Multimedia in the Classroom*

In a sense, teaching has always been a multimedia enterprise; instructors have typically spoken aloud to, drawn pictures, and attempted demonstrations for the benefit of their students

 Ludwig, Daniel, Froman & Mathie (2004: 3)

Korea has a unique advantage very many developed countries in that it has built an extensive and robust infrastructure to deliver multimedia content to classrooms as well as a generally held perception amongst instructors, students and parents, that multimedia is both beneficial and necessary in the classroom.

The use of multimedia in the language classroom exposes students to authentic language. For example YouTube, Vimeo and various other video sharing services all have a plethora of real life (authentic) texts for students to listen to. Moreover they provide a space (perhaps with the appropriate guidance from an instructor) where students can post work they have produced themselves. At the very least these authentic videos provide excellent jumping off points for learners to respond and develop Macro Skills

However it is apparent to this author, from experience in Korean public schools and by way of anecdote, that multimedia is more often than not used to present language to students in the most passive of ways and is seldom utilized by teachers as a tool for students to use to produce language.

What is Multimedia? 

This paper defines multimedia as anything that delivers content to students via "non-traditional" media. i.e. not the traditional teacher / chalkboard combination. In addition it is worth noting that more and more, multimedia is delivered through computers, mobile devices and The Internet. Anything produced digitally that contains 2 or more of the following:

Video, still images, audio, text, links, animation, drawing....

Why use Multimedia?

Why would any instructor want to use multimedia materials in the classroom? To a certain extent ESL and EFL instructors have done so “because they could.” (Ludwig et al, 2004) As each improvement in technology became available (in many cases with the support of textbook publishers), instructors who saw themselves as “hip, cool, and hi-tech” quickly incorporated the new tools, correctly perceiving that slick multimedia presentations have a certain amount of entertainment value for students.

However, this rationale misses the point; in fact, the use of multimedia materials has substantial grounding in cognitive theory and research—although, as is often the case, the research evidence followed the widespread use of these materials rather than preceded it. (ibid.)

Numerous studies (see Bagui, 1998; Fletcher, 2003; Kozma, 2001; Mayer, 2001) show that the use of multimedia in the classroom improves both comprehension of content during lessons as well as retention of information at later times for testing. There is general agreement that multimedia presentations are most effective when the different types of media support one another rather than when superfluous sounds or images are presented for entertainment value— which may induce disorientation and cognitive overload that could interfere with learning rather than enhance learning (Mayer, Heiser, & Lonn, 2001)

In addition multimedia has a positive effect on student motivation. Multimedia aids the teacher in gaining the attention and continuing engagement of learners in the task (or language) at hand. Shuell and Farber (2001) found that in a study of over 700 university aged students for instance, the vast majority showed favorable attitudes towards the use of technology in the classroom. (As a side note, it seems that males are more open to Multimedia instruction, over female students who rated its use lower than their male counterparts)

Ludwig et al (2004) summarize the potential pedagogical value and rationale for using classroom media in these three points: 

• To raise interest level -- students appreciate (and often expect) a variety of media
• To enhance understanding -- rich media materials boost student comprehension of complex topics, especially dynamic processes that unfold over time
• To increase memorability -- rich media materials lead to better encoding and easier retrieval

Examples of Multimedia Use. 

Writing

Writing is a natural match for the Web. (Craig, 2012a) No longer do users need to understand the vagaries of HTML and coding in order to publish online. In fact it is just as easy as using a word processor. (Not to mention that there are several online word processing tools provided by Google, Microsoft and Korea's own Naver).

However elementary, and even middle and high school students may not have the language resources to write extensive treatises using word processing software. Even adopting a process writing approach and scaffolding language appropriately can still be met with angst and demotivation when students are faced with a blank page and a blinking cursor.

Thus, Twitter provides an elegant solution that relieves a lot of the cognitive burden that students take on when having to write. (Not to mention the teacher who has to mark students' written work). Twitter (and in Korea Me2Day) are so-called "Micro-blogging" formats where the writer is restricted to just 140 characters. Craig (2012b) provides the following model for introducing Twitter to students:

Prior to using Twitter, and activity called “Twitter Paper” was used to introduce students to the use of Twitter.  A handout with columns for user name and message was provided to the class with instructions that they were to write a collaborative story with each person contributing only one sentence.  The were further instructed to write as fast as they could and then pass the paper to someone else in the room.  The activity was wonderfully successful and provided an introduction to Twitter without the use of a computer.

