What is the difference between the PPP-approach and TBL?
PPP TBL
Your books and Hedge
articles in this Brown
course:
Learning the FROM GUIDED TO MORE FREE
language:
Order in the
Westhoff taxonomy
Which skills? All skills, one at a time is possible
Usually more focus on reading because of
the exams.
Organising principle - Grammatical structures
of the syllabus - Vocabulary items, including idioms
- Sometimes themes are used, but
usually they consist of grammar and
vocabulary integrated in a pedagogical
way
Learning aims Learners follow a sequence of activities,
that focus on:
- the language as an object in itself to be
studied
- what the learners will have to do in
class, rather than in the outside world
(Nunan, p. 2)
phasing The usual structure to practise a single
skills is as follows:
- Presenting-phase: (Neuner: input
+ A-type exercises)
o Introducing the activity and
goals
o Presenting / modelling /
explaining
o Cognitive phase: check
understanding, fine-tuning
- Practise-phase (Neuner: B and C-
type exercises
o Repetition / rehearsing /
recombining, etc.
- Production-phase or transfer-
phase: (Neuner: D-type exercises)
o a combination of things
practised before in a more open
exercise
After a series of drills and guided practise
whole skills are trained, usually also in a
very guided way. This is called the
transfer-phase. The aim is in this phase
to receive and produce language with as
little mistakes as possible.
1 Please note there is no consensus among methodologists on the exact principles and features of Task Based
Learning.
Willis & Willis
Nunan
FREE FIRST, GUIDED IF NECESSARY
All skills combined as much as possible
- Functions
- Themes, including special purpose
themes
- Authentic or realistic situations
A nice definition is given by van den
Branden (2006, p.1): Task based learning
1
is An approach to language eduction in
which students are given functional
tasks that invite them to focus primarily
on meaning exchange and to use
language for real-world, non-linguistic
purposes.
Acquisition of skills occurs through a task
or a series of tasks
Teachers think in terms of a task-cylce:
Pre-task
This gives the students a clear model of
what will be expected of them. The
students can take notes and spend time
preparing for the task.
Task
The students complete a task in pairs or
groups using the language resources that
they have as the teacher monitors and
offers encouragement.
Planning
Students prepare a short oral or written
report to tell the class what happened
during their task. They then practise what
they are going to say in their groups.
Meanwhile the teacher is available for the
students to ask for advice to clear up any
language questions they may have.
Report
Students then report back to the class
orally or read the written report. The
teacher chooses the order of when
students will present their reports and may
give the students some quick feedback on
the content. At this stage the teacher may
also play a recording of others doing the
same task for the students to compare.

Advantages The advantages:
- Students can all do the same
programme, which is easier for the
teacher to check and monitor
- The build-up is very logical, many
students expect this. Predictability can
make learners feel safer.
- New language forms can be practised
one by one, and student-anxiety is
reduced to a minimum.
Disadvantages Disadvantages:
- In real life we need to communicate
(whole skills combined), and we need
to solve problems with understanding
or carrying out a task. This approach to
language learning does not prepare
language learners for that sufficiently.
- It is hard to take learner differences
into account. There is one attainment-
level for all. Some learners may get
bored, others cannot achieve the
acquired level.
- Learners depend on the teacher, the
teacher is central to the lesson.
- Teachers run out of time before they
come to the during activity, and the
emphasis may shift to pre-activities.
- The teacher and learners believe they
should not run into difficulties or
problems -> problem solving is reduced
to a minimum.
Theory about Teachers who adhere to this model usually
language learning / believe that: (BELIEFS ARE NOT
language learning NECESSARILY TRUE):
beliefs
- In the transfer phase, all that is learned
will be applied consciously
- Language learning is a linear process
- The order in which features of a
language need to be learned is
predictable. That is how we make
textbooks.
However, these beliefs cannot be 100%
supported with evidence from research.
Analysis
The teacher then highlights relevant parts
from the text of the recording for the
students to analyse. They may ask
students to notice interesting features
within this text. The teacher can also
highlight the language that the students
used during the report phase for analysis.
Practice
Finally, the teacher selects language areas
to practise based upon the needs of the
students and what emerged from the task
and report phases. The students then do
practice activities to increase their
confidence and make a note of useful
language.
The advantages:
- Learner differences can be taken into
account.
- Teachers may adapt tasks together
with learners to motivate all learners.
- This approach aims to prepare learners
for communicative language use.
Disadvantages:
- The organising principle in the syllabus
may feel very unusual and unsettling
for teachers, if they come from a PPP-
background.
- Learner expectations may cause
resistance. Learners may complain
about more chaos, a lot of work (!) or
a lack of (problem-solving) skills.
- It is harder for the teacher to check
and monitor each learner. Teachers
may feel there is more work to be
done.
- Learners can achieve different
outcomes, which may also be harder
to assess.
- It is harder for the teacher to keep all
learners on-task.
- The teacher has to take another role,
which may not suit him / her.
- There is more noise in the room.
-
Teachers who adhere to this model usually
believe that: (BELIEFS ARE NOT
NECESSARILY TRUE):
- Learners will make mistakes, and
mistakes are a signal of learning and
do not have to be prevented (e.g.
Tomlinson, 2011)
- Language learning is not linear, and
the order in which each learners learns
a language is not predicatable. (e.g.
Norris & Ortaga, 2006; Lightbown &
Spada, 2013). All sorts of forms are
acquired at all times, and they are not
attained flawlessly before the next
form is used.
- Learners have to be ready: readiness-

