浙江外国语学院本科毕业设计(论文)正文
目录
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................i 摘要 .......................................................................................................................................ii 1.Introduction .......................................................................................................................1 2.Literature review................................................................................................................2 2.1 Definition of a task ......................................................................................................2 2.2 Task-based language teaching in reading ……………………………………………3
3.Application of task-based language teaching in reading .................................................5 3.1 Pre-reading stage ..........................................................................................................7 3.2 While-reading stage .....................................................................................................7 3.3 Post-reading stage ........................................................................................................9 4.Evaluation ..........................................................................................................................9 5.Conclusion .......................................................................................................................12 Works Cited .........................................................................................................................13
On application of Task-based Language Teaching in English Reading in Junior High Schools
Wu Xiangzhen
Abstract: The teaching of reading in junior high schools is a crucial part of teaching English.The New English Curriculum, which advocates the method of task-based language teaching, has been carried out throughout China for many years.It emphasizes learning by doing and aims at providing opportunities for the learners to experiment with both spoken and written language through learning activities.The paper first analyzes some difficulties in teaching reading.Then it proposes the model of task-based language in teaching reading in order to overcome these difficulties.The third part explores its application at three stages: pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading.Finally it evaluates the effectivene of the task-based language teaching.
Key words: task-based language teaching; junior high schools; English reading
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任务型教学法在中学英语阅读课中的应用
摘要: 初中英语阅读教学是英语教学中一个非常重要的部分。《英语课程标准》已经在中国普遍实施，并且它提倡任务型教学模式。任务型教学法提倡在做中学,并且通过活动旨在给学习者提供口语和书面语练习的机会。本文首先介绍了造成英语阅读教学的一些困难。然后提出了任务型教学英语阅读的教学模式为了克服这些困难。第三部分探讨了它在三个阶段的实施：阅读前、阅读中和阅读后。最后评价了任务型教学法的有效性。
关键词：任务型教学法；中学；英语阅读
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On application of Task-based Language Teaching in English Reading in Junior High Schools
1.Introduction
When I worked as an intern in a junior high school, many students have low reading levels and limited skills.There are some difficulties in reading.The main difficulty is their limited English vocabulary.Some students lack English vocabulary, so they cannot understand the connotation of reading materials.However, if we want to understand the reading materials, we must have sufficient vocabulary.In other words, sufficient vocabulary can help us have a good comprehension of reading materials.But the junior high schools’ students have limited English vocabulary, which affect the comprehension of reading materials.What’s more, students don’t know how to build up their vocabulary.
Another problem is students’ bad English reading habit.The junior high schools’ students don’t have a good habit of reading English.First, students have a small amount of English reading.Students only read the text-books and do exercises, then they don’t read other English materials.Second, most students have no interest in reading English materials.Third, most students read the paage word by word, and they don’t understand the meaning of the paage as a whole.They rely on teacher’s translation and explanation.In addition, many students have poor English reading skills.Most students have not mastered basic English reading comprehension skill.First, when students do some reading comprehension, they frequently read the article first, and then read the title and the last part of the paage to find out the answer.This is not only a waste of time, but also there is no effect to read in this way.Second, a large number of students don’t pay enough attention to the topic sentence.They read the article word by word and cannot logically understand the paage.So teachers should develop students’ reading skill gradually because it is remarkably crucial for students to improve reading ability.
According to the reading problems in junior high schools’ students, we can see the present situation of reading teaching in English clearly.In such a situation, is task-based language teaching effective in improving students’ reading ability? This is the iue the
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paper is intended to explore.2.Literature review 2.1 Definition of a task
Before we want to know task-based language teaching, we should first know what the meaning of a task is.Many people have given a definition to a task.A variety of definitions of a task can be found as follows: According to Long, a task refers to the all kinds of things people do in their daily life, at work and at entertainment.A task is that when you ask some other people what things they do and they will tell those things to you.But they are not the applied linguists.(Chen Yajie 3)
In Crookes’s opinion a task is that the work is along with a purpose, and it is accomplished as a part of a course or work, or it is used to obtain the research data.
Breen gave a definition to a task, any kind of language behavior that has been organized carefully, it has specific goals, appropriate content, specific teaching proce and a variety of different results.So a task is considered as a series of work plan, whose overall goal is to promote the language learning, whether the practice is simple or the activity is complicated, such as solving the problem, make a decision through the group work.(Chen Yajie 6)
According to Bygate et.al., a task is a kind of activity that is influenced by the teaching in short or long term, it needs the learners to pay attention to the meaning of the language and use the language to achieve the goal.(Chen Yajie 6)
Willis thinks the task of language activities the learners use, they are not only to communicate objections, but also to achieve a goal.(Chen Yajie 6)
Prabhu thinks “[A task is] an activity which requires learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some proce of thought, and which allowed teachers to control and regulate that proce.”(Prahbu 24).
