Bridging Cultures

English Speaking: a task-based approach

Why Bridging Cultures?

Students needs
Internationalized studies Survival skills Cross-cultural communication (more and more lao wai in China)

- a globalized job market

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What we can offer them?

From communicative confidence to communicative competence

Bridging Cultures (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2005)

Inspired by real-life experience

Communicative confidence

Communication in context
An important part of fostering internationalized talent
Awareness of other cultures Understanding of ones own culture

Why task-based?
To create an effective learning environment in the classroom, we need to provide three essential conditions: the provision of exposure to the target language; the provision of opportunities for learners to use the target language for real communication; and the promotion of motivation for learners to engage in the learning process. (Willis, 1996)

Defining tasks
Ellis (2003)
A task is a work plan that requires learners to process language pragmatically in order to achieve an outcome that can be evaluated in terms of the correct or appropriate content that has been conveyed. To this end, it requires them to give primary attention to meaning and to make use of their own linguistic resources A task is intended to result in language use that bears some resemblance, direct or indirect, to the way language is used in the real world. Like other language activities, a task can engage productive or receptive, and oral or written skills, and also various cognitive processes.

Principles of a task-based approach

Form and meaning Authenticity Recycling Task dependency Learning by doing Scaffolding

Difference between tasks and exercises

What distinguishes a task from an exercise is the kind of meaning involved. Whereas a task is concerned with pragmatic meaning, i.e. the use of language in context, an exercise is concerned with semantic meaning, i.e. the systemic meanings that specific forms can convey irrespective of context. Thus, a task requires the participants to function primarily as language users in the sense that they must employ the same kinds of communicative processes as those involved in real-world activities. (Ellis, 2003)

Differences between exercise and task (Ellis, 2000)

Exercise linguistic form and semantic meaning Manifestation of code knowledge

Internalization of linguistic skills serves as an investment for future use.

Task Pragmatic meaning to achieve communicative goals / objectives Achievement of communicative goal Direct relationship between task activities and natural communicative activity

Tasks processes

Pre-task activities building schemata : Warming Up (brainstorming: open-ended questions)

Bridging Cultures, p1 1. Do you have plans to continue studying for your masters degree? Why (or why not)? 2. Do you want to study abroad? Why (or why not)? 3. Have you ever been on any job interviews? If yes, please list in the table below the major questions you are asked in the interview. If not, what do you think would be the major questions asked in the job interview? Please list them in the table below. 4. What should you do to leave a good impression on your interviewer in a job interview? Why? What you should not do? Why not?

Schemata

According to Reber and Reber's (2001) definition, schema is a plan, a structure, a framework, and a program.

schemas (schemata) are mental plans that are abstract and that they function as guides for action, as structure for interpreting information, as frameworks for solving problems

How to build schemata?

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Cultural knowledge (genre, context, etc.)

Professional knowledge (vocabulary)

Textual knowledge (structure and grammar)

Unit 1
(Bridging Cultures, P2, p13)

Mings email vs. Lilys email

Hi Lily,I just got a call from the Department of Sociology at Columbia University (cultural knowledge). They called me for an appointment for a telephone interview (professional and textual knowledge). Im thrilled! You know how much I want to go to Columbia and how hard Ive tried to make it happen. But I also feel a little worried because Im afraid of talking English over phoneAs an English major, you may not have such worries. Anyway, Ill do my best and make my dream come true. Wish me good luck! Ming Students will have some anticipation about what kind of schemata they are going to utilize to accomplish the task (speech act) a telephone interview

Linguistic and cultural input

authentic input

Transcript of 3 conversations (P3-6; p14-16)

Cultural notes (p6, p17)

Tasks (dependency)
Activity 1 (recyclingp8-10; p19-22 Activity 2: role-play p11-12; p22-24 Activity 3: simulation p12; p24-25

A series of task in a lesson or unit forms a kind of pedagogical ladder, each task representing a rung on the ladder, enabling the learner to reach higher and higher levels of communicative performance. (Nunan, 1999)

Scaffolding (building schemata)

Language notes p5 Appendix p26-35 (language usage/ functions)

Technical considerations in teaching

Class size

Question: In your own practice, do you have any experience in dealing with large size classes?

Multi-level students

Question: How are you going to inspire quiet students to share their ideas with others? How to motivate students?

Multi-media

Question: How are you going to utilize multi-media in teaching speaking?

Classroom instruction
Focused instruction drawing attention to language form will help learners to improve more rapidly and to continue improving. (Willis, 1996)

Teachers role
Tasks remove the teacher domination, and learners get chances to open and close conversations, to interact naturally, to interrupt and challenge, to ask people to do things and to check that they have been done. (Willis, 1996)

Suggestion for conducting activities

Establish routines for group work and pair work. Make sure learners understand the value of group work and pair work; clear, systematic procedures for structuring tasks (collaborative learning)

Monitoring students development

Teaching is a process of decision making Teaching is a matter of choice Teaching is adaptation

THANK YOU!
, 210093 chinacathy@yahoo.com chinacathymagic@gmail.com