云南北辰高级中学王艺霖
Abstract:Sincethemiddleof1970s.Englishastheinvestigationofthesecondlanguageorforeignlanguagewasstartedabroad.TheresultofresearchbetrayedthatresultofresearchbetrayedthatemployingthestrategyofEnglishacquisitionplaysavitalroleinpromotionoffosteringtheabilityofEnglishacquisitionandimprovingtheEnglishachievements.Thispapermakesasummaryabouttheprinciple,patternapproachdefining,classify,formandtheproblemsfromtheTask-basedlearninginseniorschoolEnglishteaching.
KeyWords:Task-basedlearning;activity;design
Withtheinformationalofsociallifeandeconomicglobal,English,asoneofthemostimportantmeansofsendinginformation,hasbecomeanimportantpartofthepieceofdevelopmentdisciplineaboutbasiceducationinmanycountries.Thegoaloftask-basedlearningisinaccordancewiththeoneofEnglishteachingnowadays,designingrespectivegoalsthroughdescriptivewayofthestudents“candosomething”,andfosteringtheabilityoflanguageapplicationcomprehensive.
I.DefinitionofTaskandItsForms
Thetask-basedlearningisbasedonresearchingresultoflanguageacquisitionintheory:Inputandactivitiesbetweenteachersandstudents.Inteaching,thiskindofactivityishelpfulforstudentstouselanguage.InTask-basedlearning,thetaskiscentraltothelearningcycle,studentslearnthroughusinglanguagebystrugglingwithmeaning”
DavidNunan(1989)thatthetaskhasstructure.Heclassifiesthetaskofthinkstofiveparts:
1.CoalsofTask:Thegoalistofosterstudent’scommunicantabilityinlanguage.Itnotonlyreferstothespeakingandwritingabilityincorrectgrammar,butincludessociallanguageabilityandtheabilityinstrategy.
2.Inputformingtask:Inputreferstoinformationofdesigningtask.Theinformationdemandstobetrue,andbasedonrealcommunicationinourlives,whichmakesthestudentslearninnatural,realornearlyrealenvironment.
3.Activitiesbasedondesigninginput:activitiesmeanstask.Allkindsofactivitiesaredesignedaccordingtodifferentlevelsofstudents,thestudentscanachievethetaskthroughcooperationwiththeirpartners.
4.Teacherroleandlearnerrole:Teachersshouldallaspromoters,organizersandsupervisors,evenasparticipantsjoininginstudents.Studentsarecommunicators,mainbody;theirmaintasksaretoexchangetheinformation,thereareactiveinlearningandoftentakeactionsinpairsorgroups.
5.Setting:Settingreferstoorganizationpatternofteachingatclassincludingthewaysoftaskachievingtimeallocate，andactivitiesafterclassetc.Soteachersshoulddesignmulti-leveltasksaccordingtoteachinggoalsbuilthominyenvironmentinwhichthetaskiscarriedout,thenteachersgivefairevaluations.Allofthatistodevelopstudents’abilitiesinlanguage,andtofosterthemtolearnactively.
III.Basic-patternandApproachDefining:
ThebasicpatternofteachingEnglishinthewayoftask-basedlearningthemeasfosteringlanguageapplication,studentsasmain-part,topicasmain-line,taskascentre,making“classteachingtobeatask,homeworktobeaprogram,evaluationtobeaprocess.”
JanWillisproposedthreeapproachesoftask-basedlearning.
1)Pre-task:Theprocessthatteachersinputtheirwords.Inshort,words,sentences,dialogsandlanguageknowledgethattheteachersteachthestudentswithcommunicativemethods.
2)Task-cycle:Theprocessthatteachersinstructandhelpstudenttofinishthetaskandthatstudentsoutputtheirwordsthroughemployingaboveknowledgehavebeenlearned.Itiscentraltothewholetask.
3)Post-task:teachersreceivetheresultswhichstudentshandinortheprocessthatteachersmadeevaluationonwhole.
Intheprocessofteaching,startwithrealityanddesigningperseteachingapproaches.Specificwayslikethis:
1)Leading-in/Warmingup(activitiesforinterest).
2)Pre-task(Showandlearnlanguageknowledgeneededforachievingtask,introducethedemandsoftaskandspecificapproaches.Ofcarryingonthetask).
3)While-task(designseveralmin-tasktoformtask-cluster,achievethetaskbyhimself,inpairoringroup)
4)Post-task(Amemberstandsforhisownteamshowsthefinalresultrespectively)
5)Check(self-evaluationevaluateeachotherevaluatebyteacheronwhole)
6)Assignment(Arrangehomework,accordingtocontentsoftaskinclass,relativeprojectworkwillbedonebyoneorbygroup)
IV.ClassificationoftheTask
1)Open-task:notdemandasinglecorrectanswer,butallowexpressingandimaginingfreely.
2)Closed-task:oneanswerorafewlimitedanswers,suitabletothetaskoflanguagestructure.
3)Closed-opentask:Thiskindoftaskownsbothcharacteristicsabove,itemphasizesonstructuralrelationwithopenelements.
Task-basedlearningfullyemphasizesonfosteringstudent’slanguageability,developingstudystrategies,enhancingoriginalandpracticalability.Thisisakindofconceptionofqualityeducation.Asstructuresinthisprocess,teachers’qualitieswillinfluencetheeffectivenessofteachingdirectlyandgreatly,Therefore,Englishteachershouldapplythispatternintopracticewithgreatflexibility.Wearelookforwardtoabetterfutureofthetask-basedlearning.