The Task-Based Approach Beneficial To Teachers And Students In College Intensive Reading Classroom

The task-based language teaching is the most influential approach based on the research of second language acquisition, the latest development of communicative approach, and the most important achievement in the West in the early 1980s. David Nunan's publication of Designing Tasks for Communicative Classroom marked the formation of task-based language learning approach. Willis (1996) pointed out the task is accomplished for a communicative purpose in an authentic context. Compared with the PPP approach, the task-based instruction is student-centered, putting stress on developing the learners'language proficiency. The students are learning by striving for the goal-oriented tasks, and thus they are learning by doing. The teaching effect is assessed by the performance in accomplishing the tasks. Xia Jimei (2001) advocated TBLT as the impetus to innovate the teaching of college English. However, most college English teachers have not yet realized the essence of TBLT and applied TBLT to language instruction. Thus the study on how teachers and students benefit from the TBLT in intensive reading teaching of college English is of practical significance.The researchers conducted a one-semester experiment in two intact classes of the second year in Yunnan Normal University Business School. The teachers adopted the TBLT approach and the PPP approach respectively in the two classes. The final test scores are analyzed by t-test, and the students'attitudes towards teaching and learning are probed into before and after the research. According to the results,TBLT is more conducive to improving the learners'overall English proficiency than the traditional teaching approach. In addition, TBLT increases the learners'interest, enhances the learning autonomy and cultivates the learning strategies. The successful TBLT means flexible designing of Willis'framework in China's context and full embodiment of Constructivism, Humanism and SLA theories, which contribute to a suitable intensive reading framework, promoting the comprehensive skills of language learning. The designing of the task stimulates the students'interest and creativity, reducing the affective filter so that the students can pick up the language in an animated atmosphere. Willis'framework is composed of the pre-task, the task cycle, and the language focus. In the pre-task stage and performing the task in the task cycle, the teacher should strictly control the time of explanation in order to create enough opportunities for students to practise the language,working for the goal of fluency. In planning and presentation of the task cycle, the students are learning strategies of learning autonomy, realizing the goal of accuracy and complexity. In the language focus stage, the students are trained to reflect on the previous mistakes and sum up the vocabulary and grammar. It is at this point that the teacher puts emphasis on the core vocabulary of CET4, achieving the balance of language meaning and form, and the goal of improving language proficiency and preparing for the examination.Meanwhile, the teacher fulfills self-development owing to deep understanding and flexible employing the TBLT theories and Willis'framework. The desirable situation is that both teachers and students benefit from the TBLT approach.The thesis concludes an exhaustive teaching model and the effective principles ensuring the application of TBLT in class. The author poses the problems in the experiment and the prospects of TBLT instruction.