1.

Introduction

This term paper contains the theoretical background of task based syllabus,
description of the task, Stages of tasks, definition of task based syllabus, the
advantages of the Task based syllabuses, the drawback of task-based syllabuses,
conclusion and references of different sources were written at the end of this paper.

2. The theoretical background

Unlike conventional syllabuses that are oriented towards language as the primary subject-
matter, a taskbased language syllabus is oriented towards the process of language learning
in the classroom (Crookes and Gass, 1993). Based on the development of cognitive psychology
and applied linguistics, the task-based syllabus emerged in the 1980s and has been prevailing for
nearly twenty years. Unlike the traditional syllabuses whose focuses are on the language forms,
the task-based syllabus focuses on the process of learning and the problem solving. And it is
always organized around a variety of different kinds of tasks which are related to the real life and
composed of chains of activities psychologically selected, graded and sequenced. Task has been
defined and described in a variety of ways from different perspectives. The most recent
definition comes from David Nunan ". the task is a piece of meaning-focused work involving
learners in comprehending, producing and/or interacting in the target language, and that tasks are
analyzed or categorized according to their goals, input data, activities, settings and roles."

Generally speaking, task is a kind of process of interaction between learners and teachers or
between the learners' mental abilities and the linguistic environment. During the process,
learners, focusing on constructing the language meaning, participate the tasks actively to solve
the "real-world problems" or the “pedagogic problems" with the help of linguistic or non-
linguistic background resources. In this way, learners can be engaged in using the target
language meaningfully and unconsciously, which can facilitate or enhance the internalization of
the target language that learners are exposed to. Task-based syllabus design has interested some
researchers and curriculum developers in TEFL since the mid-1980s, as a result of widespread
interest in the functional views of language and communicative language teaching.

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Task-based syllabus which appeared in the 1980s, is distinguishable from most earlier syllabuses
by the fact that part of its rational derives from what is known about human learning in general
and/or second language learning in particular rather than, as is the case with structural, notional,
functional syllabuses, primarily from analysis of language or language use. Theoretically, it is
based on the development of cognitive psychology and applied linguistics, which have a
significant effect on language teaching. Generally speaking, applied linguists conceive task-
based syllabuses from three points of views: first, from a linguistic perspective, that is, what
linguistic elements should be taught, second, from a learner’s perspective, that is, what the
learner wants to do with language, and third, form a learning perspective, that is, what activities
will stimulate and promote language acquisition.”(Breen 1987)

3. Description of the task

At a more fundamental level, the term “task” itself is a complex concept, there are many
different sayings of ‘task’ in applied linguistics, for example, two are provided below:

A piece of work undertaken for oneself or for others, freely or for some reward. This,
examples of tasks include painting a fence ,dressing a child, filling out a form ,buying a
pair of shoes, making an airline of reservation… In other words, by “task” is meant the
hundred and one things people do in everyday life. (Long1985: 89)

An activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding

language …A task usually requires the teachers to specify what will be regarded as
successful completion of the task. (Richards, platt, and Weber 1985:289.cited in Nunan
1988:45)
While in the discussion in Nunan (1989: 5), we have a definition of “task” adopted in this
article follows Willis:
By a task I mean an activity which involves the use of language but in which the focus is on
the outcome of the activity rather than on the language used to achieve that outcome. (Willis
1990: 127) Candlin presents a pedagogic task accurately: “one of a set of differentiated,
sequenceable, problem-posing activities involving learners and teachers in some joint
selection from a range of varied cognitive and communicative procedures applied to existing

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and new knowledge in the collective exploration and pursuance of foreseen or emergent
goals within a social milieu” (cited in Long and Crookes 1992:38). The tasks are defined as
activities with a purpose other than language learning, but, as in a content-based syllabus, the
performance of the tasks is approached in a way that is intended to develop second language
ability. Language learning is subordinate to task performance, and language teaching occurs
only as the need arises during the performance of a given task. Tasks integrate language (and
other) skills in specific settings of language use” (Reilly 1988).

Moreover, one thing needs further explanation that task-based teaching has a goal of teaching
students to draw on resources to complete some piece of work. The students draw on a variety of
language forms, functions, and skills to complete the tasks. Tasks that can be used for language
learning are, generally, tasks that the learners actually have to perform in any case. For example:
applying for a job, talking with a social worker, getting housing information over the telephone
and so on.

4. Stages of the tasks

4.1 Pre-task stage

In the pre-task stage, comprehensible input is provided and language support including
grammar is given. As presented earlier, the pre-task stage basically refers to the stage where
the learners prepare for the task completion. One of the activities in this stage is exposing the
learners to comprehensible target language or providing the learners with language support
(Richards, 1999). The target language that is exposed is generally part of the task, that is its
input. The language support that is given can be vocabulary and/or form that are necessary
for the task completion.

4.2 Task-stage

In this stage of task completion, learners do the „main‟ learning activity. First, in many cases
the learners try to understand the task input (especially when comprehending task input is
not part of the pre-task stage activity). Second, through task completions the learners process,
produce or interact in the target language. As the definition of task suggests, task-based

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language instruction engages the learners in processing, understanding or manipulating the
target language, or thinking, producing or interacting in the target language in order to achieve
a communication or pedagogic goal (Johnson, 2001).