Once students become familiar with the format they will need to register / login to the service. Of course students need not be tied to a desktop or ore book PC. Twitter has a smartphone client, thus making it (and students' writing opportunities) portable and able to be used 24 hours a day.

...assignments were given during the fall 2010 semester, which complimented what was being taught during class time.  These were referred to as “Daily Tweets”. Learners were responsible for posting one message each day on Monday through Friday as well as at least one reply to another user’s message.

(Ibid.)

Beyond these examples teachers can vary the kind of tweet based writing assignments distributed to students based on student need and proficiency level. Research based projects can be assigned with students using Twitter to report back their results, or more complex grammar structures could be introduced in class with students producing the forms via Twitter for the teacher to check comprehension.

In addition to their own writing students can use Twitter to increase exposure to authentic language by way of "following" other users of the service. A number of celebrities, musicians, and world leaders all have Twitter accounts and post regularly. Thus students can build up quite an eclectic collection of users they follow and "tweet" to, all the time being exposed to authentic language. Moreover Twitter is a medium for teachers too! Feedback between students on Twitter can be added to with comments from the teacher, correcting, moderating and praising students for their efforts.

Ultimately students's tweets can be aggregated and printed out forming part of a portfolio and showing their progress starting right from their initial tweet.

There are however some barriers to entry with Twitter. Craig (2012b) describes them thus:

The use of Twitter requires the use of new lexis that, though limited, can be very confusing to new users, particularly language learners.  These include, but are not limited to tweet, follow, follower, favorite, list, @ (reply or mention), DM (direct message), RT (re-tweet), # (hash/pound).  In addition to these terms that describe the main functions and concepts of Twitter, there are a growing number of ancillary technologies that extend Twitter functionality: Twitter clients, URL shorteners, archiving services, and photo and video sharing services to name a few.  This new lexis requires attention to vocabulary and concept instruction for users that must be done before users are able to fully participate in Twitter.

 And

In addition to new lexis, Twitter requires consideration for and reconsideration of what privacy is.  Twitter postings are generally available to the public.  While users can choose to make their accounts private and available only to those who they give permission, this is not the default.  Protected account are unlikely to acquire a substantial network, thus they limit users’ full participation in Twitter.  Both teachers and students must weigh the virtues of “privacy” and adjust expectations accordingly

(Ibid.)

Classroom blogging is also an effective tool for getting Students to write. It can be as simple as the teacher posting content for the students to reply to by way of commenting. the teacher may post a reading text, a listening text, or a video and elicit students' written responses.

Moreover blogs can be used as a means to publish students' production. Here roles are reversed and the teacher is able to utilize comments to offer feedback, suggest revision and, as always, to offer praise to the student. Additionally blogs allow the students and teacher to interact outside of the traditional classroom environment while inviting others (parents, administrators, colleagues) into the "virtual classroom" that is created.

There are a number of blogging platforms, in Korea the "café" format provided by portals Daum and Naver are popular and are simple to use, and indeed are in students' first language, while Blogger (Google) and Wordpress offer alternatives that can be highly customized allowing an almost infinite variety of styles and formats that can be used to meet the needs of different learners and classes.

Receptive Skills (Listening and Reading) 

The ubiquity of video on the Internet has already been alluded to above and can be harnessed for development of receptive skills.

One particularly fun and worthwhile activity is the so-called video Jigsaw:

Divide the class into two groups. Have one group leave the classroom.

T: "You will hear the audio of a video twice, but without the images, listen carefully".

T plays the audio only for the first group twice. The second time they listen Ss. Should take notes.

The first group of students leaves the class and works together to construct an idea of what they heard.

The second group of students enters the classroom.

T: "You will see a video twice, but you will not be able to hear the audio. Watch carefully".

The second time the students watch they should take notes.

Allow this group another 2-3 minutes to construct what they saw before inviting the first group back into the class.

