摘 要：任务型教学法已逐渐成为我国外语课堂教学的主要模式，它强调以学生为中心，以完成各种任务或活动为目标，发展学生综合运用语言进行交际的能力。本文就任务型教学法和交流型教学法做一简单比较。
关键词：任务型教学法；交流型教学法
Abstract: Each pedagogic approach is described succinctly so you can quickly understand how the technique might be relevant to your teaching. Written by fellow educators, these descriptions include tips for effectively using each technique, related research on their impacts on learning, as well as a set of example activities.
Key words: task-based approach;communicative approach
Comparison between task-based approach and communicative approach
1. Overview of teaching methodology
Language teaching came into its own as a profession in the last century. Central to this phenomenon was the emergence of the concept of "methods" of language teaching. The method concept in language teaching-the notion of a systematic set of teaching practices based on a particular theory of language and language learning-is a powerful one, and the quest for better methods was a preoccupation of teachers and applied linguists throughout the 20th century. Howatt"s (1984) overview documents the history of changes of practice in language teaching throughout history, bringing the chronology up through the Direct Method in the 20th century. One of the most lasting legacies of the Direct Method has been the notion of "method" itself.
2. Comparison
2.1. The assumption about second language teaching and the roles and learners
Methodology in language teaching has been characterized in a variety of ways. A more or less classical formulation suggests that methodology is that which links theory and practice. Theory statements would include theories of what language is and how language is learned or, more specifically, theories of second language acquisition (SLA). Such theories are linked to various design features of language instruction.
Task-based teaching approach, also called task-based learning, which was put forward in the 1980s, derives its idea from the process syllabus. It can be regarded as one particular approach to implement the broader "communicative approach". It is a teaching method that puts tasks at the center of the methodological focus. It considers the learning process as a set of communicative tasks that are directly linked to the curricular goals.
The teacher sets up a situation that students are likely to encounter in real life. Unlike the task-based method of language teaching, which relies on repetition and drills, the communicative approach can leave students in suspense as to the outcome of a class exercise, which will vary according to their reactions and responses. The real-life simulations change from day to day. Students" motivation to learn comes from their desire to communicate in meaningful ways about meaningful topics. Its origins are many, insofar as one teaching methodology tends to influence the next. The communicative approach could be said to be the product of educators and linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the audio-lingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language instruction.
Teachers in communicative classrooms will find themselves talking less and listening more becoming active facilitators of their students" learning. The teacher sets up the exercise, but because the students" performance is the goal, the teacher must step back and observe, sometimes acting as referee or monitor. A classroom during a communicative activity is far from quiet, however. The students do most of the speaking, and frequently the scene of a classroom during a communicative exercise is active, with students leaving their seats to complete a task. Because of the increased responsibility to participate, students may find they gain confidence in using the target language in general. Students are more responsible managers of their own learning.
2.2. The role of instructional activities
These may several stages, include pre-task, task-cycle, language focus and language practice. 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 may be useful for the task. The pre-task stage can also often include playing a recording of people doing the task. This gives the students a clear model of what will be expected of them. The students can take notes and spend time preparing for the task. Students complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they have as the teacher monitors and offers encouragement. Students prepare a short oral or written report to tell the class what happened during their task. In the intervening years, the communicative approach has been adapted to the elementary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary levels, and the underlying philosophy has spawned different teaching methods known under a variety of names, including notional-functional, teaching for proficiency, proficiency-based instruction, and communicative language teaching.
3. Conclusion
Within methodology a distinction is often made between methods and approaches, in which methods are held to be fixed teaching systems with prescribed techniques and practices, whereas approaches represent language teaching philosophies that can be interpreted and applied in a variety of different ways in the classroom. This distinction is probably most usefully seen as defining a continuum of entities ranging from highly prescribed methods to loosely described approaches. The future is always uncertain, and this is no less true in anticipating methodological directions in second language teaching than in any other field. Some current predictions assume the carrying on and refinement of current trends.
Reference:
[1] Adamson, B(1977). The English language curriculum since 1976. Plenary presentation at the National Foreign Language Teaching and Research Association, China Education Society, Ninth Annual Conference, Jinan,PRC(23 October 1977)
[2]Alexander, R, Rose, J. Curriculum Organization and Classroom Practice in Primary School: A discussion paper. London: Department of Education and Science.
作者简介：徐彩霞 （1979.5-），女，汉族，山西太原人，山西财经大学经贸外语学院2009级研究生，研究方向：英语教育。