Module 4, Task 5: Task Types in TBLT -Whats and Hows

 

 

Selecting an appropriate task for a particular group of students is the first and perhaps most important step in ensuring the success of a TBLT lesson. The knowledge of students’ current or future language needs can help teachers choose relevant tasks that will generate rich interaction and create contexts that facilitate language learning.

In order to ensure that students experience a wide range of learning experiences, teachers should make an effort to include a variety of tasks in their teaching practice. The table below introduces six main types of task that could be modified for use with almost any topic.

Tasks

Task type	Processes	What	Sample tasks	Things to keep in mind
Listing	Brainstorming (requires students to draw on their own knowledge and experience) Fact-finding (students find things out by interviewing each other or other people, or by checking relevant resources, e.g. books, the internet)	People, places, things, actions, words, qualities, job-related skills, ways of doing things (remembering new words, saving money)	Groups discuss and present qualities of a good teachers. Groups prepare a list of international English words used in sports, technology, pop songs. In pairs, students prepare a list of the five most significant scientists in the 20th century.	Listing tasks can be simple, and can be used with beginners and young learners. Can be easily designed to have a specific language focus (i.e. listing common questions that tourists ask tourist guides) Can generate a lot of talk because students need to explain their ideas (why they consider certain qualities more important than others)
Ordering and sorting	Students sequence, rank and /or classify items, facts or information.	Sequencing story pictures, ranking items according to cost, popularity, negative or positive	Students match pieces of information to headlines. Students read tips on how to learn a new language and group them under these headings: agree, disagree, undecided.	Ordering and sorting can be based on lists that students have made.
Comparing	Students find similarities or differences.	Local customs, people, countries, opinions, choices	Students discuss their favorite or least favorite subjects at school and compare their reasons for liking /not liking them. Student compare their lists of the most significant scientists in the 20th century and tell each other why they chose them. They combine two lists, but keep it to five people.	Can involve comparing information from different sources or versions
Problem solving	Students find a solution to a problem, puzzle, dilemma.	Logic problems, giving advice, proposing and evaluating solutions, predicting a story ending	Students decide on the best two places – cheap but safe – for a young person traveling alone to stay in their capital city. Students discuss how to make the streets in their city cleaner. They think of three alternative solutions to this problem, list the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, and discuss which solution would be the best one to put forward to the local government.	This is a complex task, it involves fact finding and comparing. It requires higher order thinking and can be challenging, but can also engage and motivate students.
Sharing personal experiences	Students tell stories or anecdotes, share memories, explain opinions, reactions.	Early schooldays, terrible journeys, embarrassing moments, personality quizzes	Students find out what others think about films or TV programs, or current concerns. Students discuss what makes them most annoyed.	Students are encouraged to talk about themselves and share their experiences and points of view.
Creative tasks	Students prepare a project or make a creative piece of work.	Doing and reporting a survey, producing a class newspaper, planning a radio show, designing a brochure	Students design and write a leaflet for visitors to their school or town. Students write and perform a skit based on a short story they have read.	Can have more stages than other tasks, can involve a combination of task types (i.e. listing, ordering, comparing and problem solving); out-of-class research and preparation is sometimes needed

Adapted from Willis 1996 and Willis 2008.

The outlined tasks share some common characteristics: they make students use their existing knowledge; they challenge them to think critically and creatively; they involve interaction; they expand student’ interests; they develop confidence and provide a sense of achievement and enjoyment; and they help students develop learning skills and improve their language competency.

 

References

Willis, D. J. Willis1 (2007) Doing Task-Based Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Willis, J.2 (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman.

Willis, J.3 “Six types of tasks for TBL”. Teaching English. July 2008. https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/six-types-task-tblLinks to an external site.. Accessed on November 15, 2016.

1,2,3 This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use. Please do not save a copy for your personal use, and do not use it after the course ends.