In new pairs (one from each of the previous groups) students put together the information they have in order to construct a coherent picture of the text.

Afterwards T plays video with sound and elicits what Ss accurately constructed and anything they missed.

In terms of reading, again the web is awash with options. Beyond access to newspapers and blogs in English services like Google Books (http://books.google.com) provide full digital copies of literally millions of texts. Breaking News English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com) is also an interesting option providing not only readable text, but also mp3 recordings of texts and corresponding tasks for students to complete. he advantage of Breaking News English is that it's content is current events and it is regularly updated meaning students not only have access to authentic texts but also topical or relevant texts on subjects they might already possess some background knowledge on.

Speaking

The web is still in its infancy (difficult to believe I know!) when it comes to live verbal communication. Obviously video sites like YouTube provide exposure to authentic language use, but finding ways for students to respond to these can be a protracted (though worthwhile) task, for example by making a video in reply. Unfortunately class time is often already dedicated to fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum and devoting time to students first shooting and then editing video can be time consuming (though again, a task that will engage students and prove incredibly motivating given the time).

Two options then exist. the first is to use video and have students emulate the language and indeed, the pronunciation they hear.

English Central  is an excellent tool students can use to improve pronunciation. The free version of the site allows students to view video content and speak along, recording their utterances which are then compared to Google's speech engine and graded for how close pronunciation, intonation, word stress and sentence stress are to that of the speaker in the video. Premium accounts on English Central allow for teacher administration, assigning videos, assigning targets and tracking student progress.

The second option is to use one of many free teleconferencing tools available. Skype and Google Hangouts both provide free computer to computer video chat requiring little more know-how than the ability to plug in a microphone and a webcam (if the computer doesn't already have those built in). Google Hangouts 

Possibilities for spoken interaction over one of these media abound. Students could converse with each other on terminals at other ends of the room. However horizons could be broader - Skype and Hangouts could allow students to speak to students in other classrooms, other schools, or infant in other countries (time zones and arrangements between teachers not withstanding).

Using Multimedia: Instructional Strategies. 

1. Plan, plan, plan! 

The plan is perhaps the most important part of using multimedia in the classroom. The media used in the lesson should serve to emphasize language points or skills, especially those that are best understood visually, or where the use of the medium provides authentic language use opportunities to students. However, Teachers should remember, multimedia programs and materials are tools to direct attention and emphasize key points that are best understood visually rather than all-purpose guides for every point of every lecture. 

(Ludwig et al, 2004: 4)

Ludwig et al (ibid.) explain one other, teacher side advantage of the use of and planning with multimedia in mind:

Instructors who begin integrating multimedia into their classes often report that the media use forced them to improve the organization of their class sessions—which may be an added benefit to students. 

In addition only use multimedia when it adds value to instruction (Craig, 2012a). The following questions might be useful for teachers to ask when planning to use multimedia:

• Does the use of multimedia motivate?
• Does it expose students to authentic language?
• Does it promote interaction between students?
• Are there any privacy or safety issues? (especially in terms of Internet use)
• Is it convenient to use multimedia?

 2. Build some flexibility into your lesson plan. 

And most of all have a Plan B! Teachers should be able to use the multimedia tool(s) they have chosen to use in the lesson. If something is new, it is a good idea to practice using it. Practice on colleagues and seek feedback. In addition be prepared for when multimedia breaks down. Internet connections, USB thumb drives, CDs, DVDs and just about every other aspect of multimedia and the technology and electronics they rely on can, and do, break down, fail to function as expected, and sometimes fail to function at all. Nevertheless the lesson must go on! Be prepared to deliver the lesson without the use of multimedia resources, have paper based backups where appropriate.

Conversely have a plan to extend students' production when they ask questions or want to go more in depth into a topic. At the very least prepare things like links that can be given to students so that they can pursue further reading, or interactions, on their own.

3. Use Multimedia in Creative Ways.  

Although multimedia materials may have some value when merely added to a PowerPoint lecture outline, many instructors are exploring ways to incorporate these materials in collaborative learning activities involving case-based scenarios or problem-based exercises (Ludwig & Perdue, 2005; Rogers, 2002; Savery & Duffy, 1996).  Teachers should not be afraid to experiment bearing in mind the caveats of point two above.