Nunnan thinks “a task is a piece of claroom work that involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is focused on mobilizing their grammatical knowledge in order to expre meaning, and in which the intention is to convey meaning rather than to manipulate form.The task should also have a sense of completene, being able to stand alone as a communicative act in its own right with a beginning, a middle and an end.”
(Nunnan
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8).
Skehan thinks “a task is an activity in which 1) meaning is primary 2) learners are not given other people’s meaning to regurgitate 3) there is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world activities 4) task completion has some priority 5) the aement of the task is terms of outcome.” (Skehan 9).
Ellis thinks a kind of work plan requires learners to deal with the language when they are using the language in real life in order to achieve an outcome, and the evaluation of the results can see whether it conveys the correct or appropriate propositional content.So, it needs learners to focus on the meaning of the language firstly and take advantage of their knowledge of the language, although the design of the task may lead them to choose a specific language form in advance.A task aims at using the language and this using may direct or indirect relate to the language use in real world.Like other language activities, a task can involve output and receptive skills, oral and written communication skills, as well as a variety of cognitive proce.(Edwards & Wllis 18)
All the experts mentioned above had given their own definitions to a task on different aspects.For example, Breen sees a task as a work-plan, which have the overall purposes of facilitating language learning from the simple and brief exercise type.However, Skehan described the five key characteristics of a task.In my opinion, I think a task is that the teacher puts forward some requirements that you need to do some activities to accomplish by using some devices.A task is that people do some things in order to achieve some goals and the activities carried out by people become a neceity in the language using.2.2 Task-based language teaching in reading
Task-based language teaching is a kind of effective approach which was first started and radically established since 1980s.It is a development of Communicative Language Teaching.It is first put forward by Prabhus.Some experts had given other definitions of task-based language teaching.Nunan thought task-based language teaching is an approach to the design of language course in which the point of departure is not an ordered list of linguistic items, but a collection of tasks.(Nunan19-38) Jane Willis thinks task-based language teaching is an approach to language teaching which makes use of authentic materials in communicative tasks.These pedagogical tasks
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reflect real-world tasks that the learners in a given situation would complete as a part of their daily life.Pedagogical tasks act as building blocks to an ultimate objective.Thus, TBLT relies both on the learner’s ability to learn analytically and on the teacher’s flexibility and creativity are demanded as he/she diagnoses the outcomes of each task and creates new materials in response to newly revealed learner needs.TBLT is a complex approach to language teaching, but in its complexity it responds to both current SLA theory as well as the practical needs of the claroom.( Willis72-75)
The task-based approach aims at providing opportunities for the learners to experiment with and explore both spoken and written language through learning activities which are designed to engage learners in the authentic, practical and functional use of language for meaningful purposes.(Hong Kong’s English Syllabus)
According to those definitions of task-based language teaching, a lot of scholars tend to put it into teaching reading in Junior English.In order to use it effectively, people do some many researches from abroad and at home.In other countries, Prabhu gave a definition to a task in his book Second Language Pedagogy.He carried out the famous Bangalore Communicational Teaching Project in India for around five years.He put forward a lot of task types, and designed the content into a variety of communicative tasks learning to let students learn by completing tasks.Prabhu’s Bangalore Communicational Teaching Project is a milestone in Second Language teaching and he has laid a solid basis for the further development of task-based language teaching.(Prabhu53-56)
Jane Willis and Peter Skehan put forward a model for achieving the concerned about the balance the communication on one hand, and form a general on the other hand.The framework of the model is pre-task, during -task and post-task.Willis emphasized a methodology for using tasks to combine naturalne of communication with opportunities to focus on form.Skehan made a similar attempt to show how balance between form and meaning can be achieved.In addition, he tried to link the methodology to the information-proceing framework more explicitly.They put tasks at the center of Second Language teaching and learning, which gives opportunities to learn well.What’s more, they gave a clear, practical and ready-made framework for task-based teachers and researchers.This framework results from extensive trials of TBLT all over the world.
Regarding the methodological procedures for implementing the task-based language teaching work-plan in cla, Rod Ellis takes into two kinds of procedures: the leon plan and participatory structure.The purpose of the task-based methodology is to give
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opportunities for language learning and skills development by means of building the cooperation knowledge.
