Keywords: task; Task based language teaching; College English teaching; application
Abstract：ItisbasedonLanguageAcquisitionTheory，Construdivism，Psycholinguisticsandonthelearner-centeredideas，insteadofbeingbasedonteacher-centeredideas.IncollegeEnglishteaching，itrequireslearnerstoactivelyparticipateinrealcommunicationactivities，toactivelyaccomplishtasksbyusingtargetlanguage，todeveloplanguageknowledgeaswellascompetence.
Keywords：task；task-basedlanguageteaching；collegeEnglishteaching；application
1、 Introduction
Since the 1980s, a new language teaching model, task-based language teaching, has gradually developed and formed on the basis of communicative language teaching, which is widely accepted and used internationally. It is an influential language teaching model based on research on foreign language teaching methods and second language acquisition. This model is a foreign language learning approach proposed under the inspiration of second language acquisition research. The "English Curriculum Standards" issued by the Ministry of Education in July 2001 emphasize the purpose of English teaching, which is to promote experiential, practical, participatory, collaborative, and communicative learning methods and task-based teaching approaches based on students' learning interests, life experiences, and cognitive levels, and to develop their comprehensive phonetic application abilities. In terms of English teaching strategies, it is explicitly stated that "this course advocates a task-based teaching model" and requires "teachers should avoid teaching language knowledge solely and try to use a 'task-based' teaching approach" [2] 29. Task based language teaching is a developmental form of communicative teaching philosophy, which transforms the basic concepts of language use into practical classroom teaching methods. It is one of the effective ways to cultivate students to use language for communication.
2、 Definition of tasks
Different experts and scholars have defined and explained tasks from different perspectives based on their own research. Long is one of the earliest scholars to study task-based language teaching. He defined tasks as voluntary or paid work that people do for themselves and others. Prabhu's definition of a task is that it is an activity that requires people to think and draw conclusions from the information provided, and this process is controlled and regulated by the teacher. From a communicative perspective, Nunan believes that communicative tasks are classroom activities that require students to understand, practice, use, or communicate in the target language. During this process, students mainly focus on language meaning rather than language form. Ellis's task refers to language use activities centered around meaning.
Although there are different definitions of tasks in communicative learning, as an activity in classroom teaching, tasks should at least have the following characteristics: ① centered on meaning, rather than aiming to practice a language form that is not significant or even meaningless; ② The focus is on solving a communication problem that must have some connection to the real world. This kind of connection should not be vague or a replica of certain activities in the real world, but should be specific, close to students' life, learning experience, and social reality, able to resonate and interest students, and stimulate their desire to actively participate; ③ The design and execution of tasks should pay attention to the completion of tasks, that is, the resolution of communication problems. The result of task completion is a sign of evaluating the success of the task [4].
3、 The theoretical basis of task-based language teaching
Practice without theory is blind, and theory without practice is empty. Any language teaching approach or teaching method has a certain theoretical foundation. The theoretical basis for task-based language teaching comes from many aspects, such as psychology, sociolinguistics, language acquisition research, curriculum theory, learning theory, sociolinguistics, psychological development, and educational theory. But its most important theoretical foundations are psycholinguistic theory, language acquisition theory, and social constructivist theory.
1. Psycholinguistic theory
Task based teaching method is based on the theories of Vygotsky, a former Soviet psycholinguist, and his followers Wertsch et al. on language and learning. Vygotsky emphasizes the social nature of learning and the important role that teachers and peers play in promoting individual learning. He combined psychology, society, and phonetics to construct his own theoretical system, and also provided a solid theoretical foundation for task-based language teaching - learners discover, learn, and apply knowledge through social interaction and interaction. The development of knowledge goes through two processes: first at the social level, then at the individual level; first at the interpsychological level between people, and then at the individual level. Advanced thinking originates from actual interactions between people. Task based language teaching is the process in which students and teachers complete certain tasks in classroom teaching, enabling foreign language learners to naturally learn and acquire language, expand the interlanguage system, and promote progress in foreign language learning.
