A purpose: making sure the students have a reason for undertaking the task.
A context: this can be real, simulated or imaginary, and involves sociolinguistic issue such as the location, the participants and their relationship, the time, and other important factors.
A process: getting the students to use learning strategies such as problem solving reasoning, inquiring, conceptualizing and communicating.
A product: there will be some form of outcome, either visible (a written plan, a play, a letter, etc.) or invisible (enjoying a story, learning about another country, etc). (A Course in English Language Teaching, 2003:28)
Above the elaborations, the writer thinks the task’s main points share a same belief, which language should be learned as close as possible to use language in the real life. In China, more and more teachers attend to choose this teaching way in their class. But it is just a beginning, not a whole teaching way. On the other point, interview also asks students to get some goals by the role-play activities, so it is a special task for learners. In total, the Tasked-based Approach and the role-play interview activities have one same goal: to let students get knowledge by finishing tasks (interview is one of the activities.). Let us have a look at the interview role-play which gives students one chance to practice English during the time of class.
2.2.3 Practicing interview role-play according to the requirements of TBLT
Tasked-based approach has three stages as next columns.
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TBL Pre-task Introduction to topic and task Task cycle Task Planning… Report Language focus Analysis and practice…
(A Course in English Language Teaching, 2006:31)
We can analyze this column into six stages: pre-task, task, planning, report, analysis and practice. Let’s analyze these stages according to the second interview role-play activity. For the pre-task, the teacher introduces the topic and gives the students clear instructions on what they will have to do at the task stage and might help the students to recall some language that maybe useful for the task. The introduction gives the students a clear model of what will be expected of them. The students can take notes and spend time in preparing for the task, so before the interview both the employees and the employers should prepare for it well. For the task, the students can work in pairs or groups. When the students work in the task, they should plan how to begin and go on their work. What’s more, the groups should cooperate well. Next, the students should prepare a short oral or written report to tell students and show out their interviews. Then they will practice what they are going to say in their groups. Meanwhile, the teacher is available for the students to ask for advice to clear up any questions and give some welcomes.
In this interview, students can think about how they can finish their tasks and get the job or choose the suitable person. Then they should repeat and analyze time and again to find out which is the most suitable. The most important for interview is practice. The teacher selects the language areas and the students do practice activities to increase their confidence and language abilities.
The students can get some advantages from the practice of the interview role-play by the guiding of the Task-based Approach: the students are free of language control; they will be exposed
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to a whole range of lexical phrases, patterns as well as language forms; the language explored arises from the students’ needs which means the needs are from the students rather than the teacher or the course book; it is also a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of time communication. In a word, the interview role-play is a good way to improve the students’ comprehensive ability of using language with Task-based Learning approach.
2.3 The third main form of role-play---- the free role-play.
The last but not least main form of role-play is the free role-play. It is clear to see that the free role-play means to make somebody act as a role to play a show without arranging. In the class, the writer makes it as two ways: one is role-play with books (it means act as some books listed or other stories), the other one is role-play with thinking (it means act with thinking stories by students’ make).
2.3.1 Stimulating the students’ learning motivation by playing many attractive shows on books.
We can find many interesting conversations or many stories be appeared on our books, and we also can search many interesting shows from books, TV or other medias. We can motivate the former actors’ playing or other interesting stories.
Every child likes fairy tales. And it is a good way to let students act roles in the fairy tales in our English class. Here is a good and simple tales for students to practice. We searched it in Tang Hu Middle School Class14 Grade1 on October 23rd, 2009.