According to these researchers and other researchers’ study, it contributes to the development of task-based approach.They give the direction of task-based approach in English teaching and learning as a foreign language.And also, they give a clue for our country’s study in task-based approach.
In China, the research of the task-based language teaching started in 1990s.Xia Jimei and Wu Xudong firstly introduced task-based language teaching to China.And many researchers tend to put it into English teaching, especially in teaching the reading of English.With the carry out of The English Curriculum Standard, the study has developed furthermore.Nonethele, their study is still at the beginning of the stage.
In recent years, many scholars and English teachers strive to put the task-based language teaching into reading teaching such as Lu Li, Lin Lixian, and Ma Yinghua.Lu Li made an experiment of one-year task-based language teaching in the middle school and found that experimental cla made more progre in listening and writing than the control cla.Ma Yinghua analyzed the characteristics of the task-based reading instruction and made an attempt on the combination of task-based language teaching model with the traditional material.In her point of view, the effective integration of the task-based language teaching model with the traditional language-focused reading model brings about the improvement of students’ language comprehension ability.
Their research enlightens, inspires and supports the task-based language teaching in English reading instruction.But it is a pity that their studies are only restricted to theory research or a separate leon design.
The research both at home and abroad shows that we should make more efforts on studying task-based reading instruction and put task-based language teaching into English reading cla so that we can improve students’ comprehension ability, the talent of using language and some other capabilities.So we should use task-based language teaching in English reading cla.
3.Application of task-based language teaching in reading
This part will demonstrate the procedures to carry out a task-based language teaching in English reading.
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All the traditional models of teaching reading cannot improve students’ language ability, so many experts attempt to find another effective way.They find the task-based language teaching is useful in teaching reading.So many teachers try to apply the model to teaching reading in English cla.In this part, I would use the example that I used when I was a practice teacher in junior middle school.I would use the example to present the procedure of task-based language teaching in reading.The example is from the English textbook published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Pre.The leon is Module 3, unit 2.The title is The Library is on the Left of the Playground.Before using the example, I will introduce some models of teaching reading in English.Firstly, the traditional model.Based on bottom-up model of reading, this model uses traditional Grammar-Translation Method to teach reading.It is teacher-centered model.During the learning proce, the teacher acts as a dominator and the students are only like receptacles.The teacher talks from the beginning to the end through the whole cla.The teacher explains the grammar rules, analyzes sentence structures, translates the paage sentence by sentence and explains the keywords and sentences to students.In this kind of cla, students almost have no time to read, to think, to speak and to practice.They have no opportunities to expre their own ideas to the whole cla and the teacher.Students are totally ignored by the teacher and they have no chance to communicate with each other.As a result, the students lack the ability to communicate with each other and lack the comprehension competence, then they cannot use the English language well. But it also has some advantages.It improves the students’ writing ability as well as it enables the students to form a more solid knowledge of grammar.In this model, I will introduce some grammar to the students and when the students cannot understand my instructions or some explanations, I will use the mother tongue to explain the instructions, Secondly, Question-and-answer model.In order to change the traditional model in English teaching and improve the students’ ability to use language, then teachers adopt the ask-and-answer model to replace of the traditional model.I will ask some questions to let the students answer.Through the proce of question-and-answer, the students improve the ability of expreing themselves.
What’s more, the Presentation, Practice and Production model.Almost all the teachers are familiar with the Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) model of teaching.A PPP leon would be started by the teacher introducing a new language item
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in context followed by some controlled practices, such as repetition, read the paage or dialogue and so on.Students then move on to produce the language in a more meaningful way, such as a role play, a drama, an interview and so on.After the students accomplishing the tasks, I will let the students present their achievements.Meanwhile, I will ask them to practice the language points they have learned in the cla.
I combine these traditional models with the task-based language teaching model.Then it improves the efficiency of teaching.3.1 Pre-reading stage
In this stage, I introduce some knowledge that is neceary to achieve the tasks, and some other skills.And I put forward some tasks for the students to complete.(1) At the beginning of the cla, I present some pictures to let students gue the words according to the pictures.Show the pictures to the students, and let them know the words and phrases: dinning hall, playground, school office, claroom building, sports hall, science building, the library and school gate.Let the students master the basic names of the building in school.(2) Practice to use those phrases and words that have been learned last cla: behind, front, in front of, on the right, on the right of, on one’s right, on the left, on the left of, on one’s left and between…and….And the students can use the phrases and words to describe the pictures.(3) Show the picture that the textbook used, let the students open the book and read the title together, then ask the students to get some information from the title and the picture.(4) According to the title, The Library is on the Left of the Playground, instruct the students to predict: what will the paage talk about? 3.2 While-reading stage (1) Skimming.Require the students to read the paage quickly and to find out the new words and phrases that they think important.List some questions about the paage on the blackboard to let the students answer after they reading the paage.① How many buildings are there in our school according to the paage? ② What are the names of the building? ③ Is the playground in the middle of the school?
