International Conference on Informatization in Education, Management and Business (IEMB 2015)

Application of Task-based Approach in English Teaching

Xiaoyan LI
Wuhan Institute of Technology, 430205, Wuhan

Abstract: Task-based approach is a language and mastering language as well.

student-centered teaching method aiming at Therefore, by attaching importance to students’
promoting students’ language acquisition and cooperative learning, TBA fully reflects the
communicative competence. Compared to the student-centered teaching philosophy.
traditional teaching method, task-based approach
can motivate students to learn English and enable 2 Task-based approach
them to gain sense of success. Therefore, it can
be widely applied in English teaching. With student-centered being the core, TBA is
theoretically based on the popular constructivism.
Keywords: task-based approach; application; According to Fosnot (2005), constructivism is a
English teaching theory about knowledge and learning. The theory
believes that human cognition develops with
1 Introduction their experience, that knowledge is the
restructuring and rebuilding of experience and is
Task-based approach (TBA for short) has a process of constant psychological constructing,
developed gradually since 1980s. It’s a language experiencing, discovering and creating. TBA
teaching method which has been widely provides students with this valuable process. By
recognized and accepted by a large quantity of taking part in different kinds of activities,
linguists and practitioners of foreign language students restructure and rebuild their knowledge,
teaching. Meanwhile, it’s also a teaching making the existing knowledge they have
approach which has been highly recommended already had and the new one they have just taken
by Middle School Curriculum Standards in interact and blend with each other. Once
established by Chinese Ministry of Education. students gain sense of success in construct the
TBA, putting emphasis on learning by doing, is new knowledge, they will become more active in
the development of communicative teaching taking part in activities, forming a benign
approach and has attracted widespread attention circulation in language learning.
in the world of language education. The theory of
doing things with the language is gradually 2.1 Definitions of task
introduced to the Basic English teaching in Based on their different researches, scholars give
China. According to this theory, mastering definitions to task from different perspectives. In
language is not the result of the training of the eyes of Prabhu (1987), task is an activity
language skills and the acquisition of language which needs people to draw a conclusion from
knowledge, but the result of the using of the given information after consideration. It is
language through taking part in various kinds of the teacher who controls and regulates this
activities. Based on the specific teaching process. As far as Nunan (1989) is concerned,
objectives, teachers design a variety of teaching communicative task is a classroom activity that
activities, through which students can work requires students to use the target language to
together to accomplish language learning tasks understand, practice, use or communicate, in
and eventually achieve the goal of learning which process students concentrate on the

© 2015. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 387

meaning instead of the form of language. series of information and asking them to find a
According to Long & Crookes (1991), task is solution, generally speaking, only one solution,
either voluntary or paid work people do for to the problem. The fourth is decision making
themselves or for others. Willis (1996) believes task which means giving students a problem with
task is a communicative activity with a certain several possible results. Students have to discuss
purpose or a process that students take and negotiate with each other so that they can
communicative activity in order to achieve a come to an agreement on one result. The fifth is
certain purpose. According to Skehan (1998), opinion exchange task which means students
task is an activity that has a meaningful discuss with each other and exchange their ideas,
connection with the real world. Ellis (1999) but they needn’t reach an agreement.
thinks task is a meaning-centered activity to use a Each category of task has its unique features.
language. Teachers can adopt one or more categories in
Judging from the above-mentioned designing class activities.
definitions, it can be seen that task-based
learning is not limited to language practice.
Instead, it’s a process of learning by doing. That 2.3 Models of task-based approach
teachers teach a language in class is not to let According to Skehan (1998), there can be three
students memorize isolated words, sentences or different models of task-based approach, namely,
boring grammar rules, but to design an activity structure-based, communication-driven, and
which can effectively combine vocabulary, intermediate position. Structure-based model
grammar and function. This process enables puts emphasis on the using of a certain language
students to interact with each other and acquire form, under which circumstance students are
language at the same time. usually required to use a specific language
structure in the process of finishing a task. By
urging students to practice the same language
2.2 Categories of task structure, this teaching model can enable them to
Just as different scholars give different master the language structure effectively in the
definitions to task, people classify task in a given time. While structure-based teaching
different way. model stresses the language form,
Based on the impacts produced in the process of communication-driven teaching model places
finishing a task, task can be divided into the focus on the naturalness and authenticity of the
following five categories. task. Willis (1996) points out that the task which
The first category is jigsaw task, which requires suits the natural and real situation enables
students to bring pieces of scattered information students to make great progress in language
together to make a whole. For instance, students acquisition, and the implementation of task is
can be divided into several groups. Each group is mainly for communicative purpose rather than
supposed to write a part of a story, then all the linguistic norms. Task shouldn’t be designed just
groups work together to make a complete story for some particular language structure. Instead,
by combining all the parts. The second is the designing of task should be driven by the
information gap task, which means different need of the real world so as to accelerate the
groups of students have different information process of language acquisition and promote the
which is complementary to each other. Those development of interlanguage. Different from
groups with complementary information have to structure-based and communication-driven
cooperate well to get the information of the other models, intermediate-position teaching model
side so as to accomplish a communicative puts emphasis on task’s naturalness and
activity. The third is problem solving task which authenticity as well as the practice of some
means giving students one problem along with a certain language structure to advance the

