antónio lopes
TRANSCRIPT
Results of an international survey on technology-mediated task-based language teaching
António Lopes
AMY NOCTON
CARLA MARELLO
CHRISTA DOIL-HARTMANN
IOANNIS KARRAS
MARIJA DRAGUTINOVIC
RAÚL RUIZ-CECILIA
PETALL = Pan European Task Activities for Language Learning
LLP transversal KA2 project (co-funded by the LLP of the European Union)
Aim: promote ICT-based tasks in language learning
The consortium is composed of 10 national tandems.
Each tandem formed by a teacher training department and a practice school.
Experienced tandems collaborate with less experienced tandems, so as to create a transfer of the expertise.
Most tandems represent less widely used languages.
Each tandem designed and/or adapted four samples of good practice of ICT-based task activities in accordance with the principles of the Common European Framework.
The tasks were tried out by learners in the practice schools of the neighbouringtandems so as to determine whether they “travel well”.
Tasks were evaluated by both end-users (learners and teachers) and independent experts.
a) encourage collaborative work between teachers in different countries andteacher trainers by setting up regional networks for the development of ICT-based tasks;
b) facilitate the access to technology-mediated tasks that travel well, securing thequality of the communicative exchange across cultural and geographic divides;
c) Promote mutual understanding and awareness of linguistic and culturaldiversity through ICT-based TBLT;
d) enhance the quality of teacher education in technology-mediated TBLT;
e) develop the teachers’ digital competence;
f) leverage both the quality of teacher education in technology-mediated TBLT andthe effectiveness of task-based language learning through adequate evaluationtools.
40 samples of good practices in technology-mediated Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) that “travel well”, available in the project website (petallproject.eu).
Teacher training courses in ten different countries.
An international teacher training course under Erasmus +.
Reports, papers, posters
Brochure
This international conference
The website…
… gives access to all the deliverables
… serves as a repository for the samples of good practice
… is web responsive
… allows you to submit and edit your own proposals of tasks
… has a forum where you can exchange ideas and information
22 October 2015 – 12 April 2016
1. Determine how well teachers are acquainted with:
1. task-based language teaching (TBLT)
2. the potential that ICT has to offer in TBLT
2. Characterize the teaching practices used in the language classroom in terms of TBLT and ICT
3. Identify the main difficulties teachers face when they implement TBLT
4. Understand the role of the CEFR in their teaching practice
5. Determine which methods and resources they value the most
6. Determine the training needs of language teachers in TBLT
7. Allow the respondents themselves to reflect methodologically on TBLT and the uses of ICT in TBLT
… comprises 31 questions and is divided into the following sections:
A. General information (3 questions)
B. Teaching qualifications (3 questions)
C. Awareness of task-based language teaching (9 questions)
D. Awareness of the potential of ICT in language learning (5 questions)
E. Teaching practice (8 questions)
F. Training needs (3 questions)
It takes about 10-12 minutes to complete.
GENDER
AGE GROUP
COUNTRY
WHAT ARE YOUR TEACHING QUALIFICATIONS?
WHEN DID YOU OBTAIN YOUR TEACHING QUALIFICATIONS?
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A TEACHER?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING IS?
WHICH DEFINITION BEST MATCHES YOUR IDEA OF TASK? (4 OPTIONS + OTHER)
WHAT DO TASKS REQUIRE FROM THE LEARNER?
HOW CONFIDENT DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU IMPLEMENT A TASK-BASED
ACTIVITY IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM?
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CARRY OUT TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM?
HOW OFTEN IS ICT INVOLVED IN THE TASK-BASED ACTIVITIES THAT YOU CARRY
OUT IN YOUR CLASSROOM?
RANK THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED TASKS (ICT+TBLT).
RANK THE CHALLENGES OF TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED TASKS (ICT+TBLT).
WHAT DIMENSIONS OF ICT ARE VALUED IN TASK-BASED LANGUAGE TEACHING?
(MEMORY/COMMUNICATION/CONSTRUCTION/PROCESS)
DO YOU MAKE USE OF ICT IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM?
