Integrating skills through task based teaching approach

It is known that new tendency of teaching English as a foreign language mainly relies on communicative approach. Traditional approach of teaching English put more stress on teaching form rather than meaning. Yet, later, it became obvious that there was a need to teach language on communicative proficiency rather than on the mastery of structure. The logical development of Communicative Language Teaching is considered as Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT). TBLT is a type of method which is based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching.

Tasks and task-based sequences give learners opportunities to interact in English and to experience language in use. Hearing teachers speaking English is vital, and teacher talk is very much part of the task cycle. But equally important is for learners to use English for themselves as much as possible, to activate the vocabulary and grammar they have previously covered. In most countries, spoken interaction can only be practiced in the classroom, so how do we make time for this and convince learners that it is an appropriate use of class time?

Very few learners have opportunities to speak English outside the classroom. So somehow you need to make time for speaking activities in class, and also time to focus on features of spontaneous interaction. One way of making time for tasks is to select textbook activities that are suitable for homework. So the next question is: which textbook activities could your students do outside class - in their own time - at home or possibly while travelling? Which activities might in fact be ‘best' done out of class where individual learners can work at their own pace? Here are some suggestions.

Reading. Rather than reading a complete text in class, introduce it in class and do a prediction task (without giving away any answers) to give them a reason for reading it later. Then set the main reading text for homework, with another task to do. Comprehension questions can be done at home too, or learners can invent their own questions to contribute to a team quiz for the next lesson. For a language focus, learners can underline words, phrases or expressions they found useful or liked, to share with the class next lesson, and note down questions they have or parts they didn't understand. The big advantage is that each learner can read at their own speed, and take time to reflect on the language features in the text. And, in addition to stimulating autonomous learning, it saves a lot of class time.

Listening. Sometimes it is possible for learners to listen to their class materials in a library or self-access centre. If learners have their own means of listening they can do this on journeys or at home, and replay the recording as many times as they need. As with reading, do a short priming stage in class beforehand and set a listening task to do at home so that learners feel motivated to listen and have a goal to fulfill. As a subsequent language focus activity, students can:

• •    write down any phrases they need help with, look them up in a dictionary

• •    prepare to explain two or three new items to the class next lesson

• •    listen and repeat and/or transcribe short sections they like

• •    practise pronunciation and intonation by reading the transcript out loud, and pausing the recording

• •    study the transcripts of the recording (these are usually in the back of the text-book) and take note of features of spoken interaction.

Learning and revising vocabulary. This is best done in learners' own time -as learners have different ways of memorizing words. Equip them with ways of classifying and recording new words, e.g. mind maps or pictures so they can choose what works best for them. Each student can then devise three or four quiz questions or gap-fill sentences to test the class on new vocabulary next lesson.

Grammar practice exercises. These are also better done at home - when each learner can do them at his/her own pace. Set these at the end of a task cycle so learners will have met some of the new forms in context already. Go over them quickly next class, or let them ‘mark' each others' exercises and ask if in doubt.

Writing . Students can:

• •    prepare first drafts of written work at home using a dictionary and then benefit from specific teacher advice or group ‘editing' in the next lesson.

• •    write up final versions at home after a planning session in class, and then display them in the next lesson for others to read.

What aspects of the task cycle can be done at home?

Task preparation. Learners can prepare vocabulary for a new topic at home using a dictionary, and research a topic using web-sites or asking other people and prepare to report back in English.Sometimes you can give them the task instructions the day before the task so they can plan what to say and how to say it. Then in class you can go straight into the task. They can do the priming at home.

In conclusion, through implementing TBLT approach in language teaching we realize four main principles noted in CEFR; that is communicate, pragmatic, social as well as pragmatic competences.