Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Fat_Elvis]

Has anyone out there had any experience with this teaching methodology? I'm getting to a stage where I'll be ready to try out some trial classes with my adult students soon, but I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience with it. I'm using the model set out in Jane Willis' A Framework for Task-Based Learning.

What kind of class and age-group did you use it with?

Did you use recordings of native speakers, as Willis suggests? How did that go?

How did you conduct the language focus, or focus on forms?

What was the reaction like?

[bassexpander]

Yes. I make use of it in most of my classes.

The British Council has a great site full of activities that are fun/useful. Read through this page, then choose the "ACTIVITIES" link on the bottom right of the page (you have to scroll down).

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/task_based.shtml

Includes .pdf print-outs for some activities, too.

Be sure you go over vocabulary, basic grammar and state a clearly-defined goal for the activity before you begin -- don't just launch the class into it (Rod Ellis always stresses this). Review those things after the activity, and point out a few common grammar corrections.

My purpose is to get students using the language in situations that mirror everyday life. It's not a grammar drill -- they need to be free of the fear of not being perfect. It is important to let them make their own mistakes, then point out the correct way in a positive manner when the activity is finished.

See Rod's presentation video on task-based learning here (about 1 hour, with a 5 min. intro): http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/conferencepage.php

This was from a presentation in Busan over a year ago. It's a MUST SEE, in my opinion. You must pay for the video, but it is fabulous.

You might also read David Nunan's book, "Task-Based Language Teaching." You can get it from Cambridge University Press. ISBN #0-521-54947-7

[Fat_Elvis]

Cool, thanks. I'll track down the David Nunan book and the Ellis video.

I think this style of teaching is perfect for adult learners in Korea. They've had years of grammar-oriented classes, what they need is a strong emphasis on production.

How do you present grammar at the start? Isn't that being a little prescriptive, going back to a PPP style where students are expected to reproduce a set grammar form?

Also, you said that you use tasks that mirror everyday life.What are some examples of tasks that you've set?

[bassexpander]

Sometimes I use a "sample" conversation to get them on the right track (I usually pick one of the top students and act it out). You can show them text, but that's leading them a bit too much, IMHO. Sometimes a few popular phrases pertaining to the lesson can be useful -- nothing too in-depth at first. I just try to give them some sort of guide, rather than have them sit there and stare at each other in confusion (not everyone is at the same level, and some need the ideas on how the conversation might go).

As for everyday life situations, I'll give you some of my favorite lessons I use from that site:

A shopping role play:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/TRY/speaktry/shopping_roleplay.shtml

Telephone role play:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/TRY/speaktry/telephone_roleplays.shtml

Doctor/Patient:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/TRY/speaktry/doctors.shtml


Some say one of the downfalls of task-based teaching is that it can encourage too much "gobblety-gook" speaking, otherwise known as poor grammar usage. This is why I prefer to give the students some form of guide, although in Korea, they've had grammar drilled into them for years -- you don't want to turn it into a grammar lesson.

Sometimes I let them hack through the exercise by themselves once first, then give them my example, then let them take another crack at it, guiding them to use new points/phrases/slang I've added. It depends on how much time I have for the lesson, and how well such a system fits with what is being studied.

Task-based teaching is just one tool in a teacher's tool box, and I am a firm believer that sometimes a tool must be modified slightly to fit the learner. Ultimately, I feel task-based teaching is really little more than a slick new name put on an old and effective teaching method that's been around forever. You saw "The Karate Kid," right? Paint the fence. Sand the floor.... learn by doing until you improve through a lot of practice as you go along. If Mr. Miyagi had just stood there teaching Daniel how to paint the fence and sand the floor, Daniel never would have learned Karate well enough to defeat the Cobra Kai.

If only Karate could be so easy! Oh well, maybe not the best analogy.

The point, however, is that you're getting students to practice a task in the classroom, rather than lecturing in a teacher-centered fashion. I always say that students can learn about 5% of English by taking classes. The other 95% of learning English takes place outside of the classroom.

Task-based teaching helps encourage them to get over the fear of getting started on that other 95%.

[ddeubel]

bassexpander,

Some wonderful stuff and thoughts on Task based learning. I've had Ellis' lecture on my site for ages but only 12 hits!

But you rightly point out that it is just another catch phrase TBL..... it is just another description of the learner of necessity being put into a "willful" task. Works wonderfully in many task based lessons, if set up properly. But the "will" can be fired in many other ways.... Just like how we learn Korean much more when directing a cab driver than repeating phrases at a university language class....

What I don't like out about the lessons you use (and please don't take this negatively) is that like so much task based material, they are too script oriented. So dense. Even a high level learner will have much there they won't know. Task based and role plays should have minimal transactional language.....what is actually being learned in the lessons you highlighted is less the target language and more so, the struggle and difficulty of English and trying to understand the task. A wrong approach to TBI!

Pictures and symbols should be used to convey most of the tasks. What has been put up by the British council is not in my opinion sound pedagogy unless the learner is of a VERY high English level. Very few are of this level.

But I think TBI is that sine qua non of teaching......give a dog a bone and all that.....

