Learning and Communicating

10. Authentic activities are conducive to both learning and communicating

In some EFL contexts traditional pedagogy (e.g. PPP, grammar translation method or any other focus-on-forms approaches that focus on the form of the day) dominates many EFL classrooms. In such cases learners are only exposed to a target grammatical forms as appear in course books but the functional uses as used in authentic settings outside school are ignored. Usually there is no time for these activities as the syllabus content needs to be covered so that students have the necessary linguistic knowledge. However, if the learning activity and context are separated, decontextualized learning occurs. Therefore, learning in authentic activities should be embedded in communicative activities where learners will learn in context and develop robust (procedural) knowledge rather than inert knowledge.

Suggested sources for further reading on this item:

• Ellis, R. (2009). Task-based language teaching: sorting out the misunderstandings. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 19(3), 221-246.

• Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Schrooten, W. (2006). Task-based language teaching and ICT: developing and assessing interactive multimedia for task-based language teaching. In K. V. d. Branden (Ed.), Task-based language education from theory to practice (pp. 129-150). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Van Avermaet, P., & Gysen, S. (2006). From needs to tasks: language learning needs in a task-based approach. In K. V. d. Branden (Ed.), Task-based language education from theory to practice (pp. 17-46). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Van den Branden, K. (2006). Introduction: task-based language teaching in a nutshell. In K. V. d. Branden (Ed.), Task-based language education from theory to practice (pp. 1-16). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.