Teaching Speaking using TBLL (Task-Based Language Learning)



  1. Review on Speaking
1. The Definitions of Speaking
Speaking is one of four important skills in foreign language learning. To express an idea students have to speak. By active speaking, it is very useful to increase their ability as students who learn English as foreign language.   There are some experts giving the definition of speaking.
According to Brown (in Florez, 1999) speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information. Bygate states that speaking is often thought of as a ‘popular’ form of expression, which uses the unprestigious ‘colloquial’ register: literary skills are on the whole more prize. The relative neglect may perhaps also be due to the fact that speaking is transient and improvised, and can therefore be viewed as facile, superficial, or glib (1997: vii). Hdez (in Spratt, M. Pulverness, A. William, M, 2005) defines speaking as (1) productive skill; (2) use of speech; and (3) express meaning.
 While Chaney (in Kayi, 2006) states that speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts. Kayi (2006) adds that speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It, like the other skills, is more complicated than it seems at first and involves more than just pronouncing words.
From the definitions above, it can be concluded that speaking is a productive skill to construct meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information which use popular expression either verbal or non-verbal symbols.
2. Speaking Activities
         Speaking is the most important than the other language skill. A people who knows a language will be a speaker of that language. To make it easy on speaking, we have to create a good situation in the class. There are many kind such an activities that occur in the class. In order to make it successful, the speaking skills have to be comprehended. Here are some of the micro-skills involved in speaking. The speaker has to:
  1. Pronounce the distinctive sounds of a language clearly enough so that people can distinguish them. This includes making tonal distinctions. Fluency is an important part of speaking and includes the following:
1)      The ability to use language spontaneously
2)      The ability to listen and comprehend spontaneously
3)      The ability to respond spontaneously
4)      The ability to compensate for any lack in any of the above
  1. Use stress and rhythmic patterns, and intonation patterns of the language clearly enough so that people can understand what is said.
  2. Use the correct forms of words. This may mean, for example, changes in the tense, case, or gender.
  3. Put words together in correct word order.
  4. Use vocabulary appropriately.
  5. Use the register or language variety that is appropriate to the situation and the relationship to the conversation partner.
  6. Make clear to the listener the main sentence constituents, such as subject, verb, object, by whatever means the language uses.
  7. Make the main ideas stand out from supporting ideas or information.
  8. Make the discourse hang together so that people can follow what you are saying.
3. Factors Influencing Speaking Activities
Teacher faces various problems when do some speaking activities in the class. The students have different ability to speak English as foreign language, and so they make different mistakes. It is better to know more about the factors that influence speaking activities (Ur, 1996:121) as states below:
  1. Inhibition.
Speaking requires some degree of real-time exposure to the audience. Learners are often inhibited about trying to say things in a foreign language in the classroom: worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts.
  1. Nothing to say.
Even if they are not inhibited, you often hear learners complain that they cannot think of anything to say: they have no motive to express themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking.
  1. Low and uneven participation.
Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard; and in large group this means that each one will have only very little talking time. This problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate, while others speak very little or not at all.
  1. Mother-tongue use.
In classes where all, or a number of, the learners share the same mother tongue, they may tend to use it : because it is easier, because it feels unnatural to speak to one another in a foreign language, and because they feel less ‘exposed’ if they are speaking their mother tongue. If they are talking in small groups it can be quite difficult to get some classes-particularly the less disciplined or motivated ones-to keep to the target language.
      Besides, there are many other factors influencing speaking activities. In order to make the speaking activities successful there are four points which can be solution. (Ur, 1996: 120)
  1. Learners talk a lot.
As much as possible of the period of time allotted to the activity is in fact occupied by learner talk. This may seem obvious, but often most time is taken up with teacher talk or pauses.
  1. Participation is even.
Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority of talkative participants; all get a change to speak, and contributions are fairly evenly distributed.
  1. Motivation is high.
Learners are eager to speak because they are interested in the topic and have something new to say about it, or because they want to contribute to achieving a task objective.
  1. Language is of an acceptable level.
Learners express themselves in utterances that are relevant, easily comprehensible to each other, and of an acceptable level of language accuracy.

