Chapter 3. Teacher perceptions and use of tasks in school ESL classrooms
-
Rhonda Oliver
Abstract
Although Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is becoming increasingly popular among researchers and practitioners worldwide, teachers’ perceptions about tasks and their use within school classrooms have received scant attention in the literature. Given that perceptions about ‘task’ influence pedagogy, not only in terms of syllabus design, but also with respect to classroom approaches, teaching style, assessment methods and ultimately even learning outcomes, there is a real need to investigate them in the classroom context. This chapter presents findings of a research study with this aim.
Primary and secondary school ESL teachers in Western Australia were surveyed, and written samples of the tasks they use were collected and analyzed to reveal the ways teachers design tasks, define their aims and assess students’ performance. The results indicate that there is little consistency among teachers in relation to these things. The survey data clearly indicates different levels of teacher awareness of TBLT. At the same time, differences in task definition and design by these practitioners might be partially attributed to the inconsistency that exists in the literature itself. The findings are discussed in light of this, and suggestions for pedagogy made.
Abstract
Although Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is becoming increasingly popular among researchers and practitioners worldwide, teachers’ perceptions about tasks and their use within school classrooms have received scant attention in the literature. Given that perceptions about ‘task’ influence pedagogy, not only in terms of syllabus design, but also with respect to classroom approaches, teaching style, assessment methods and ultimately even learning outcomes, there is a real need to investigate them in the classroom context. This chapter presents findings of a research study with this aim.
Primary and secondary school ESL teachers in Western Australia were surveyed, and written samples of the tasks they use were collected and analyzed to reveal the ways teachers design tasks, define their aims and assess students’ performance. The results indicate that there is little consistency among teachers in relation to these things. The survey data clearly indicates different levels of teacher awareness of TBLT. At the same time, differences in task definition and design by these practitioners might be partially attributed to the inconsistency that exists in the literature itself. The findings are discussed in light of this, and suggestions for pedagogy made.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 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
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- 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
