You may or may not use many task-based lessons, but task-based language teaching (TBLT) in general gets good support from researchers. Major names in the field associated with TBLT are usually from the field of English as a Second/Foreign Language. They include Jane Willis, Rod Ellis, Mike Long, Peter Skehan and David Nunan. The basic premise is that that acquisition is more likely to be promoted when students are focused on a meaningful task - using the target language for a purpose. Task-based lessons are also more likely to be enjoyable and develop what Deci and Ryan, the self-determination theory scholars, call autonomy, competence and relatedness. TBLT stands in contrast to traditional grammar-based approaches which are more teacher-led and where the main focus is on practising language forms.
In my own practice, I used TBLT in various forms whenever I felt it supported students' progress and provided enjoyable, target language-based input and interaction. We all have our go-to favourite lessons, and for me task-based lessons included carrying out opinion surveys (Y7-8), playing games like Alibi (Y9-12), writing and performing news programmes (Y12), buying (virtual) groceries from an online supermarket (Y8), planning a holiday (Y10-11) and storytelling (Y10-13). Other communicative activities such as information gap activities (guessing games, sharing information from texts, Battleships, etc) could, at a pinch, fall into the TBLT zone. So I was using what is sometimes called Task-Supported Language Teaching rather than full-blown TBLT. My reasoning was that the syllabus I was working with (preparing for GCSE and A-level) was best supported by a mixture of comprehensible input, communication, explicit grammar teaching (especially with fast classes) and exam preparation, for example translation at A-level and past papers at both GCSE and A-level.
A word about ‘tasks’. Researchers have argued about the precise definition of a task, for example whether it should resemble a real-life activity. A minimalist definition is something like "achieving a goal with the language where the main focus is on meaning". David Nunan used this definition: “A piece of classroom work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning rather than form.”
Games fit the bill well with that definition in mind. Others such as Bill VanPatten) like to try to distinguish between exercises, activities and tasks, with the latter being the most authentic and related to real life. Tasks can be pair or group-based, or involve the whole class.
In a paper from 2002, Rod Ellis came up with eight broad, flexible principles for TBLT. Here are they are, summarised by ChatGPT for conciseness. I have added some comments in brackets, from the point of view of an MFL teacher working at secondary level.
Set an appropriate level of difficulty. Tasks should be challenging but achievable. Teachers can adjust difficulty through support such as pre-task preparation and strategy training. ( I might substitute "challenging enough" for "challenging" since some might think challenging means hard. Typically, you might do some work on the vocabulary needed for the task, including introducing new words and constructions. So for example, if an advanced class were planning the layout of a zoo or a dinner party (ideas from Penny Ur), you could prep them with constructions such as “we could..”; “we ought to..”; “why don’t we….”)
Establish clear learning goals. Each task-based lesson should have a particular purpose. Teachers might prioritise fluency, accuracy or complexity through choices such as advance or real-time planning. (For example, when running an opinion survey with Y7-8 the focus would be on simplicity, structure and repetition, whereas in the news bulletin, zoo plan or dinner party tasks I mentioned earlier, the focus would be on fluency and planning.)
Explain the value of the task. Learners should understand that tasks are not merely enjoyable activities but opportunities to develop language proficiency. Post-task work can reinforce this purpose. (As a general point I would add that it's a good idea to share with students how languages are learned and why you are doing any task with them. Try and get them to buy into your approach.)
Give learners an active role. Students should initiate as well as respond, participate fully and negotiate meaning when communication problems occur. (There are tasks which are primarily listening based, but assuming that we are considering, say, a group or pair-based listening/speaking task, then yes, it's important that everyone gets to contribute and know precisely what their role is. A listening-focused task in the TBLT tradition, by the way, might ask students to listen to descriptions of three holidays and choose the one best suited to a particular family’s needs and budget.)
Encourage risk-taking. Tasks should stretch learners’ existing language resources and encourage experimentation and “pushed output” within a supportive classroom atmosphere. (Much depends on the level here. For example, going back to the simple opinion survey task with novices, there is no need to encourage risk-taking since learners at this level have few language resources to work with. So in general, the more advanced the level, the more risk-taking can be encouraged.)
Keep the primary focus on meaning. Learners should use language as a tool to achieve a genuine communicative outcome rather than simply display particular language forms. (It's always tempting to start from the grammar rather than the meaning or task. "I need a lesson on the perfect tense" is what we often hear or read. With TBLT the question is more likely to be "I need a level-appropriate goal-focused task for students to carry out".)
Provide opportunities to focus on form. Attention can be drawn to grammar, vocabulary or other linguistic features before, during or after a task without undermining its communicative purpose. (Much depends on the task and the class here. To take the game Alibi as an example, this task gets students to ideally use both imperfect and perfect tenses "I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt"; "It was raining"; "I went to the cinema with my friend." Now, with some higher-achieving classes I would draw attention to the contrast between the tenses and even encourage them to use them with some accuracy. With most classes I would barely mention it, since the man goals are having fun carrying out the game and providing lots of aural input and opportunities to talk.)
Ask learners to evaluate their performance. Students should reflect on how well they completed the task and monitor their progress, thereby developing responsibility and metacognitive awareness. (This would be the least of my own priorities. This is partly because my feeling is that once a task is done, both students and the teacher want to move on. But I don't discount it.)
Do you use TBLT lessons in your repertoire? I suspect many MFL teachers use TBLT sparingly, and DfE initiatives of recent years (think NCELP and the famous “three pillars” of phonics, vocabulary and grammar) have done nothing to boost TBLT. The EPI (Conti) approach, widely used in English schools and elsewhere, although gamified and embracing certain tasks at later stages in the MARS EARS sequence, cannot be described as task-based or even strongly communicative (at least as researchers use the term). Many teachers might consider tasks a bit of a luxury in their busy curriculum.
Is TPRS a task-based approach? You could argue that story creation (“story asking” in TPRS terminology) clearly involves doing something meaningful with language. Similarly “picture talk” - developing a narrative from a picture - has the main focus on meaning and achieving something together. Some TPRS lessons are no doubt task-based. It’s an interesting question.
My general feeling is that TBLT comes into its own at intermediate and advanced levels when students have a bigger pool of language to draw on. But even with novices, there is room for classroom activities where language is used primarily to achieve a meaningful goal.
Rod Ellis’s paper can be found here https://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/fl/publication/pdf_education/04/5rodellis.pdf
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