Conference presentations

I start by listing some topics for tasks and suggesting ideas for priming and preparation stages. I illustrate these with a task for beginners, largely teacher-led: Objects on a Tray, showing how one task can lead into another. To complete the lesson plan, I give examples of form-focused activities – based on spoken and written texts –both for the Tray task, and a task on ‘Eating Out’ in Spanish.

How far is it possible to predict language items that might be useful for doing a task? Here, a detailed picture of a sitting room serves as the basis for set of tasks for near beginners. What language features do fluent speakers use when recorded doing the same tasks? We analyse a range of tasks on a cline from closed to open and I suggest ways to plan lessons based on closed tasks.

What you can do once your class has completed a task? After a brief introduction to TBL, the Powerpoint slides in ‘After the task, then what?’ outline both meaning-focused and form-focused activities that can usefully follow a task to extend and consolidate learners’ language. It features the News in Brief story, Cat’s Feat to illustrate post -task activities.

What you can do once your class has completed a task? After a brief introduction to TBL, the Powerpoint slides in ‘After the task, then what?’ outline both meaning-focused and form-focused activities that can usefully follow a task to extend and consolidate learners’ language. It features the News in Brief story, Cat’s Feat to illustrate post -task activities.

After summarizing the basic principles of TBLT, we hear a teacher reformulating the words of a very elementary learner talking about her first job. We explore the language patterns and items that the learner chooses to focus on to improve her language. The same process of recording and reformulating is followed for two more tasks done by intermediate learners. and the value of letting learners choose.

These slides were used as needed during the day. After a quick summary of TBLT principles, this workshop began with teachers of homestay students, in pairs, telling each other their best success story, recording on their phones. They then reflected on what conditions had helped their students succeed, and analysed the transcriptions of their recordings to explore typical features of spoken English. They went on to plan tasks and project-based activities that culminated in an end product that could be shared with others. These involved exploiting their home environment and their wider neighbourhood. The benefits of task-based processes were summarised.

IATEFL Brighton, 2018 Workshop by Jane Willis

IATEFL Manchester, 2015 Dave’s PowerPoint presented by Jane

IATEFL Manchester, 2015 Explanatory handout.

SATEFL, Stirling, 9th October 2010

SATEFL, Stirling, 9th October 2010

SATEFL, Stirling, 9th October 2010

SATEFL, Stirling, 9th October 2010

Additional Workshop by Jane Willis IATEFL Cardiff, April 2009

Six principles for Task Design; also Notes on rationale for and applications of a lexical approach. IATEFL Cardiff, April 2009

Dave Willis TESOL ARABIA Dubai, March 2009 (English in Learning and Learning in English)

Jane Willis TESOL ARABIA Dubai, March 2009 (English in Learning and Learning in English)

Dave Willis IATEFL Cardiff, April 2009

Dave Willis TESOL ARABIA Dubai, March 2009 (English in Learning and Learning in English)

THE LANGUAGE SHOW, London Olympia, 30th October 2009

THE LANGUAGE SHOW, London Olympia, 30th October 2009