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Date Posted: 12:22:39 06/30/03 Mon
Author: Myla (Mylene Fonseca)
Subject: task 9

Communicative Approach On line Class
Learner: Mylene Fonseca Garcia
Task Nine

Explain with your own words what a task-based language learning is.


According to Crandall , task-based or experiential learning is an approach which “contexts are provided for developing thinking and study skills as well as language and academic concepts for students of different levels of language proficiency”. Therefore, students are faced to deal with authentic data in an assortment of subjects, that is, they learn specific academic language by carrying out definite tasks or projects. Thus, they practice not only the language but they are able to learn new specific inputs which cover other areas, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, and others. This experience takes place in a real life situation, which enables the student to built his/her knowledge primarily from original sources.
By combining language learning with academic concepts/subjects, the class praises for the student more complex experiences in which they “do science” instead of only reading about it. One can easily see how richer this is. It is really a good example of authentic and reliable contextualizations where a second language learner could feel himself or herself as similar as possible to a native speaker/learner.
Another advantage of task-based learning is that “language in classroom [is] meaningful therefore memorable, students can process language which is been learned or recycled more naturally ”. So, this approach’s goal is the task (classroom activity) in which the students are free to use any language, as the aim is to focus on meaning. They use the language to achieve and accomplish their task. “Playing a game, solving a problem or sharing information or experiences, can all be considered as relevant and authentic tasks.” The primarily point is that when doing so, the students use language functionally, contextualizing any authentic possible situation. As they learn new specific language input, they experience this learning as naturally as possible.
Besides, teacher’s feedback and reflection are essential as presumed. According to McKinnon and Rigby, “we feel that teachers have responsibility to enrich their student’s language when they see it is necessary but students should be given the opportunity to use English in the classroom as they use their own languages in everyday life”. So, teachers should guide the students stimulating their participation with clear feedbacks and offering them a place where they could express themselves.
Summing up, a task-based learning class is part of a communicative approach as both share similarities such as focus on meaning, student’s stimulation to participate and communicate in class, use of authentic (not too controlled) materials, etc. The new information is that this class uses academic subjects making student’s reality more tangible for him or her. In other words, s/he faces new subjects of his or her academic environment practicing them as a ESL learners.

http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/cranda01.html(visited in 06-27-03)
http://www.onestopenglish.com/news/Magazine/Archive/elt_taskbased.htm

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