‘I’m still not sure what a task is’: Teachers designing language tasks

Abstract

Ellis (2003) identifies four key criteria that distinguish a ‘task’ from the types of situational grammar exercises that are typically found in the more traditional language classroom. This study investigates how well teachers were able to design tasks that fulfilled these four criteria (Ellis, 2003) at the end of a year-long professional development programme in which TBLT figured prominently. Forty-three tasks designed by the teachers for use in their own foreign language classrooms are analysed against Ellis’s four criteria in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the professional development programme, on the premise that adequate understanding of the construct of task underpins successful implementation of TBLT. The findings show that some aspects of task-design were difficult for teachers. Implications for professional development programmes that focus on TBLT, such as the one whose effectiveness is evaluated here, are discussed.

Mind the gap: task design and technology in novice language teachers’ practice

“…Given our study's affinities with Erlam (2016), an evaluation grid was used that is based on the central features of TBLT in Nunan's (2004) paradigm and includes some of Erlam's (2016) task criteria ( Table 1). The lesson material suits (min.…”

“…Our study goes beyond Erlam's (2016) by not limiting itself to applying criteria for task design (e.g. from Ellis, 2003, in Erlam's (2016 study) to evaluate foreign language teachers' self-made TBLT materials in a professional development programme; we also consider the conception of a task in the minds of (postgraduate) pre-service foreign language teachers (N= 28) by analysing a design task that had them formulate a taaltaak (integrated language/assessment task). Consequently, the dataset exists of (1) materials designed for use with the IWB, part of (the evaluation of) a series of lessons on TBLT, and (2) the somewhat more traditional taaltaken.…”

Teacher Development in Higher Education in an EFL Context: Why Evaluate and How to Evaluate?

“…The interconnectedness between both aspects led to teachers engaging in transformative knowledge process and to supporting the collaborative learning and common values teachers sought. More than this, professional development programs could be informed by such collaborative and individual practices to specify the agenda of teacher education and to address authentic challenges and gaps teachers may face in their classrooms (Erlam, 2015). Henderson and Rosenthal (2006) and Tomlinson (2003) defined teacher development as conscious procedures for raising teachers' awareness about their current teaching practices, and specify ways to transfer teachers' learning to their actual teaching contexts.…”

Effects of task goal orientation on learner engagement in task performance

“…Among the numerous features of tasks examined in previous research, task goal orientation has drawn much attention among L2 researchers (Lambert & Engler, 2007;Pica, Kanagy & Falodun, 1993). Task goal is an important feature of a task because the ultimate purpose of getting L2 learners to carry out tasks is to achieve a non-linguistic task goal through interaction (Ellis, 2003;Erlam, 2016;Long, 2015;Skehan, 2014). Based on Pica et al's (1993) taxonomy, task goal can be manipulated along the communication purpose and is classified as having either convergent or divergent goals.…”