The effectiveness of tasks as a unit of analysis in material development

1. The Effectiveness of Tasks as a
Unit of Analysis in Material
Development
By: Monir Ghasemi

2. Unfocused tasks
• Learners choose from a range of forms
• With no emphasis on the use of a specific
form

3. Synthetic Syllabuses
Lexico- grammatical
Linguistically – controlled materials
Presentation, production, practice
Teacher- fronted classes

4. Analytic Syllabuses
• Holistic
• Natural and authentic representation of the
target language
• Focus on meaning
• Focus on communicative competence
• Focus on procedural knowledge

5. Procedural and Tasked-Based
Syllabuses
• Prabhu`s attempt in Bangalore (1987)
• Focus on meaning and communicative competence
• Interaction between knowledge and procedure
• Tasks as unit of analysis
1. organizing materials and lessons around tasks is
compatible with SLA theories
2. tasks as unit of needs analysis is consistent with
the philosophy of education principles

6. • 3. Tasked- based analysis of language use
surrounding accomplishments of target tasks
reveal more about dynamic qualities of target
discourse.
• 4. Existing descriptions created by
knowledgeable insiders in both the public and
private sectors of the work involved in
education, vocational training,
occupations,jobs are always tasked- based.

7. Definitions of Tasks
• Prabhu (1987) : task is an activity which requires learners to
arrive at an outcome from given information through some
process of thought, and which allows teachers to control and
regulate the process.
• Nunan (1989) task is a piece of classroom work which involves
learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or
interacting in the target language while their attention is
principally focused on meaning rather than forms.
• Swain (2001) task is an activity which requires learners to use
language, with emphasis on meaning, to attain an objective.

8. Ellis (2003): critical features of a
task
A task is a work plan.
A task involves in a primary focus on meaning.
A task involves real- world processes.
A task can involve any of the four language skills.
A task engage cognitive processes.
A task has a clearly defined communicative
outcome.

9. Different Types of Tasks
• Target tasks
• Pedagogical tasks
• Real- world tasks

10. Classifying Tasks
• A pedagogic classification
• A rhetorical classification
• A cognitive classification
• A psycholinguistic classification
• Ellis 2003

11. Grading
• Valency and criticality
• Frequency
• Learnability
• Complexity and difficulty

12. Rationale for the Task- based
syllabuses
Learners can use language for meaningful
communication
Tasks are decided based on the needs analysis
Analyzing the target situation through life- like tasks
Developing communicative competence as well as
linguistic competence
Learners as potential social actors
Using language in construction of target discourse
 task- based syllabuses are supported with SLA
theories

13. • To engage learners to in using language
purposefully and cooperatively.
• To give learners chance to try out
communicative strategies.
• To develop learners` confidence that they can
achieve communicative goals.( Willis, 1996)

14. Rational for Using Tasks
To facilitate students language learning by
engaging them in a variety of tasks that have a
clear outcome.( Larsen Freeman, 2001)
To give learners confidence in trying out
whatever language they know.
To give learners experience of spontaneous
interaction, to give learners the chance to
benefit from noticing how others express
similar meanings.( Willis, 1996)

15. Tasks, Interaction, and SLA
• Learners interaction
• The negotiation of meaning
• Communicative effectiveness
• Different features of task design might result
in the kind of interaction hypothesized to be
important for acquisition. Meaning
negotiation leads to acquisition.

16. • Tasks provide both the input and output
processing necessary for language acquisition.
• Tasks activity and achievement are
motivational .
• Learning difficulty can be negotiated and fine-
tuned for particular pedagogical purpose.
• ( Richards and Rodgers, 2001).

17. • The restricted nature of task- based
communication( the multifunctional view of
language)
• The cultural relativity of task-based teaching
• The impossibility of teaching language as
communication
• Encouraging fluency at the expense of
accuracy
Theoretical Objections

18. Incorporating a focus on form into
a tasked-based syllabus
• An integrated approach
• A modular approach

19. Thank you