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

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@yahoo.com TBLT 2007, Univ. of Hawaii, Sept. 20-22. (28 PPT slides + 4 tables in MS Word format)

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.files/japanesepublisher_efl.htm

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

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).

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 example…to report a solution to a problem.” • “The outcome of the completed task can be shared in some way with others.”

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 one’s point of view Reaching a Decision or Solution through interaction: • Decision-making (convergent), debate (divergent)

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,

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

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.”

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?

Sample Analysis (four textbooks) • Ｔａｂｌｅ 1:Topics for Global Citizenship • Table 2:Topics in International Society • Table 3:It’s Your World Get Involved! • Table 4:What’s Going on Around the World?

Preliminary Findings & Observations • Very little variety of exercise types in this genre of textbook (global issues) • Restricted use of task types, mainly “What’s your opinion? • Focus mainly on literal comprehension and vocabulary study • Neglect of listening and writing tasks (exceptions)

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)

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.

Limitations of the Study • Have not reviewed all the teacher’s guides • Only one evaluator

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.

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.

Willis, J.. (n.d.). Task-based language learning. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2007, from http://www.languages.dk/methods/documents/TBL_presentation.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.

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.

Presenter’s home pages: • http://www.ne.jp/asahi/m/and/ • http://www.ne.jp/asahi/m/and/agu

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