Sorry, not criticism of you. I know you know what you are doing, just of the BC material.

DD

[HapKi]

I am also interested in this method, but am having a hard time convincing myself that it's right for my teaching context.

Some reasons being-

*student motivation must be high, and in my large classes, I can't insure that all groups will be "on task" when I'm not hovering over them.

*it seems to me that task-based learning should be THE method of the course or semester, or not at all. I mean that task-based has that kind of immersion aspect to it that students need to be aware of from the beginning. If for example one lesson is task-based, the next is question/answers topics with a partner, and the next day is grammer substitution drills, students are going to lose sight of each lesson's format and objectives (ie-Korean creeping in, one person dominating the group work, etc..).

*people tend to confuse task-based learning with other methods like role-play. With role-play you can present "pre-role-play" vocabulary, phrases, and so forth. Kind of setting the students in the right direction. With true task-based learning, as I understand it, there is no teacher-led presentation at the beginning, other than describing the task at hand (who gets to cross the river/designing a menu on a deserted island/a dream date with your hero, etc..). Thus, any method students use to reach the task's goal is acceptable. Problems can arise here.

*also very student-centered. Teacher's may feel like they aren't teaching, plus students feel like they aren't being taught. A tough hurdle to get over.

Just my thoughts. Like I said, I'm not convinced. Task-based learning gets a lot of hype these days (especially as a reaction to PPP!), but still a lot wrong with it, in my opinion.

[bassexpander]

Hey, I'm far from an expert on Task-based learning... am reading about it on my own, and trying to put what little I know into practice. This is a fun thread to read.

I use it (or my version of what I understand it to be) for about 1 hour out of a 3 hour lesson. My uni crams 1st year classes into one 3 hour block, once per week -- not the best way to learn, IMHO! The students can only handle so much from the book we are supposed to teach them, so I try to mix it up with additional activities/tasks based on the lesson.

Hapki is right. I'm not sold on it as being "the way to salvation" for English learning. I view it as yet another kind of ammo in my arsenal of teaching weapons.

Do you guys have to teach 3 hour blocks to your uni students? I wonder what it's like at other schools.

The greatest benefit I see for them is that the students are far less fearful of using English in social settings, and greatly encouraged to continue their studies on their own.

Given their low level, when my students spend the greater part of an hour speaking English to each other, I feel like we've accomplished something.

[Easter Clark]

This thread is a breath of fresh air! I often employed TBI in my business English classes so many years ago. It does seem that in order for this method (approach?) to be successful, the students must be at intermediate level or above (preferably "above"), as well as at a certain maturity level (uni students or adults). I could be wrong about the age thing, though!

I'll echo what Hapki had to say--with my high school students, TBI would not likely be a success due to

*Large class sizes

* Extremely low level

*Tendency to already rely too much on their L1 or the Korean co teacher

In fact, I experimented (poor kids--sometimes they are my lab rats!) by teaching the structures and vocab they would need to know the week before assigning them a task to complete, and what I got was a lot of L1 and a bit of confusion, as well as next to zero participation...in fact the lesson seemed to be a little demotivating.

If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can try TBI with large, low-level classes, I would be very interested!

[mrsquirrel]

I've tried it a few times and it just doesn't work with low low level students.

I've tried it with Thai students who varied from a lower-intermediate to advanced level and had excellent results.

I've tried the same with Korean students in a small group and no where near the same results.

I think the big difference was that the Thai kids had three or more years of foreign teachers and being encouraged to think for themselves.

[Snowkr]

I'm in the same position as you.

Large high school classes... low level students. Tasked based instruction is very hard to implement... but not impossible.

The co-teacher really needs to get behind you on it though. Forcing the students to use only English during activities seems like a waste of time but I've found that by not trying to force them... somehow they start to do it on their own. Maybe I just really lucked out.

My co-teachers are also very good.

Drawing dictation has worked well for me in the past. Teachers can model the activity, but after that... it becomes totally student centered. I was shocked at how much target language actually came out when I tried this with my HS students.

[Fat_Elvis]

Cool, thanks for your thoughts on this.

I work at an adult hagwon with small class sizes and a fairly high motivation amongst students to practice speaking in English, so I think task-based learning might work. They are also very resistant to any explicit grammar instruction, so TBL's focus on forms approach, a more inductive approach, might be better for them. I'll let you know how it all goes.

I'm also going to try Willis' technique of playing a recording of native speakers doing the same task, and then use that to extract words, grammar etc I'd like to focus on. It'll give them some very rich exposure to real English rather than their current diet of teacher talk and heavily scripted language. I'll be interested to see how they cope; initially I'll trial it on my higher level classes.

ddeubel, where is that Ellis video on your site? I had a look around but I couldn't find it.

[ddeubel]

Fat Elvis,

Here is the link, as well the ppt and article in the same Prof. Development folder on EFL Clasroom 2.0

http://www.esnips.com/doc/11b2d228-87d6-4267-b6d9-36cdad6649ba/Ron-Ellis-Task-Based-Learning

I'll load onto our player...

I like your idea about modeling native language speakers asking....REAL Videos are pretty good for this but not perfect. Also like so many of the other ideas on this thread.

DD