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At present, many countries such as Canada, America have adopted Task-based language approach in reading class. In China, Hong Kong first used task-based language approach. The Hong Kong education department compiled English outline of primary and secondary school mainly based on Task-based language approach in 1996. In 2001, the New Curriculum Criteria has been carried out throughout the country and task-based approach of teaching and learning are advocated. From these arrangements, we can know that task-based language approach are more widespread and get more social recognition. However, a lot of teachers still do not use task-based language approach in practical English reading class. They only focus on the examination instead of developing students’ ability of using language.
According to the New Curriculum Criteria, reading comprehension is an important part in the process of learning English. On the purpose of promoting the development of students’ reading abilities of English, this thesis introduces the outline of the Task-based language approach. Then it makes an attempt to explore mode about how to teach in English reading class with TBLA effectively, design the appropriate reading tasks and find out the mode of task-based reading teaching in junior middle school. Based on the mode of the reading process and the principles of task design, the thesis offers a teaching plan designed in reading classroom to show an example of Task-based language approach in reading teaching of junior middle school and gives teachers some advice in reading class.
2. Literature Review
2.1 The Definition of a Task and TBLA
the word “task” entered into the applied linguistics literature in the 1980s, and it is a popular word in language teaching literature. Linguists understand and explain it in the different way, such as “ all the classroom activities which are helpful for achieving all the overall language learning target can be as a task, including simple short grammar exercises and complicated time-consuming collective classroom activities.” (Branden, 2013: 60) But Nunan claimed, “in general, I too will consider the communicative task as a piece of classroom work which involves students in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form. The task should also have a sense of completeness, being able to stay alone as a communicative act in its own right.” (Nunan, 1999: 21) Although the definitions are different, they all imply that tasks involve communicative language use in which the user’s attention is focused on meaning rather than on linguistic structure.
Many scholars also give their viewpoint on the definition of Task-based language approach, such as “Task-based language approach is an English teaching model that focuses on the meaning of language teaching, it aims to develop students’ communicative ability during finishing tasks.”(Liao Xiaodan, 2012:8) Jane Willis thought that “task-based language approach (TBLA) is an approach to language teaching which makes use of authentic materials in communicative tasks.”(Willis,1998: 3) In brief, Task-based language approach offers practical ways to make students learn by some tasks, and they can develop their skills of using English with different tasks. In task-based class, it is designed to engage students in the practical and functional use of English for meaningful purposes, and students learn English by doing all kinds of things which are likely to happen in real life. Based on their interests, students are willing to learn English through discussion and cooperation. 源.自|751,-论`文'网www.751com.cn
2.2 Previous Researches on Task-Based Language Approach
The English educationist Prabhu carried out the earliest practice of task-based language approach in English class in Bangalore in India. He thought that “Task is an activity which requires learners to arrive at an outcome from given information through some process of thought, and which slows learners to control and regulate that process.”(Prabhu, 2001: 111) He only focused on the theory instead of the practices, especially the process of teaching based on TBLA. However, Jane Willis offered three steps of Task-based language approach: Pre-task; Task-cycle; Language focus, and they are essential part in English teaching and they are inseparable.