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(2) Scanning.Let the students read the paage again and understand the meaning of the paage.
(3) Careful reading.Ask the students to read the paage carefully, and catch the key words.Firstly, the teacher should explain what the key words are to the students.Then let them read the paage carefully and concentrate on the key words.Secondly, ask some questions to let the students answer.④ What is on the left of the playground? ⑤ What things are there in the library? ⑥ Where are the school offices? ⑦ How many clarooms are there in the claroom buildings? ⑧ Where is the dinning hall? ⑨ Where is the sports hall? ⑩ Where is the science building? 11 Where are the science labs and computer rooms? (4) After the students answering the questions, I let them fill the blank on the blackboard.
(4) Then read the paage again and check whether they have questions or not.
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3 Claroom building
playground
School gate In this stage, I also use the Question-and-Answer model.By using the methods of questioning, answering, facilitating and directing, the information is presented in a variety of ways rather than in one way, in other words, the teachers’ instruction is merely changed into the communication between the teacher and the students.Thus, the students have the chance to take part in claroom activities, and the teacher can understand part of the students’ ideas.What’s more, the teacher dominates the cla all the time, which results in the fact that the students cannot take turns to expre their ideas.According to this model, it strengthens the interaction between the teacher and the students.What’s more, when the students cannot understand the questions or some instructions, I would use the mother tongue to explain it.By using the traditional model, it can use the task-based language teaching better and can help the students accomplish the tasks more effectively.
In this stage, students understand and master the paage according to the questions and tasks the teacher puts forward.Through the pair work or group work, students develop the spirit of cooperation and they can expre their ideas bravely.According to the procees of accomplishing the tasks, students can understand the paage better.3.3 Post-reading stage (1) Require the students to present their answers to the clamates.(2) Then according to the form on the blackboard, let the students retell the paage.Before retelling the paage, the teacher should give some minutes to the students to prepare and encourage them not to be afraid of making mistakes.(3) After retelling the paage, let the students use the words and phrases they have learned to describe our school.
In this stage, students present their achievements.In addition, they apply the knowledge they have learned to the real life.Then they will master the knowledge better and they will apply the knowledge into the real life.4.Evaluation
According to the example, we find the task-based language teaching have some features.Firstly, it must have a clear goal.Secondly, we should use the examples which are close to the students’ life and the students are interested in them.Thirdly, this is the proce of the students to obtain, dispose and communicate information.Fourthly, in this
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model, the students must use the target language to do activities.What’s more, when the students use the language, they should pay attention to expreing meaning.At last, we must obtain a product from the activities.According to this example, there are a lot of advantages of the model of task-based language teaching.Firstly, task-based language teaching focuses on the real situation let students accomplish the goals to master the useful, meaningful language.It is a student-entered model, students have many opportunities to do things in cla activities, which would help students improve their ability to use language and open up their thinking.In the example, the students have a number of activities to do.During the proce of achieving the activities, they master the language points and know how to expre their ideas and how to use the language.Secondly, in TBLT, there are many interactions between teachers and students, between students and students, it will provide an opportunity to develop students’ communicative skills and it can acquire various ideas of the topic from each other.In the example, according to the teacher asks the questions and the students answer the questions, the teacher understands the students’ ideas and the students can expre their ideas bravely.Through the proce, the students develop their communicative skills.Thirdly, in TBLT, students use group-work or pair-work, students will learn many things from others and feel at home in such an environment.Then they would like to study in this situation and build up their confidence.In the example, the students are fond of the model very much.They would like to expre their ideas and they like to take part in the cla activities.The atmosphere of the cla is very good.And the teacher likes teaching in such an atmosphere.Fourthly, task-based language teaching presents the tasks at the beginning of the cla, so the students would do the activities according to the tasks.So students would be interested in the cla and arouse the students’ enthusiasm to study.It changes the students’ paive learning model.Fifthly, task-based language teaching has purpose, proce and the comprehensive characteristics.According to deal with the problems in the proce, the students develop their thinking and they learn to use different kinds of learning strategies to solve a variety of different kinds of problems.As for teachers, they may feel much happier in TBLT cla than in traditional cla because students like participating in the cla and their performance are intensely active.
