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Methodology: task-based learning

Current Location: Home Teacher Support Ask the experts Methodology

Author: Scott Thornbury

Level: starter/beginner, advanced, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-

intermediate Type: reference material

An article discussing task-based learning consciousness-raising

activities.

I've been looking into TBL recently trying to get the methodology straight before Itry it in class. It seems to me that the consciousness / awareness / -raisingactivities are one of the essential elements of the model (after all that's whatmakes it a lesson and helps the students to improve). This stage, however, isnormally mentioned just in passing without much explanation. Can you pleaseexplain what exactly a CR activity is in this situation and how it is different fromnormal feedback i.e. is it something planned and prepared in advance or is it adirect /spontaneous/ response to spotted mistakes.

Dani Zheleva

Answer by Scott ThornburyAnswer by Phillip Kerr

Answer 1: Scott Thornbury

The term consciousness-raising (CR) is used to describe how the attention oflearners is deliberately directed at features of the language, e.g. grammar or lexis. Itswhat used to be called presentation. But the term consciousness-raising is nowpreferred in some quarters, since it credits the learners with some active role in theprocess of learning, whereas presentation does not. Also, whereas presentationassumed some form of subsequent practice and production (PPP), CR may occursolely at the level of understanding.

How does this fit into Task Based Learning? If TBL were simply learning by doing as it was first conceived theres always the risk that some learners wouldnt learnmuch because they would be so caught up in the doing that they wouldnt noticefeatures of the language being used, or, worse, they would take linguistic short cuts,rely on words rather than grammar etc in short they would take the first steps downthe slippery slope of fossilization.

Therefore, proponents of TBL Mark 2 recommend that the task sequence includesome directed attention on features of the language. That is, CR. Purists argue thatthis should emerge out of the task and in response to the learners needs andinterests. This is what was once known as a test -teach-test instructional cycle. In thissense the teaching stage cannot really be planned although an experiencedteacher might well be able to predict it. One way of engineering this stage is: oncethe students have attempted the task lets say its a ranking task play them a tapeof more proficient speakers doing the same task, and let them follow the transcript.Language features can be noted (with or without overt intervention on the part of theteacher), and then appropriated for use in a subsequent re-run of the task, perhapswith different partners.

Of course, these stages could be reversed, so that the learners first hear theproficient speakers, note features of the language they use, and then seek toincorporate these features in their own performance. Theres nothing wrong with this,but its hardly TBL in the strict sense of the term. Other ways of engineering a post-task CR stage might be:

1. Record the learners doing the task and then they transcribe all or some of therecording. This often draws attention to features of their output that they mightlike to modify. They can correct the transcript, and then have an other go atthe task.

2. The learners perform a task and then write a summary of what they did. Thechance to reflect on their performance may throw up language issues that arethen available for discussion with each other and with the teacher.

3. Learners perform the task in pairs, while a third student observes and makesnotes. These notes can be framed like this: Did you say? Did you mean?These questions can then be discussed post-task. The students then changeroles and repeat the task.

4. Students work in small groups and improvise a conversation, which isrecorded, utterance-by-utterance. This is then played back to the class, theteacher pausing the tape strategically, in order to elicit comments from theclass. The conversation can also be transcribed on to the board. (This isbased on the standard Community Language Learning activity).

5. Learners form groups of three. One learner talks to another for, say, twominutes about a pre-selected topic. The listener then re-tells the speaker

as much as he or she can remember, without commenting, interpreting,evaluating, etc. The observer then asks questions to elicit their individualresponses to the interaction, and makes comments about anything deemednoteworthy. Out of this retrospection language issues may emerge. Then the

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learners switch roles and a new round begins. (This is based on a techniquecalled Non-directive listening).

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Answer 2: Phillip Kerr

Task-based learning (TBL) means different things to different people to such anextent that it normal for writers on the subject to begin their discussion by a definitionof what they mean. Rod Elliss recent study (see the suggested reading list below)provides a long and comprehensive description of the various issues and an account

of the disagreements as to how we should implement a task-based approach in theclassroom. However, most variants of TBL have a number of things in common:

They are more interested in the processes of language learning than in theproducts. Learning a language is seen as being centrally concerned withlearning activities, rather than lists of language items to be learnt.They recognize that learning is an unpredictable process and that we cannotassume that students will learn what we teach them. For this reason, theytend to reject any syllabus that is based on lists of grammatical items.They see the main business of acquiring a language as happening whilelearners are attempting to communicate and deal with meanings.