4. A Note on PowerPoint (and Other "Slideware") PowerPoint might be both the oldest and the most commonly used multimedia tool in the classroom, whether for language learning, or any other academic or educational field. It is a useful and very powerful tool, that is used (and abused) by teachers in classrooms all over the world. Fight Against the “Mind-Numbing” Properties of Slideware. Strong criticisms have been leveled against slideware in general and PowerPoint in particular. For example, Tufte argues that PowerPoint induces a “cognitive style” that encourages passivity and makes a complex issue seem more simple and clear-cut than it is. Tufts criticizes PowerPoint thus:

PowerPoint presentations seem designed to guide and reassure a presenter, rather than to enlighten the audience;

PowerPoint lends itself to poor typography and chart layout, especially by presenters who use poorly-designed templates and PowerPoint's default settings;

PowerPoint's outline format leads presenters to arrange material in an unnecessarily deep hierarchy, itself subverted by the need to restart the hierarchy on each slide;

PowerPoint's “click-for-next-slide” mentality enforces a linear progression through the presenters hierarchy of ideas (whereas with handouts, readers could browse and explore items at their leisure)

(Tufte, 2003)

Conclusions

If done well, multimedia content can generate productive and stimulating presentations that lead to greater retention, application to new situations, and performance on assessments. If not done well, they can be a distraction from learning and ultimately unproductive.  

As the need for visual support varies as a function of content and objectives, the decision to use multimedia should be made on a lesson-by-lesson basis. At each step in the process, teachers should ask themselves if the use of this technology is appropriate for their teaching style, the content, their students, and the desired language and learning aims and outcomes of the lesson. If a teacher decides the use of multimedia may have a positive effect on their teaching, their lesson, and student achievement, it is important that you it is used consciously, effectively, and strategically.  (Ludwig et al, 2004: 7)

As we have watched each wave of improvements in the tools used to deliver multimedia content,  as well as the evolving trends in educational pedagogy, it appears that the most important lesson is the necessity of keeping the focus on the instructional goal, not on the technology itself. 

Cited works 

Bagui, S. (1998). Reasons for increased learning using multimedia. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 7, 3-18.  

Craig, D. (2012a). Open CALL Resources for the 4 Skill Areas, http://www.daniel craig.com/2012/08/29/call-connections-for-a-new-semester/, retrieved 25 October 2012

Craig, D. (2012b). Twitter for Academic Writing, http://www.danielcraig.com/2012/09/06/twitter-for-academic-writing-2/, retrieved 25 October 2012

Fletcher, J. D. (2003). Evidence for learning from technology-assisted instruction. In H. F. O'Neil, Jr. & R. S. Perez (Eds.), Technology applications in education: A learning view (pp. 79-99). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Kozma, R. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational Research, 61, 179-211.

Ludwig, E., Daniel, D., Froman, R., & V. Mathie (2004). Using Multimedia In Classroom Presentations. Pedagogical Innovations Taskforce, Society for the Teaching of Psychology

Ludwig, T. E., & Perdue, C. W. (2005)  Multimedia and computer-based learning in introductory psychology. In D. Dunn & S. Chew (Eds.), Best practices in teaching introductory psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press. 

Mayer, R. E., Heiser, J., & Lonn, S. (2001). Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 187-198. 

Rogers, P. L. (Ed). (2002). Designing instruction for technology-enhanced learning. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing. 

Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1996). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. In B. G. Wilson (Ed.), Constructivist learning environments: Case studies in instructional design (pp. 135-148). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Tufte, E. (2003, Nov. 9). PowerPoint is evil. Wired. from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html Retrieved 2 July 2004

*Originally presented at the 4th Gyeonggi International Teachers Conference 2012

Pentax 110

 

Go and check out my guest post on Rokkorphile about the increadibly small Pentax 110 SLR camera.

Pyongyang's Hipsters Rejoice

News via Engadget today that Koryolink - North Korea's 3G mobile network built in cooperation with Egypt's Orascom Telecom, is allowing foreign visitors to the country access to the internet.

