2。 Literature Review

Task-based approach firstly appeared in 1980s。 Lately in 1990s, task-based approach became more widespread in education, particularly in England。 And in China in 2001, the Ministry of Education issued a new English course syllabus which advocated Task-based Language Teaching(TBLT)。 The theoretical basis of task-based teaching is "input and interaction hypothesis"。 According to Stephan Krashen’s theory of Second Language Acquisition, he puts forward five main hypotheses that are Natural Order Hypothesis, Affective Filter Hypothesis, Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, Input Hypothesis and Monitor Hypothesis。 He proposes that the second language can be acquired but not learned, and its acquisition should follow certain of nature order hypothesis。 Meaningful learning plays a role as monitor hypothesis in second language acquisition。 He also holds the view that it is only comprehensible input is able to produce input hypothesis。 It states that we acquire languages when we understand messages in the target language (Krashen 172-175)。 Meanwhile, Krashen thinks the best second language acquisition will take place in contexts where the affective filter is not very high。 文献综述

Merrill Swain put forward the Output Hypothesis in 1985。 She finds that the learners’ ability of listening and reading has reached a high level after years of comprehensive input while both of their writing and speaking are obviously stagnant。 So she expresses that Output Hypothesis proposes that by virtue of producing language, either spoken and written, language acquisition may take place。 

Task-based classroom teaching is to take the classroom activities to the task。 In the book Second Language Teaching and Learning, David Nunan put forward one of principles in TBLT called “task dependency”, in which each succeeding task in the instructional sequence flows out of, and is dependent on, the one that precedes it。 In this way, a series of tasks in a lesson or unit of work form a kind of the ladder, enabling the learner to reach higher and higher levels of communication performance。 (Nunan 30)

In China, Cheng Xiaotang has also done plenty of researches on TBLT。 He focuses on “learning by doing”。

To sum up, language acquisition requires that learners comprehend language completely。 And effective language learning also involves both writing and speaking。 On the basis of these theories, TBLT gets the language input and output in classroom teaching at the same time。 In this thesis, the author will share share an example of the application of TBLT in a junior middle school English teaching。

3。The Notions of TBLT

3。1 The definition of TBLT

Task-based Teaching Method refers to an approach to the design of the language course in which the point of departure is not an ordered list of linguistic items, but a collection of tasks。 (Nunan 24) The core concept of the TBLT is to associate the language teaching with students’ language application in the daily life。来*自~优|尔^论:文+网www.youerw.com +QQ752018766*

However,what is a task? J。Willis(1996:45) defines a task as an activity“where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome。”

Peter Skehan(1998:122-126)Generally speaking, a task is an activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language as a response, providing an environment which best promotes the natural language learning process。 

Richard, Platt and Webber(2000:289): A task is “an activity or action which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language。”

Skehan(1995): A task refers “an activity in which meaning is primary; there are some sorts of relationship to the real world; task completion has some priority; and the assessment of task performance is in terms of task outcome。”