Prof Rod Ellis on Task based Language Learning

Summary

Prof. Rod Ellis discusses the concept of task-based language teaching (TBLT), highlighting its effectiveness in bridging the gap between language teaching and how students actually learn. Through an anecdote from his teaching experience in Zambia, he realized the limitations of traditional drilling methods and instead advocates for TBLT as a way to promote natural, meaningful language communication in the classroom. TBLT focuses on meaning over form, encourages self-directed learning, and is compatible with various educational philosophies. While some argue its effectiveness may vary by region, Ellis emphasizes its role in developing communicative abilities.

Highlights

• Prof. Rod Ellis's teaching experience in Zambia showed him the limitations of traditional drilling methods. 📚
• Task-based language learning promotes natural communication by focusing on meaning rather than rote memorization. 🔄
• TBLT is highly engaging and motivates students by encouraging them to choose their language path. 💬
• This approach allows students to practice language in a manner akin to native speaking environments. 🌐
• TBLT can complement traditional methods, balancing communicative and linguistic abilities. 🏫

Key Takeaways

• Task-based language teaching focuses on meaning and communication rather than just form, allowing for more natural learning experiences in the classroom. 🗣️
• TBLT encourages students to use their own language resources, promoting self-directed and intrinsic motivation. 💡
• It is compatible with learner-centered education and can be integrated with traditional teaching methods for a balanced approach. ⚖️
• Despite some skepticism about its applicability in different cultural contexts, TBLT is essential for developing communicative abilities in students. 🌍
• Prof. Ellis emphasizes that creating a native language environment in classrooms enhances learning without the need for travel. ✈️

Overview

Professor Rod Ellis, a leading figure in language acquisition research, shares his journey into discovering task-based language teaching after observing his students' struggles with traditional methods. He recalls an anecdote from his time teaching in Zambia, where drills in grammar didn't translate to real language understanding, prompting his shift in pedagogical strategies.

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is explored as a robust alternative, emphasizing natural communication and a focus on meaning over form. This approach not only fosters genuine linguistic interaction but also motivates students by allowing them to make personal linguistic choices. Ellis believes TBLT can create effective learning environments much like those in native-speaking countries, without the need for immersive travel.

While acknowledging the debate over TBLT's adaptability across different cultures, Ellis argues it should complement traditional teaching methods. He highlights its potential in developing both communicative and linguistic skills, urging educators to integrate TBLT into curricula to better equip students with practical language abilities.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to Task-Based Language Teaching The chapter begins with an introduction to task-based language teaching. It includes a personal anecdote from the speaker's own experience nearly 30 years ago when they were teaching in Africa.
• 01:30 - 03:30: Personal Anecdote and Realization about Drilling In this chapter, the author shares a personal anecdote from their experience as an English teacher in a remote secondary school in Zambia. The focus is on a grammar lesson addressing the overuse of the present continuous tense by students, such as saying "I am having a headache" instead of "I have a headache."
• 03:30 - 04:30: Interest in Second Language Learning The chapter discusses the methods used in teaching a second language, specifically focusing on the use of drills. A teacher designed an effective drill that helped students correct their use of the present simple tense. Success was indicated by the students' ability to self-correct their language and properly use the tense in speaking, exemplified by the correction from 'I am having a headache' to 'I have a headache.' A follow-up written exercise was given to further reinforce learning.
• 04:30 - 06:00: Task-Based Language Teaching Overview The chapter introduces an episode where the teacher encounters a student not participating in a written exercise. Upon inquiry, the student reveals a lack of exercise materials, leading the teacher to question the effectiveness of traditional drilling methods. This experience sparks the teacher's interest in exploring alternative teaching strategies, particularly Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), a methodology that focuses on the practical use of language through tasks and real-world scenarios.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Defining a 'Task' in Language Teaching The chapter discusses the initial realization of a disconnect between traditional teaching methods and actual student learning in language education. Intrigued by this gap, the author delves into second language acquisition research while maintaining a focus on the interplay between teaching methods and language learning.
• 07:30 - 10:30: Advantages of Task-Based Teaching The chapter discusses the alignment between language learning theories and task-based language teaching. It highlights that task-based language teaching is an effective approach that fits well with our current understanding of how people learn languages. The speaker begins with introductory comments, including a list of names related to the topic.
• 10:30 - 13:00: Conclusion: Compatibility and Flexibility The chapter 'Conclusion: Compatibility and Flexibility' focuses on recent developments and contributions in task-based language teaching. Prominent figures in the field, like Nunan, Long, Skehan, Ellis, Willis, Norris, and Grand, have penned influential works on the subject. These contributions have all emerged within the last six to seven years, highlighting the evolving landscape of second language acquisition and teaching methodologies. The chapter serves to emphasize the importance of understanding and integrating new theories and practices in language education.