Materials used All sorts of materials are used, however, we
often see they are not authentic but
constructed because more control is
possible:
- concerning the input of grammar /
vocabulary
- Concerning the level of the input
- Concerning easy correction of answers
from students
- To guide students from easy to more
difficult
- Etc.
A good lesson in Ask yourself when you design:
this concept, a) Is there exposure to input?
checklist: b) Do you process the language in various
ways:
1. Meaning of the language
2. Focus on form (so correctness)
to some extent
3. Forced output from all learners
(can be more formulaic or more
creative)
c) Let the learners use strategies
consciously -> reflection on the
language learning process
These criteria are from Westhoffs
Penta Pie concept
Assessment Assessment is done in tests and exams.
The skills can be (and usually are) tested
separately.
Usually the assessment criteria contain a
lot of language goals. Other goals are not
assessed or of minor importance.
Students usually do not know very
precisely the criteria for assessment. They
hear about the criteria just before the test,
sometimes after the test.
Good practise in this system is to give
mock-tests and to practise a lot with test
questions.
The process of working on the skills is not
taken into account for the assessment.
to-learn-principle, (e.g. Criado 2013).
- Learners cannot learn to master a
certain language-form with lots of
practise, so the transfer- or
automasation-phase of the PPP-model
is hardly ever acquired. (e.g. Skehan,
1996; DeKeyser, 2010).
Authentic materials only
Ask yourself when you design:
a) Will it engage learners interest?
b) Is there a primary focus on meaning?
c) Is there a goal or outcome?
d) Is success judged in terms of outcome?
(rubric!)
e) Is completion a priority? (for all
learners)
f) Does the activity relate to real world
activities?
These criteria were taken from Willis
and Willis
The task and the criteria in the rubric for
the task are at the centre of the
assessment.
The skills are not assessed separately, but
skills are assessed in combination with
criteria for the quality of the product
or performance. Many things are
assessed, not only language skills. Also
cognitive skills, content, social skills and
perhaps personal goals are assessed in a
wholistic system.
The rubric with the criteria create
transparency: they are distributed to the
learners at the beginning of the process,
and used as a tool to work towards the
aims and sometimes to stimulate
differentiation.
If the task is not ready, or not done
properly, this will result in a fail. The task
has to be done again or improved, until it
is good enough.
Language skills as well as cognitive
and social skills are assessed.
The process towards completion of the
task can be taken into account. Also peer-
 evaluation is good practise in TBL.

Role of teacher Expert: explains things Facilitator, guide

Assessor
Manager, supervisor: Correct wrong
answers
Trainer: practise together and modelling
Monitor, diagnose
Facilitator, guide: the pupils practise
Main assessor / Co-assessor, with the other
pupils
Listen to pupils current conceptions,
ideas, thinking
Co-participant / co-creator

Role of pupil reception of information Active construction

direction-follower Active thinker, explainer, interpreter,
imitator questioner
Active thinker, explainer, interpreter, Active co-construction with others and self
questioner Self-editor / editor of output produced by
peers

Role of peers Differs per skill Different roles are assigned

Can by anything from no role at all to co- stimulate thinking and experimenting
operative learning raise questions
N.B.: co-operative learning: PIES find solutions to problems with others
1. Positive interdependence
2. Individual accountability
3. Equal participation
4. Simultaneous interaction
This is not a completely accurate and evidence based form, but it is a tool to help pre-service students
understand and design.