1. Professor Richards compares TBT with PPP.

What are the main similarities and

differences between them?

TBT and PPP share something in common. The teachers in both cases are important in the
classroom. They want children to learn the language, which is the most important goal in the
class, but in fact they do not communicate the language in the same way.

PPP wants only one thing; grammar. They build the class around a grammar paradigm, which
will be the focus of the class. The life context of the students is not important, in fact the
activities will be different and the students will not pay more attention and they will get
bored. In the end, the students will not learn because they will not care about the language.

In contrast, TBT is centred in a more free way to express in the class. It will start with tasks
that the students do and from their performance on those tasks, the teacher will identify
what language the students need to develop. This does not centre on grammar as PPP,
instead they focus on the real context of the students. This will create a relaxing
environment, in which the students will get comfort to learn the language because they are
active in their process of learning.

In both, the teacher occupies an important role but they communicate the language
differently.

2. What types of tasks does he mention, and what do other authors you have read in
this unit call them?

Professor Richards mentions different kinds of tasks. First, he mentioned a task that creates
context for communication, information and gap tasks. And secondly, a real world task in
which the students will use the language outside the classroom.

In the text of Task-Based approach, there are several authors that mention the definitions of
task. All of them insist on a communicative purpose as an essential criterion.

According to Bourke, he defines a task as a structured activity involving learners in some

form of real interaction in which they would be active learners.

Williams and Burden, defines tasks as any activity that learners engage into further the
process of learning a language. In which they will notice their input of the language. Breen
thinks the same, a task that is a range of learning activities.

Zanon distinguishes two main categories of tasks. First of all, there are communication
tasks. The learner’s attention is focused on meaning rather than form. And then, the enabling
tasks. The main focus is on linguistic aspects (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation,
functions, and discourse).

Then we have Stern, he defines tasks as a realistic language use. There exists opportunities
for relatively realistic language use, focusing on the learner’s attention to a task. But not on a
particular language point.
Finally, Willis defines tasks as activities where the target language is used by the learner for
communicative purposes in order to achieve an outcome.

Every Author has a different definition of what a task is, but in fact they all agree that the
learner should be an active learner who can express the language in their own context in
order to acquire the new input.

3. According to Richards, tasks can be used to assess what students are able to do,
set priorities for teaching, and build language awareness around students'
performance on tasks. Explain these uses in your own words.

Tasks are the basis of the learner's knowledge of the language. They served as a
medium to identify the students' awareness and needs, by providing activities that
they carry out in everyday life. The teacher will have the responsibility to build up
language development around the students task performance, s/he will challenge
the students to go beyond their present level of expression to experiment with the
new language. But most importantly, the teacher will clear goals and stages that
consist of activities from the world outside the classroom, to enable motivation by
real interest.

4. Richards makes an observation on the challenges that the TBT could pose.
Compare with Bourke's view on the same issue.

One of the observations that Richards makes is that the performance of the students
is likely to be unpredictable on what their language of proficiency is, so the teacher
will have the responsibility to apply a technique where s/he builds up the language
development around the students task performance. This is related to the
mismatches that Bourke calls them, domains. These domains are mutually
constructed between the teachers and learners and as Bourke says, the language
learning is a complex, non-linear, and chaotic process which means that even if you
plan your class perfectly, there will be some troubles at the moment you will teach
the learners. Not everyone will have the same level of proficiency. We can see that
Richards and Bourke are connected because they both think that the learning
process is not a linear process, so it would be a challenge for the teacher to make a
task because the students' knowledge will be different from one to another.

5. Having read Prof. Richards on Task, Exercise & Activity, reflect upon the following
quote: "All tasks are activities but not all activities are tasks."

Prof. Richards reflects about the difference between them, but reflecting upon the
quote when we say that tasks are activities we refer that the tasks are something
that the learners carry out using their existing language resource. We mean by saying
that the task has an outcome to be finished which is relevant for the students'
needs, different from the purpose of an activity. An activity involves learners doing
something that relates to the goals of the course, describing any procedures in
which students work towards a goal such as playing a game or engaging in a
discussion.

Although they both indicate being active, they can never be used interchangeably
because a task is mainly assigned to someone and is always with a purpose, while
an 'activity' does not necessarily have a purpose. A task needs activities to be done
in the performance of the learner, but activities are not tasks because an activity
specifies the tasks, and the labour, materials, services, and tools needed to complete
the task.

6. Nunan (2004) enumerates a series of principles and practices TBLT strengthens.

Read them through in 1 What is Task Based Language Teaching? Introduction and
overview. How do they match Bourke's ideas on the subject matter?

