Task-based language teaching focuses on having students complete meaningful tasks using the target language. There are two types of syllabi - synthetic which focuses on grammar structures, and analytic which focuses on the purposes of communication. Effective tasks have clear outcomes, require students to communicate, and involve planning or problem solving like creating a travel itinerary. Tasks should allow students to complete them through negotiation and interaction without direct help from the teacher. Teachers observe students, note errors, and design new tasks to address problems. The goal is to engage students in purposeful communication through task-based activities.

1. Task-based Language Teaching
Wilkins (1976) : synthetic syllabi & analytic syllabi
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2. Synthetic
syllabi
• Linguistic unit : grammar
structures, vocab items,
functions,…
• Purpose of communication.
Analytic
syllabi
• For which people are learning L
and the kinds of L performance
that are necessary to meet those
purposes.
• CBI & TBL – analytic syllabus
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3. Tasks
• Students need to communicate.
• Have clear outcome -> T n S knw
communication successful or not.
• Exp : S plan an itinerary for a trip. Work in
small group, given certain schedule, they
decide the most direct route to travel by train.
(time)
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4. Thinking abt Experience – Prabhu (1987) - India
Tell they r going to complete a timetable
• Class activities have a perceived purpose n a clear outcome.
T help S to fill out a class schedule.
Done through interaction
• Work through a task n later individually, help to see logic involved in what
they asked to do. Allow L necessary to complete the task.
S label time periods and days
• T breaks into smaller steps the logical thinking process necessary to complete
task. Activity should made without help.
T ask S if particular answer is right.
• T seek way hw to involve S in the process. T negotiation ensures that as many
students as possible in a mixed ability class grasp the nature of activity.
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5. T ask what abt Saturday? Do we have class on
Saturday?
• T dosen’t consiously simplify his language, use L so S cn comprehend
the current step in the pretask.
• Ask Wh Q and yes/no Q. (Strategy interact with less proficient
speakers in/out classroom.)
S reply weekend. Saturday is weekend.
• T supply correct target form by reformulating S said.
T talks abt schedule
• T provide gd models of the target language
Do task in groups, follow instruction, complete a task.
• Jigsaw task, S hv to piece together info, gv opportunity for interaction.
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6. S make errors. T notes them.
• T x necessarily interupt the s when they focused on meaning.
S papers were marked for content
• S should receive feedback on their level of success in completing the
task.
S asked to design a way to survey other s abt their
favorite n least f subjects. Report their findings.
• S hv input into the design n way that they carry out the task. Interact
more.
S repots in the next class
• Public presentation encourages s to work on accuracy n organization
(meaning)
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7. In reports, S use the language they hv been working
on.
• Repeat the L that they hv been working on shows learners wat they
cn /cannot do.
T prepares a new task based on the errors he has
noted.
• ‘Listen and do’ promote acquisition of new vocab n provide good
model for grammatical form. Enhance learning that has taken place
earlier.
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8. Reviewing the Principles
Question
Answer
Goals of teacher
• T facilitate S’s language learning by engaging them in various tasks
has clear outcome.
Role of T n S
• T – choose tasks based on S needs, appropriate level and create pre
task n task follow up.
• T monitor s performance n intervenes.
Characteristics of • Pre-task begins
teaching n
• Introduce s L they need to complete
learning process • Tasks r meaningful n relevant (S knw reason for doing the task n
related to situation outside classroom)
• T monitor s performance n intervenes
• Post task reinforce S learning/ address problems.
Nature of S-T &
S-S interaction
•
•
•
•
•
T – input provider during initial phase.
T - set task for s to perform.
T pay attention
T make note of L n feedback.
S – work together to help each other.
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9. Feeling of the S
dealt with
• S are motivated by doing tasks
L viewed n culture
viewed?
• L – communicating n doing
• Culture – x explicitly dealt with although certain tasks hv culure
focus. (s prepare ethnic food)
Role of students’
naïve language
• No explicit role for the students native language.
How evaluation
accomplished
• T constantly evaluates S in light of task outcomes n the language
they use.
Teacher respond to
S errors
• Focus on form is essential to students’ learning.
• Error correction is done through recasts/ modeling/ gv brief
grammar explanations.
Project Work
• Concerned with real-world language use.
• L practiced in the classroom is nt perdetermined
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10. Techniques
Outputprompting
Tasks
Informationgap Task
Opinion-gap
Task
Reasoning-gap
Task
Technique
Input Providing
Tasks
Unfocused
Tasks
Focused Tasks
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