TESOL%20Arabia's%2015th%20Annual%20International%20Conference%20English%20in%20Learning:%20Learning%20in%20English%20Content,%20Language%20and%20task-based%20learning:%20a%20balancing%20act%20Jane%20Willis%20Honorary%20Visiting%20Fellow%20Aston%20University

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TESOL Arabia's 15th Annual International
ConferenceEnglish in Learning Learning in
EnglishContent, Language and task-based
learning a balancing actJane WillisHonorary
Visiting Fellow Aston University
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A balancing act
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Content, Language and task-based learning a
balancing act

• Overview
• Learning in English
• Content and tasks CLIL and TBL together
• 3. A focus on English in learning - getting the
  balance right

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1. Learning in English

• What are the main benefits for your students of
  Learning in English?
• Exposure to language in use rich potential
  input
• Real purpose for using language to learn
  something new
• Real purpose for learning language - integrated
  within a real context

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• If well implemented, it can
• increase learner motivation and participation
• save time and lead to higher language levels
• - be satisfying and rewarding for the teacher and
  learner

• If well implemented, learning in English can
• increase learner motivation and participation
• save time and lead to higher language levels
• be satisfying and rewarding for the teacher and
  learner

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So what is Content and Language Integrated
Learning?

• Do Coyle, CLIL Motivating Learners and Teachers,
  
• explores the dual aims of CLIL and defines it
  thus
• a powerful pedagogic tool which aims to
  safeguard the subject being taught whilst
  promoting language as a medium for learning as
  well as an objective of the learning process
  itself.
• http//www.scilt.stir.ac.uk/Downloads/slr/i
  ssue_13/SLR13Coyle.pdf

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Some successful FL projects

• Content Based Instruction in FLs e.g. NASA space
  team, diplomats, peace keeping forces intensive
  courses in the USA 1990s
• Immersion Education in Canadian schools French
  and English
• Bilingual Schools Project integrated
  Spanish/English Curriculum 3-16 year old
  children in Spain 1966
• Content and Language Integrated Project (CLIP)- 8
  UK schools begun in 2002
• In the Middle East a variety of projects at a
  range of levels to be reported at this conference

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In what ways were these successful?

• A recent evaluation of the Spanish project has
  reported the following successes
• interest and motivation on the part of the
  children
• the enthusiasm of the parents
• a growing sense of satisfaction from head
  teachers in schools, many of which are in
  economically deprived areas
• learning in two languages not only contributes to
  the progress of the children in their first
  language, but would appear to assist the
  children's cognitive development.

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Feedback on the UK CLIL project

• a researcher
• it allows pupils to use language in a range of
  different ways, and in more complex ways they
  have a higher level of comprehension skills,
  develop better strategic skills focus less on
  word-by-word comprehension..
• a teacher
• You change your mind about what is possible. I
  would never have believed it before- that
  beginners could make so much progress so quickly.

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Do such projects always succeed?

• NO!
• David Graddol speaking at the IATEFL CLIL debate
  in 2005
• . there is a potentially large downside to it.
  In many countries they just don't seem to be
  equipped to implement Clil. When it works it
  works extraordinarily well, but it is actually
  quite a difficult to do well. My feeling is that
  it may actually take 30 or 40 years for a country
  to really to pull this one off.

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Hong Kong - Secondary Schools

• Amy Tsui reported at the same CLIL debate
• a) the students who learned content through
  English ended up two years behind those learning
  in Chinese
• b) Chinese-medium school students got much higher
  grades when taking the Chinese school-leaving
  public examination
• c) by the 3rd year of CLIL, the self perception,
  self esteem of English-medium students were
  significantly lower than Chinese-medium students
  - and motivation as well.

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ITS NOT EASY
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Possible reasons for failure

• Teachers perceived linguistic competence
• Stakeholders beliefs
• Assessment procedures and grading schemes

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Other challenges mentioned by teachers

• Making content input comprehensible
• new concepts and new language together
• Mother tongue use when to allow it
• Learner motivation how to increase it
• When and how to work on language
• and focus on form? Before? In parallel but
  separate? Integrated?

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• The last four challenges can be met by making
  flexible use of tasks within a coherent framework
• Need to start small with support..
• So on to Part 2.

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2. CLIL and TBL together How can tasks
help?

• There is a rich literature on TBL which can be
  applied to the problems of CLIL .
• Tasks have to be about something and Content can
  provide the topics.
• Content has be broken down into activities that
  learners can engage with, and these fit our
  definition of a Task.

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CLIL through Tasks

• Do Coyle lists Task design in her curriculum
  planning model and stresses the need for a
  strategy for promoting genuine communication in
  the FL if learning is to take place.
• Tasks can be the main strategy
• She adds The CLIL environment demands a level
  of talking and interaction that is different from
  the traditional language classroom.
• Tasks provide opportunities for genuine
  communication and rich meaning-focused interaction

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Characteristics of effective tasks

• have a primary focus on meaning
• have a clear outcome for learners to achieve
• relate as far as possible to real world
  activities
• engage learners interest

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CLIL and Music - a task to try

• MUSIC syllabus for children
• Here is an activity with the aim to develop
  left hand / right hand co-ordination
• ARE YOU READY?

