Getting up to speed on TBLT

TBLT, or task-based language teaching has been a buzz word in foreign language teaching for a while now, but I've never done a systematic examination of the concept. A lot of the teaching I do is probably "task based," but I don't do it with any explicit theory of task design. The March '09 edition of the The Language Teacher focuses on TBLT, so I've decided to educate myself.

The Willis and Willis article has a reader friendly Q&A format and here are the highlights:
http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/resources/2009/0903a.pdf

Q. Why do we need TBLT?
A. Many language teachers become preoccupied with teaching grammar rules and other parts of the language and forget that the main purpose of learning a language is to communicate effectively and confidently. Tasks help learners engage primarily in wholistic meaning focused activities in the classroom rather than form-based activities that teach the items that compose a language.

Q. What's the difference between TBLT and Communicative Language Teaching?
A. Nothing. Task-based learning has the same goals as CLT, but puts the "task" at the center of the learning process explicitly.

Q. What's a task?
A. According to Willis and Willis, the main characteristics of a good task are 1) Does it engage the learner's interest? 2) Is there are primary focus on meaning? 3) Is success on the task measured in non-linguistic outcomes rather than accurate grammar, and 4) Does it relate to real-world activities (not artificial exercises just to ingrain grammar).

Task-based lessons can be divided into 3 parts Pre-Task, Task Cycle (do the task, plan a report, make the report), and Language Focus (analyze the language they produced and then practice focus areas found in the data). A typology of tasks includes Listing, Sorting, Comparing, Problem-solving, Sharing personal experiences, and other creative projects.
Resources: http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/98/jul/willis.html
http://www.willis-elt.co.uk/documents/AThreeWayDisntinction.doc

Q. According to Willis, what is important in acquiring a foreign language?
A. A three way distinction between a focus on meaning, language, and form seems needed.

• A focus on meaning, in which participants are concerned with communication.
• A focus on language, in which learners pause in the course of a meaning-focused activity to think for themselves how best to express what they want to say, or a teacher takes part in an interaction and acts as a facilitator by rephrasing or clarifying learner language.
• A focus on form in which one or more lexical or grammatical items are isolated and specified for study or in which teacher comments on student language by drawing attention to, problems. (Willis and Willis 2007: 5)

Q. Is TBLT supported by research? Is it better than form-focused instruction?
A. The debate seems to still be on-going. Everyone agrees that the process of language acquisition is a complex cyclical combination of comprehensible input (exposure), use of the language for meaningful communication (use/engagement), and noticing features of the language that help meaning become more accurate and pragmatically appropriate (autonomous noticing =focus on language/teacher induced noticing = focus on form). The debate is on the weight that should be given to those components. TBLT argues that "use" of the language for meaningful communication by the learner should be primary, with support by the teacher for input and focus on form. Ellis and others may disagree, saying that some systematic instruction or drilling of grammar forms can be helpful. My view is that the weighting of meaning vs. form focused instruction may have to vary by individual needs and goals. My leaning is toward the task-based, meaning focused approach. Plenty of input (with some focus on form in the input stage), engaging tasks, and due treatment of form-after the task. One important step in TBLT seems to be to accept that fluency and confidence in the language are more important than grammatical accuracy.

Q. Can TBLT work in Japan?
A. Not as long as Japanese teachers are preoccupied with teaching accuracy. Textbooks in Japan are designed for grammar structure presentation, practice and production (PPP) rather than for meaningful functions or skills. Tests are based on knowledge, not ability. However, seeing how everyone accepts the sad reality of the failure of the current system - that the majority of Japanese high school graduates are remedial beginners in English after hours and hours of form instruction which mainly only succeeds in producing an inferiority complex and fear to communicate, Japan obviously needs a fundamental change of approach in how it sees language learning.

Q. How can TBLT be assessed?
A. The key is "What can they do?" The Common European Framework for Languages and ACTFL Guidelines use "can do" statements for learners to show their competence in various functions, with evaluation of fluency, appropriacy, and achievement of outcome.

Q. How can TBLT concepts be used to help ICU ELP students?
A. Many classes at ICU are skill or content-based, and consist of a communicative "task" such as a discussion about a reading text. However, as the Pre-Task, Task Cycle (do the task, plan a report, make the report), and Language Focus (analyze the language they produced and then practice focus areas found in the data) model of TBLT shows, "doing the task" is only a very small part of the task-based learning process. The pre-task stage is important for input (discussion phrases, skills, models of good discussion debate), some type of report on the task is needed after planning time, and analysis of the report/output language and practice based on it are needed. More care on those missing components seems needed in my classes and probably many classes in the ELP.

Little and Fieldsend in the same TLT argue against Willis and Willis, saying that a "reactive approach" to language difficulties is not enough. Targeting language difficulties of the learners in a proactive way in advance through "form-focused tasks" is more efficient and practical. They recommend, citing Samuda's model, a sequence of meaning - > form focus (giving phrases, grammar practice) - > back to meaning in the task cycle. Hmm...sounds quite reasonable, but which is better? difficult point to determine unless I try both ways with learners.

The final article is by O'Dwyer introducing how a European Language Portfolio (ELP-not to be confused with English Lang. Program) can supplement a task-based curriculum.
Language Portfolio = 1) Language Passport (summary of linguistic identity and current competency), 2) Language Biography (learning goals set and reviewed), and 3) Dossier (Samples of work and evidence of achievement). Cool stuff! Need to harness this for EAP for ICU students-much of the portfolio process can be used for Academic Speaking and they should be trying to build a speaking portfolio.
http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/resources/2009/0903a.pdf