What is Task-Based Learning (TBL)? - How to make lessons more interesting

Defining Task-Based Learning (TBL)00:00:27

Task-Based Learning (TBL) is a teaching approach where students learn by completing meaningful tasks that resemble real-life situations. The tasks should have a clear purpose to focus students on meaning and ideas, not just language form. Tasks in TBL must also have a measurable outcome, like creating a video or writing a review.

Stages of a TBL Lesson: Pre-Task00:01:20

A TBL lesson is broken down into stages to help students perform tasks confidently. The first stage is the 'pre-task,' where the teacher generates student interest and prepares them for the task. Preparation focuses on the content and language needed. For example, for a YouTube video task, students might watch other videos to understand characteristics of successful content.

Stages of a TBL Lesson: Task Performance00:02:12

After the pre-task, students perform the main task. This can be broken into smaller steps, such as deciding on a topic, brainstorming ideas, outlining, writing a script, assigning roles, rehearsing, and finally, creating and sharing the output (e.g., a YouTube video).

Stages of a TBL Lesson: Post-Task00:02:49

The final stage is the 'post-task,' where students' work is evaluated and assessed. Feedback is given on both linguistic performance and the successful completion of the task as a whole. Students can compare their work with peers or other examples.

Role of the Teacher in TBL00:03:10

During the task performance, the teacher's role is to monitor, support, and collect information for feedback. In the post-task phase, the teacher provides error correction, language expansion, and works on language areas that emerged during the task.

Classroom Tips for TBL00:03:41

Three key tips for TBL are: 1) Ensure tasks trigger genuine communication and resemble real-life situations (e.g., designing a plan, not just discussing a topic). 2) Plan sufficient time for all stages of the TBL lesson cycle: preparation, task performance, and feedback. 3) Anticipate potential problems related to content and language before the lesson to be better prepared for giving feedback.