Pedagogical realities of implementing task-based language teaching. Rosemary Erlam, Constanza Tolosa

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Erlam, Rosemary.

Contributor:

Tolosa, Constanza.

Series:

Task-Based Language Teaching

Task-Based Language Teaching vol. 14

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Study and teaching--Methodology.

Language and languages.

Task analysis in education.

Language and languages--Study and teaching--New Zealand--Case studies.

Language teachers--In-service training--New Zealand--Case studies.

Language teachers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam/Philadelphia John Benjamins 2022.

Summary:

"This book documents how teachers, working in school foreign language learning contexts and teaching beginner learners of languages other than English, learn about and use tasks. It first presents a pedagogically researched account of how teachers learn about, design and evaluate tasks, after being introduced to TBLT during an in-service programme. The authors then go into classrooms to explore ways in which teachers continue to use tasks, as part of their regular ongoing classroom language programmes, following their in-service education. The book documents how the teachers use tasks to open up opportunities for language learning for students and investigates how teachers understand and position tasks and TBLT as relevant and of value to their teaching contexts. The challenges that teachers face in incorporating TBLT into their practice are also explored. The book suggests how the use of the task as a pedagogic tool may contribute to ongoing understanding about TBLT"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Pedagogical Realities of Implementing Task-Based Language Teaching

Editorial page

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication page

Table of contents

Chapter 1. Researching the implementation of TBLT in the classroom

Introduction

An under-researched context

Why TBLT?

The theoretical rationale for TBLT

From a cognitive-interactionist perspective

From a sociocultural perspective

The pedagogical rationale for tasks

Authentic and meaningful use of language

The development of language fluency

Motivating learners

The options for TBLT in the pedagogical context

Task-based learning and teaching approach

Task-referenced teaching and learning approach

Task-supported language teaching (TSLT) approach

Issues to consider in the implementation of TBLT

The syllabus

The assessment-driven curriculum

The beginner language learner

The foreign-language proficiency of the teacher

Lack of resources and time

Teachers' understanding of the construct of task

Maintaining control and orienting learners to tasks and TBLT

The New Zealand context

The curriculum

The learning languages area in the New Zealand Curriculum

The assessment of learning

Support for language teaching with the implementation of the new curriculum

An initiative to equip teachers to teach languages in New Zealand schools - TPDL

Structure and personnel

Language study

SLA pedagogy

The introduction days

The course content of pedagogy Days 3 to 8

Days 3 and 4

Days 5 and 6

Day 7

Day 8

Course assessment

In-school support component

The current research and its relationship to the TPDL programme

Summary of factors relevant to implementation of TBLT/tasks in the New Zealand context

Learning a language is not a requirement

The acquisition-poor context

The curriculum.

NCEA - the assessment system

The post-method phase in language teaching

Outline of the book

Introduction to Part 1: Learning about TBLT and tasks

Language teacher learning

The data we collected

The participants

Outline of Part 1 of the book

Chapter 2. Teachers learning about TBLT and tasks

Reflection

The reading log assignment

Teachers' understandings of the rationale and theory behind TBLT

Teachers' prior experience with tasks or TBLT

Understanding of the content of the selected reading

Use of SLA and TBLT terminology

Inclusion of a description of a task

Summary

Relevance that teachers ascribe to TBLT in their current teaching contexts

Differences teachers notice between TBLT and their current pedagogical approach

Evidence of reflection on own language learning

Evidence of reflection on current language teaching practices

Pedagogical insights

Planned changes to practices

Conclusion

Chapter 3. Teacher learning through inquiry into TBLT

Inquiry

The learning inquiry assignment

Context of teaching

Focus of learning inquiry

Task design and planning

What informed task design

Selection and/or design of tasks

Evaluation of task design against task criteria

Task evaluation

Task revision

Teachers' conclusions of their inquiries

Limitations

Teachers' conclusions about the focus of the inquiry

Teachers' final reflections

Chapter 4. From learning about TBLT to implementing TBLT: From learning about TBLT to implementing TBLT

Section I: Bringing TBLT to practice

Impact of the TPDL professional learning programme

Changes to practice

TBLT and language teaching

Alignment of TBLT with the New Zealand Curriculum

TBLT as a language teaching methodology

Implementing TBLT.

