Methodology in Language Learning: Task and (None) Task Learning

 

Focus is always on the activities at each stage of the framework (the process) with language being elicited and supplied at the appropriate times to facilitate successful task realization (the end product). In this way, language used should be authentic to the needs of the learners, in their quest to realize the task. The choice of task will be dictated by the profile of participants. Some indications of levels and group sizes are given as guidelines for certain tasks, but facilitators will learn to modify and adapt activities and tasks to suit individuals and groups.

The essential point is to focus on the task, the activities needed to realize the task and provide language as it is needed. A well-chosen piece of material will help this process, but tasks from no-materials are equally valid.

For language learning will usually include the following considerations:

Ø You find something which is interesting, curious or topical and would like to incorporate it into a lesson. The material would be relevant and stimulating for learners and would create a good basis for discussion.

Ø You find materials which you feel would provide a good model for something which participants would like to produce themselves.

Ø You have an idea of what you would like to do with a group and keep an eye out for anything which would serve as materials for your ideas.

What to do when you first find a piece of interesting material? As with any creative exercise, you need to spend time just thinking and throwing ideas around. You will not arrive at the perfect lesson plan immediately. Neither do you have to be a creative whizzkid. When you use your own materials, you can pick and choose from various approaches and use them for your purposes in your context. It is, however, important to be clear about the reasons and ideas for having chosen the material and the people who will be using them. For example, what vocabulary can be related to, or elicited from, this material? If this were a real situation, what would I say to this person? What language would need to be known in order to do this? What other use would this be in the context of youth work training, besides language learning? What information does it provide about cultural norms or attitudes? Although it may be an interesting piece of material, what are learners going to do with it? What task(s) will result from using this material?

Tasks must be authentic to the needs of learners: what are they going to do which will imitate something they do either in their everyday life or in their work roles? There is no reason for them to do something purely for the sake of learning some language without it being a means-to-an-end task. The material will be the precursor to the task, so how will the piece of material facilitate the carrying out of the task? At this stage, the facilitator may have an idea which could be focused on: a topic for discussion or a subject to work on. This does not necessarily have to be explicit: the issue could be approached from a different angle. The facilitator or participants could use the material to lead into certain issues. A personal story or piece of information could lead to a broader issue concerning that learner such as gender issues or their status within society. For example, a video clip on Swedish attitudes to health has been used to lead on to a wide variety of health issues and lifestyle considerations relevant to specific groups of learners.

 

Whichever method you choose, you should think carefully about the purpose of using the piece of material: What will the learners do during the learning session? Will the material serve as a model or example of something? Do you want the material to be used for vocabulary expansion – or to focus on language points? Will a picture be used to provoke a reaction? Is it to be used as a spring-board for a role play? Or simply to stimulate interest? Materials can be used for any or all of these reasons and will undoubtedly also result in purposes which you have not pre-planned, but should be recorded in the feedback and evaluation phase of the task cycle.

The most learner-centered materials will be those chosen by learners. Something brought in by a participant will automatically have relevance, bring new energy and show that the facilitator doesn’t have to control the situation. Learners should be encouraged to read newspapers and choose articles which interest them. This could lead to discussions of questions posed in response to the article. Participants can be asked to choose short news items which are strange or unusual to them. If learners are not able to read newspaper articles, they can bring a piece of material in their own language, or pictures. They can find leaflets that interest or surprise them. They could also bring in an object they wish to talk about: unusual food/plants; their favorite things. Photographs from participants can provide a very interesting way for them to share their experiences with other members of the group. Most participants in European youth work contexts enjoy sharing information brought with them about their organizations or roles. Materials brought in could be displayed as an exhibition in the form of an information market.

There are many programs on television which lend themselves to being used as material to stimulate task-based learning. Early language learners in particular are provided with plenty of visual material which helps them to understand. Advertisements can be used with or without dialogue with a variety of levels. They can be fun and although the images may be stereotypical, they can also be very revealing of a country’s cultural norms. Producing an advertisement can be an excellent task involving everyone. Even a beginner is able to mime the ecstasy which comes from using a certain shampoo or deodorant or driving a certain make of car! More advanced language learners can play about with the language of hyperbole (hype), which is so common in the world of advertising.

Short news items provide excellent formal models. These are often self-contained and topic-based. There may be short reports of local interest or something topical. News reports can be watched without the sound for participants to guess the information, or put words into mouths by guessing the script. Facilitators or learners can write short summaries of items, which can then be given to other participants to match to the item when they view the program. Focusing on key vocabulary that helps learners to understand the gist of the news is a good way of facilitating learners’ general understanding of the language. News also expands the area of experience to a global platform, which is especially interesting if an international event is in the news at the time. If a video camera is available, tasks can include encouraging participants to create their own television news programs to include common elements such as weather forecasts, political items, sports items and so on.

There is a plethora of possible tasks that can be generated by using materials in the form of leaflets. However, leaflets may need selecting carefully to avoid overkill. ‘How to …’ leaflets always seems to be available to help people to do things. Learners can consider the effectiveness of these information providers: they can try and carry out the task described. They can produce their own leaflets on anything from: ‘How to survive in a new country’ to ‘How to make a cup of tea’. Authentic leaflets found locally provide models for participants to use when creating their own leaflets. They can also be considered from a design point of view: how effective is the leaflet? What effect does it have on you? What would you like to change? At a lower level, participants can collect leaflets and group them into categories: food/clothing/information etc. A task for them could be to establish information centers where participants wander around information stalls asking for and giving information in leaflet form, which they have produced. Tourist leaflets usually contain information about attractions with directions, opening times, costs and so on. Participants could plan a visit and telephone to find out specific information such as group or student discounts etc. This could be a simulated or real task.

As the Internet works for a global audience, this also raises interesting questions on globalization and the blurring of cultural identities. Participants can use it to focus on different interest groups across the world. Learners can be encouraged to complete tasks using information from the Internet as their source material. They can use it to provide their own information to share with other participants. They could take part in on-line discussions via chat rooms. They can use e-mails as practice for correspondence and to widen their communication skills. When it is possible to establish a working website, participants find it useful to continue their links with the group and continue to share ideas, or to work on continuing projects

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