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development of interlanguage. In order to strike The following questions can be asked to lead in
the balance between the two, task has to be this unit: What is imagination? What is creativity?
designed and carried out after careful Do you think you are imaginative and creative?
consideration and proper choice. Do others think you are imaginative and creative?
The above-mentioned three models of TBA have Can you name some imaginative and creative
their own focus. Numerous practices and scientist and their great achievements? What
researches at abroad have proved that the characteristic do they have in common?
intermediate-position model is the most effective. The first two questions need students to give a
Therefore, it can be applied to the teaching of simple definition to the two words which can
College English in China, which acts as a promote students’ thinking ability. Then the
complement to the traditional teaching model. teacher may show students some pictures, among
which the most famous one is to find as many
faces as possible. Students can work in pairs or
3 Application of task-based approach in even in group. This can help students decide
College English teaching whether they are imaginative or not. As to
famous scientists and their great achievements,
TBA takes three steps to design a class activity, since students have already looked for the
that is, pre-task, task-cycle, and post-task. relevant material, everyone has something to say.
Pre-task, aiming at introducing the topic and They needn’t to be worried or anxious. Students
stimulating students’ interests, is the task can work in groups in order to avoid giving same
assigned by teachers to students which requires answers. After each group presents their
them to work individually or in groups to do different answers, the whole class can work
preparations. Looking for some information or together to find the common characteristics those
doing a research is often involved. By choosing famous scientists have, for example,
and designing the proper tasks, teachers play the knowledgeable, imaginative, curious, persistent,
role of selectors in this process. Task-cycle is the etc. This is a decision-making task which needs
process in which students learn by doing, for students to come to an agreement on
instance, by participating, practicing and characteristics the famous scientists have. This
cooperating, to achieve the goal of developing process develops students’ ability of analyzing
their comprehensive skills. Post-task involves and induction. More importantly, the common
students’ showing their results and the evaluation characteristics can be also applicable for students
of both students’ and the teacher’s. The to achieve success in their study at campus.
following part takes Unit 4 in Now College
English Integrated Course Book 3 to see how
TBA can be applied in College English teaching. 3.2 Task-cycle
The topic for this unit is imagination and In lead-in part, some groups may mention
creativity. It consists of two texts, one is Was Einstein and his great achievements. Then
Einstein a Space Alien, and the other is teacher may assign the first task to students in the
Anecdotes about Einstein. process of task-cycle: are the achievements
you’ve found the same as what are mentioned in
the text A? In order to answer this question,
3.1 Pre-task students have to scan the text to look for the
The teacher assigns a specific task to students information they need. It’s highly probable that
before learning this unit, that is, students are students have found different achievements from
supposed to search for information about those mentioned in the text, which effectively
scientists and their great achievements. broaden students’ horizon and contribute to
language acquisition as well.

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Then, the teacher draws students’ attention to the example, when a student is speaking, the rest of
title: was Einstein a space alien? The answer to the class listens attentively and then some
this question may be yes or no, so the class can students are chosen to make comments on the
be divided into two groups, with one group speaker’s remarks. This activity provides
looking for the evidence for the answer “yes” and students with opportunities to practice their
the other group looking for the evidence for the ability of listening as well as speaking. Positive
answer “no”. This process requires students to evaluation can let students reap the benefits of
read the text carefully and distinguish the success, which can motivate them to be more
evidence from other irrelevant detailed sentences. active to take part in all kinds of class activities.
This can be called a decision-making task. To Meanwhile, the teacher also gives feedbacks to
achieve this, students have to cooperate well to all the participants.
reach an agreement, which contributes to the
development of their team-work spirit as well as
their ability of analyzing and induction. 4 Conclusion
After understanding the main idea of the text,
another task can be designed to pick out those Task-based approach provides students with
important and frequently used words and phrases. numerous kinds of activities, and brings them a
One student makes a sentence with one given brand new feeling. It not only stimulates
word or phrase, and the second student adds a students’ interest, create an active atmosphere,
second sentence by using a different word or but also cultivates students’ ability to use English
phrase to make the story logical, and the third in a well-rounded way. Giving students a
student adds a third sentence, etc. Students keep problem to solve or a task to finish can arouse
on making the story until all the words and students’ curiosity. Students can gain sense of
phrases have been used and all the students take success after solving a problem or finishing a
part in this activity. It can be seen obviously that task. By contrast, a traditional teaching approach
this is a jigsaw task with all the students is not likely to achieve this effect. Therefore,
contributing to make a whole story. task-basked approach can be widely applied to
Intermediate-position teaching model is adopted English teaching, but some factors including the
in this process since students not only learn the designing of tasks and the degree of difficulty
given language structures but also practice their have to be taken into careful consideration.
communicative ability.
Next, another task is assigned to students: ask References
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