Revista simpozionului Eficienta si calitate in educatie 2018 Revista simpozionului | Page 50

A TASK BASED APPROACH IN TEACHING ENGLISH
Carmen Nadia Popa, Școala Gimnazială Nr. 4 Sibiu
Abstract: The more task-based approach is studied, the more necessity for sequencing of activities
is observed. The controversial topic is to present a sequencing theme without any prevention in the
learner’s linguistic knowledge and his ability to get himself involved in the learning process.
Therefore; teachers can apply a variety of communicative language teaching methodologies that
consist of the best ways of teaching.
Key words: task, sequencing, communicative, teaching, learning
Task-based learning (TBL) developed mostly because of a research demonstrating
a disconnection between traditional grammar-oriented learning and the ways in
which students actually learn languages. As a consequence, language learning
theorists and practitioners began searching for alternatives to grammar-based
syllabi. One alternative that was proposed was the structuring of language courses
around tasks. Long and Crookes (1993) characterize tasks as a more useful "unit
of syllabus design" than structure, notion/function, situation/topic, or word. They
made some observations, as follows: “There is no suggestion that learners acquire
a new language one task at a time, any more than they do (say) one structure at a
time. It is claimed, rather, that (pedagogic) tasks provide a vehicle for the
presentation of appropriate target language samples to learners... and for the
delivery of comprehension and production opportunities of negotiable difficulty.” (p.
39).
In other words, Task-based learning gives the student an opportunity to use real
language in the classroom. The activity is based on real life patterns and learners
pay attention to the meaning of a structure, they are free to use any language they
want. When playing a game, solving a problem or sharing information or
experiences, the students are all involved in activities with authentic and relevant
tasks. The central point of a task-based activity is the task while the language is
the instrument used by the students to fulfil it and to achieve a particular goal. For
example, when students are given a list of words to use as a sequence of an
activity, cannot be considered as an authentic task. Nor can a normal role play if it
does not contain a problem-solving element or if students are not given an
outcome to reach. Generally, when doing role-plays, students simply act out their
controlled role. For instance, a role-play where students have to act out roles as
managers, or lawyers, but must come to an agreement, get a general point of view,
or find the right solution within a given time limit, is an activity which can be
considered an authentic task in TBT.
This approach, Task-based language teaching (TBL), is centered upon the use of
authentic language and upon asking students to do significant tasks using the
foreign language. The teacher can enable the students’ learning by placing them in
a situation like in the real world or using tasks that can include different habitual
circumstances. In TBL the learner should be exposed to as much of the foreign
language as possible in order to get a better observation of the foreign language,
then hypothesize over it, and that is individually, and finally experiment with it.
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