评述任务型教学法在中国的运用.docx

评述任务型教学法在中国的运用.docx

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评述任务型教学法在中国的运用

评述任务型教学法在中国的运用

AcloseexaminationofTask-basedTasklanguageteachingintheChinesecontext评述任务型教学法在中国的运用中国外语教育中心文秋芳Email:

Wenqiufang@1

TopicstobeaddressedtodayGeneralViewsaboutTask-basedlanguageteaching（TBLT）inChina中国英语教学界对任务型教学法的普遍看法Mypersonalviewandexplanations我个人的看法及理由SuggestionsabouttheadaptationofTBLTintheChinesecontext对任务型教学法在中国运用的建议2

GeneralviewsaboutTBLTinChinaInnovative,effective–TBLTrecommendedasaneffectiveteachingapproachforprimaryandsecondaryschoolsin“EnglishCourseGuidelines”issuedbyMinistryofEducationin20013

GeneralviewsaboutTBLTinChinaYueShouguo,2002,AnintroductiontotaskbasedlanguageteachingApproach,ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearch,5:

364-367.（任务语言教学法概要、理据及运用）任务语言教学法:

概要、理据及运用）任务语言教学法Huang,Yuanzheng,2003,TeachingandlearningthenewEnglishcourse,Fuzhou:

FujianEducationPress.（新课程英语教和学）新课程英语教和学）新课程英语教和学4

QuestionIsTask-basedlanguageteachingimportabletoChina?

5

Sampson（1985）Noteachingmethodcanbevaluefreeandhencenoteachingmethodcanbeuniversallyapplicable.–ExportinglanguageteachingmethodsfromCanadatoChinainForeignLanguageTeachingandResearch,1:

4451.6

MypersonalviewsInnovativebutnotnecessarilyeffectiveinChinaparticularlyforprimaryandsecondaryschoolstudentsAdaptableforbetteringELTinChinabutnotimportablewithoutanymodifications7

Whyinnovative?

Previousteachingapproaches（AL&CLT）Syllabus（Whattoteach）Procedures（Howtoteach）Task-basedlanguageteachingLinguisticcontentTasks（structures/functionsornotions）PresentationPracticeProductionPre-taskDuring-taskPost-task8

TaskTask-basedlanguageteaching（What）Treattasksasteachingunitsanddesignawholecoursearoundthetasks（Ellis,2003）9

Prabhu’Prabhu’sview（citedbyEllis,2003）Itwasnecessarytoabandonthepreselectionoflinguistictermsinanyformandinsteadspecifythecontentofteachingintermsofholisticunitsofcommunication,i.e.tasks.Inthisway,heclaimed,itwouldbepossibletoteach‘throughcommunication’ratherthan‘forcommunication’.10

Whatisatask?

Skehan（1996）Ataskis‘anactivityinwhich:

meaningisprimary;thereissomesortofrelationshiptotherealworld;taskcompletionhassomepriority;andtheassessmentoftaskperformanceisintermsoftaskoutcome’.11

Whatisatask?

Nunan（1989）Acommunicativetaskis‘apieceofclassroomworkwhichinvolveslearnersincomprehending,manipulating,producing,orinteractinginthetargetlanguagewhiletheirattentionisprincipallyfocusedonmeaningratherthanonform.Thetaskshouldalsohaveasenseofcompleteness,beingabletostandaloneasacommunicativeactinitsownright12

ExamplesoftasksBorrowingalibrarybookMakinganairlinereservationWritingachequeOpeningabankaccountPostaletterinthepost-office13

Sixcriterialfeaturesofatask（Ellis,2003:

9-10）9Ataskisaworkplan.Ataskinvolvesaprimaryfocusonmeaning.Ataskinvolvesreal-worldprocessesoflanguageuse.Ataskcaninvolveanyofthefourlanguageskills.Ataskengagescognitiveprocesses.Ataskhasclearlydefinedcommunicativeoutcome.14

AdvantagesofusingtasksAuthenticMotivatingChallengingUsinglanguageActiveparticipationCognitivedevelopment15

WhynoteffectiveinChina,particularlyforbeginnersandlowlow-intermediates?

TheoreticallyunjustifiablePedagogicallyinfeasible16

TheoreticallyunjustifiableThefunctionsofalanguageEducationalperspective–GoalsoflearningEnglish–Formal/informaleducationCriticalpedagogicalperspectivePsycholinguisticperspective17

Overemphasisonreferential/transactionalfunctions?

Corebusinesstalk?

Workrelatedtalk?

Socialtalk?

PhaticcommunionHolmes’continuum（2000,citedbyDavid,2003:

p.72）18

ThegoalsoflearningaforeignlanguageForperformingcommunicativetasksForwideningstudents’horizonsandsharpeningthemawarenessofculturaldifferences19

‘Educationalreforms’inthereforms’CulturalrevolutionTeachinginmiddleschool–Physics（hand-tractor,motor,dieselengineandwaterpump）（三机一泵）（三机一泵三机一泵）–Botany（rice,wheatandcotton）Teachinginuniversity–Open-doorschooling–Project-basedandtypicalproduct-basedteaching20

Problemsinthiskindof‘reform’reform’Bynature,thiskindof‘reform’relegatedwhole-person-developmenteducationtospecificorvocationalskills’training.FragmentaryandunsystematicknowledgeUnsustainableimprovement21

TBLTnotconducivetosustainedimprovement–Tasks:

toospecificwithoutgeneralizability–Unsystematiclinguisticknowledge22

Formal/informaleducationFormaleducationshouldbemoreefficientthanself-directedinformallearning–swimming,painting,drivingFormaleducationshouldempowerstudents23

LarsenLarsen-Freeman（2003）Thepointofeducationistoacceleratethelanguageacquisitionprocess,notbesatisfiedwithortrytoemulatewhatlearnerscandoontheirown.Graspingalanguagesystemcanempowerstudents.24

ThecriticalpedagogyAcriticalpedagogyrequiresthatanyparticularapproachtolanguageteachingbeanalyzedtouncoveritsunderlyingsocio-politicalmessages.（Ellis,2003:

331）WhatisthenormforEFLlearnerstofollowintask-basedteaching?

