Learning Language

Through
Tasks and Activities

Name : Aprilia Gunadi

NIM : A1B218037
Class : R-002
 THE TASKS AS AN ENVIRONMENT FOR
LEARNING

Activities Activities
at home at school

1. Tasks should be used as a tool for children in learning language , for cheching
how much learners understand.
2. Tasks and activities are seen as the environment or ecosystem of learning.
3. Tasks should be a tool for evaluation of the learners.
 Defining task and activities
TASKS
● A task can be said to be any activity that is
done with a particular purpose.
● The key features of classroom task for
children to learning a language:
1. Have coherence and unity for learners
(from topic, activity, or outcome)
2. Have meaning and purpose for learners
3. Have clear language learning goals
4. Have a beginning and end
5. Involve the learners actively
Activities
● The term activity is more general and refers to any kind of
purposeful classroom procedure that involves learners doing
something that relates to the goals of the course. For example
like singing a song, playing a game, taking a part in a debate,
having a group discussion, are all different kinds of teaching
activities.
● An activity can be said to be a work that is done with no
particular purpose in mind or with some purpose in mind.
● In a particular context use, activity intended as practice material ,
to supplement activities in the pupil’s book and to be use in
conjunction with a teacher’s book.
● An activity can be any kind of event that children participate in,
but a task has further features.
.
 Distinction between tasks and activities
tasks in nutshell activities
1. Tasks involve a context, based on
1. Activities are typically structured
a problem, challenge or scenario.
around a routine, process, or
2. The students have a purpose for
strategy.
completing the task.
2. Some examples are information
3. The steps of the task should be
gap activities, think-pair-share, and
outlined.
inside-outside circles.
4. The expectation for the
3. Activities are often hands-on and
performance or product students
interactive .
create are clear.
4. Activities are planned for the
5. Tasks are completed individually
guided or independent phases of
by students or in small group.
the lesson.
6. A completed peice of work.
5. Work in progress.
 Tasks demands- demand
● on learner● Types of demand
Tasks demands mean how hard
1. Cognitive demand: relate to
and how long people will need to
concept and understanding of the
work to complete it.
world.
● Activities should be carefully
2. Language demand: related to
thought out and planned for a
using the foreign language and to
target audience.
uses of mother tongue in
● Tasks should also have both
connection with foreign language
structure and demands
learning.
 Tasks support- support to
● learners
Task support means to ● Types of task demand and task

support the learners’ support are the same:

production of language. 1. Cognitive

● It supports to achieve the 2. Language

goal of the task by students. 3. Interactional

4. Metalinguistic
5. Involvement
6. Physical
 BALANCING TASK
●
DEMAND & TASK
Goldilocks principle: a task that is good to help the learner learn more
language is one thatSUPPORT
is demanding but not too demanding, that provides
support but not too much support.
● Too high demand- too difficult task and activities.
● Too much support- too easy task and activities.
● Language should be stretch to meet new skills and moving on to the next
challenge.
 The IMPORTANCE OF
LANGUAGE LEARNING
1.
GOALS
Language learning goals is a step to ensure that the balance of
demands and support produce language learning.
2. Set clear and appropriate language learning goals.
3. A goal that describes the intended learning is better than goal
that focuses on task completion.
4. Provide scaffolding for the task-breaking down into manageable
steps with sub goals.
5. Teacher must be careful while designing sub goals to ensure the
success and achievement at each step of the task and of the task
as a whole.
STAGES IN CLASSROOM TASK

A further aspect is added to the framework of classroom tasks,

and that is the notion of steps or stages.

1. Preparation: prepare learners to be able to complete core

activities.
2. Core activities: set up through language learning goals.
3. Follow up: builds on successful completion of the core activities.
 Stages in classroom task:
example to hani’s weekend

preparation Core Follow up

1. Activate the vocabulary
that will be needed.
activities
Learners
sentences
saying
about
The learners write
the sentence they
each picture in the have constructed
2. Help learners to
grid. before.
understand the grammar .
3. Let learners do exercise
in pair.
Task as plan & task as
action
Task as plan Task as action
1. The task is in plan.
1. When the task is used in
2. Teacher may not know
a class based on what
what will happen when
actually happened.
the activity is used.
2. Task for the particular
3. Cannot be fully
class.
evaluated.
 RESOURCES
1. Lynne Cameron- Teaching Languages to Young Learners-Cambridge University Press (2001)

2. Passion4theprofession. Moving from Exercises to Activities to Tasks. (Retrieved: 19 February 2021)

(https://passion4profession.com/category/assessment/)

3. Richard, Jack C. 2017. THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF EDUCATOR & ARTS PATRON JACK C RICHARDS.

Difference Between Task, Exercise, Activity. (Retrieved: 19 February 2021)

(http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/tlm25dagnell/2017/05/04/task-activity-exercise/)