The roles of tasks

Enablers and constraints for implementing TBLT

Enablers to implementing TBLT

Constraints to implementing TBLT

Section II: TBLT in the classroom

Teachers' practices

Sara - teaching Spanish to Year 1 students

Observed lesson

Main task

Example of interaction (teacher and student discourse)

Student voice

Teacher reflections

Conclusion - Sara

Melissa - teaching Chinese to Year 2 students

Conclusion - Melissa

David - teaching Spanish to Year 9 students

Conclusion - David

TBLT as seen in teacher practices

Introduction to Part 2: Tasks in the classroom

Rationale for the choice of teachers

The initial approach to participants

Recording of teacher discourse

Recording of student discourse

Observation data

Documents

Questionnaires

Interviews with teachers

Handling the data

Identifying the tasks

An activity that fulfilled all task criteria

An activity that did not meet task criteria

Outline of this section of the book

Chapter 5. Voices from the classroom

Data sets

Analysis of classroom transcript data

Analysis of questionnaire data

The 10 tasks

Tania's classroom: Task 1. Categorising sports

Comments

Other phases of this lesson

The task-as-process

Student feedback

Tania's classroom: Task 2. Conversation

What we would conclude from Tania's two lessons containing Tasks 1 and 2

Margaret's classroom: Task 3. The teacher at age 6

Margaret's classroom: Task 4. My childhood

Other phases of the lesson.

The task-as-process

What we would conclude from Margaret's two lessons containing Tasks 3 and 4

Linda's classroom: Task 5. Making predictions

Other phases of the lesson

What we would conclude from Linda's lesson containing Task 5

Emily's classroom: Task 6. Treasure Hunt

Emily's classroom: Task 7. Working with Mazes

What we would conclude from Emily's two lessons containing Tasks 6 and 7

Shona's classroom: Task 8. Murder mystery

What we would conclude from Shona's lesson containing Task 8

Toby's classroom: Task 9. How well do you know your classmate?

Toby's classroom: Task 10. Finding a friend

What we would conclude from Toby's lessons containing Tasks 9 and 10

Chapter 6. An evaluation of the use of tasks in the classroom

Evidence of teacher fulfilment of task criteria

Target tasks and pedagogic tasks

Task goals

Focused or unfocused tasks

Communicative goals

The task cycle

Task type

The language skills tasks focused on

Willis and Willis's taxonomy of tasks (Willis, 1996

Willis &amp

Willis, 2007)

Implementation of principles of TBLT

Chapter 7. The teachers' perspectives

Teacher orientation to tasks and TBLT

Priority as a teacher

Learning on the TPDL course

Impact on practice

Learning about and reaction to TBLT during professional development

Prior knowledge of TBLT.

Learning about tasks and TBLT during the TPDL programme

Teachers' understanding and implementation of TBLT

The target task versus the pedagogic task

Teacher awareness of the task cycle

The starting point for the task

Focus on language form in TBLT and tasks

Implementing TBLT and including tasks in lessons

The benefits of and role for tasks

Factors motivating or constraining implementation of TBLT and use of tasks

System level factors

Teacher level factors

Student level factors

Embracing TBLT and tasks in the classroom: Accounting for change in teacher practice

Chapter 8. Conclusion

Learning about tasks

Implementing tasks in the classroom

Tasks opening up "pedagogical spaces" for language learning

Communicating with the language: Giving learners control

Repeated encounters: Recycling the language

Task as the context for both language learning and language use

The task as assessment

The context behind the use of tasks and TBLT

The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment context

Blurring the dichotomies

Object or medium of instruction

Incidental or intentional learning

Implicit knowledge or explicit knowledge

The challenge for TBLT

The TB syllabus - realistic or not?

TBLT needs to account for a wider range of language learning requirements

The applicability of task criteria

Equipping teachers to implement TBLT and use tasks in their instructional contexts

Time for professional learning

Preparing students for the language demands of the task

Input-based tasks

Focus on form in relation to task

Helping teachers to understand task

Access to resources

Differentiating for the learner

In summary

References.

Appendix 1. Description of in-school support component of TPDL.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

This eBook is made available Open Access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

ISBN:

9789027258168

OCLC:

1293252779

Access Restriction:

Open Access Unrestricted online access