Until very recently foreigners who visited The North had to hand over their phones at the boarder, and supposedly hope, that they would get it back rather than having their handset show up somewhere on the back streets of Shenzen, traded to China in return for hard currency. Then earlier this year foreign nationals were able to buy Koryolink SIM cards and now they have full access to the internet.

One imagines the service is actually quite good, given that there are probably only a few people on the network at any one time, and North Korea's network itself is one of (if not) the most recent network to be built out, from scratch and not having to deal with any legacy technology issues.

Of course you would hope so given the prices quoted by Engadget. For a start there is a mandatory EUR75 activation fee. EUR150 will buy you 2GB of data, while you can get 10GB for EUR400. Obviously a good opportunity to earn some hard currency.

The first words out of Pyongyang are reportedly someone from the Associated Press saying Hello World.

And then came the flood of crappy cell phone pics covered in filters via Instagram. Sigh.

Of course the upshot here is the potential for some near real-time images and 140 character snippets to start coming out of the usually secretive North. Which is not to say there isn't a kill switch which, I bet, gets flicked every so often depending on the needs of the communist regime in charge - this of course being a skill mastered, nay invented, by China.

What I would like to see is Kim Jong Eun make Instagram an enemy of the Worker's Party of Korea, but I digress.

there is little chance of the internet sparking an Arab-Spring style series of uprising just yet. Regular Pyongyang-ites andf North Koreans in general don't have access to The Internet, and apart from some of the Elite, it's still just visitors, who, will no doubt happily continue to hash tag everything #Pyongyang for the foreseeable future.

Its interesting that all of this comes in the wake of Googler Eric Schmidt's visit to the country. Forget Kansas City... perhaps Google is gunning for exclusive access to North Korea.

Task Based Learning

Often, when faced with problems, language teachers are in search of finding something that could create a difference in their classroom. The problems are generally caused by student’s lack of motivation in the lesson

(Ruso, 2007)

Task Based Learning (TBL) is often eschewed in favour of more traditional approaches in the classroom. This is also the case here in Korea, where time constraints, and class numbers, too often also factor into teachers’ choice of language teaching methodology. This paper presents a simple look at Task Based Learning and offers practical ideas for implementing TBL in the classroom to motivate students.

The Problem with PPP

The Present – Practice – Produce (PPP) approach to teaching new language is tried and trusted by many ESL / EFL teachers. And this paper is not making a case for abandoning what has come to be a corner stone of many successful language lessons. The presentation of language in a clear context, having students practice language in a controlled environment where accuracy is the focus and finally a production stage of the lesson where students are given a communication task to undertake where they are expected to produce the language they have learned” is a formula that has proven to be useful in the EFL classroom.

But there are disadvantages to this approach. Students can give the impression that they are comfortable with the new language as they are producing it accurately in class. Often though, a few lessons late students will either not be able to reproduce the correctly, or worse, not produce it at all.

Likewise, students may over-produce the language, overusing the target structure so that it sounds completely unnatural and to the annoyance of many a teacher. Finally students may not use the target structure at all during the production stage of the lesson because they find that they are able to rely on their existing language resources in order to complete the activity at hand.(Frost, 2004)

Task based learning offers an alternative for teachers. In a TBL lesson the teacher doesn’t pre-determine the language that will be studied by the learners, instead teaching of language is a direct result of the forms, meanings and usages that the students themselves come up with, or indeed have difficulty with, during the completion of a task.

This task is central to the lesson, its completion sets the context for subsequent language study and it occurs within a predetermined structure (much like PPP).

Task Based Learning Approaches

Larsen-Freeman (1986) tells us that ultimately the goal of the TBL lesson is for students to complete learning tasks, such as problem solving activities. But perhaps more important than the tasks themselves is the reporting back on the relative success of these tasks by the students to each other. Meanwhile the teacher is acting as a facilitator of language, and indeed the task, only coming in to add language information (teaching) after the task has been completed, with a particular emphasis on student to student interaction during most of the lesson. Students are motivated through both exposure to language, and achievement in completing the task. There definitely a focus on reading and/or listening and communication rather than on the needs of grammar and vocabulary during the TBL lesson while macroskills and language features emerge subsequent to task completion.

