2. Good teachers naturally take account of the
context in which they teach—the culture,
students, institutional factors (Bax 2003)
The “methods movement—the research for
one best method would seem to be well and
truly dead (Nunan 2001)
3. Agenda
1st half of the class: Focus on Task Based
Instruction. Class activity, discussions,
presentations.
2nd half of the class: The shortcomings of CLT
(The CLT attitude) and the context approach.
5. Annie says…
Input is a crucial aspect in language learning,
along with interaction, these two combined are still
not enough. I always agreed that input alone is
not enough because it provides no opportunity for
practice or learning through interaction, this article
suggests that focus on form is equally as
important. I thought this was interesting because I
never really remember focusing on form when
learning my native language, but I did find it
important when acquiring my L2. This was
somewhat eye opening to me because once I
began learning my L2, I started comparing the
forms and meanings to my L1 which in turn
helped me develop my L1 as well.
6. Nicolletta says…
One aspect I loved about the Skehan article was that he
brings up interaction and how “interaction, in itself, is not
enough, and insinuation of a focus on form into interaction is
very vital” (2). This reminds me so much of how I would go
about teaching writing. In the teaching of writing both form
and interaction with peers is so important to help a writer
progress. Both form and interaction as well help the student
to focus on meaning and to convey information to one
another which is another aspect Skehan discusses. Like the
article says feedback arises when meaning is problematic—
this cannot be truer when it comes to reading students
papers and making comments. My comments on students‟
drafts are usually comprised of questions I have for them.
Also I love that he brings up the issue of planning. Planning is
another huge aspect of writing and the teaching of writing.
Some of our best ideas and best writing comes from the
prewriting or planning stage.
7. Becca says…
Skehan mentioned that although input and
interaction combined were beneficial, it was
not enough. What Skehan stated was the most
important was form. When learning English as
a young child, I never paid attention to form
and any type of strategies for that matter.
Therefore, when I think about my English
language abilities I can never relate. However,
in my L2, Spanish, I realized that form is a
really important aspect in learning a language
since I would compare comprehension and
and structure to my L1 language.
8. Dialogues around Task-based
Focus on form vs Focus on content
Within the use of tasks,. There needs to be a
specific focus on form
Interaction in itself is not enough
Insinuation of focus on form into interaction is
vital
9. Roles in task based instruction
Roles of teachers
Roles of researchers
Roles of testers
10. Issues arising from the adaptability
of tasks
ISSUE # 1: Is it authentic enough? Used in real
communicative activity?
ISSUE # 2: Are we overly focusing on
information transmission and exchange?
11. Approaches to task-based
instruction
4 major approaches:
1. Psycholinguistic approach to interaction
2. Social interactive approach
3. A cognitive perspective
4. A concern for structure-focussed tasks
12. Psycholinguistic approach to
interaction
Negotiation of meaning (Long 1983, 1989)
Recasting, the importance of recasting in
corrective feedback. When is it good to be
recasting?
Precasting
Critiques towards these approaches?
13. Sociocultural approach to task-
based instruction
Tasks need to speak to learner‟s individual
needs and social interests.
Negotiation of meaning is not emphasized.
Instead meaning is build collaboratively.
Interactions vary depending on how
collaborative and symmetrical the relationships
of interlocutors are.
14. Cognitive approaches
Psychological processes students are
engaged in while completing tasks.
How is language performance affected by task
characteristics and task conditions?
15. Important concepts to know from
his article
Measuring performance on tasks. How do you
assess students‟ language accuracy vs fluency
in TBL?
Tasks and pedagogy: What are some of the
pedagogical aspects of task research for
classroom pedagogy and practice? E,G, Does
the use of structured task promote accuracy?
Does a task that is familiar promote fluency?
Hod do you need to effectively organize tasks?
16. How does a task look in the
classroom context?
According to Samuda, there are knowledge-
construction tasks and knowledge activating
tasks.
Knowledge construction tasks: Tasks that
intend to introduce learners new language
forms. See the example on page 10.
Knowledge activation tasks: Tasks that let the
learners use the language forms they already
know but do not otherwise use.
17. What are the roles of teachers?
To lead behind, to help learners engage with
the task.
To provide relevant assistance.
Rigorous teaching preparation is needed to
plan ahead [Pre-task, task, cycle, language
focus].
Teachers take risks. Unpredictability of class
sequence. Seeing how the interaction goes in
whatever direction learners take it.
18. Critiques within task based
research…
Cognitive oriented researchers do not work
within a negotiation of meaning framework.
Sociocultural theorists have doubts about the
impact of interaction in task-based approaches
on langauge acquisition.
19. Critiques outside task-based
research…
Negotiation of meaning is insufficient as an
account of the complexity of classroom
interactional patterns.
Task-based approaches are too concerned
with referential tasks and may ignore social
dimension of language use.
Working on tasks can be face-threatening to
the participants.
20. Class activity in groups
Discuss what perspectives of the CLT and
TBLT do you see in this language activity?
What are some of the issues that concerns
you in regards to focusing on form and
focusing on content? Discuss the weaknesses
and strengths of this particular activity. Please
make specific references to the Skehan article.
22. Laura says…
The last article, Potential Cultural Resistance to Pedagogical
Imports: The Case of Communicative Language Teaching in China,
by Guangwei Hu, has really brought everything together for me as
well as raise some important issues that may arise in classrooms.
