Reflection on Task-based Language Teaching and Further Pedagogical Implications of English Teaching in Chinese Universities

Zhu Shuxian

【Abstract】In this essay， it explains the “task-based curriculum”， then describes the advantages of task-based language teaching from theoretical and practical perspectives， and further presents pedagogical implications of English teaching and learning that could be applied in Chinese universities as well as discusses possible challenges that university teachers may encounter in the teaching process. Since the major concern is task-based language teaching （TBLT）， this essay will come to launch describing on a basis of TBLT theory.

【Key words】task-based language teaching; language learners; Chinese universities

【作者簡(jiǎn)介】Zhu Shuxian， Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Zhejiang College.

Task-based curriculum， as the name suggests， is to design a curriculum comprised of several tasks. It addresses both content and methodology， to be more specific， it focuses on two questions： how should tasks be presented in the syllabus and how to utilize tasks in the classroom （Ellis， 2009）. As the previous studies show， “[A] task is any activities that learners engage in to further the process of learning a language” （Williams & Burden， 1997， p.168）， as well as learning activities which mainly emphasize communicative purposes instead of language itself （Willis， 1996）. Task-based language teaching is often seen as a communicative approach used by teachers to improve learners communicative competence， in other words， when preplanning the curriculum， tasks should be designed in a communicative setting.

Ellis （2009） indicates that the primary focus， meaning， together with a precise outcome， are key precepts of TBLT. Consequently， university teachers are responsible to create a learner-oriented classroom atmosphere and provide opportunities for learners to express their own ideas freely. Furthermore， teachers do not need to correct every error， unlike what high school teachers usually do， considering that more significance should be attached to processing information for communication. Usually for language teaching， teachers aim to specify the teaching outcome as the appropriate use of language， however， TBLT highlights how to apply the language to practical use. For instance， if university students could effectively finish writing assignments by using the phrases and expressions they have learned from class tasks， then the expectant learning outcome of TBLT is attained.

There are many strong arguments in favor of task-based language teaching and learning. Theoretically speaking， TBLT could “encourage self-directed rather than teacher-directed learning” and “promote intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation” （Nunan， 2004， p.12）. In a grammar-based approach， the focus is on accuracy while in communicative language teaching （CLT）， fluency is more significant. Generally speaking， grammar-based teaching can be very boring for most Chinese university students， especially for those learners demonstrating unsatisfactory language proficiency level. But under the TBLT circumstance， they tend to actively participate in various classroom activities with motivation because their initial desire is to express their own opinions instead of pursuing a high score directly. They are allowed to “neglect” grammar rules temporarily when they communicate with others， meaning that grammatical errors are permitted to be presented when they talk as long as the communicative function of the designed classroom tasks are fulfilled. Furthermore， they are encouraged to apply the knowledge to real world tasks， making progress and improving themselves.

Nunan （2004） also mentions that learners own experience works as a contributor to facilitate communication through interaction. Meanwhile， learners who form a group are likely to overcome communication gaps by cooperation and information sharing. Hypothetically， in English classes of Chinese universities， diverse classroom activities such as role-play， presentation and group discussion can be implemented， through which students can enhance their understanding of the text materials.

Undoubtedly， there are some practical difficulties when teachers implement TBLT. Traditional teaching requires teachers to focus on the accuracy， especially in China， because of exam-oriented education system. But TBLT stresses the significance of meaning. First， most teachers in Asia have lower proficiency in the second language since they are not non-native speakers， so they are less confident when delivering the lectures （Elllis， 2009）. Moreover， Ellis （2009） also points out that TBLT expects teachers to be engaged in activities， taking on the roles of “co-learner” and “participant”， which may result in some problems in Asian classroom. For example， if the teacher is involved in the group discussion， walking around and listening to learners arguments and further participating in their discussion as well， some learners may feel stressful due to the shy nature of many Asian language students. Obviously， in task-based language teaching， whether the role of the teacher is culturally appropriate remains to be seen.

Another issue that really deserves our attention is that if the university teacher aims to teach basic grammar rules， they prefer to teach directly， explaining the difficult concepts and assigning homework afterwards. For example， to pass the college entrance examination in China， normally known as Gaokao， given that the assessment itself mainly emphasizes the accuracy， many Chinese language learners should be well equipped with abundant grammar knowledge， and then show our understanding of grammatical rules through the examination in order to get high scores. Under this circumstance， teachers may be reluctant to design tasks， due to the limited time of each lesson and test-oriented educational module. Therefore， teaching purposes will influence the implementation of TBLT to some extent， especially when the teaching outcome focuses on manipulating language as academic as possible rather than developing communicative skills.

To conclude， although some problems emerge in a task-based classroom， well-modified tasks can still be very effective for language teaching and learning in Chinese universities. With the help of theoretical knowledge and practical experience， teachers should figure out how to maximize the advantages of TBLT and utilize tasks extensively.

References：

[1]Ellis， R. Task-based language teaching： Sorting out the misunderstandings[J]. International Journal of Applied Linguistics， 2009，19/3， 221-246.

[2]Nunan， D. Task-based language teaching[M]. Cambridge： Cambridge University Press，2004.