An Analysis of Task—based Teaching in Second Language Acquisition

Gong+Manman

Introduction

Research into second language acquisition is a relatively new topic. In the past， teachers were dominant in the classrooms and responsible for transmitting knowledge， while students were known as “passive learners”. However， nowadays teachers are looking for ways to encourage students to be more active in discovering and learning knowledge by themselves， making the classrooms more student-centred rather than teacher-dominated， which might be more efficient for learners. Task-based teaching has been a popular approach for language teaching in modern second language acquisition. Im interested in how task-based teaching approach plays a key role in SLA （Second Language Acquisition） and why it is different from the other common language-teaching practice. The following analysis is a brief summary of the previous studies on task-based teaching in second language acquisition.

Literature Review

Firstly， the concept “task” has been an essential and basic part in TBT， and even in syllabus plan. A large number of linguists have contributed a lot to defining the “task”. According to Willis （1996）， “‘tasks are always various activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome.”

Secondly， a number of researches have been done to compare the task-based teaching with the traditional PPP （Presentation， Practice & production） Approach. Willis （1996） argues that “PPP paradigm begins with the presentation and practice of a small sample of language， with the focus on a particular form. The language is tightly controlled， and the emphasis is on getting the new form correct.” While task-based teaching is not to ask learners to fulfil tasks one by one. Actually， there are three phases in TBT. The pre-task phase provides an introduction of the topic and the task to the class. Then the task cycle gives learners opportunity to use whatever language they already have to complete the task. And tutors offer feedback later. Finally， the last phase concentrates on a further study of the specific features in the language used during the task cycle. （Willis， 1996） We notice that task-based teaching provides an opportunity for students to have different exposure to language， including lexis， grammar， collaboration etc. which could motivate them to get involved.

Analysis

It is likely that most teachers and students think highly of task-based teaching in second language acquisition. However， there are still some problems deserve attention. Students who come from different educational， social or cultural background may have various intensions in classrooms. Some of them might believe they need more grammar instructions， others may require more corrections in their speaking.

A lot of research work just focus on general theories and methodologies of task-based teaching， lacking practical discussion.

According to Carless， who wrote Implementing task-based learning with young learners， the situation in real classroom is not that ideal. In this article， the author describes some conditions teachers may face in Hong Kong context， namely， noise/indiscipline， the use of the mother tongue， the extent of pupil involvement etc. which may influence the implementation of task-based teaching. （Carless， 2002） In accordance with the related research， teachers find some tension between discipline and noise caused by group task. Its difficult for teachers to cope with and seek a balance between encourage communicative tasks and keeping good behaviours， especially for large class size. Whats more， teachers are worried about pupils over-use of their mother tongue. For instance， in Chinese classrooms， students working in pairs or groups always prefer Chinese due to proficiency.

Conclusion

In conclusion， this article has analyzed task-based teaching approach， which is popular in Second language Acquisition. Anyway， the teacher is normally a “facilitator” who promotes learning. Therefore， the teacher should set up tasks， keep a balance between language exposure to students and their use of language， ensure the quality as well. Additionally， more practical discussions and studies on this topic need to be done for future study.

Reference：

[1]Carless，D.（2002）Implementing Task-based Learning with Young Learners.ELT Journal56/4，389-396.

[2]Lightbown，P.and N.Spada.（2006）.How Language are Learned.Oxford：Oxford University Press.

[3]Skehan，P.（1996）.A framework for the implementation of task-based instruction.Applied Linguistics，17，38-62.

[4]Willis，J.（1996）.A Framework for Task-based Learning.Longman.

[5]Willis，D.and Willis，J.（2007）Doing Task-based Teaching Oxford：Oxford University Press.