2. Language acquisition theory
Language acquisition refers to the learning and development of a person's language. This theory adopts a longitudinal research and experimental approach for language learners, focusing on the development of phonemes, grammar, vocabulary, and communication abilities. It advocates that after introducing new language points, students should engage in as much language activities as possible to increase opportunities for language exposure. According to the laws of language acquisition, the memory of grammar knowledge cannot guarantee the correct use of language, and a large amount of language input is necessary to enable students to master the language they are learning. That is to say, learners can understand a grammar rule, but may not necessarily internalize and apply it. Learners not only need to repeatedly encounter practical opportunities containing this grammar rule in different situations and contexts, but also need to use these fixed expressions in different contexts to gradually develop their language system.
Another important condition for language learning is the opportunity for communication, which is what Willis calls use. Research on language acquisition has shown that learner engagement is closely related to the improvement of language proficiency. Therefore, advocates of task-based language teaching believe that the best way to master language is to have students do things, that is, complete various tasks. When learners actively participate in attempts to communicate in the target language, the language is also mastered; When learners perform tasks that maximize their current language abilities, acquisition also expands to the optimal state. In task-based language teaching activities, students focus their attention on the meaning expressed in the language and strive to express themselves using the language structures and vocabulary they have mastered, exchanging information. Their main purpose is to complete a task and find ways to do it well, at which point their thinking process is different from mechanical exercises focused on language forms.
3. Social constructivist theory
Social constructivist theory is one of the important theoretical foundations of task-based language teaching. Social constructivist theory holds that learning and development are social cooperative activities that cannot be taught, and knowledge is constructed by oneself rather than transmitted by others. This kind of construction occurs in the environment of interacting with others and is the result of social interaction. Emphasize that learners construct subjective understanding and meaning of objective things from their own experiential background, value the learning process, and oppose simple teaching of existing knowledge; Emphasize that human learning and development occur in interactions and interactions with others. Teaching should be placed in meaningful situations, and the most ideal scenario is where the knowledge learned can be applied.
The personal development of students is the core of teaching. Therefore, in the process of organization, teachers should pay special attention to the individual role of students. Teachers should provide students with rich language materials and contexts as much as possible, connect their life experiences outside of school with learning activities on campus, and allow students to construct meaning on their own, rather than accepting ready-made knowledge and achieving results directly. The most important role of teachers is to activate students' internal knowledge systems and provide them with an environment for simultaneous exploration. The classroom should be filled with various real opportunities that are challenging for students. Students are free to follow their own pace, combine their own experiences, and develop through the process of self-regulation. To make foreign language teaching more educational, teachers must understand the personal characteristics and needs of learners, help them understand the meaning and goals of tasks, and create a suitable psychological environment for students to learn foreign languages, promoting their awareness, confidence, and ability to control their own behavior.
Under the support of social constructivist theory, task-based language teaching advocates that the learning process should be filled with real personal meaning, requiring foreign language teachers to learn how to promote the comprehensive development of learners, the development of learning abilities, positive emotional factors, and the development of healthy personalities.
4、 Application instance
Task based language teaching is a new teaching method advocated and admired by the higher education community today, which is "people-oriented" and "learning oriented", focusing on cultivating application and innovation abilities. The implementation of task-based language teaching in college English teaching is of great significance for the cultivation of English proficiency among current and future higher education talents. This article focuses on
Using the lesson "Learning a Foreign Language" in NewHorizonCollegeEnglishBook1Unit1 as an example, this article aims to illustrate the design and application of "tasks" in college English classroom teaching. This article is the first English class for students after entering university, and it is a turning point for them from the middle school learning mode to the university learning mode. It also plays an important role in connecting the past and the future for their English learning. Students also have a sense of freshness and curiosity about the teaching content and mode of college English. Therefore, the quality of classroom content design and student recognition in this text have an important impact on their future foreign language learning. This text tells the author's personal experience of learning a foreign language - the successes and failures in the process of learning a foreign language. These contents are very familiar to students, and they have similar experiences in the process of learning a foreign language themselves. The author's practice of learning a foreign language through the internet is a topic of interest to students. Therefore, it is crucial to design some interesting tasks to resonate with students and stimulate their interest in learning, so that they can change their learning concepts and methods from passive recipients to active participants in the process of completing a series of tasks.
Based on the text, the author has designed the following task oriented activities:
Task1：Todaywearegoingtodealwiththetopic“LearningaForeignLanguage”. AllofyouhavelearnedEnglishasaforeignlanguageforabout10years.AreyousatisfiedwithyourpresentEnglishlevel?Doyouthinkyouareasuccessfullearnerornot?WhatareimportantfactorsinyourEnglishlearningexperience?
