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Delivering Face-to-Face Tasks Online

Incorporating active & task-based learning into your online teaching

Gangwon-do KOTESOL 23 May 2020

Stafford Lumsden

TESOL Media Lab | University of Wollongong

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Who am I?

  • 15 Years in Korea.
    • 6 at Sookmyung Women’s University teaching blended and fully online TESOL courses
  • Master of Arts TESOL (Victoria)
    • Online Language Assessment
  • Master of Research (Macquarie)
    • Online Instructor Satisfaction
  • PhD candidate(Macquarie)
    • Increasing social, cognitive, and teaching presence in online learning environments by utilising semiotic resources.
  • TEL Ed. Specialist (UOW)
    • Integrating technology and online delivery across multiple faculties/disciplines
  • KOTESOL Tragic from way back
    • Seoul Chapter president, National Conference Chair etc etc.

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Definitions

What is a task?

Write your answers/thoughts in the chat window.

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Tasks

What is a task?

A task is an activity which students undertake (i.e. something they do). It asks students to use the target language and has a known outcome. (most of the time).

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Definitions

What is Active Learning?

Write your answers/thoughts in the chat window.

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Active Learning

What is Active Learning?

Active learning is (generally) any method that engages students in the learning process. It requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing.

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Task selection is important!

Not all tasks will transfer over to online perfectly.

Thinking about how to sequence the lesson online is also going to help.

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Pre-task

Task

Planning

Reporting

Teacher Input

Practice

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How Many Task Types are There?

Can you put a number on it?

Can you list some task types?

Write your answers/thoughts in the chat window.

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How Many Task Types are There?

  • Listing
  • Ordering & Sorting
  • Comparing
  • Problem solving
  • Sharing personal experience
  • Creative tasks (creating a product)

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Instructions

Time

  • Each group will receive the same set of tasks.
    • Go to the slides that are your group's colour
  • With your group, follow the instructions and complete the tasks.
  • Afterwards you will have a series of questions to answer
  • Be prepared to share your answers when we return to the group.
  • You will have 15 mins to complete the tasks
  • You will have 5 minutes to answer the questions.

Group 1.

Group 2.

Group 3.

Group 4.

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The Story of a Sandwich

With your group, drag & drop the pictures in the correct order and then describe what is happening in the pictures.

Our Story:

Group 1.

1.

2.

3.

4.

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An Excellent Teacher

With your group, write down several qualities that an excellent teacher should have. Make sure to explain why!

Qualities of an Excellent Teacher:

Group 1.

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My Best Vacation Ever

Take turns sharing your best vacation ever with your group. Write down when it was, where you were, what you did, and who you were with.

Person #1

Person #2

Person #3

Person #4

When it was?

Where you were?

What you did?

Who you were with?

Your question:

Group 1.

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A Letter to a Friend

Your friend is coming to their first KOTESOL workshop next month, but she is nervous about being prepared. With your group, write a letter that gives her three suggestions for how she can best prepare for the workshop.

Dear Friend

Group 1.

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A Mysterious Story

With your group, look at the set of pictures (a person, a place, and an object). Write a short story that includes all three things. Remember that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Our Story:

Group 1.

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Finding Common Ground

Choose two people in your group. Make a Venn diagram and write at least three similarities and two differences between those two people.

Group 1.

Person #1

Person #2

Similarities

Note: You need to insert a text box to type in the circles.

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What kind of task type was it?

The Story of a Sandwich

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do? ORDERING

An Excellent Teacher

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

LISTING

My Best Vacation Ever

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

SHARING PERSONAL IDEAS

A Letter to a Friend

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

PROBLEM SOLVING

A Mysterious Story

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

CREATIVE

Finding Common Ground

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

COMPARING

Group 1.

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What kind of task type was it?

The Story of a Sandwich

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Ordering

An Excellent Teacher

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Listing

My Best Vacation Ever

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Sharing personal experience

A Letter to a Friend

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Problem solving

A Mysterious Story

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Finding Common Ground

What kind of “task” was this?

What did you have to do?

Creative

Comparing

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Why these?

  • Allow you to address grammar and language
    • But students don’t necessarily need the appropriate/desired grammar or language to complete the task
  • Almost always done in pairs and groups, facilitating output
  • 1-3 lower order thinking
  • 4-6 higher order thinking
  • Integrate macro skills
  • Can be used for teaching both receptive and productive skills
  • Can be used with young learners and adults
  • Motivation through completion
  • Doesn’t rely on or assume fluency on the part of the student.
  • Use to teach skills strategies
  • Possible to prep for exams/TOEIC/IELTS etc.

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Active Learning Approach

PPP

Process Writing

Practice

Presentation

Production

Theme #1

Theme #2

Pre-writing

Writing

Revising

Editing

Publishing

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Preparation & Implementation

What you need:

  • Collaboration space
    • Google Docs/Slides
    • LMS
  • For synchronous lessons- a way to make groups
    • Breakout rooms
  • Ability to monitor students undertaking the task
  • Ways for students to report back, and share.

Additionally:

  • Instructions need to be clear, concise, and checked (ICQs)
  • Materials (Slides?)
    • Labels
    • Colours
    • Images
    • Save & publish Ss. work
  • Assessment?

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Q&A

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Contact

stafford@uow.edu.au

www.tesolmedialab.com

Acknowledgements

Backgrounds/images: pexels.com

TBL activities: Kara Waggoner, Sookmyung YL TESOL

Thanks also to the team at Gangwon-do KOTESOL

Presentation © 2020 Stafford Lumsden and TESOL Media Laboratory

Free to use for educational purposes, please cite responsibly

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References

Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching. Harlow: Pearson Longman,.

Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning teaching: The essential guide to English language teaching. Oxford: Macmillan Education.

Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning (Vol. 60). Harlow: Longman.

Willis, J., & Willis, D. (2013). Doing task-based teaching-Oxford handbooks for language teachers. Oxford University Press.