Introduction to TASK BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING (TBLT) | TEFL Tips

Summary

In this educational video, Martin explains Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), an approach focusing on meaningful tasks over grammar units. TBLT emphasizes real-world language use, leading to increased motivation and proficiency. The video outlines TBLT's theoretical foundations, including the importance of lexical units and spoken interaction. It also discusses the teacher's role in facilitating tasks and the three-phase process of task introduction, completion, and post-task activities. Martin invites feedback on TBLT experiences and encourages viewers to suggest future topics.

Takeaways

• 😀 Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is an approach focused on using tasks for language teaching and learning, emphasizing meaningful communication over grammar instruction.
• 📚 TBLT contrasts with the traditional PPP (Present, Practice, Produce) approach by promoting language emergence through tasks rather than pre-teaching grammar rules.
• 🌐 TBLT offers students a variety of language exposure, including lexical phrases, collocations, and language patterns, which are essential for real-world communication.
• 📈 Early studies, such as the Malines Communication Syllabus (1975) and the Bangalore Project (1987), supported the use of tasks in language teaching, despite their brevity.
• 🎓 Benefits of TBLT include increased motivation, opportunities for natural repetition, flexibility in curriculum, emphasis on learning strategies, error correction, risk-taking in language production, high proficiency results, and student satisfaction.
• 🗣️ TBLT's theoretical underpinnings assume that language is a tool for meaning-making, achieving goals, using lexical units, and that interaction is key to language acquisition.
• 🧠 In TBLT, learning is seen as an internal, organic process where form facilitates language learning, and tasks help learners notice gaps in their language skills.
• 📝 The teacher's role in TBLT involves motivating students, providing clear instructions, and supporting interaction during tasks without correcting errors prematurely.
• 🔄 TBLT involves a three-step process: introducing the task, supporting the task, and a post-task phase, which includes reflection and consolidation of learning.
• 🔑 TBLT activities can include information gap tasks, problem-solving, decision-making, and opinion exchange, aiming to promote interaction and language use beyond the classroom.

Q & A

What is Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)?

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is an approach to language education where students engage in functional tasks that focus primarily on meaning exchange and using language for real-world non-linguistic purposes.

How does TBLT differ from the PPP (Present-Practice-Produce) approach?

In the PPP approach, the focus is on pre-teaching elements of grammar, whereas TBLT is more open, allowing language to emerge through meaningful tasks rather than focusing solely on grammar units.

What were the two early studies that looked at task-based approaches for language teaching?

The two early studies were the Malines-Nijmegen Communication Syllabus in 1975 and the Bangalore Project in 1987.

What are some benefits of using a TBLT approach according to the video?

Benefits include greater motivation, opportunities for repetition without boredom, flexibility in curriculum, emphasis on learning strategies, natural error correction, risk-taking in language production, high proficiency results, and increased student satisfaction.

What are the key assumptions made in the theory of language for TBLT?

The key assumptions are that language is primarily for making meaning, achieving real-life goals, with lexical units being key for language use and learning, and that spoken interaction is central to language acquisition.

How does the theory of learning differ in TBLT?

In TBLT, language learning is seen as internally determined by the learner, an organic process, with a focus on form that facilitates language learning, negotiation of meaning, and interaction and communication providing scaffolded learning.

What is the role of the teacher in a TBLT classroom?

The teacher's role includes motivating and engaging students, providing clear instructions about the tasks, and offering support and interaction while students are completing the tasks.

What are the proposed six activity types for TBLT in the language classroom?

The six activity types are: jigsaw tasks, information gap tasks, problem-solving tasks, decision-making tasks, and opinion exchange tasks.

What is the procedure for following a TBLT approach?

The procedure consists of three steps: introducing the tasks, supporting and helping with the task, and a post-task phase.

How can teachers introduce tasks in a TBLT approach?

Teachers can introduce tasks by sharing images, experiences, brainstorming ideas, using important language, listening to an element of the task, or reading a text to engage students.

What is the focus during the task phase in TBLT?

During the task phase, the focus is on students using the language they already have to complete the activity, with the teacher monitoring and helping with language formulation without correcting at that time.