Chapter 9 adopting
TBL: some practical issues
9.1 PPP and PBL
The PPP paradigm
Some problem with PPP
Comparing PPP and TBL
From PPP teaching plan and PBL framework
9.2 Introducing PBL
Help learner adapt
Countering learner resistance
9.3 Assessment and TBL
How TBL can help with exams
External exam with tasks
Progress testing with TBL
9.4 Textbook and TBL
appraising course book for TBL content
adapting textbook materials to TBL
Supplementing text book
materials to TBL
Planning TBL input
Summary
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The aims of this chapter are
To set TBL against the background of common language-teaching practice
To address some of the issues that face the practicing teacher and
trainer when attempting to introduce a new approach which center on learner.
To show how TBL can benefit classes preparing for exams.
To summarize the advantage task
– based approach.
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PPP and TBL
PPP (presentation, practice, production) the aim of lesson is to teach
specific language form – grammatical structure or realization of particular
function or notion.
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The PPP paradigm
Presentation stage the teacher begins by presenting an item of
language in a context or situation with help to clarify its meaning (pattern sentences presented by teacher/ short dialogue illustrating
target items acted out by teacher/ read on textbook/ heard on tape)
Practice stage Student repeat target
items and practice sentences or dialogues, often in chorus or in pairs, until
they can say them correctly. Activities include pattern practice drills,
matching part of sentences. completing sentences or dialogue, asking or
answering questions using pre-specified
forms.
Production stage
Students are expected to produce in free situation language items they
have just learnt, together with previously learnt language ,this free situation
can be role play, simulation activity or even a communicative task.
……………………………..
Some problem with PPP
- Some learner manage to
do the task or role play at the production stage without using the target form at all .
this may because their own developing language system are not yet already
to cope with it use or because they
don’t need the new pattern to express their meanings they want. They can ,
after all, use what language they like at free stage.
- Sometimes they trend
to overuse the target language and unnatural conversation e.g. what will
you do tomorrow ? tomorrow I will go to my aunt’s house. I will go by bus.
I will see my council. I will play football with them.
Learners who do this are
probably in practice mode –they are trying to display control of new form rather
than express their own meaning.
- PPP gives an illusion
of mastery as students can often produce the required confidently in
classroom, but once outside, or in a later lesson they cannot use them at
all or use them incorrectly.
Comparing
PPP and TBL
- The way students use
and experience language in the task cycle is radically different
ü
All three components (task,
planning and report) genuinely free of language control and learner
rely on their own linguistic resources.
ü
The task supplies the genuine need to use language
to communicate, and the other components follow on naturally on the task.
ü
In all three components language is used for a
genuine purpose-there outcome to achieve the task and purpose of drafting,
rehearsal and practice at the planning stage is to help learners adjust their
language for the report stage .
ü
The report allows s free exchange of ideas, summarizing
learners’ achievement.
ü
The planning stage encourage learners to consider
appropriateness and accuracy of language form in general, rather than the
production of single form.
ü
There is a genuine need to strive for accuracy and
fluency as learners prepare to go public for the report stage; it is not
question of either accuracy or fluency at any one points in the cycle.
The
difference PPP and TBL are as follow
|
PPP
|
TBL
|
|
In PPP cycle, the presentation of the target language coming first, the
context has to be invented.
|
TBL framework, the context is already
established by itself. By the time learners reach to language focus phase,
the language is already familiar
|
|
Simply to repeat, manipulated and reply
|
The process
of consciousness raising use in the TBL language focus activities
encourages students to think and
analyze
|
|
Made up to illustrate a single language item
|
Listening and reading –both part of TBL
framework- provide more varied exposure to natural language
|
|
|
The exposure to TBL framework will include a
whole range of word collections, lexical phrases in patterns in addition to
language forms pre-selected for focus. Students will realizes there is more
language than verb tenses and new words.
|
|
In a PPP cycle, it is the teacher who pre-select
the language to be taught.
|
During the TBL analysis stage, learners are free
to ask about any aspects of language they notic.
|
|
A PPP cycle lead from accuracy to fluency
|
A TBL cycle lead from fluency to accuracy (Combined with fluency)
|
|
PPP only provide a paradigm for grammar and form
focus lessons; it need to be supplementary by skills lessons to give learner
to practice in listening and reading and more exposure to language
|
All skills are naturally integrated
|
To summarize the comparison;
TBL begins by providing learner with a holistic
experience of language and then helps them learn more efficiently.
PPP provides discrete language items in a vacuum
and then looks for some activity to practice them.
