DIDACTICS I

This blog is an extension of the classroom activity by Paula and Santiago. Here you can find our texts of what have been said during the lesson, our PowerPoint presentation and a couple of videos (which were taken from YouTube). We hope you find this useful.

CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION

Integrates learning of a language with learning of some other content, often academic subject matter.

▪Ajunct Model = students enrol in a regular academic course; they take language course linked to academic course. In the language class the teacher’s focus is on helping students process language in order to understand academic content. Language teacher helps students to complete academic tasks (writing terms paper, improving note-taking abilities, reading academic textbooks)

▪Sheltered – language instruction = native and non-native speakers of a particular language follow a regular curriculum. In second language environment classes with non-native speakers is geared to students developing a second language proficiency. Sheltered - language instructors provide their students with the use of particular techniques and materials.

▪Competency Based Instruction = an effective form of CBI for adults immigrants offers students an opportunity to develop their second language skills at the same time they are learning survival skills such as filling a job application or using the telephone.

To sum up= WHAT ALL MODELS OF CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION HAVE IN COMMON IS LEARNING BOTH SPECIFIC CONTENT AND RELATED LANGUAGE SKILLS.

Another approach related to content: WHOLE LANGUAGE APPROACH= originated in classes for children who speak English as native language often use with second language learners. Language regarded holistically rather than as pieces (vocabulary words, grammar structures, pronounciation points).
Whole language educators believe students learn best when they are learning to understand meaning of whole texts so students work from “top-down” understand meaning of the overall text to ‘bottom –up’ where they learn language piece by piece and then work out to put the pieces in place constructing whole meaningful texts out of the pieces.

TASK-BASED LEARNING

First, we have to describe the paradigm called PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production). PPP is a traditional approach that consists of three stages:
Presentation stage: the teacher presents an item of language in a context or situation which helps to clarify its meaning.
Practice stage: students practice controlled exercises, sentences or dialogues.
Production stage: students produce what they have learned. Supposedly, in a ‘free’ language situation.

One of the problems with PPP is that the production stage is not that free because students are required to produce forms which have been specified in advance.

Task-based learning (or teaching) is a process that has its basis on a piece of work that is assigned (task).
There’s a controversy among some authors. Some of them claim that Task-Based Learning is a totally different approach from CLT (Communicative Language Teaching). Others say that, in fact, Task-Based Learning is the heart of CLT.

How does it work? Basically, learners work to complete a task. By doing this, they have the opportunity to interact with each other. This interaction is similar to be acquiring the language in, let’s say, London. You are in London, by yourself, and you have to work to understand what people say and to be understood as well. So, in a classroom, maybe working in groups or in pairs, learners have to make an effort to communicate ideas in order to complete a given task.

The stages are the following:

Pre-task: the teacher introduces the topic and gives the students clear instructions on what they will have to do in the task stage. She might help students to recall some language that may be useful for the task. Sometimes she can play a recording of people doing the task, so students know more or less what it is expected for them to do.
Task stage
Task: students work in groups or in pairs using the language resources they have. The teacher here acts as a monitor and encourages the students.
Planning: students prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during the task. Then they practice what they are going to say in their groups, while the teacher is available for the students to clarify language issues.
Report: students report to the class orally or read the written report and the teacher may give them a brief feedback. Language stage

Analysis: teacher highlights relevant parts from all previous stages as regards language (on the recording in the pre-task stage or on the reports of the students). Students may ask the teacher about some features they have noticed.
Practice: finally, the teacher select language areas to practice based on the needs of the students and what emerged from the task and report stages. If you want to make long story short, ‘a task is an activity which requires learners to use language, with emphasis on meaning, to attain an objective’. In some cases, a task may be the same thing as a technique (for example: the teacher organizes a series of role play in order to explain what role play is), but in other cases, a task may include several techniques (for example, learners have to give directions, so they do brainstorming of vocabulary, they look at a picture showing places to go to, and role play, giving or asking for directions).

Summarizing:

Tasks deal with real-world contexts, not just the language in isolation. They contribute to communicative goals. Their elements are carefully designed, their objectives are well specified, so you can determine later which task was more successful and which wasn’t. And finally, tasks engage learners in genuine problem-solving activity.

Bibliography:

Larsen-Freeman, Diane, 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.
H. Douglas Brown, 2007. Teaching by Principles.
Willis, jane, 2001. A framework for task-based learning.
Teaching English. British Council. Webpage: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/