Combining Task-based Language

Teaching with Traditional Approaches

NFLTRA National Teaching Demonstration

Nanjing 25 November 2007

Fusion TeachingFrancis Doogan & Maria Bjorning Gyde

Today’s presentation

Principles – H.D. Brown

Principles - Ellis

TBL advantages and questions

Learning in a Chinese context

Why is the CHC approach different?

How do we best adapt TBL for China?

What is good teaching? Brown, H.D.

The Post Method Era

Automaticity

Meaningful Learning

Anticipation of

Reward

Intrinsic Motivation

Strategic Investment

Language Ego

Self Confidence

Risk taking

Culture

L1 Interference

Interlanguage

Communicative

Competence

Brown, H.Douglas.1994.

General Principles for Successful

Instructed Learning. Ellis, R.

Formulaic Expression

Rule Based Competence

Meaning

Form

Implicit & Explicit Knowledge

Inbuilt syllabus

Extensive Input

Output

Interaction

Individual differences

Assessment – free and controlled

The benefits of TBL

Focuses on use of language for real ocuses on use of language for real communication.communication.

Based on student needs and interestsBased on student needs and interests

Draws on all linguistic resourcesDraws on all linguistic resources

Motivating: context, communication, Motivating: context, communication, outcomesoutcomes

Integrates all four skills Integrates all four skills

Suits different learning stylesSuits different learning styles

Develops communicative fluency & accuracyDevelops communicative fluency & accuracy

Combines with a more traditional approachCombines with a more traditional approach

TBL – some questions

Less structured syllabus?

Inductive learning style?

Insufficient focus on form?

Linguistic short cuts for quick completion?

Time consuming?

Extensive input?

Lexical resources?

Knowledge provided by peers?

Current exams?

What makes the CHC

approach to study successful?

Teacher centered classes

Models

Focus on detail

Deductive style

Focus on memorization

Focus on practice

Culture

What do we need to consider?

Methodology in English language education

needs to be appropriate to the social context

within which it is to be used (Holliday)

Where the first language is close to English,

there are more commonalities to recognize in

the new language and guessing is more likely

to be fruitful. (TESOLANZ Ministry of Education, NZ)

TBL favours an inductive approach

(guessing)

How efficient is it for Mandarin

speakers to guess about English?

Sounds

Structure and directionality of words, sentences

Script

Cultural/Conceptual framework

Do we need to adjust the balance in TBL

to suit China?

Which works where?

Bottom up

Focus on Accuracy

Structural analysis

Teacher Centred

Use of Models, Memorisation and understanding

Translation

Pre-viewing

Focus on Product

Top down

Focus on Fluency and Communicative ability

Learner Centred

Awareness raising and Noticing

Lexical chunks

Extensive skill development

Focus on Process

Can we have it all?

How much should we adapt the learning approach in China?

Communicative language teaching – a cautionary tale

How much should we try to focus on the classroom?

Conclusion

The CHC approach has clear strengths

We need to carefully adapt techniques to ensure teaching & learning are efficient

The classroom may be the best place for teaching

Outside class may be the best place for learning

Bibliography

Brown, H. Douglas (1994) Teaching by Principle: an

Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Prentice Hall Regents.

Ellis, R. (2005) Instructed Second Language Acquisition: A Literature

Review. Report to the Ministry of Education, NZ.

Holliday, A. (1994). Appropriate Methodology and Social Context,

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Ministry of Education NZ. http://www.tki.org.nz/e/tki. Retrieved 20 Nov

2007