The principles and practices match Bourke’s ideas because they both focus their
ideas in the sense that the children learn by experiencing, they should explore the
topics focusing on the product that must be engaged to the children’s world. Also,
with a stress- free environment where the child feels free to learn the new input. Both
authors reflect their ideas, by saying that the children learn better when s/he is
actively involved in the learning process.

7. Now, read the following section - Defining 'task' - and answer: What are the main
characteristics of pedagogical tasks on which different authors agree?

They all emphasise that: pedagogical tasks involve communicative language use in
which the user’s attention is focused on meaning rather than grammatical form. In
order to express meaning they manipulate, produce or interact in the target language
Using their own linguistic resources. This does not mean that form is not important.
Grammar exists to enable the language user to express different communicative
meanings.

8. What is the use of grammatical knowledge in a TBT approach?

We use grammatical knowledge in order to express meaning. The author refers to

the deployment of grammatical knowledge to express meaning, highlighting the fact
that meaning and form are interrelated, and that grammar exists to enable the
student to express different communicative meanings.

9. How do tasks differ from grammatical exercises?

Professor Richards defines an exercise as a teaching procedure that involves

controlled, guided or open ended practice of some aspect of language, in this case
grammar, but a task is something that learners do using their existing language
resources and has an outcome which is not simply linked to learning language.
Nunan explains that tasks involve communicative language use in which the user’s
attention is focused on meaning rather than grammatical form.

10. Watch and listen to Professor Rod Ellis' webinar. (*) Expand on the ideas listed
below, making sure you understand what is being proposed. Remember you are
supposed to be familiar with the theoretical concepts presented (you may make
your own research online). Also, make sure you make any relevant connections with
other authors' ideas.

- Definition of 'task'
- Task vs Exercise
- Focused vs unfocused tasks
- Task-Based Teaching (TBT) vs Task-Supported Teaching (TST)
- Incidental language acquisition vs Intentional language acquisition
- Limitations of TST
- Advantages of TBT

A task is a language teaching activity that must satisfy four criterias:

● The task must be focused on meaning and message making, not trying to
learn some specific structure.
● The task must have two kinds of gaps which can be information gap, one
person has information that another person doesn´t and the task requires
them to share that information, or opinion gap, where there is a problem and
the students have to discuss it and come up with a solution.
● The participants choose the linguistic and non linguistic resources needed to
complete the task; the teacher doesn't teach learners the language that they
will need to do the tak, the teacher teaches in order that students use
language in order to try to communicate.
● The task has a clearly defined communicative outcome, in order words that
the outcome must have a communicative purpose.

On the other hand, in an exercise the primary focus is not on meaning but on using
language correctly. In an exercise there is no gap and students have to manipulate
the language in order to complete a successful performance, so the outcome is
accurate of a target feature.

Tasks can be focused or unfocused. Focused tasks are directed at creating

opportunities for learning to use some specific linguistic feature such as
grammatical structure while their primary focus remains on meaning and achieving
the task outcome. On the other hand, unfocused tasks are not designed in order to
practise the use of any particular linguistic feature grammatical structure, they
involve using a lot of language in different ways.
There are two ways of using tasks in language teaching:

● Task supported language teaching is what is usually called

present-practise-produce (PPP) and in this task the language is taught by
means of examples, this item is going to be practised using exercises and
finally the learners will be given the task and the opportunity to use the
particular linguistic forms that they have been taught in a communicative way
by doing the task. But this has some limitations because it assumes a strong
interface position, learners may not be developmentally ready to acquire the
target structure, the result automatized explicit knowledge rather than implicit
knowledge, and grammar is too complex to learn intentionally in this way.
● In task based language teaching, the course consist of a serie of tasks
sequenced according to difficulty, the course can consist of a mixture of
focused and unfocused task, the pre-task phase of a lesson can provide an
opportunity for direct teaching, and meaning is primary but attention to form
is achieved through the way task is designed and how it is implemented.

11. Do Estaire and Zanón (1994) support TBLT or TSLT? Account for your answer.

12. According to Ellis (2016) and Sheen (2002), what are the key differences
between Focus on Form and Focus on Form(S)?

Focus on Form refers to drawing student's attention to linguistic elements, focusing

on meaning and communication. Is an approach to language education in which
learners are made aware of linguistic form in the context of a communicative
activity.

And Focus on FormS equates with the traditional teaching approach focusing on
grammar. It involves primary emphasis on linguistic structures presented as discrete
points of grammar.

13. From everything you have read so far about TBT, would you say TBT adopts a
Focus on Form, or a Focus on Form(S) approach? Justify

Task based learning teaching adopts a Focus on Form, because TBT is based on students
doing task, and in these tasks involve communicative language use in which the students
attention is focused on the meaning rather than grammatical form.