Nativespeakers.Whatistheroleofthelearner’smothertongue?

AvoidingtheuseofL1.25

VivianCook（1999）ThelanguageusedbysuccessfulL2usersshouldbeamodelforL2learners.TreatL2usersintheirownrightbutnotdeficientnativespeakers,failednatives.ComparingthecharacteristicsofnativespeakersandofL2usersislikecomparingtomatoesandapples,usefulonlyatagrosslevel.26

VivianCook（1999）Apartfromthenever-dyingbutusuallydecriedgrammar-translationmethod,virtuallyalllanguageteachingmethodssincetheReformMovementofthe1880s,whethertheaudiolingualandaudiovisualmethods,thecommunicativemethod,ortheSilentWay,haveinsistedthatteachingtechniquesshouldnotrelyontheL1.（p.201）27

PsycholinguisticperspectiveLimitedattentionalresourcesAutomaticity–Frequencyeffects28

AdangerousmomentStudentAHaveyoueverbeeninasituationwhereyoutellyourlifewasindanger?

Describethesituationtoyourpartner.Tellhim/herwhathappened.Giveanaccountofhowyoufeltwhenyouwereindangerandafterward.StudentBListentoyourpartnertellyouaboutadangerousmomentinhis/herlife.Drawapicturetoshowwhathappenedtoyourpartner.Showhim/heryourpicturewhenyouhave29finishedit.

PedagogicallyinfeasibleDifficulttocoverthewholelanguagesystemLackteacherswhoaresufficientlyproficientinEnglishtoengageeasilyandcomfortablyinface-to-faceinteraction.Reducingstudents’confidence30

RodEllis’view（2003）Ellis’Itshouldbenotedthattherationalefortask-basedsyllabusesislargelytheoreticalinnature,therebeinglittleempiricalevidencetodemonstratethattheyaresuperiortolinguisticsyllabuses（p.210）31

Ellis’Ellis’framework（2003,p.206）Tasks1.Tasktypes2.Themes/topics3.SequencingcriteriaLanguageFormsFunctionsTask-basedsyllabusUnfocusedtasksFocusedtasksTeachingmaterials—taskworkplans32

Twooptions（Ellis,2003）OptionOne:

unfocusedtasks–Specifythetaskstobeincluded–Determinetheirthematiccontent–SequencethetasksOptionTwo:

focusedtasks–Specifythetaskswhileconsideringtheformsandfunctionsoflanguage–Introduceafocusonformintoameaning-centeredcurriculum33

OptionOne:

NeglectthelinguisticcontentLinguisticcontentTasksUnfocused-tasks?

PronunciationGrammarVocabularyDiscourseNotionsFunctions34

OptionTwo:

DifficulttoimplementTasksFocused-tasks?

LinguisticcontentPronunciationGrammarVocabularyDiscourseNotionsFunctions35

LackEnglishteacherswithhighL2oralproficiencyFirst,task-basedinstructionisseenasimpracticalinforeignlanguagecontextsbecauseofthelimitedclasstimeavailableforteachingtheL2.Second,task-basedteachingisseenasdifficulttoimplementbynon-nativespeakingteacherswhoseL2oralproficiencyisuncertain.36

EnglishteachinginChinaLevelofeducationTertiaryinstitutionNumberofstudents16millionSeniormiddleschool29millionJuniormiddleschoolTotal67million112million（Jan.6,2004,China’sMinistryofEducation）37

Withoutcapitalizingonnon-nativenonteachers’teachers’strengthsMedgyes（1994）pointstoseveraladvantagesofteachersbeingnon-nativespeakers—theyprovidegoodmodelsfortheirstudents,theyknowwhatlearningstrategiescanbeusefullytaught,theycansupplyinformationabouttheEnglishlanguage,theycananticipateandpreventdifficulties,theyaregoodatshowingempathy,and,mostobviously,theycanexploittheuseofthestudents’L1.Task-basedteaching,however,maynotbethemostobviousvehicleformaximizingthesestrengths.38

Reducingstudents’confidencestudents’Withoutadequatepracticeoftheneededstructures,studentswerereluctanttospeakinaso-calledmeaning-drivencommunication.Onehighlypossibleexplanationisthattheylackadequatepracticeindoingso.（Larsen-Freeman,2003,p.100）39

AdaptablebutnotimportableRodEllis’view（2003）–Task-basedlanguageteaching–Task-supportedlanguageteaching40

Ellis’Ellis’suggestionItsuggeststhat…acleardistinctionneedstobemadebetweenaskingteacherstoadoptataskbasedcourseandaskingthemtoexperimentwithindividualtasksalongsidetheirexistingpractices.Theformerischallengingandonewouldpredictthattheinnovationwouldrunintoproblems.Thelatterisrelativelyunthreateningasitrequiresonlymodificationtothewayteachersteach,ratherthanaradicalchange.Itislikelytosucceed.（p.323）41

TaskTask-supportedlanguageteachingTeachingbasedonalinguisticcontent,whetherthisisspecif