Evaluation is based on the teacher monitoring for in-class performance, task completion and the language needs students have. Errors are seldom corrected during the task itself but may be addressed post task, while there is little if any role for first language use during the lesson

Parts of the Task Based Lesson

The TBL lesson is split into 6 different sections. The pre-task section of the lesson operates much like the lead-in of any other lesson with the teacher introducing the topic (setting context) and giving students clear instructions on what they will be doing in the task stage of the lesson. This direction is explicit and may well take the form of “today you will be completing a poster on food safety…”if the students were indeed completing a poster on food safety ideas. It may also help students to recall some of the language that may be useful for the task. The teacher could get students to brainstorm this language either in pairs and groups, or whole-class with the teacher recording responses on the whiteboard. The pre-task stage can also include playing a recording of people doing the task. This could be a group of native speakers, or, preferably a similar kind of group to the students themselves, reinforcing that the task they are about to undertake can indeed be completed by other students in their peer group. This kind of modelling allows students to begin to understand what is expected of them in the lesson. Overall the pre-task allows students to prepare for the task, and indeed they can take notes as required.

The task stage is simply that. Students completing the task that the teacher has chosen to utilize in the lesson, appropriate tasks are discussed below. The students complete the task in pairs or small groups using the language resources that they have as the teacher monitors, facilitates the completion of the task (and possibly language – but not necessarily correction) and encouragement.

In the planning stage students prepare a report to tell the class what happened and what they experienced during the task. This could be written or oral in form. Then students practice what they are going to say in their group or pair. During this stage of the lesson the teacher is monitoring, and is available to students to offer more language information (as required) and advice on presentation style.

If the planning stage is meant for students to prepare their reports, the Reporting Stage gives students a forum to deliver this report. Students will deliver their report orally or read aloud their written report. The teacher usually chooses the order in which students present their reports and this can be an effective mechanism to exert a little classroom management and also keep all of the students involved since they do not know who is going next. After each presentation the teacher may give the students some quick feedback on its content. Afterwards the teacher may play a recording of other students’ reporting back (connected to the first recording) so that these students can compare outcomes.

The teacher then highlights relevant parts from this recording for the students to analyse. This is the Analysis section. Teachers may ask their students to notice interesting features within the text (listening). The teacher can then highlight how the students performed, highlighting the same or similar language use from the task in this lesson. This section of the lesson has a number of things in common with the Presentation stage of a PPP lesson. Language is presented (though it is not necessarily new, given students have been exposed to it in the preceding task), analysed and the teacher concept checks student understanding. Teachers should be aiming for students to accurately reproduce the target language.

Finally in the practice section of the lesson students set about using the language highlighted during the Analysis section in something of an accuracy focused setting. This practice may have students revisiting some of the things they did during the task and re-doing them, this time altering what they have produced using their new language knowledge.

What is a task?

Because it is the central part of the lesson and the teaching of new language is derived explicitly from it, we need to carefully consider the kinds of tasks that we are using in the TBL lesson.

For the purposes of the TBL lesson a task is an activity where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose (Goal) in order to achieve (a predetermined) outcome. There is no need for us to describe in detail the kinds of tasks that could be used in a TBL lesson. Teachers have their favourites, and know that certain tasks will work better with certain groups of learners over other groups of learners. However we can broadly categorize the types of tasks that will be effective in the TBL lesson.

Another important distinction to make when it comes to choice of task to use in the lesson is the distinction between Pedagogical and so-called “real-life” tasks. (Ellis 2006) Pedagogical tasks are those designed or at least pay some attention to language systems and the practice and accurate reproduction of target language.

By contrast, real-life tasks are those that replicate real world communications that students may need to undertake outside the classroom, with a focus on authenticity – or at least as authentic as the circumstances of a classroom and a language lesson permit.

Often the reporting back stage of the lesson most closely resembles a pedagogical task where the interaction of students and between students and teacher is in fact fairly inauthentic, while the task section better provides a more real-life situation in which students have to communicate with each other.

Another misconception that Ellis points to (2006) is that, Task Based lesson necessarily involve oral interaction. He contends that in fact, tasks can be designed to develop any of the four skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) and that many tasks are ‘intergrative’ involving more than one skill.