………………………………………………
From PPP teaching plan to TBL learning framework
PPP lesson plan typically set out narrowly
predetermined set of objectives and procedures for the teacher, and it usually
seen and discussed from the teacher’s point of view
A TBL lesson outline offers a more flexible
framework, enabling learner to move from
language experience to language analysis.
In PPP lesson,except during the final production
stage, teacher are at center stage,orchestrating the class.
In TBL ,
teachers have to learn to set things up
and then to hold back,intervening only when needed,and reviewing each phase at
the end.
Introducing TBL
According to students , teachers and trainers who have experimented with TBL in many parts
of the world have reported that:
- They gain confidence
in speaking and interacting quite soon after beginning a task-based
course.
- They enjoy the
challenge of doing tasks and find many of them fun.
- They are able to talk
about the language itself in addition to other topic.
- They can cope with
natural spontaneous speech much
more easily, and tackle quite tough reading texts in appropriate way.
- They became far more
independent learners.
The teachers and trainers
Ø
With mixed- level –classes a TBL approach works
far better than a PPP.
Ø
Learners bring their own experiences to lessons
and often come up with interesting and original ideas.
Ø
By the end of the course they are often surprised
at how much their learners have achieved.
…………………………………………………………….
Helping learner adept
To adept TBL approach , learners need to understand both
the principle and the purpose of component.
Ø
At the beginning of the course, talk to the class
about the process of learning, the rationale behind the classroom activities
that will be used.
Ø
Explain to them that TBL might be a new experience for them, and
different for other styles of teaching they know.
A list of things to help a TBL run smoothly.
A. Find out
about your learners
-
Why they are learning the language, e.g. it is for travel, to understand TV or to talk to foreigners? Or just pass the exam?. What kind of topic are they interested in.
B. Explain how people learn languages
Explain how
people learn language effectively focus 9
C. Introduce
the TBL framework
-In advance, plan a simple task-planning – report
cycle and obvious outcome, e.g. exchange
telephone numbers to assemble a class phone list, there should be
related to listening or reading text before then after task, select some
language items for the language focus components.
-Show the paradigm of TBL framework.
-At the language focus phase, use the listening script
or reading text for analyze work(Grammar) after the analyze, do some practice activities for example, choral, drilling for
pronunciation.
-finally ,suggest that students write down new
phases and pattern they want to remember in language notebook and practice
them. Later you should suggest way to
organize their notebook.
After the TBL lesson, summaries what students have done, showing them hoe each
step help to create suitable condition for learning. Help them to recognize
that much of their learning will be subconscious and that it may be sometime
before their notice any improvement.
D. Show how
TBL work with their course materials
In later lesson, you will need to introduce
students to the new materials you will be using with them. This could take the
students familiarization session with the textbook in a different way, omitting
or adapting some part { explain why},
To announce the components as you start and finish
each one, what the purpose of each step is.
At the end of each unit of work, review their
achievement and help them to perceive their process. Highlight what they have learnt.
Encourage learners
to continue to learn outside the
class. To increase their exposure and extend their vocabulary.
…………………………………………………………….
Encountering learner resistance
Problem ; We don’t do enough grammar
Earlier version of
TBL trended to play down explicit grammar instruction,learners do not
recognize consciousness raising activities as relevant substitutes for being
tought proper grammar.
Possible solutions
1. Highlight the time spend on the language focus
component and do extra practice activities.
2. Summarize
the main language points at the end of each session,discuss any useful rules or
guideline.
3. Ensure
learners always have written script or recordings to study. This give security.
4. Include
some choral repetition of short sections of the tape and rote – learning of
part they find useful.
5. Ensure
students keep language notebook.
6. Set relevant
exercise from student’s grammar book for homework.
Problem; We‘d like to correct more when we speak
Student who come from teacher-center class are used to a constant focus
on accuracy.
Possible solutions
- Make clear the
distinction between exploratory talk at the task stage and plan to talk at
the report stage.
- Encourage the learners
to correct each other at the planning stage
- Hold a language clinic
after some report stage, write the corrected versions of the common errors
on a wall poster.
- Individual learners
who are keen to perfect their spoken language may record themselves doing tasks or presenting report. Encourage
them to listen carefully to their recording and write down any bits they
are not sure to check later.
Problem; We ‘ve been doing this
course for some time and don’t feel
we’re making progress.
Students used to a grammatical –oriented PPP style think they are
making process because they are
covering a lot of grammar very
explicitly, they seem mastery at the
time of learning it , they can find later they cannot use it.
Possible solutions
- Help students to keep
the record of item covered in their language notebook, every few weeks
hold review a day; students review their language at home and produce the
test to give each other in class
- Have a repeat task a day,
with different partners.