Task 1 Analysis: This is an introduction step aimed at stimulating students' attention and interest in the topic or task, so that they are in a proactive and positive task scenario atmosphere from the beginning. At this stage, the teacher should make the designed questions as close as possible to the main content of the lesson, emphasizing the relevance between the introduction and the task.
Task2：Lookatthetopicinourtext“LearningaForeignLanguage”andtrytopredictthecontentofthetext.
Task 2 Analysis: Once students' interests are aroused, they can directly enter today's topic or task, which is to predict the content of the text through the title. In this activity, by discussing this form, students are trained in the reading skill of prediction, which can further stimulate their attention and interest in the content of the text.
Task3：Discussingroups：DuringyourEnglishlearning，haveyoueverbeenhappywithyoursuccessesandcriedaboutyourfailures?Whatareyoursuccessesandwhatareyourfailures?Whatarethecausesofyoursuccessesandfailures?Compareyourswiththeauthor’s.(Thewholeclassmaybedividedinto4～5groups.) Aftergroupdiscussion，eachgrouptriestoreportthesuccessesandthefailuresandthereasonsofthemintheirlearningexperience.
Task 3 Analysis: Choosing this task as a warm-up exercise before exposure to the text is because it combines students' personal experiences of learning a foreign language with classroom teaching activities based on their own experience and background. It can provide students with a sense of integration between their living environment and classroom learning, and can stimulate their enthusiasm for learning. Summarizing and analyzing the successes and failures of previous studies can cultivate their correct learning methods and attitudes, and promote their future learning. By comparing the gains and losses in foreign language learning with the author, it helps to understand the content of the text and is a deep exploration of the text.
Task4：Discussingroups：TrytomakealistoftheadvantagesanddisadvantagesinlearningEnglishthroughcomputercourses.Andthenreporttothewholeclass.(Themoreitemsthegroupmentions， thehighermarksthegroupwillget.)Comparetheitemseachgroupprovides.Thenmakeacomparisonbetweentheitemsyoumentionandthosementionedbytheauthor.
Task 4 Analysis: Through discussion and comparison, students have expanded their knowledge and gained a comprehensive understanding of learning foreign languages through the internet. By placing teaching in meaningful contexts, it can activate students' internal knowledge systems and provide them with an environment for exploration for meaningful construction. Comparing it with the author's personal experience can deepen the understanding and mastery of the content of the text. In group activities, students strengthen interaction and language input and output increase significantly, stimulating their enthusiasm and initiative in learning, providing them with opportunities to use language comprehensively and creatively, and their oral expression ability is unconsciously improved. In addition, the organization of group competitions creates a tense, lively, and lively classroom atmosphere.
Task5：Nowadayscomputer-assistedinstructionisgettingmoreandmorepopularinChina.Itisbelievedthatcomputerswillsomedayplayaveryimportantroleineducation，andperhapswillgraduallytaketheplaceoftheteacher.Whatdoyouthinkofit?Doyoubelievethatcomputerscanandwilltaketheplaceoftheteachersinthefuture?Why?Whynot?/Comparetheadvantagesanddisadvantagesbetweencomputer-assistededucationandteacher-conductededucation.
Task 5 Analysis: It is necessary for teachers to provide students with opportunities to improve innovation and practice, which can be used as content for student innovation. The whole class can be divided into two large groups, with the perspective of "whether computers can replace teachers in the future" as the positive and negative sides, and engage in debates with each other. At this stage, students flexibly apply the knowledge they have learned and the language communication skills they have developed to the hot topics of concern in real life, transforming them into the ability to use English in real life. This is the ultimate goal of language learning and the main purpose of task-based language teaching. In addition, the format of a big debate between the positive and negative sides has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm and creativity of students.
5、 Conclusion
Task based language teaching aims to make communication in language teaching more authentic and socialized in the classroom. The "task" of language learning refers to purposeful communication activities or the process of students engaging in communication activities to achieve a specific goal, while task-based learning is "learning by doing" and "language practice based on application", which is conducive to developing skills. The fundamental difference between task-based language teaching and traditional teaching is to shift the focus from textbooks to dealing with people and things from all directions, enabling students to acquire knowledge, master skills, develop their potential, and demonstrate their value in a real environment. However, the task design of task-based language teaching is difficult to grasp, and the systematicity and continuity of tasks are also difficult to control. These all require continuous exploration and research in teaching practice.
