Integrating Form-Focused Instruction Into Task-Based Learning In The Language Classroom Of Chinese Secondary Schools

The points out clearly that task-based learning should be advocated and the cultivation of integrated ability should be implemented in the teaching process; it also advocates the learning methods, such as experiential learning, communicative learning and cooperative learning; it emphasizes the ability to use English to do practical things. Task-based learning breaks the traditional teaching model, and it attracts a lot of teachers' attention due to its distinct advantages. However, students can achieve the goal of communication through using ungrammatical sentences and deduces the usage of correct language forms which is an indispensable element of communicative competence. The application of task-based learning can't deny the importance of language forms. Secondary school teachers of English shouldn't convert from the type of traditional form-focused instruction only for exams to the type of oral teaching only for meaning. In other words, they shouldn't convert from one extreme (dumb English) to another extreme (illiterate English). Teaching must cover both FFI and TBL in order to get good teaching result. This paper begins with literature review about FFI and TBL and argues the necessity of integration from theoretical and empirical perspectives. From the theoretical perspective, this paper systematically demonstrates the theoretical foundations from psycholinguistic, cognitive and pedagogical angles. On the basis of a lot of empirical researches, it proves the necessity of integration and explores the tasks and techniques used for integration. This paper aims especially at the present situation of English teaching in China, that is, the traditional FFI is not accepted by teachers and students any more, the new conceptions of TBL have been involved into English teaching, but both have advantages and disadvantages. Interviews and questionnaires are used to find out how teachers and students deal with FFI and TBL. The result reveals that although there is some controversy about TBL among teachers, they accept the advantages of it and are willing to design tasks in classroom teaching. Most teachers agree that both FFI and TBL play an important role in English teaching. Through classroom observations, this paper gives some suggestions about how to integrate FFI into TBL. The aim of this paper is to help English teachers get a good understanding of TBL and apply it into their teaching through integrating FFI into TBL, so that to make TBL not a form but a need.