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How did that fit the criteria?
Characteristics of effective tasks a primary
focus on meaning a clear outcome a real world
skill engaging ---------------------------------
------------------------------------- Language
one hand / the other hand / both hands / both
together and lots of other input
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A higher level task DESIGN A LIBRARY BROCHURE

• Design a Library Brochure for new students
• a sequence of enabling tasks planned by the
  students themselves
• Followed by three evaluation tasks after the
  publication of the brochure
• HCT Ras Al Khaimah Mens College
  http//ilc.rkmc.hct.ac.ae/ILCSite/1FB_Mohamed20Kh
  aled_1.pdf

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A Task-based lesson framework

• Tasks are most effective when used within a
  coherent Framework.
• Priming Preparation
• Task Cycle
• Task gtgt Planning gtgt Report of outcome
• Form focus

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Pre-task priming and preparation

• can help make content input more comprehensible.
• It requires
• prior analysis of the linguistic and cognitive
  demands
• a series of mini- tasks, often teacher-led
• lots of visual support

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BBC.co.uk GEOGRAPHY Rivers

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/index
  .shtml

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Use the web and fine-tune activities

• BBC HomepageSchools
• gtgtWhat is a river?The water cycleHow do
  rivers change?People and rivers

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What is a river?

• A river is fresh water flowing across the surface
  of the land, usually to the sea. It flows in a
  channel. The bottom of the channel is called the
  bed and the sides of the channel are called the
  banks.
• All rivers are different, but they all work in a
  similar way. The key idea to remember is that
  water flows downhill. Flowing water has ENERGY!
• Now make a diagram and label it.
• Choose 3 useful phrases to remember.

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Framework Task cycle

• Priming Preparation
• Task Cycle
• Task gtgt Planning gtgt Report of outcome
• Form focus

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Sample tasks for rivers

• All the next few tasks have a purpose for the
  report except one which one?
• If water is flowing down the river to the sea,
  why doesnt the river empty, dry up, or run out
  of water? The answer lies in The Water Cycle.
• Read the web-link, and write a full caption for
  each of the six stages in the process. Then mix
  them up to use as a quiz next lesson.

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Map task settlements

• Note Settlements are villages or towns
• Use a map and trace a local (or famous) river
  from its sources to its mouth. How does the size
  of the settlements change? How does their shape
  change?
• Work in twos. Plan how to report your findings
  to the class in English.
• Compare your findings find one thing in common.

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Exploring reasons why we settled by rivers

• a) Why were so many towns and villages built by
  rivers? List 3 reasons. Prepare to tell the class
  and compare lists. Add one more reason.
• b) In groups of 2 or 3, choose one reason and
  expand it further, giving two or three examples
  (do some research!) Exchange with another group
  and think of two questions to ask them.
• (Written or spoken).

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Problem-solving floods

• Flooding is a major disadvantage of living near a
  river. How might this be overcome?
• b) Flooding can also be an advantage in what
  way? Read the text on the river Nile .

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Planning and Report stages

• Which task did not specify a purpose or report
  stage?
• The report stage is important because it
• - gives a purpose for task completion enhances
  motivation and chance of success
• presents opportunities for learners personal
  language development at the planning stage,
  before going public- in English
• --------------------------------------------------
  -----------------------
• Motivation was one problem L1 use was another

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L 1 use when in the task framework?

• Priming Preparation
• Task Cycle
• Task gtgt Planning gtgt Report of outcome
• Form focus

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3. A focus on English in learning

• integrating language
• and
• getting the balance right.

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When to work on language and focus on form?

• Priming Preparation
• Key lexis useful phrases
• Task gtgt Planning gtgtgtgt Report of outcome
• Language extension gtgt Prestige language use
• Form focus
• Analysis practice
• of language features from
• texts written or spoken that learners have read
  or heard
• --------------------------------------------------
  ---------------------------------
• C. Eide (PI in Abu Dhabi)
• Learners record their tasks, then listen,
  transcribe, discuss..

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From a text-based Task. to form focus

• TASK Look at your river on the map again. Read
  this text- how far is it true for your river?
  Compare with another group.
• TEXT (from web-site)
• Remember that the source of a river is on higher
  ground, and is often remote. The middle course is
  usually hilly ground. The lower course is usually
  flatter ground and the mouth of a river is nearly
  always at the sea.
• The shape or form of the landscape through which
  a river flows will affect the form of settlements
  beside the river. Some towns and villages will
  be long and thin, along the river's banks, others
  will be able to spread out in all directions.

