Task-based Language Teaching: Integrating Grammar Instruction Into Communicative Activities

The past few decades see a fundamental shift in L2(second language)teaching fromone in which grammar instruction is central, to one in which grammar instruction isabsent, and to the recent reconsideration of the importance of grammar instruction.Nowadays linguistic researchers and language teachers both believe that grammar playsan important role in language teaching and learning and that grammar teaching shouldno longer be neglected in L2classrooms.However, there are still many problems about how to teach grammar effectivelyand particularly, about how to effectively integrate a focus on grammatical forms with afocus on meaningful communication in L2classrooms. Here are some key questions inthe perspective of L2teachers:1) How can grammar be brought back to L2classroomswithout returning to the traditional models?2) How can a focus on grammar beincorporated with a focus on communication?3) What are the different ways ofintegrating grammar instruction into communicative interaction?4) How can thefocus on grammar be maximized without sacrificing the focus on communication andmeaning?TBLT (task-based language teaching) can develop students’ comprehensivecompetence, which includes linguistic competence, communicative competence, and thefour basic language skills (i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing).This studyattempts to examine the questions stated above by introducing TBLT, which canintegrate a focus on forms into communicative learning activities effectively. This paperis supposed to bring more “thinking” to effective grammar teaching in China.This paper is on the basis of a qualitative study on TBLT and grammar teaching.Firstly, it presents the problems of both PPP (i.e. Presentation, Practice, and Production)model and CLT (i.e. Communicative Language Teaching) and introduces the advantagesof TBLT. Secondly, it offers the theoretical justification for TBLT and examines theways of integrating grammar instruction into communicative activities. Thirdly, itpresents the framework of a task-based lesson in some detail and examines how tointegrate grammar instruction into communicative activities in a task-based lesson.Finally, it draws the following conclusions relating to the four questions stated above：1. TBLT can employ both implicit and explicit linguistic instruction to facilitatelearners’ L2acquisition.2. TBLT (e.g. focused tasks) can integrate a focus on forms into communicativelearning activities effectively and facilitate learners’ L2acquisition.3. In second language classrooms, there are mainly six approaches to FonF(focuson form) in a TBLT lesson: processing instruction, textual enhancement,discourse-based instruction, interactional feedback, focused tasks, and collaborativeoutput tasks. The former three are input-based and the latter three are output-based. The input-based options can be well combined with the output-based options in a TBLTlesson.4. Tasks designed with an essentialness relationship can maximize the focus ongrammar without sacrificing the focus on communication and meaning.