Chapter 2. Teacher transformation of textbook tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms
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Bao Trang Thi Nguyen
Abstract
The study reported in this chapter investigated how and why the EFL teachers in a Vietnamese high school diverged from the tasks set in the textbooks provided as part of a task-based curriculum. Over a two-and-a-half-month period, nine teachers (all Vietnamese nationals) were observed teaching a sequence of five lessons covering one textbook unit; a total of 45 observed lessons. The lessons were audio and video recorded, and the teachers and selected students were interviewed. The teachers also took part in stimulated recall sessions. Results of an analysis of the features of the textbook tasks and of the observed lessons showed the teachers frequently adapt or replace textbook tasks, opting to change closed tasks into more open-ended tasks (open, divergent and input-independent) and to modify what they perceived as inauthentic tasks so they were not just ‘real world’, but ‘real’ to students. As to why teachers made these choices, interview data revealed a set of clearly articulated and shared beliefs among the teachers about the nature of teaching and learning, based in part on their experience of experimenting with different types of tasks. Prominent in their stated beliefs was a strong orientation toward the social and affective dimensions of task-based learning which prioritized learner engagement and well-being. This study provides insights into teacher decision making in task based teaching and addresses the pressing call for a ‘researched pedagogy’ which insists that “the use of tasks in classrooms must be an essential focus” (Bygate, 2011).
Abstract
The study reported in this chapter investigated how and why the EFL teachers in a Vietnamese high school diverged from the tasks set in the textbooks provided as part of a task-based curriculum. Over a two-and-a-half-month period, nine teachers (all Vietnamese nationals) were observed teaching a sequence of five lessons covering one textbook unit; a total of 45 observed lessons. The lessons were audio and video recorded, and the teachers and selected students were interviewed. The teachers also took part in stimulated recall sessions. Results of an analysis of the features of the textbook tasks and of the observed lessons showed the teachers frequently adapt or replace textbook tasks, opting to change closed tasks into more open-ended tasks (open, divergent and input-independent) and to modify what they perceived as inauthentic tasks so they were not just ‘real world’, but ‘real’ to students. As to why teachers made these choices, interview data revealed a set of clearly articulated and shared beliefs among the teachers about the nature of teaching and learning, based in part on their experience of experimenting with different types of tasks. Prominent in their stated beliefs was a strong orientation toward the social and affective dimensions of task-based learning which prioritized learner engagement and well-being. This study provides insights into teacher decision making in task based teaching and addresses the pressing call for a ‘researched pedagogy’ which insists that “the use of tasks in classrooms must be an essential focus” (Bygate, 2011).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editors’ preface vii
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. How do beginning teachers conceptualise and enact tasks in school foreign language classrooms? 23
- Chapter 2. Teacher transformation of textbook tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms 51
- Chapter 3. Teacher perceptions and use of tasks in school ESL classrooms 71
- Chapter 4. The challenges of integrating focus on form within tasks 97
- Chapter 5. Optimal conditions for TBLT? 131
- Chapter 6. Task-based language teaching 165
- Chapter 7. Researching TBLT for young, beginner learners in Japan 199
- Chapter 8. Promoting learning from second language speaking tasks 213
- Chapter 9. Tasks in the pedagogic space 235
- Chapter 10. Becoming a task-based teacher educator 265
- About the authors 287
- Index 291
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editors’ preface vii
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. How do beginning teachers conceptualise and enact tasks in school foreign language classrooms? 23
- Chapter 2. Teacher transformation of textbook tasks in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms 51
- Chapter 3. Teacher perceptions and use of tasks in school ESL classrooms 71
- Chapter 4. The challenges of integrating focus on form within tasks 97
- Chapter 5. Optimal conditions for TBLT? 131
- Chapter 6. Task-based language teaching 165
- Chapter 7. Researching TBLT for young, beginner learners in Japan 199
- Chapter 8. Promoting learning from second language speaking tasks 213
- Chapter 9. Tasks in the pedagogic space 235
- Chapter 10. Becoming a task-based teacher educator 265
- About the authors 287
- Index 291
