2.2. Conceptual Framework
2.2.13. Overview of Willis’s (1996) TBI Framework
2.2.13.2. Components of the Task Cycle Phase
According to Willis (1996), this phase consists of three stages: the task stage, the planning stage and the report stage, and through which opportunities are provided for students to use the language they already know in order to conduct the task, and this use of the target language stimulates students to acquire some new forms when the already existing knowledge contradicts somehow with the new one during students’ planning to report (noticing the gap in their language) under the supervision of teachers who work as monitors for language learning. This phase also places a premium on the importance of writing during the learning process.
Willis (1996) continues to say that students, at the task stage, are fostered to work in pairs or groups to complete the task using whatever language they know, and this stage is important as it provides the three essential conditions for language learning: motivation, focus on language use and focus on language form. To expand on this, through assigning students to work in pairs and small groups, they will discern that they are able to complete the task without direct support from teachers, and this can have a positive impact on students’ confidence and motivation to learn. Moreover, through the exposure to the target language in the form of hearing a recording or reading a text and also through the use of what they recall from the first stage to complete the task, students’ minds are properly activated to notice the gap in their own language, a matter which enables them to transfer language input into intake, leading to the acquisition of some new forms when language intake is further processed in the mind. Teachers, during the task stage, stand back and let students complete the task themselves unless teachers’
intervention is imperative. They should observe students from a short distance, encourage them to use the target language if the mother language happens to be used too often and provide the required assistance for hopelessly stuck students just to put them on the right track before they
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withdraw back. Moreover, they have to make sure that all students are active and clear about the task objectives. Furthermore, they patiently act as time keepers and forgive about students’
errors of language form. They also comment on some points of interests during their observation and monitoring of the students working on the task. It is important during the task stage not to provide a detailed summary of students’ performance as this will form the next two stages of the cycle phase. To sum up, the task stage helps students produce spontaneous language (language fluency) by focusing on language meaning while working on the task, and it unconsciously draws student’s attention to some language form through pair or small group work.
As expounded by Willis (1996), in order to stretch students’ language development out and help them internalize grammar to avoid the development of language fluency at the expense of language accuracy and complexity, another stage is required and here comes the importance of the second stage; the language planning stage. For Willis (1996), students, at this stage, prepare to tell the whole class (public) about their results whether orally or in writing. This step triggers students to make careful planning of their speech to leave no mistakes for others to notice. This may include planning to make clear organization of the report, trying to use proper words and accurate forms and doing some drafts and rehearsals to make the final draft of the report good enough.
According to Willis (1996), teachers, during this second stage, give clear instruction to students, if not instructed earlier, on how to report the findings, on the purpose of the report, on the time allocated to present the report and on the form of the report. Furthermore, teachers act as advisors who respond to students’ needs when they ask for advice. This stage is also the right time for teachers to give advice about language forms and structures using different ways based on the nature of problems encountered by students at the time of their preparation to report on
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the task. This may include suggesting other positive ways to improve the work and commenting on the errors that obscure the meaning or commenting on the critical errors made by students.
Teachers’ roles also include encouraging students to shape their reports nicely and draft their written reports or rehearse their oral ones. They also ensure that students stick to the time limit allocated for the planning stage by reminding them continually of the time remained. To recapitulate, this stage accentuates language accuracy, language clarity and language complexity as an integral part of L2 acquisition.
Willis (1996) indicates that the report stage may be less to provide learning opportunities than the planning stage but it is important as it constitutes the incentive without which students’
learning during the second stage will not take place. At this stage, teachers yield opportunities to some selected groups to present their reports but not to all groups due to time constraints.
Teachers also, at this stage, expect some improper wordings and grammatical mistakes from students as a result of the short time of planning as well as students’ linguistic abilities and resources. Moreover, teachers should praise and value students’ work by focusing on the positive points rather than providing negative comments. They should also react positively to students’ work in such a way to enhance students’ motivation and push them forward to do their best on the following tasks.
Willis (1996) claims that teachers, at this third stage, act as chairpersons, who introduce the assigned tasks, nominate who speaks first and who speaks next and summarize the whole report at the end. During students’ presentations of the task, teachers are highly recommended to write down some useful notes to be used during their brief if they want to give some constructive feedback, to clarify some points or to correct some mistake, as the best way to avoid any interruption to the presentation. They may also play recordings of other students
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doing presentations on the same or similar task to increase students’ attention to the gap in their produced language. Students’ use and exposure to the target language during this stage enable them to compare their work to others and also motivate them to improve their own language, conductive to an improvement in students’ language meaning and form.