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They show much interest in reading.In TBLT, students may present a lot of strange questions, so teachers should broaden the scope of their knowledge to help students solve these strange problems.It can improve teachers’ skills.
We can see the model of the task-based language teaching has so many advantages, but there are also some limitations.Firstly, it takes much time and many tasks cannot be accomplished well.There are many tasks to achieve, but the cla time is limited, so teachers can not finish all the tasks, which suggests that teachers should find a better way to finish all the tasks efficiently.When I have a cla with this model, because there are many interactions between the teacher and the students, and there are many activities, I cannot finish the cla in time.As a consequence, I cannot accomplish the tasks very well.Secondly, the teacher cannot make sure that every student can efficiently take part in the tasks.Some students are poor in English, so they do not participate in the activities in cla or they are only to be audiences and listeners.Because the cla is very big and there are fifty-two students, when I have a cla, I cannot pay attention to each student.When they do the activities, some students are only to have a chat.Thirdly, because of group-work or pair-work, students should discu different ideas with each other, sometimes the discipline in the cla will be very poor.The teacher can not manage the cla effectively.Due to the big cla, sometimes the cla is very noisy and I cannot keep them quiet.So it may influence the effectivene of the teaching.What’s more, because of the examination-oriented education, almost all teachers give up this teaching model.
In spite of these limitations, the model of task-based language teaching is an effective way to teach reading in junior middle school.When I use the task-based language teaching to teach a paage, I find the students are more likely to study and they want to take part in the activities.They are brave enough to expre their ideas.The atmosphere of the cla is active Not only the students can learn things from the teacher and other clamates, but also the teacher can learn things from the students.What’s more, through the model of task-based language teaching, I also develop my communicative skills.And I am better at managing the cla.Also, I can deal with the relationships between the teacher and the students better.So we should advocate this model and apply this model to teaching English reading.
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4.Conclusion The New English Curriculum requires teachers should use task-based language teaching in their claes.Reading plays an important role in teaching English.What’s more, to speak English clearly and make the pronunciation more standard is very important.At the same time, the ability of reading comprehension, creative thinking, solving problem and cooperative spirit has become the eential needs in today’s society, so teachers should use it to teach reading.
The TBLT has many advantages, but it also has some limitations.So the teacher should continue to strengthen advantages and overcome limitations.In order to implement the task-based language teaching effectively in junior school English reading cla, teachers need to further explore its implementation.But on the whole, the model of task-based language teaching is an effective and feasible approach to teaching reading in junior high school.
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Works Cited
Edwards,Corony & Jane Wllis.《任务型英语教学法：课堂研究与实践》，高等教育出版社，2009.[Edwards,Corony & Jane Wllis.Teachers Exploring Tasks in English Language Teaching, Higher Educational Pre, 2009.] Harmer, Jeremy.How to Teach English, Cambridge University Pre, 2004.Nunan, David.Task-based Language Teaching, Cambridge University Pre, 2004.Prabhu N.S., Second Language Pedagogy, Oxford University Pre, 2001.Skehan, Peter.Cognitive Approach to Language Learning, Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign
Language Educational Pre, 2001.Willis, Jane.Framework for Task- based Learning, London: Longman, 1996.社，2011。
龚亚夫、罗少茜，《任务型语言教学》，人民教育出版社，2003。 教育部，《义务教育英语课程标准》，北京师范大学出版社，2011。 林新事，《英语课程与教学研究》，浙江大学出版社，2008。 王蔷，《英语教学法教程》，高等教育出版社，2006。
[Wang Qiang, A Course in English Language Teaching.Higher Educational Pre, 2006.]
陈亚杰、薛枝、栗霞，《任务型语言教学：从理论到实践》，外语教学与研究出版
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Acknowledgment
First of all, I would like to expre my sincere acknowledgments to my supervisor Xu, for her detailed guidance, critical insights and great patience in the accomplishment of the thesis.Without her invaluable advice and help, the present thesis could not have come into being.Mrs.Xu always gives me precious, valuable and constructive suggestions.I am also grateful to my teachers for their enlightening courses during the undergraduate program and their great help at the thesis proposal stage.Finally my deep gratitude goes to my family and friends for supporting me with both understanding and encouragement throughout my thesis.
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