Applied Linguistics/6

Lecturer : Dwi Maharani, M.Pd

Name : Masmina
Date/Day : Thursday/Oct.05th2015

Summary of: SIX PROPOSITIONS IN SEARCH OF A METHODOLOGY:

APPLYING LINGUISTICS TO TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING

In this chapter. Jane and dave Willis have been writing about task-based
laerning (TBL) and task-based teaching (TBT) since the late 1980s. A ‘task’ is a
classroom activity with a focus oj meaning. Essentially, it involves real
communication between teacher and class, or two or more students
communicating with each other, and producing something as a result. Foe
example, one student mighh tell the other one how to draw something, and
drawing is a result, or a group of students might discuss and agree on a list of
priorities, and the list is a result. A task can also becarried out in teacher-led mode
with the whole class contributing. The point is that there is always an outcome to
the task that exists separetly from the language that has been used to produce it.

Six propositions in search of a methodology: Applying linguistics to task-based

language teaching :
a. Language is a meaning system. And acquiring a second entails acquiring a
new system for realizing meaning.
The terms learning and acquisition are most closely associated with
the work of Krashen (1985). He explaned the fact that learners seem to
know and at the same time not to know, by hypothesizing that learners
operate two systems – the learned and the acquired systems. Krashen also
argued that these two systems are quite separate, describing them as
impermeable. He holds that the learned system has no influence on the
acquired system – there is no leakage, no permealibility between the two.
The processes by which these systems are built up are also quite distict:
Learning is a conscious process which we can to some extent control.
Acquisition is unconcious process.
b. There is distiction between learning and acquisition, but it is indistict, and
neither system is impermeable.
This links to our first preposition because we account for the diffrence
between the two systems by pointing out they have a quite diffrent focus –
none on form and one on meaning. Learning focuses on on particular
forms of the language. Each pattern is separated out and practised in
isolation..
c. Acquisition is prompted by the need and desire to engage in meaning and
takes place through the process meaning.
The most familiar idea of meaning encompasses telling people things,
expressing ideas. But Halliday’s notion of meaning goes further tahn this –
it is also about presenting ourselves to other people.

191
 d. Language serves a wide range of functions. including the presentation of
self.
Labov (1970) showed that us we vary our language according to the
circumstance we are in. Compare, for example, talking about your work in
a bar over a couple of drinks with being interviewed for a job, speaking to
a panel of interviewers.
e. Language is variable. We vary our language to meet diffrent circumstance
and diffrent expectations.
We have argued that language is a meaning system; that, through
conscious processes may contribute to learning, acquisition is prompted by
the desire to engage in meaning. That language use are intensely personal
and the what vary our language to meet circumstances and demands.
f. Teaching for conformity to a standardized language norm is neither
possible nor desirable.
In board terms, given the above prepositions, what we need is:
 A methodology which is rooted in meanings
 A methodology which exploits natural language behaviour
 Additional activities which encourage a focus on form
The basis of Task-based teaching is the task itself. But what activities count as
tasks? ia is difficult to provide a watertight definition of what constitutes a task,
and many people have tried.
The more confidently we can answer yes to each of these question the more task-
like the activity:
 Does the activity engage learner’s interest?
 Is there primary focus on meaning?
 Is there outcome?
The important thing is that tasks angage learners in real language use, and there
are many diffrent types of task such as comparing two picture to find a set number
of diffrences, listening to or reading instructions to trace a route on a map, solving
a problem or creating story from clues – these all have outcomes that can be
shared with others.
Task-based teaching, however, involves more than getting learners to do a
series of task. A possible TBT framework, building on those described in wills
(1987,1986) and Willis J.(1996), typically consist of three main phases:
The Pre-task priming phase is where the teacher intoduces the topic of the task,
high-lighting useful words and phrases, and then sets up the task, giving
instructions and the expected outcome. The task Cycle, the task gives
opportunities for explorotory use of language, where learners work in the security
of the pairs, in private, using whatever language they can recall, and in the form
focus phase, learnesr could be given the trancript of the recording and ask to
listen again and do some analysis exercise, practising useful phrases.

192