4.3 Post-task stage

In this stage, the task outcomes are assessed and feedback is given through various
activities. First, the learners may do a public performance (Willis, 1996; Richards, 1999;
Skehan, 1996) where they perform the task again with the class, another group, or teacher as
the audience. Thus the learners have another opportunity to use and possibly interact in
the target language. Second, learners may have language focus activities such as
consciousnessraising activities (Willis, 1996), practice of words, phrases, patterns, and
sentences (Willis, 1996). Third, the learners can be involved in work correction that
corrects both content and, in particular, language. Fourth, the teacher may give feedback
with regard to the learners‟ language accuracy.

5. What is Task-based syllabus?

Task-based syllabus is a sub-category of the process-oriented syllabus. In order to interpret this

definition, two items should be made clear, “Task” and “Syllabus”. The following definition of
tasks is made by David Nunan. A task is a piece of classroom work which involves learners in
comprehending, manipulating, producing, or interacting in the target language which their
attention is particularly focuses on meaning rather than form (1989. 10).

From this one we can draw on the following features: it is a piece of meaning-focused work, a
piece of work involving learners and communicative language skills, and a series of interactions
which are needed to meet the learners’ ends. In other words, a task is a piece of work which is
done by learners in everyday life. The other definition is Syllabus: refers to the selecting and
grading of content (Nunan.1989. 14). So we can conclude that Task-based syllabuses are
constructed with varieties of tasks as the basic blocks, focusing on using the target language in
real world rather than drilling on the isolate grammatical items.

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6. The advantages of the Task-based syllabuses

Task-based syllabuses are prevailing in current teaching language. The reason why they are so
popular is that there must be some advantages in this kind of syllabuses. The followings are of
task-based syllabuses:

1.Stricture can be learned when attention is focused on meaning.

2.They consider the process and activities of language learning.

3.They motivate the students’ interests to learn English.

4.When the students learn English, they have specific things to do.

5. Compared to grammatical syllabuses and functional-notional syllabuses, it is not the language

but the tasks which are selected and graded.

6. The tasks which are designed according to input data, lesarners’current level with precise
goals can be rearranged and graded in various ways.

7. Task–based approach promotes naturalistic learning and acquisitional processes, particularly

when combined with group work, they provide a close fit with communicative language
teaching.

7. The drawback of task-based syllabuses:

1.It’s difficult to degree tasks

2.Outcomes are not emphasized.

3.It’s difficult to link classroom processes and real-world communicative goals.

4.The tasks must be suitable for the language learners –not too difficult and not too simple, so in
this case how to make a balance about these two tendencies comes ambiguously.

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5. Aspects of task difficulty should be considered so that task implementation can have positive
effect on learning and teaching. But it is too difficult to cover all aspects thoroughly.

To sum up, the most apparent disadvantage in Task-based syllabuses is how to combine the
grammatical items with the communicative skills. As David Nunan (1989. 13) pointed out, it
now seems to be widely accepted that there is value in classroom tasks, which require learners to
focus on form. It is also accepted that grammar is an essential resource in using language
communicatively.

However, Task-based syllabuses focus on the communicative language use, which will lead to
ignore the grammar learning and teaching. In my opinion both of language using and language
rules are important. We should consider the two factors simultaneously. How to design a
syllabus containing the two items remains problematic.

A second disadvantage is that Task-based syllabuses are lack of considering the factor that if it
can be used widely. It is impossible to use the same syllabus efficiently as it is used in developed
areas. To provide plenty of materials for choosing is a better way.

8. Conclusion

In making practical decisions about task-based syllabus design, one must consider all the
possible factors that might affect the teachability of the syllabus. Adjusting the choice and
integrating the different types according to learners’ needs, one may find a useful and practical
solution to the problem of appropriateness and effectiveness in syllabus design. To conclude, the
task-based approach to syllabus design has much potential, but it has a long way to go before it
can claim empirical success in the field of TEFL. This term paper, we have seen about the

theoretical background of task based syllabus, description of the task, Stages of

tasks, definition of task based syllabus, the advantages of the Task based
syllabuses, the drawback of task-based syllabuses, conclusion and references of
different sources were written at the end of this paper.

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9. References

Breen, M.P. (1984). Process syllabuses for the language classroom. In Brumfit, C.J.
(Ed.), General English Syllabus Design (pp. 47-60). Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Johnson, K. (2001). An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching.

Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Long, M. (1985). A role for instruction in second language acquisition. In K. Hyltenstam and
M. Pienemann (Eds.) Modelling and assessing second language acquisition. Clevedon,
Avon: Multilingual Matters. 77-100.

Long, M. and Crookes, G. (1992). Three Approaches to Task-Based Syllabus Design. TESOL
Quarterly, vol. 26, no 1, pp. 27-56.

Long, M.H. & G. Crookes. (1993). Units of Analysis in syllabus design: The case for the task.
In S. Gass & G. Crookes (Eds.), Tasks in a Pedagogical Context. (pp. 9-54). Clevedon:
Multilingual Matters

Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus Design. Oxford University Press

Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. New York: Cambridge
University Press

Richards, J.C. (1999). Addressing the grammar-gap in task work. TESOL in Context, 9,3-10.

Reilly, Tarey. (1988). Approaches to Foreign Language Syllabus Design. ERIC Clearinghouse
on Languages and Linguistics: Washington DC.

Shavelson, R. & P, Stern. (1981). Research on teacher's pedagogical thoughts, judgements,

decisions and behaviour. Review of Educational Research 51, 4, 455-98.

Willis, D. (1990). The Lexical Syllabus. London: Collins.

Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Essex: Longman.