- Ask outsider to visit the
class once ,or twice a team.
- Record pair works
regularly.
Problem: we find the recordings of natural speech hard to
understand
Spoken English is very difference than spoken
English
Possible solution
- Explain is likely to
be hard but it will be easier and enable them to understand more when they
meet the speakers of target language, and to do better listening or oral
exam.
- Break the
recording up into shorter section.
- Let student follow
the transcript and listen at
the same time.
- Set cloze tests on the
transcript
- Encourage them to listen to the target language
speaker outside class
Problem; we don’t like working pair work with
people who speak our own language.
It feels unnatural to start with and they are afraid of pick up bad habits
from fellow students
Possible solutions
Established the target language as the main means of communication in
your classroom
Research suggested that learners learn a lot from each other even
if they do share a first language. This
has been borne out by students by student feedback.
Make sure learners change partners fairly
regularly.
Assessment and TBL
What about the exam? Exams are
students main motive for student to use the language.
Anything not directly concern with them is felt to be a waste of time.
How TBL can with exams
Language exam set out to test students ‘knowledge of the language and
ability to perform in it.
How TBL help students to do well?
TBL attain both the knowledge and the skills
required in most kind of exam.
The task stage of TBL cycle help students in any
oral test and give them confident to deploy what language they have, which help
with fluency in writing.
Language focus phase will increase student
understand of grammar.
Exam technique is certainty important and students
improve with training. Tackle the various type of questions can be done as
crash course in term leading up to the exam.
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External exam with task
Pair and group task are commonly used to test a
student’ ability to communicate and cooperate in spoken interaction. Many set a
variety of reading and listen tasks on authentic materials but grade level the
difficult of the task. Since such exam reflect the practice in TBL classroom
If you
feel that exam you are required to teach for is not suitable for your students,
talk to other teachers about the
possibility of changing it
Progress testing in TBL
Review day test, encourage students to review
recent coverage by reading the texts and
going through their language books
Repeat task day are another way to encouraging
students to review their and assess progress.
Pairs
can either be asked to perform in front of class
Textbook and TBL
Text and source book serve teacher a lot of hard
and serve as useful references for points for students
Appraising course book for TBL content
It is important to analyze the contents with your
student’ need in mind.
Introduction, teacher book ,principle
The range and type of exposure to target language
in the student’s book
v
Is there balance of spoken and written,
spontaneous and planned next?
v
Is there a sufficiency range of types of text?
- To Analyze activity to
give learners a chance to use target language, asking:
How many activities are intended to stimulate practice of specified
forms
How many activities are communication tasks
o
To analyze
materials take to language focused work, asking:
v
Is grammar tough on it own?
v
What about lexical phrased, collocations, and
vocabulary building?
v
Is spoken and written balance?
Adapting textbook material to TBL
You could change the class management
-
Instead of asking the whole class question and
inviting on student to response, ask in pairs to consider the answer for thirty
seconds the a volunteer a reply.
You may simply to change the order of two activities;
-
If there is reading text or listening
comprehension followed by the series of question, introduce the topic and then
ask the student to cover the text and predict answer to comprehension before
they read or listen
-
If your book follow PPP cycle you should begin with the free production activity.
You could change the balance of study in a given section
-
Spend less time on practicing and perfecting
learners’ production of target pattern.
-
Try some activities with book closed, e.g. list
three things you can remember about one person/place/even in the story/text/picture.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Supplementing textbook materials with TBL
·
Good starting point of task---picture diagram memory challenge / true or not true /
guessing picture.
Take the unit or reading text topic and think of task based on personal
experience related to it.
·
Exploit
useful language from the texts for language focus work
·
Ensure writing activities have purpose and an
audience
·
Ensure speaking activities have purpose for
communicating
Planning TBL input
Decide the text themselves offer rich language
opportunities, but activities that stimulate talk are lacking. By inserting
mini-task cycles based on the text and recording , you can postpone or even
omit some of PPP language cycle.
you may recover textbook offers a rather limited range of the text or
very little in way of natural language. In that case, you will need to
introduce text type by bringing extra text and record.
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Summary
A task- based framework foe language learning aims
at stimulating language use and providing a range of learning activities for
students of all level and activity.
The role of tasks ; to encourage learners to
activate and use whatever language they already have, both comprehension and
for speaking and writing.
The role of task – planning-report cycle=====to
simulate a natural desire in the learner to improve upon that language.
The language focus ===to examine that exposure,and
systematize their knowledge of language structure.
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