Helping Junior Students Speak English Well Through Task-Based Language Teaching Approach

Speaking has traditionally occupied a minor role in foreign language instruction in China. Especially in the middle school, with students aged 13-18, speaking has largely been neglected in language classes. English instruction in schools today tends to be teacher-centered, and language is not taught as a means of real communication but as an object to be analyzed. Students assume that learning is to sit passively and listen to teachers' talking. Examinations always focus on the aspects such as grammar, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, writing-but not speaking. However, a change is under way: there are some changes in the new Course of Study. The new Course of Study identifies that the objectives are to enable students to deepen their understanding of language and culture, to foster a positive attitude toward communication, to develop students' practical communicative competence so they can understand information and ideas and express their own ideas. From the poor situation of oral English, it is necessary to call for change and improvement. On reviewing literature on the oral English and the action research, the author notices that task-based language instruction is a popular approach in English teaching. Action research is also a very effective way of helping teachers to reflect on the teaching. Based on the theory of task-based language instruction, this research attempts to explore an effective way to improve the students' oral level. Several research questions are raised as follows:1. Can Task-based language instruction motivate students to be active learners and encourage them to be willing to speak English well? If so, in which aspects can motivate students?2. Can Task-based language instruction improve the students' oral language level? And how can TBLI improve the students' oral level?3. Can Task-based language instruction change the class from the teacher-centered to the students-centered?The literature study and the research project are concluded with such answers:1. Task-based Language instruction can motivate the students to be active learners. The task provides a chance for students to practice language. Successful tasks give learners the opportunity to talk things around their daily life such as familiar people, or their own home. Learners are willing to ask questions relating to spellings, word choices, and grammar when they are carrying out fun, interesting tasks.2. The tasks can help teacher develop a good English learning atmosphere. Students, even the shyer ones, will be more willing to try to use what they know, without worrying about looking silly or making mistakes.3. Using a task-based Language Instruction will help us shift our teaching style from a teacher-centered style to a learner-centered style. In class many lively pair or group activities play more active roles in learning and using English instead of the teacher's speaking only.