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO CIRCUMVENT THE LACK OF ICT RESOURCES AT
SCHOOL?
HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR SCHOOL’S ICT RESOURCES FOR TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED
TBLT?
WHY IS ICT IMPORTANT IN THE CLASSROOM? RANK THE ANSWERS.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CARRY OUT ICT-BASED ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM?
WHICH LEVELS DO YOU GENERALLY TEACH?
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CONSULT THE SYLLABUS OF THE SUBJECT THAT YOU
TEACH?
HOW WELL ACQUAINTED ARE YOU WITH THE COMMON EUROPEAN
FRAMEWORK FOR REFERENCE?
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE
HAS SOME BEARING ON YOUR TEACHING PRACTICE?
HOW OFTEN DO YOU RESORT TO THE TEXTBOOK?
WHAT TYPE OF TEACHING APPROACHES DO YOU PREFER IN YOUR LESSONS?
WHICH LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS ARE YOU WELL ACQUAINTED WITH?
WHICH OF THEM DO YOU USE?
DO YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR TRAINING IN TBLT AND ICT?
WHY DO YOU NEED THIS SORT OF TRAINING?
ARE THERE ENOUGH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN
THE AREA WHERE YOU LIVE?
a piece of work that integrates the modes of communication, can be assessed with rubrics. (US)
Ellis' definition + the outcome is something motivating for students and can be shown and shared with the learning community. (Spain)
I would follow Claude Springer approach in his proposition with project based learning and consider TBLT to require tasks to be socially significant and meaningful even if all of the above are acceptable and accepted definitions of TBLT. (FR)
A task is an activity with a specific goal and involves communicative language use in the process; it goes beyond the common classroom exercise because a task has a direct connection with the real world, and the kind of discourse that arises from a task is intended to resemble that which occurs naturally in the real world (Ellis, 2000). The defining criteria of a task involve (Skehan, 1998; Ellis, 2000):
1. a primary focus on meaning;
2. some kind of ‘gap’;
3. a goal that needs to be worked towards;
4. real-world processes of language use;
5. outcome/evaluation.
US
Number Qualification Percentage
EU (France; Spain)
2 PhD 0,86%
US 2 PhD & ME 4%
75%
42,7%
38,3%
5,1
9,8
16,2
16,2
24,6
28,3
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0
They promote collaboration and mutual assistance.
ICT+TBLT fosters the teachers’ creativity, adaptability and responsiveness to new challenges.
They increase/promote the development of the learners’ communicative skills.
They give students autonomy and decision-makingabilities.
They put learners in communication contexts closer to reallife.
They lead to a greater more active involvement of thelearners in the learning process.
C7. What is good about technology-mediated tasks? 1st choice
11,4
12,1
12,8
12,8
13,5
14,5
22,9
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0
Difficulty in designing and applying tools for evaluation that may enable the teacher to evaluate the learners’
performance.
Lack of knowledge of what TBLT entails or how toimplement it.
Difficulty in getting samples of good practice inICT+TBLT that can meet my needs as a teacher.
The learners’ lack of language/linguistic resources (vocabulary and grammar) to apply to the activity
The learners’ resistance to using the foreign language in the course of the activity.
Difficulty in simultaneously monitoring the work ofseveral groups of learners during the ICT+TBLT activity.
Difficulty in finding time to plan and prepare anICT+TBLT activity.
C8. What is more challenging about technology-mediated tasks? 1st choice
3%
23%
29%
45%
C9. Dimensions of ICT valued in task-based language teaching
Memory (storing andorganizing information, etc.)
Construction (of products,outputs, including writtentexts, videos, flyers, posters,etc.)
Process (of discovery,explanation, learning,evaluation, enquiry, etc.)
Communication (interactionwith others, negotiation,exchange, sharing, litigation,etc.)
Which of thesedimensions of ICT are the most important in TBLT activities?
Do you make use of ICT in the language classroom?
Do you believe that it is possible to circumvent the lack of ICT resources at school?