C. Review on Task-Based Language Learning
1. Definition of Task-Based Language Learning
Furthermore, Task-Based Language Learning is a method of instruction in the field of language acquisition. It focuses on the use of authentic language, and to students doing meaningful tasks using the target language; for example, visiting the doctor, conducting an interview, or calling customer services for help (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task-based_language_learning. According to Richards and Rodgers (2001: 223) Task-Based Language Learning is referring to an approach based on the use of tasks as the core unit of planning and instruction in language teaching. This method is based on the principles of behavior psychology. It adapted many of the principles and procedures of the Direct Method, in part as a reaction to the lack of speaking skills of the Reading Approach (edweb.sdsu.edu/people/jmora).
Thus, it can be concluded that Task-Based Language Learning is a method which instruct the learners to use the authentic language and use of various tasks by using the target of language to open up whole new knowledge and experience.
The instruction is very useful to conduct TBLL in the classroom. The teachers are unlikely have to understand and comprehend it to strive for the success learning process.
Task-Based Language Learning instruction:
1)      The focus is on process rather than the product.
2)      Basic elements are purposeful activities and tasks that emphasize communication and meaning.
3)      Learners learn language by interacting communicatively and purposefully while engaged in the activities and tasks.
4)      Activities and tasks can be either:
a)      Those that learners might need to achieve in real life.
b)      Those that have a pedagogical purpose specific to the classroom.
5)      Activities and tasks of a task-based syllabus are sequenced according to difficulty.
6)      The difficulty of a task depends on a range of factors including the previous experience of the learner, the complexity of the task, the language required to undertake the task and the degree of support available.
1.      Task-Based Learning Framework
On the learning process, there is the sequence of doing Task-Based Language Learning. Teacher has to prepare it with the right strategy to make the framework done.
  1. Pre-task
Teacher explores the topic with the class, highlights useful words and phrases, and helps learners understand task instructions and prepare. Learners may hear a recording of others doing a similar task, or read part of a text as a lead in to a task.
  1. Task cycle
1)      Task
Students do the task, in pairs or small groups. Teacher monitors from a distance, encouraging all attempts at communication, not correcting. Since this situation has a "private" feel, students feel free to experiment. Mistakes don't matter.
2)      Planning
Students prepare to report to the whole class either orally or in writing, how they did the task, what they decided or discovered. Since the report stage is public, students will naturally want to be accurate, so the teacher stands by to give language advice.
3)      Report
Some groups present their reports to the class, or exchange written reports, and compare results. Teacher acts as a chairperson, and then comments on the content of the reports.
  1. Language focus
1)      Analysis
Students examine and then discuss specific features of the text or transcript of the recording. They can enter new words, phrases and patterns in vocabulary book         .
2)      Practice
Teacher conducts practice of new words, phrases, and patterns occurring in the data, either during or after the analysis.
3. The Role of Instructional Materials
1)      Pedagogic materials
In Task-Based Language Learning, some teachers use book from many resources. Some of these are in more or less traditional text format, some are multimedia, and some are published as task cards.
2)      Realia
The following are some of the task types that can be built around such media products like newspaper, television, and internet.
4. The Roles of Teachers in TBLL
            The teacher can also be supplier of input and also a source of feedback. So, it means that not all TBLL lessons are learner-centred.
a         Selector and sequencer of tasks
The teacher selects, adapts, and creates the tasks and then forms these into an instructional sequence to keep learner needs, interest, and language skill.
b        Preparing learners for tasks
Some sort of pre-task preparation or cuing is important. Such activities might include introduction, clarifying task instruction, helping students learn or recall useful words and phases to facilitate task accomplishment, and providing partial demonstration of procedure.
c         Consciousness-raising
It employs a variety of form-focusing techniques, including attention-focusing pre-task activities, text exploration, guided exposure to parallel tasks, and use of highlighted material.
1.      The Roles of Students in TBLL
Students have to be able to interact in the class, so they can be taught as follow:
a         Group participant
      Students do some task in pairs or small group.
b        Monitor
      Class activities have to be designed to make opportunities for the students to notice how language is used in communication. Tasks are not employed for their own sake but as means of facilitating learning.
c         Risk taker and innovator
      Students need many tasks to create and interpret message for which they lack full linguistic resources and previous experience.
6. Task-Based Language Learning on Speaking Activities
There are many tasks which can be used on speaking activities based on Task-Based Language Learning.
a.       Jigsaw tasks
      It involves learners combining different pieces of information to form a whole.
b.      Information gap tasks
            Two or more students need to interact to complete each other’s piece of information.
c.       Problem solving tasks
            Students are given a problem and a set of information. They must arrive at a solution to the problem.
d.      Decision- Making tasks
            Students are given a problem for which there are a number of possible outcomes and they must choose one through negotiation and discussion.
e.       Opinion exchange tasks
      Engage in discussion and exchange ideas. They do not need to reach agreement.

Komentar

  1. sist bsa tau source booknya judul n pengarangnya judulnya apa? saya lgi butuh nih buku2 tntnang speaking n role play.. makash ya sblumnya..

    BalasHapus

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