The article discusses that communicative language teaching in
China is important, however, it goes against the Chinese social
culture of learning. This is something I have never considered, but
it is so obvious. Not to stereotype, but it is common to see a
Chinese classroom run by teacher centered approaches and
traditional methods. The Chinese students have primarily learned
English through grammar-translation and audiolingualism but this
approach has failed to develop an adequate level of communicative
competence. The question I have is this: Just because the Chinese
are learning English does not mean that they have to adapt an
American-like culture classroom, but how do they obtain the
communicative competence they need? How did they originally
obtain their L1 communicative competence?
23. Bethany says…
Hu‟s article talks about how the Chinese have learned English
through grammar translation and the audiolingual method. The
approach was popular and worked within their culture however
many Chinese have had difficulty in their communicative
competency. As a result, they tried to use CLT, but now we have
seen that there is still no change in the learning outcome.
Understanding culture is so important when it comes to teaching.
When I read all of the goals of Communicative Language Teaching I
think that it sounds like a wonderful approach. However, it sounds
like a good approach within the contexts of my own culture and if I
were the one learning a foreign language. Hu‟s article brings light
to the fact that as a teacher I‟m not teaching myself; I‟m teaching
other students who will come from completely different
backgrounds, worldviews, and cultures. In the Chinese culture, CLT
doesn‟t work because they perceive games and communicative
activities as entertainment instead of learning. They view education
as a process of accumulating knowledge instead of a process of
constructing and using knowledge. The idea that students are
discoverers and contributors of knowledge in education is
completely opposite to the value placed on books and direct
instruction in Chinese culture. In China students are taught to
24. Bethany also adds…
Bax‟s article is a perfect follow-up to Hu because
context really is so important. I‟m so happy that I
read this because it can be so easy to fall into the
western idea of “best practice” and apply it
everywhere. Now I see another reason behind
the importance of knowing your students well and
familiarizing yourself with their cultures. I totally
agree with Bax that context should be first and
everything else will stem from there. I see how
there‟s not one best methodology, but that there
are different methodologies that work well within
different contexts. I really see how context
can/should completely change the way that you
teach.
25. Emily says…
“The End of CLT: A Context Approach to Language Leaching”
by Stephen Bax touched on some of the issues that were
addressed during the last class. It talked about the paradigm
shift from CLT. Bax proposed that the new shift will be
towards a Context Approach. He claims that it does not
represent something completely new, which is good that he
realizes it. In past chapters, I have read that when
approaches arise, they are not new but reinventions of old
ones. He also cites Nunan when he says, “the „methods‟
movement—the search for the one best method, would seem
to be well and truly dead.” This relates to the Post Method
Era that we have covered. Educators are done searching for
one right method, but are instead creating their own way to
teach….Bax argues that CLT puts context second and
methodology first, which is why he advocates the Context
Approach.
26. Tomas says…
In this article Hu argues that transplanting CLT into the People's
Republic of China ELT programs is problematic. This problem arises
due to the differences in education philosophy between the origins
of CLT and the traditional or mainstream attitudes toward education
held by people in China. There are certain different expectations for
how a classroom should be run in either (CLT vs. Chinese
pedagogy) system. This does not mean however, Hu argues, that
there are not parts of the CLT method that could work within a
Chinese ELT classroom.
Response: This seems to me like a good example of how being
unaware of the culture and context that you work in can be
detrimental to the sort of ELT teaching you wish to do. Being aware
of these classroom expectations is very important, it seems like. I
just wonder what sort of information is out there like this for all the
cultures, or if this research still needs to be done and organized and
presented to local teachers in an efficient manner.
27. Amanda says…
Hu explains how they are trying to adopt the use of CLT in Chinese
classrooms but that is hasn‟t made the expected impact that it
would since it conflicts with the Chinese culture of learning. This is a
problem since the aspects of the culture that conflict with CLT are
“deep rooted in the Chinese culture of learning” (Hu 94). CLT and
the Chinese culture have different assumptions about the
“respective roles and responsibilities of teachers and
students…encourage different learning strategies...and reward
different qualities in learning” (Hu 102). There are obviously many
sociocultural differences between the two. The author feels that
educational policy makers and teachers must make pedagogical
choices after taking into account the sociocultural differences which
could interfere with what they decide. I agree that sociocultural
differences should be taken into account when creating and
determining the use of pedagogical methods. I always thought that
CLT and the other methods we discussed in class are only used in
the US. Are they used in other countries as well? After reading the
two articles, it seems that CLT is a highly criticized and controversial
language teaching method.
28. Some shortcomings of CLT (Bax
and Hu)
In methodologically (or only language) driven
approaches to language teaching, learning
context is treated as secondary.
Commercial reasons for promotion of CLT
An assumption that CLT (or any method) has
the complete answer in language teaching.
Are we marginalizing the context?
29. Context Approach
Methology is still important, but it is only one
factor in a successful language teaching.
First priority is given to the local context.
Second priority is given to the teaching
approach (decisions related to materials,
methods, goals)
Third Priority is given to the language focus: The
aspects of language to be focused.
30. Cultural resistance to pedagogical
imports (Hu)
What are some of the culturally rooted
assumptions (on teaching, learning and
teacher roles) that Hu mentions about the
Chinese culture of learning?
Why is CLT not well-received in Chinese
education system? (Discuss the four R‟s and
four M‟s) What are some of the potential
conflicts between the principles of CLT and the
traditional Chinese culture of learning?
31. Assignments and reminders
Read for next week. Blog at least two hours
before the class time.
If you‟re presenting, PLEASE remember to
send your materials on Sunday night for
feedback/suggestions on your presentation.
It‟s crucial that I see your plans (and part of the
requirement as your syllabus indicates) so that
I can effectively incorporate your presentation
into our class sessions.
