Jackie Bolen - 39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the

39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the ESL/EFL Classroom

Jackie Bolen

www.eslactivity.org

Copyright 2021 by Jackie Bolen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address: Jackie Bolen: .

About the Author: Jackie Bolen

I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and type of student. I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to adults. Most of my time centered around teaching at two universities: five years at a science and engineering school in Cheonan, and four years at a major university in Busan where I taught upper-level classes for students majoring in English. I now live in Vancouver, Canada where I teach academic writing, business English and am an examiner for a popular language proficiency test.

In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are, I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea, I completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification programs. With the combination of fifteen years teaching ESL/EFL to learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on which to offer advice to English teachers.

I truly hope that you find this book useful. I would love it if you sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might have.

Jackie Bolen (www.jackiebolen.com)

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An Introduction to Task-Based Teaching and Learning

T ask-based language (TBL) learning is kind of all the rage these days as part of the overall Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. The focus is on having students being competent communicators as opposed to some of the older models like Grammar-Translation or the Audio-Lingual method where the focus is on mastering specific grammatical constructions or a certain set of vocabulary.

Here's a more formal definition:

Task-based learning (also known as TBL) is a TESOL approach that has a base in Communicative Language Teaching. Teaching and learning happen through a variety of communicative tasks that involve lots of teamwork among students. Well-designed tasks within this approach should elicit the target grammar and vocabulary naturally.

TBL can serve as a nice change of pace from the usual Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP) style of lesson or the Test-Teach-Test (TTT) approach where the focus is again on mastering a certain vocabulary set or grammatical construction. Instead, students are free to use whatever language they'd like in order to accomplish the required task. This can help increase motivation as there is more freedom for students to learn what they want to learn.

What are the Advantages of Task-Based Learning Over PPP?

M any EFL/ESL textbooks and teachers generally follow the PPP model (Presentation-Practice-Production). However, task-based learning has some advantages over this traditional model, including the following:

Students control the language they learn and produce, rather than being restricted to something pre-selected by the teacher or textbook.

Task-based learning allows for a natural setting of the context where students can base learning on their experiences. This makes learning more personal and relevant to students in many cases.

TBL can expose students to many more varied uses of English than PPP can. Think ESL collocations, lexical phrases and patternsthe sky is the limit!

Language learning can arise from student need, instead of what the next unit is in the textbook. This makes it more memorable for learners and can also serve to be a better use of class time. Don't waste time teaching things that students have already mastered just because it's the next unit up in the textbook.

It makes an ideal choice for larger classes where students may not get enough practice time with a more traditional teacher-centred classroom.

Students are generally very motivated to complete the tasks because it's something they've chosen to do (at least to some degree) and is hopefully relevant to them.

In comparison to PPP, TBL is more student-centred and communicative. Anything we can do to increase student talking time, the better.

Errors are a natural part of the learning process in TBL and are seen as a learning opportunity. In PPP, it's something a bit more negative in that it's a variation from the "correct" form the students were taught.

5 Reasons to Consider Task-Based Language Learning

T here are many reasons why you might consider incorporating some task-based activities into your English classes. However, here are some of my favourites.