Video: What is Task-based language teaching

    

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Here are the key elements of the video:

In this video we study the method of this MOOC, namely TBLT, in more detail.

TBLT is a communicative methodology (= a method). It means that it places great emphasis on written or oral ( = spoken) communication. The scholar Prabhu invented TBLT in the 1980s in the city of Bangalore, India. 

In TBLT, when we study a foreign language, we have to use the language with real-life simulations and authentic materials. These are materials that are not made for the classroom, but come from real life: e.g. films, newspapers or books. 

In this way it is a bit like when you move to a new country and you are completely immersed in the language of the country, because you hear and speak it everywhere.

TBLT stands for Task-Based Language Teaching, i.e. a teaching methodology which uses tasks. But what is a task? 

A task is a 'communicative task', and is the core element of the TBLT method.

A communicative task is a problem to be solved by communication. To solve the problem and thus perform the task, the learner must produce, convey and understand a message. In the beginning, therefore, the important thing is to communicate, and NOT to use the correct rules. 

In this way, the student can use all his knowledge and thus learn the language more easily. For the teacher, the task is done well if the students communicate, and NOT if they use all the rules of the foreign language.

It is like in real life: an example of a task is talking to the doctor about a health problem.

  • One student can be the doctor and another the patient. 
  • As in real life, the important thing is that the doctor understands the patient's problem, and NOT to use the language perfectly.
  • If the doctor understands the patient's problem, then the task is done well. 

All real life situations can be tasks: writing a CV, going to the supermarket, having a job interview, calling customer service, calling an ambulance, ordering at a restaurant, telling a story, writing a motivational letter, reading an e-mail, giving directions to a tourist, and so on. 

In this MOOC you will study TBLT, how exactly it works and how you can use it in your language lessons.


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