Some Problems and Possible Solutions

Teachers believe that TBL lessons are not possible with beginners or indeed young learners. This is not the case. Teachers need to understand that TBL involves input-based tasks as well as input-based ones. This means that students can, and should be completing listening and reading tasks as well as those requiring writing and speaking. According to Ellis (2009) it is possible to build up beginners’ proficiency through the judicious use of input-based tasks.

An issue particular to the Korean context is the idea of students being unwilling to participate and to communicate “freely”. This may take time, and teachers shouldn’t expect the first Task Based Lesson they deliver to work exactly to plan. A gradual introduction of task based lessons to the curriculum coupled with learner training (and classroom management) and planning on the teachers’ part should build students’ confidence in communicating.

Another concern often heard in Korea – and often from administrators and heads of departments is that students, unable to communicate to complete the task will resort to L1. Firstly this probably happens much less than said administrators believe, and is arguably not a problem (Ellis, Ibid.) As proficiency develops and familiarity with the type of lesson (and tasks) grows, students will automatically begin to use more of the L2.

Finally teachers cite large classes as a determining factor in choosing not to conduct Task based lessons. This can be overcome with some judicious attention paid to student grouping, not only putting students into groups to complete the task, but paying a little more attention to which students work with which and what group has what members. Effective classroom management strategies such as monitoring are even more necessary with large classes engaging in Task Based learning.

Conclusions

Task Based Learning has drawn a lot of attention over the last 25 years. In Task Based approaches the focus is on the task, and ultimately on usage and meaning of the language. In Will’s’ (1996) flexible model for Task Based Learning learners begin by carrying out a communicative task, without specific focus on form. It is at the end, during analysis and subsequent practice that students look more explicitly at “the grammar” of it all.

The advantage of TBL is that it allows students to interact more authentically, but also students choose language to use in a more authentic was as well, thus their focus is definitely on meaning, rather than form, making it closer to a real-life communicative situation.

However this leads to one of the possible disadvantages of task based approaches – namely the focus on meaning at the expense of form. Learners continue to build and develop fluency, but arguably at the expense of accuracy (Frost, 2004). Nevertheless, Frost argues, the Task based approach is a liberating one if the teacher and students are stuck in a rut of Present-practice-produce type lessons.\

Cited Works

Brown, D (1994) Teaching by Principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy, Prentice Hall, United States

Ellis, R (2003) Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Ellis, R (2009) Task Based Language Teaching: Sorting out the misunderstandings, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 19 No 3.

Frost, R (2004) Task Based Learning www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/a-task-based-approach retrieved 01 February 2013

Larsen-Freeman, D (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Omaggio Hadley, A (1993) Teaching Language in Context Heinle and Heinle, Michigan

Ruso, N (2007) The influence of Task Based Learning on EFL Classrooms, Asia EFL Journal, Vol 18 retrieved from www.asian-efljournal.com_profession_teaching_article.php 01 February 2013

Willis, J (1996) A Framework for Task-Based Learning, Longman, United States

9 Years!

I know, I know. I reached a new low in February - not a single post. But things are settling down a little bit after the move to Daegu, and there might be some time in my future where I can at least post once in a while... I will insist on keeping myself busy.

Which is not to say you can't find my writing in other places.

As I write I am sitting in Dongdaegu station waiting to head to Seoul. The ease of getting to and from the capital still amazes me, (That and the price!) and it occurred to me that The KTX, or thew Korea Train eXpress, if you will, celebrates it's 9 year birthday this month. (Something Andy over at Kojects might have something to say about).

How do I remember this fairly obscure public transport anniversary? Well it also happens to mark the date I first came to Korea. Unbelievably it has been 9 years ago today that I arrived in Korea.

OK technically, it has only been 2 and a half years, given that I actually arrived on February 29, but for all intents and purposes its 9 years, 6 of them spent in Seoul, 2 and a half in the provinces, and of late down here in Gyeongbuk / Daegu.

That is a freaky realization. Even more so when you consider that at the tender age of 33, I have now spent just under a third of my entire life in Korea. 

So I am going to start telling people that I am one third Korean. 

I'm also going to start to post more.

Happy birthday KTX.