Teaching EFL/ESL Reading: A Task Based Approach

Welcome to module 1! In this module we will be looking at some key concepts and issues that surround the role of tasks in second language learning and teaching. First, we will define what we mean by the notion of task. Then, we will consider different task types and the role of tasks in the syllabus. We will also discuss the rationale for using tasks in second language teaching, and how task-based lessons and sequences are typically organized. The module ends with an interview with Dr. Nick Andon from Kings' College London, who is an international expert on task-based language teaching.

Welcome to module 2! In this module we examine reading from a number of angles. We start by examining the cognitive element of reading. The second angle we examine reading from is reading as a communicative activity, and its links with communicative language teaching. We then look at reading as a strategic activity, and at the links between reading and background knowledge, and look at the way in which background knowledge is needed in order to understand three specific texts. We end by discussing ways of developing reading fluency.

Welcome to module 3! In this module we will be thinking about the ways in which we teach reading in the foreign and second language classroom. We start by comparing the ways in which we read outside the classroom and the ways in which we ask our learners to reading in the classroom. We think about principles for reading in the communicative language classroom and about the implications of these principles. We go on to consider the three-phase reading lesson and look closely at an example of such a lesson, and then look at other ways in which we can construct reading lessons, focusing on the way in which we can incorporate tasks into such lessons. We end with an interview with Prof. Cathie Wallace, who talks about her research into reading classrooms.

Welcome to module 4! In this module we will be looking at how a focus on language, such as grammar and vocabulary, can be integrated into task-based reading sequences. First, we will consider some of the options available in terms of the stages of the task-based reading lesson. Next, we will look at each stage in more detail. We will discuss the usefulness of pre-teaching vocabulary. We will examine how a focus on language can be incorporated at the while-reading stage. In particular, we will review research on two textual modification techniques, glossing and textual input enhancement. We will also reflect on ways of selecting linguistic features for language-focused work in the post-reading phase. The module ends with an interview with Dr. Parvaneh Tavakoli, a well-known researcher working on task-based language teaching.