Prof Rod Ellis on Task based Language Learning Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 um as you see I'm going to talk about introduction introducing task-based language teaching but I'd like to begin with a little story a little anecdote about my own experience as a as a teacher uh this goes back my goodness this goes back nearly nearly 30 years when I was working in Africa I was
• 00:30 - 01:00 working in Zambia and I was a English teacher in a bush secondary school and um I was teaching a grammar lesson and I was trying to deal with a particular era that my students were making they were overusing the present continuous tense so they were saying things like I am having a headache instead of I have a headache
• 01:00 - 01:30 so these were the days when one used to do lots of drilling and I designed a very good drill and put the students through this excellent drill and they all were able to correct themselves and use the present simple tense I have a headache rather than I am having a headache so I thought this is a great success and I gave them a written exercise to do and I noticed that at the
• 01:30 - 02:00 back of the room there was this boy sitting who was not doing any writing so I went up to him and I said why aren't you doing the written exercise and he said I am not having my exercise and I kind of realized that maybe drilling wasn't the way um and actually that particular episode or that experience of teaching in that school got me interested in how
• 02:00 - 02:30 people learn languages because there seemed to be a gap between how I was teaching and how these students were learning or perhaps not learning and that Gap got me interested in second language learning and from then on I began to read and study and research about second language learning however I've never lost my interest in language teaching I've always been interested in the relationship between
• 02:30 - 03:00 how people learn a language and how one might teach it and this is really what has led me to feel that task-based language teaching is one approach to language teaching that is compatible with what we know about language learning so that is why I talking about this topic today let me begin with some introductory comments if I can the first is just a list this is a list of names
• 03:00 - 03:30 of people who are who work in language teaching or who are second language acquisition researchers Nunan long skan Ellis Willis Norris band Grand all of these have written a book about task based language teaching and these books have all been written in the really about the last six seven years so I'm simply showing you that to realite get you to understand that task based
• 03:30 - 04:00 language teaching is attracting enormous interest it's attracting a lot of Publications a lot of interest from teachers a lot of interest from researchers Etc the starting point of course is to ask what do we mean by a task and here is my definition of a task first of all the task is a language teaching activity it's a language teaching activity that has these four
• 04:00 - 04:30 characteristics the first is that there is a primary focus on meaning in other words when you're doing the activity you are predominantly concerned with trying to communicate meaningfully not with trying to learn some bits and pieces of language in order to achieve that a task will have some kind of Gap an information Gap or an opinion Gap a task also requires the participants to choose the linguistic resources needed to complete the task
• 04:30 - 05:00 and it's this really that distinguishes a task from an exercise because an exercise like the drills that I was doing in Zambia 30 years ago really provide Learners with the language that they need and simply require them to manipulate it in some way like filling in a blank or transforming from one sentence to another sentence or answering a question in accordance with a fixed pattern but a Time task requires
• 05:00 - 05:30 the Learners to try to use their own language I want to conclude by simply listing what I see as the advantages of task-based teaching first task-based teaching offers the opportunity for natural learning inside the classroom and arguably it's through what I call Natural learning the communicative ability develops why do you have to spend a lot of money going to Australia or United States or New Zealand to live
• 05:30 - 06:00 in a native speaking environment if in fact you could create a true native speaking environment inside the classroom and natural learning environment inside the classroom it emphasizes meaning over form but it also caters to the learning of form common Mis a common misunderstanding about task based language teaching is that it is only concerned with developing communicative abilities not linguistic abilities that's not true task-based language
• 06:00 - 06:30 teaching is actually directed at both and I've already argued that tasks are potentially much more intrinsically motivating than a lot of the other things that we traditionally do in language teaching also it's compatible with a learner Center educational philosophy you're not telling the learner what language to learn you're letting the learner pick out the language that they can learn from the tasks that they do and finally I wouldn't want to suggest
• 06:30 - 07:00 that we need to make a switch from traditional language teaching to task based teacher I wouldn't want to argue that we are into moving from one to to another it's perfectly possible in fact to have a combination of the two to have some task based language lessons and also to have some more traditional approaches it might be argued of course that task based language teaching is one of these West ideas that is being hoed
• 07:00 - 07:30 on Asia this is an argument that I have heard made uh and the argument goes that uh one needs to find a method that works in the particular National instructional context so task space language G might work in the west but it's not going to work in Korea maybe not work in the Philippines Etc because the instructional contexts are not suitable for them
• 07:30 - 08:00 fine but it depends on your purpose if you want to develop communicative abilities in your students if you want the students to be able to communicate in English and not just pass formal language examinations somewhere there's got to be something like task based language teaching in your curriculum thank you very much