Learning about Global Issues Through TaskBased Activities: Mixing and Matching the Four Skills

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Learning about Global Issues Through Task-Based
Activities Mixing and Matching the Four Skills

• Melvin R. Andrade, Ed.D.
• Sophia Junior College
• Aoyama Gakuin University (Japan)
• andrade.sophia_at_yahoo.com
• TBLT 2007, Univ. of Hawaii, Sept. 20-22.
• (28 PPT slides 4 tables in MS Word format)

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Outline

• Background
• Aim scope of the research
• Definition of task in this study
• Data collection and analysis
• Typology of tasks in this study
• Sample analysis
• Preliminary findings

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Introduction (1)

• Content-based and theme-based learning are
  becoming increasing evident in college and
  university English programs in Japan as ways to
  increase motivation and stimulate learning.

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Introduction (2)

• It is common to see emphasis being put on global
  trends and issues such as consumption, energy,
  environment, food and water, population and
  migration, rich-poor gap, and world health.

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Introduction (3)

• Along with these changes in approach and content,
  has there been a corresponding change in the way
  the material is presented and practiced?

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Introduction (4)

• This ongoing research is investigating the extent
  to which EFL textbooks on global issues and
  current events for university-level students in
  Japan reflect the principles of task-based
  learning in their lesson formats and practice
  activities.

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Introduction (5)

• In addition, it considers whether the tasks put
  emphasis on spoken language (listening and
  speaking), written language (reading and
  writing), comprehension (listening and reading),
  or expression (speaking and writing).

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Introduction (6)

• The findings of this research not only provide a
  sample of the current state of task-based
  teaching as reflected in textbooks published in
  Japan but can also serve as guidelines for
  teachers and materials writers who would like to
  make their lessons and materials more compatible
  with the task-based approach.

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Scope (1)

• Textbooks published in Japan for Japanese
  learners of English at the college/university
  level.
• Textbooks devoted to global issues as their
  organizing theme or textbooks devoted to current
  topic in the news, or textbooks (primarily
  reading comprehension) that deal with global
  issues in many of their units.

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Scope (2)

• Limited to textbooks from about 2000 to the
  present
• Covers 30-40 textbooks from 15-20 Japanese
  publishers
• http//www.asahi-net.or.jp/gj7h-andr/index.fil
  es/japanesepublisher_efl.htm

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Some Constraints Specifications Set by Japanese
Publishers for English textbooks

• For use by Japanese teachers of English
• Easy-to-understand format (for student and
  teacher)
• Minimize teacher preparation time
• Easy-to-score exercises for evaluating students
  (one-right-answer)
• Do well on TOEIC

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Definition of Task (1)

• A language learning task is an activity that has
  a non-linguistic purpose or goal with a clear
  outcome and that uses any or all of the four
  language skills in its accomplishment by
  conveying meaning in a way that reflects
  real-world language use (Shehadeh, 2005, pp.
  18-19, emphasis added).

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• Jan Willis (2005, p. 3, emphasis added)
• In carrying out a task the learners principle
  focus is on exchanging and understanding
  meanings, rather than on practice of form or
  prespecified forms or patterns.
• There is some kind of purpose or goal set for
  the task, so that learners know what they are
  expected to achieve by the end of the task, for
  exampleto report a solution to a problem.
• The outcome of the completed task can be shared
  in some way with others.

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Task typology (Willis, 2004, p. 21)

• Gap Principle
• Information complete a table
• Reasoning work out a course of action based on
  variables
• Opinion complete a story give ones point of
  view
• Reaching a Decision or Solution through
  interaction
• Decision-making (convergent), debate (divergent)

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Task typology (2)

• Cognitive Processes
• Listing, ordering and sorting, comparing and
  contrasting, problem solving, sharing
• personal experiences, creative tasks and projects
  (survey, interview, etc.)
• Other types
• Predication, jigsaw/split information,
  jumbles/sequencing, restoration, memory
  challenge,

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Other Task Parameters

• Open vs. closed
• One-way vs. two-way
• Focus vs. unfocused (linguistic)
• Real-world vs. pedagogic task

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Task Cycle (Willis, 2004, p. 37)

• pretask phase, where teachers set up relevant
  topic schemata, explain the task and clarify the
  intended outcome
• task itself, where learners, on their own, or in
  pairs or groups, work toward the task outcome.
  Here the focus is principally on meaning
• posttask phase, drafting, finalizing, and
  presenting the outcome or finished product to
  others.

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Analysis

• Content analysis
• What kind of exercises are there?
• Is there a variety of exercises?
• Which exercises are tasks?
• What kind of tasks are they?
• Is there a variety of tasks?

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Sample Analysis (four textbooks)

• Table 1 Topics for Global Citizenship
• Table 2 Topics in International Society
• Table 3 Its Your World Get Involved!
• Table 4 Whats Going on Around the
• World?

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Preliminary Findings Observations

• Very little variety of exercise types in this
  genre of textbook (global issues)
• Restricted use of task types, mainly Whats your
  opinion?
• Focus mainly on literal comprehension and
  vocabulary study
• Neglect of listening and writing tasks
  (exceptions)

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Observations (2)

• Other genres of recent English textbooks in Japan
  (e.g., four-skills integrated textbooks,
  conversational English) appear to include more
  task-based exercises (e.g., surveys, interviews)

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Conclusion Recommendations

• Despite the shift to authentic, meaningful
  content, textbooks in this study (global issues)
  do not reflect the principles of task-based
  language teaching.
• Teachers using textbooks favoring task-based
  language teaching need to spend some time
  adapting and supplementing these books to make
  them more TBLT friendly.

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Limitations of the Study

• Have not reviewed all the teachers guides
• Only one evaluator

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References

• Balance, T. (2002). It's your world, get
  involved Reading and talking about NGOs. Tokyo
  Eichosha
• Ito, T., Ichikawa, Y., Ishizuka, M., Maeda, T.
  (2001). What's going on around the world? Tokyo
  Ikubundo.
• Lander, J. S. (2005). Topics in international
  society. Tokyo Asahi Shuppansha.

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• Peaty, D. (2005). You, me, and the world A
  course in communicative English for global
  citizenship. Kinseido.
• Shehadeh, A. (2005).Task-based language learning
  and teaching Theories and applications. In C.
  Edwards J. Willis (Eds.), Teachers exploring
  tasks in English language teaching (pp. 13-30).
  New York Palgrave Macmillan.

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• Willis, J.. (n.d.). Task-based language learning.
  Retrieved Sept. 17, 2007, from
• http//www.languages.dk/methods/documents/TBL_pre
  sentation.pdf
• Willis, J. (2004). Perspectives on task-based
  instruction Understanding our practices,
  acknowledging our different practioners. In B. L.
  Leaver J. Willis (Eds.), Task-based instruction
  in foreign language education (pp. 3-44).
  Washington, D.C. Georgetown University Press.

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• Willis, J. (2005). Introduction Aims and
  explorations into tasks and task-based teaching.
  In C. Edwards J. Willis (Eds.), Teachers
  exploring tasks in English language teaching (pp.
  1-12). New York Palgrave Macmillan.

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Presenters home pages

• http//www.ne.jp/asahi/m/and/
• http//www.ne.jp/asahi/m/and/agu