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【Abstract】Task-based language teaching enjoys popularity for a long period of time. This article will delve into its definition and its framework in the hope that it can be made the most of in language teaching.
【Key words】Task-based language teaching（TBLT）； definition； framework
【作者簡介】夏倩（1991-），女，汉族，重庆沙坪坝人，现执教重庆师范大学涉外商贸学院，对外英语教学专业，英国爱丁堡大学硕士，研究方向：英语教学，英语教师发展。
A task based approach has been used as the overall framework by many teachers. Although the task based approach has reached the status of a popular orthodoxy， there is no consensus on what constitutes a task. Different scholars define “task” from their own perspectives， so as Bygate， Skehan， and Swain puts it， definitions of task will need to vary on the basis of intentions for which tasks are employed. They put forward a fundamental， multipurpose definition， that is， “a task is an activity which requires learners to use language， with emphasis on meaning， to attain an objective”. This definition is appreciated because it is clear-cut and can be a specific guideline to follow. Willis shares a similar idea with them； she maintains that “tasks are always activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome”. They all regard task as a means through which learners communicate to realize a predetermined goal， which is easy to follow and makesclass logic and cohesive.
In terms of a specific framework， Willis’framework consists of pre-task， task cycle （task， planning and reporting） and language focus （analysis and practice）. The pre-task stage introduces the topic and the task to learners， activating topic language. This stage can offer scaffolding materials for students to rely on in the following class. When it comes to the task cycle， the task stage provides learners with the golden opportunity of using whatever language they can master to implement the task in pairs or small groups in order to achieve the task goals. The task will be conducted in the form of group work. This is Cooperative Language Learning （CLL） or Collaborative Learning （CL）， through which learners are responsible for their own learning and are motivated to increase other ’s learning. Negotiation of meaning or information exchange will appear through the task to make themselves understood， so the objective to enhance communicative language ability will be achieved. For instance， CLL can provide learners with opportunities to develop communicative strategies to express themselves for successful interaction. When the task has been completed， students will step into plan and report stage. Planning enables them to generate ideas anew， experiment with language and construct knowledge and ideas with the help of their group， teacher and other resources. Reporting can motivate them to upgrade and polish their language in order to express themselves accurately. Language focus is the last phase including analysis and practice elements， which concentrates on explicit study of language form that is contextualized in the task itself. Compared with the framework of Willis， Nunan proposes a detailed one including six stages： schema building， controlled practice， authentic listening， linguistic focus， freer practice and a pedagogical task. Willis’ framework will be a priority for some teachers in that it is flexible and allows them to create more activities. Besides， it fulfills four basic conditions for learning： “exposure， use， motivation and explicit study of language form”. However， Nunan’s principles for task-based teaching will also play a pivotal role in underpinning class， including scaffolding， task dependency， recycling， active learning， integration， reproduction to creation， and reflection， since these principles are workable and meaningful.
In conclusion， TBLT is a useful teaching approach and its framework carries a series of practical principles. It is beneficial to deploy it based on certain context.
References：
[1]Bygate，M.P.Skehan
【Key words】Task-based language teaching（TBLT）； definition； framework
【作者簡介】夏倩（1991-），女，汉族，重庆沙坪坝人，现执教重庆师范大学涉外商贸学院，对外英语教学专业，英国爱丁堡大学硕士，研究方向：英语教学，英语教师发展。
A task based approach has been used as the overall framework by many teachers. Although the task based approach has reached the status of a popular orthodoxy， there is no consensus on what constitutes a task. Different scholars define “task” from their own perspectives， so as Bygate， Skehan， and Swain puts it， definitions of task will need to vary on the basis of intentions for which tasks are employed. They put forward a fundamental， multipurpose definition， that is， “a task is an activity which requires learners to use language， with emphasis on meaning， to attain an objective”. This definition is appreciated because it is clear-cut and can be a specific guideline to follow. Willis shares a similar idea with them； she maintains that “tasks are always activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome”. They all regard task as a means through which learners communicate to realize a predetermined goal， which is easy to follow and makesclass logic and cohesive.
In terms of a specific framework， Willis’framework consists of pre-task， task cycle （task， planning and reporting） and language focus （analysis and practice）. The pre-task stage introduces the topic and the task to learners， activating topic language. This stage can offer scaffolding materials for students to rely on in the following class. When it comes to the task cycle， the task stage provides learners with the golden opportunity of using whatever language they can master to implement the task in pairs or small groups in order to achieve the task goals. The task will be conducted in the form of group work. This is Cooperative Language Learning （CLL） or Collaborative Learning （CL）， through which learners are responsible for their own learning and are motivated to increase other ’s learning. Negotiation of meaning or information exchange will appear through the task to make themselves understood， so the objective to enhance communicative language ability will be achieved. For instance， CLL can provide learners with opportunities to develop communicative strategies to express themselves for successful interaction. When the task has been completed， students will step into plan and report stage. Planning enables them to generate ideas anew， experiment with language and construct knowledge and ideas with the help of their group， teacher and other resources. Reporting can motivate them to upgrade and polish their language in order to express themselves accurately. Language focus is the last phase including analysis and practice elements， which concentrates on explicit study of language form that is contextualized in the task itself. Compared with the framework of Willis， Nunan proposes a detailed one including six stages： schema building， controlled practice， authentic listening， linguistic focus， freer practice and a pedagogical task. Willis’ framework will be a priority for some teachers in that it is flexible and allows them to create more activities. Besides， it fulfills four basic conditions for learning： “exposure， use， motivation and explicit study of language form”. However， Nunan’s principles for task-based teaching will also play a pivotal role in underpinning class， including scaffolding， task dependency， recycling， active learning， integration， reproduction to creation， and reflection， since these principles are workable and meaningful.
In conclusion， TBLT is a useful teaching approach and its framework carries a series of practical principles. It is beneficial to deploy it based on certain context.
References：
[1]Bygate，M.P.Skehan