Consciousness-raising learning

Consciousness-raising (CR) activities draw students attention to language forms(grammatical and lexical patterns, for example) and, as such, are not necessarilyoriented towards communication or meaning. CR activities are classroom activities(within a task-based approach) that draw students attentions to the forms oflanguage. There is now a lot of research that suggests that such activities helpstudents to acquire more language more efficiently, but not long ago, many peoplewould have disagreed with you that CR activities were an essential part of a task-based approach. This may explain why, in some of the literature, references to CRactivities is made only in passing or not at all.

What exactly is a CR activity? The best way to answer the question is by considering,first of all, what a CR activity is for. Although task-based models reject traditionalbuilding-block approaches to language learning (where one structure is taught afteranother in a predetermined order), they generally accept that students can onlybenefit from having their attention drawn to features of the language that they mightotherwise not notice. This is not to say that students will learn or acquire bits oflanguage to which their attention has been drawn in this way, but the potential forlearning is increased if their conscious awareness of language features is raised.

Many traditional classroom procedures can act as CR activities, but the teachersobjectives will be different in a task-based framework. A simple drill, for example, canbe an effective way of raising students awareness of a particular grammaticalpattern. In more traditional approaches, a teacher will continue drilling until she feelsthat students have learnt the language. In a task-based framework, on the otherhand, the teacher recognizes that no amount of drilling can ever guarantee that thestudents will actually learn (i.e. acquire) a particular piece of language. They may beable to reproduce it accurately for a short while, but tomorrow (or next week) isanother matter entirely! So a task-based teacher will only continue drilling up to thepoint where she feels that awareness has been sufficiently raised.

This shift in perspective means that CR activities will take place towards the end ofthe task cycle. CR activities could be done before a communicative task, but thedanger here is that the communicative task will become an opportunity for freerpractice of a particular language item. In TBL, it is vital that the tasks are centrallyconcerned with meaning (not particular language items). Once a communicative taskhas been carried out, a teacher can focus on bits of language without this effectingthe task itself.

There will obviously be a link between the language that is focused on in CRactivities and the language that is needed for the earlier task. We can often predictwhat sort of language will cause the students problems during a task and we canprepare, in advance, CR activities that will focus on it. However, to some extent, wealso need to be ready to respond more spontaneously, because there will always bebits of language that we want to focus on that we havent been able to predict. Thesewont necessarily be mistakes, either. It may be the case that students have usedlanguage perfectly accurately, but in a limited way. CR activities can provideopportunities for students to extend their range, just as much as they can be used todraw attention to error.

Practical suggestions

The simplest way of raising awareness is by providing feedback (e.g. you said X, butyou should have said Y). Depending on how it is done, there is nothing wrong withthis, but (1) it can be perceived negatively, (2) does not particularly involve thestudents in the learning process, and (3) tends to become rather repetitive. Jane and

Dave Willis, two of the most well-known names in TBL, suggest a much richer menuof CR activities to add to our repertoire. They include the following ideas in their list:

1. Ask students to search a set of data (this could be a text or examples you

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have selected yourself) to identify a particular pattern.2. Ask students to group a set of language examples according to similarities or

differences.3. Give students a generalization about language (a language rule) and ask

them to check it against a set of data.4. Ask students to find similarities or differences between English language

patterns and patterns in their own language.5. Ask students to recall and reconstruct elements of a text that will draw their

attention to significant language features.

Further reading

Both of the Willis books in the suggested reading list below give plenty of veryconcrete examples of such task types. Adopting a TBL approach is hard at the startbecause we dont always have a repertoire of such activities, but the more you do it,the easier it gets.

The two most accessible and practical books on the subject are:

Willis, J. & Willis, D. (eds.) (1996), Challenge and Change in LanguageTeaching. Macmillan (now out of print).Willis, J. (1996),A Framework for Task -Based Learning. Longman

Note from editor: Jane and Dave Willis have recently published another book(see below)

Willis, D. & Willis, J. (2007), Doing Task-based Teaching. OxfordUniversity Press

They have also set up a website which offers articles on task-based teaching anda number of lesson plans: http://www.willis-elt.co.uk/

If you want to read a more academic account of the subject, have a look at:

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. OxfordUniversity Press

I wish you all the best with your experiment. Whether or not you decide to adopt afull-blooded TBL approach, Im sure that youll enjoy trying it out.

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