Task- Based Language
Teaching method is an analytic syllabus composed of tasks basically. The goal
of teachers who use this method is to facilitate students learning language by
engaging them in a variety of tasks. In this method, the role of the teacher is
to create relevant tasks with clear outcomes. It means that tasks should be
related to possible situations that students might present out of the
classroom; this way, they could feel motivated doing tasks that prepare them
for any real life situation. To make students understand the outcomes and the
relevance of the tasks, teachers can use pre-tasks and post-tasks. In the first
one, the teacher can introduce whatever language is needed to allow students to
comprehend the existing steps to complete the tasks. In the second one, the teacher
can work on students´ errors after he/she has evaluated their progress in the
previous tasks. In order to do this, the teacher can provide a brief grammar
explanation, reformulate, model or recasts different tasks based on the level and
students´ needs to reinforce their learning or to reduce any problem that they might
be presenting in the learning process.
Additionally, depending
on the category of the tasks, educators can teach their classes using either
focused or unfocused tasks. On the one hand, the unfocused tasks provide
opportunities for allowing students to communicate in a generally manner. They can
complete the task using their own language resources and general knowledge
about something to succeed in the tasks the teachers tells them to do. In the
other hand, focused tasks are the ones that provide opportunities for
communicating using some specific linguistic items, for example grammar
structures.
Likewise, the TBLT method includes three
different types of tasks which allow students to interact with other members of
the group to share information. The three different types of tasks are
information gap, opinion gap and reasoning gap. In the information gap tasks, students
have to exchange information with one another to complete a task. In the opinion
gap task, students can express their personal feelings, thoughts and attitudes,
making the task an open- ended activity because they have to share their own
points of view and beliefs. In the reasoning gap tasks, students have to infer
some information required by including or analyzing the information they have
already been given; usually, tasks are presented in a form of problem solving
negotiation.
Finally, depending on
the structure of the tasks, teachers can organize the information and the kind
of language performance that is needed to fulfill the teacher´s objectives. It means
that educators should not teach a linguistic item without having used the language
they have been seeing all along the tasks because one of the main objectives of
the Task- Based Language Teaching method is to help students acquire better the
language they need when they have to use it in different tasks; this way,
students are able to communicate in the four main language skills of a target language.
University of Costa Rica
Atlantic Branch – Turrialba Campus
Lesson Plan
Institution:
Date:
Group: 8-3
Target Content N° 6: PERSONAL
TRAVEL PLANS
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Linguistic Objectives
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Mediation Activities
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Evaluation of
Learning Outcomes and Strategies
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Time allowed
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SWBT:
To identify vocabulary related to personal travel plans making an oral
research of information
To
produce a visual representation according to a description given
To
apply the use of simple vocabulary in the description of pictures, places,
people.
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Note: In previous classes, students
had to name their favorite places for traveling. According to the list they
mentioned, along with the teacher they divided the places by different
categories, for example if the place was located in a mountain, in a river,
in a beach, etc. According to the place they chose, they had to create a list
of the elements they will need for traveling to that place, including the mean
of transportation, the place they will rest, the items etc. The teacher picked
up the list, checked it over at home and will hand in it this class.
1. Teacher greets students and indicates
the objectives of today´s class. (2 min)
2. After that, the teacher hands in to
students the list of elements reviewed and asks then to stand up and to research
for the classmates who also chose their same category. In order to do this, they have to compare
the elements they wrote with their classmates’ elements. They have to form groups
based on what they find. (8 min)
3. The teacher has prepared at home
some descriptions of the places and elements based on the information and
categories that their students gave him. After the students have formed groups, the
teacher gives them a written general description of a place based on the
corresponding category. Students have to prepare a visual representation
(drawing) based on the description of the place. Besides, they have to
include as many elements as they can in the drawing. Also, they have to
indicate how many times the element was repeated among members of the group. (20
min)
4. When they finish, they have to
present their visual representation in front of the class. They have to
mention what place they chose, what elements are needed for traveling to that
place, how many times they repeat the elements (for example if three or two
of them have the same element, they have indicate the frequency). (10 min)
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Students
must be able the compare the answers with other classmates using the target
language
Teachers
constantly evaluate the language they use
Teacher
notices students´ errors and provides feedback when necessary by modeling, recasting or giving
brief grammar explanations
Teacher
adapts tasks to students´ level and needs
Students
must be able to work in groups and to interact with classmates
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40 min
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Resources:
Color pens, color pencil, markers, the sheets with descriptions, large pieces
of papers for drawing.
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Chronicle:
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