Presentation-Practice-Production teaching method.However，no matter what kind of teaching method in modern education，it must contain both advantages and disadvantages.How to judge which one is the good teaching method it should depend on what levels of students are and how does teacher design the classes and many other reasons.