1,7
1,7
7,1
8,8
9,8
13,1
27,3
30,6
0,0 5,0 10,0 15,0 20,0 25,0 30,0 35,0
To get in touch with colleagues from otherinstitutions.
To assess students.
To create and develop products
To share materials and other resources with thestudents.
To make students more proficient in the use of ICT inthe context of a foreign language.
To facilitate communication with the students.
To turn students into more proficient users of theforeign language.
To engage in learning activities.
D4. You and ICT: Why is ICT important in the classroom?
How often do you carry out ICT-based activities in the classroom?
How often do youconsult the syllabusof the subject thatyou teach?
How well acquaintedare you with theCommon EuropeanFramework for Reference?
US: 19 + UK: 1
Do you believe that the Common European Framework of Reference has some bearing on your teaching practice?
How often do youresort to thetextbook?
What type ofteaching approachesdo you prefer in yourlessons?
Method Recognised% of
respondentsUsed
% of respondents
Difference between
recognisedand used
% of thedifference
Direct Method 199 67,0 113 38,0 86 56,8
Grammar-Translation 194 65,3 94 31,6 100 48,5
Audio-lingual 198 66,7 115 38,7 83 58,1
Structural Approach 151 50,8 72 24,2 79 47,7
Suggestopedia 94 31,6 37 12,5 57 39,4
Total Physical Response 154 51,9 104 35,0 50 67,5
Communicative LanguageTeaching
253 85,2 251 84,5 2 99,2
Silent Way 74 24,9 22 7,4 52 29,7
Community Language Learning 104 35,0 67 22,6 37 64,4
Immersion 120 40,4 26 8,8 94 21,7
Task-based Language Learning 237 79,8 216 72,7 21 91,1
Natural Approach 136 45,8 80 26,9 56 58,8
Lexical Syllabus 75 25,3 35 11,8 40 46,7
Total 1989 1232 757
Average (297 respondents) 6,7 51,3 4,1 31,8 2,5 61,9
Do you feel theneed for training in TBLT and ICT?
Do you believe there are enough training opportunities in language teaching in the area where you live?
Responses collected for a period of 6 months (Oct 2015 – Apr 2016).
297 respondents.
Most respondents…
are female (79,12%) [A1]
are from southern Europe (212 alone from Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Turkey) [A3]
acquired their teaching qualifications up to 20 years ago and have been teaching ever since [B2; B3]
Only a very small minority (4,38%) is not acquainted with TBLT, with a slight difference between the US and the EU.
The prevailing idea regarding TBLT is…
that of Nunan’s concept of “focus on meaning rather than form” and
the notion that the learners should behave as if they were out there in the real world. [C1; C2; C3].
Task-based language teaching is one of the most used methods, along with the communicative one (E8 [72,7%] is consistent with C5 [75%]).
However, only 52% claim they are confident about how to implement it in the classroom [C4].
ICT is used in TBLT on a regular basis [C6] and the vast majority of teachers (90%) [D1] also frequently make other uses of ICT in the language classroom [D5], all the more so because they believe that ICT-based activities can be carried out without having to rely heavily on the school’s resources (92%) [D2].
However, they still often resort to the textbook (72%) [E5]. Not too excessively though: only 5% admit that texts are their exclusive source to develop the learners’ skills [E6].
It is believed that ICT-based tasks lead to:
a more active involvement of learners in the learning process and
put them in real-life contexts [C7].
ICT in tasks is valued mostly in terms of communication (45%) and less in terms of process (29%) or construction of products (23%) [C9]. It practically ignored as memory (3%).
Most respondents (85%) are familiar with the CEFR [E3] and 91%believe that it has had some influence on the teaching practice [E4].
Those who do not know it are mostly from the US (19 out of 20, which corresponds to 46% of US respondents).
Task-based Language Teaching (80%) competes with Communicative Language Teaching (85%) as one of the most recognised LT methods [E7].
However, it is less used (72,7%) than CLT (84,5%) by almost 12% [E8].
Need for training in TBLT + ICT is strongly felt (91,3%) [F1].
However, the respondents feel that training opportunities are in most cases hard to come by (67%) [F3].
