A Study Of Task-based Language Teaching In Chinese Senior High School English Class

Task-based language teaching approach, based on traditional teaching theories and approaches, combined with the achievements of modern language teaching studies, allows students to learn and use the language by a series of interactive tasks of communicative activities which aim the study as a guide under the real situation. Students can learn, analyze, understand and use the language by self-directed learning. During the learning process, the emphases are on the understanding of the meaning rather than the learning style. Learning from "doing-it" is the key to learn language. The interactive learning styles will be promoted, i.e. learning from experiencing, practicing, participating, communicating and co-operating. Students can learn language by using language, finding and solving problem, understanding language, hence sensing and experiencing the success of learning at the finishing of a task.The purpose of this empirical study is 1) to investigate the basic model for TBLT in senior high school English class teaching; 2) to test the hypothesis that TBLT, as a teaching method, is more effective than the other formerly used teaching method ( namely, the five-step method in this thesis).The paper is composed of six parts. The first part begins with a brief introduction to the background of the emergence of TBLT and its key characteristics; and then presents the significance of the study of TBLT, i.e. the second part. The third part gives a general statement of the theory basis from cognitive approach and socio-cultural perspective. The fourth part reviews the previous research on TBLT as well as the practice of TBLT at home and abroad. Part Five is a presentation of the design of the experiment, the procedure , and the data collection and analysis. To test the hypothesis of this study, the author conducted an experimental research in two classes of the Middle School Attached to Northwest Normal University with around 110 students aged on average 16 in a period of about twenty weeks. Part Six is discussion and conclusion, in which some implications and limitations are put forward.