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To form focus for Geography

• Underline 4 phrases for parts of a river what
  others do you know? What other landscape
  features are mentioned?
• Find 5 or 6 phrases with prepositions, describing
  location. Write them with a gap omitting the
  preposition. Play what is where?
• Find 4 phrases with frequency adverbs expressing
  probability.
• Find 3 phrases with will. What does will mean
  here? Is it expressing future? Or predicting?
  Does this happen in Arabic?
• Remember that the source of a river is on higher
  ground, and is often remote. The middle course is
  usually hilly ground. The lower course is usually
  flatter ground and the mouth of a river is nearly
  always at the sea.
• The shape or form of the landscape through which
  a river flows will affect the form of settlements
  beside the river. Some towns and villages will
  be long and thin, along the river's banks, others
  will be able to spread out in all directions.

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Form focus for science

• From science experiment to form focus
• Analyse language. identify typical features,
  patterns, functions
• How are experiments laid out?
• What general language features are typical in
  each section?
• What topic specific collocations? (e.g.
  properties of materials, verbs that are used with
  liquids)
• Create exercises to focus on these.

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A fundamental shift in the language syllabus

• Both TBL and CLIL recognise the need for a
  fundamental shift in the language syllabus
• No longer can the FL be parcelled into a
  grammatical progression, leaving past tenses and
  more complex linguistic structures until later.
  The topic of
• sustainability requires access to expression of
  future the Industrial revolution will require
  past tenses

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Analyse the language of the content area

• Written visual sources, e.g.
• web,
• text book,
• other learners output,
• journals, magazines
• Realia e.g. notices, leaflets, brochures
• Spoken sources (planned and spontaneous) e.g.
• teacher monologue,
• teacher class interaction,
• group discussion,
• presentations,
• outside experts
• CDs, DVDs, radio, podcasts

• A need to analyse the language features typical
  of each subject.
• What discourse types? What language is typically
  used in each?

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Materials planning process

• Work with specialist to choose content and break
  it down
• Design your target tasks task sequences
• Design priming and preparation tasks for your
  learners
• Devise form focused exercises
• TRY IT ALL OUT
• Evaluate and follow up with learners and
  colleagues
• And before long you will succeed in and enjoy.

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getting the balance right!
www.willis-elt.co.uk
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(No Transcript)
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• Advice from CLIL and TBL practitioners
• Any new project needs management / institution
  /stakeholder backing
• to clarify rationale and support mechanics and
  motivation for change - and allow time for
• co-operation between content specialists and
  language teachers
• to plan, trial and evaluate materials and methods
  for teaching and assessment
• co-operation is the key
• Teachers need motivation to change, a strong
  project leader and ongoing support especially in
  early stages, and regular, confidence-boosting
  reviews
• Students need an understanding of the process and
  end objectives - not just content syllabus aims
  but what levels of English are acceptable for
  each type of activity?
• Start small choose a topic and design some
  simple task sequences with clear achievable
  outcomes
• Involve learners
• Be positive

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Bibliography and references

• About CLIL
• If you only have time to read one article about a
  CLIL project see Do Coyle
• http//www.scilt.stir.ac.uk/Downloads/slr/issue_13
  /SLR13Coyle.pdf
• She reports on the results of a pioneer project
  run in 8 Secondary schools in the UK for
  different FLs . She gives a sample lesson plan
  and a Framework for the process of CLIL
  Curriculum Design.
• For a shorter very basic account of what CLIL is
  about, Steve Darn
• http//www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/c
  ontent-language-integrated-learning
• Useful background
• http//www.teachingenglish.org.uk/transform/teache
  rs/specialist-areas/clil/websites-discussion-lists
  
• http//www.britishcouncil.org/spain-education-bili
  ngual-project

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• Resources
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/11_16/
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/index
  .shtml
• http//www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/egypt/
  egypt2.htm

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Books

• Bygate M. P. Skehan and M. Swain (eds) 2001.
  Researching Pedagogic Tasks Second language
  learning, teaching and testing
• Edwards, C. and J. Willis (eds) 2005. Teachers
  Exploring Tasks in ELT. Palgrave MacMillan.
  Prize winner - British Council ELT Innovations
  Awards 2006
• Ellis R. 2003. Task-based Language Teaching and
  Learning. Oxford, OUP
• Estaire S. and J. Zanon, 1994. Planning
  Classwork a task-based approach. Oxford
  Macmillan Heinemann
• Foster P. 1996. Doing the task better how
  planning time influences students performance.
  In Jane Willis Dave Willis (eds) Challenge and
  Change in Language Teaching. Heinemann pp17-30
• Leaver B.L. J. Willis, (eds) 2004. Task-based
  Instruction in Foreign Language Education
  practices and programs. Washington DC, Georgetown
  University Press. (See Chapter 1 for an overview
  of TBL perspectives and practices).
• Mohan, B. A. 1986 Language and Content
  Addison-Wesley
• Paterson, A and Willis, J. 2008 English Through
  Music OUP
• Stryker, S. B. and Leaver, B. L. 1997
  Content-Based Instruction in Foreign
• Language Education models and methods.
  Georgetown University Press
• Willis D. 2003. Rules, Patterns and Words
  Grammar and Lexis in English Language Teaching.
  Cambridge University Press
• Willis, D. and Willis, J. 2007. Doing Task-based
  Teaching Oxford University Press