An Application Of The Task-Based Teaching Method To Junior Middle-School English Teaching

"Task-Based Teaching" is a kind of new method to teach English. The main idea emphasizes "Learning by Doing." When a teacher organizes the class, he should use the way of "task". From 1979 to 1984, the Bangalore Communication Teaching Project is the beginning of the task-based language teaching (魏永红, 2003: 3).In the 1980s, the second language learner researchers, such as Long, Crookes Willis and Nunan started to study it. In our country, many language experts such as龚亚夫,罗少茜and魏永红got to study it .They all wrote famous works such as Task-Basked Language Teaching .In May, 2001, the State Education Committee published new Criteria of English course .It established an idea of based on students: Encouraging students to take part in, practicing oneself, thinking over oneself, and cooperation. And the new criteria encourage teachers to teach by the method of "Task-Based Teaching".In 2002, the teachers started to learn new criteria in Xiangfan district. In 2003, we started to use new text book called Go for it in part of the educational reformed district. In 2004, we all used the same text book in the whole district. At the beginning ofSeptember, we started to use the new text in our school——Nanzhang ExperimentalMiddle School(南漳实验中学). The books called Go for it are published by the People's Educational Press. It is cooperated by People's Education Press and American Thomson Learning Company. It adopts task-based language teaching form. It combines the topic communication, function and Language structures together. It forms a gradual and authenticity study programmer.Although we use new text book, and learn new criteria. Most teachers still use traditional methods to teach. In this research, the writer wants to probe the use of "Task-Based Teaching" in junior middle school, and the specific effective methods of this kind of teaching. And the writer also studies the relationship of the teaching methods, the aim is to make teachers understand the theory of this method, and make the teachers use better method to teach their student. It can make the students not only learn the knowledge but also make their thoughts,emotion,and ability grow better.The thesis first surveyed what had been achieved by researchers in the study of "Task-Based Teaching", and then analyzed the present conditions of "Task-Based Teaching" in our country and in foreign countries, and gave the definition of activity and task. And then the writer observed the English teachers class and made notes in order to analyze the present conditions of English class. After that the writer compared the results with the students' grades in order to compare the present conditions of English with the ability of students of using English language. Then the writer did a surrey, the aim of it was to learn the methods of language teaching. By analyzing the relationship between the frequencies of use the effective method of teaching and the correlation of learning English .It pointed out that the specific effective method was relation to the ability of language using. Based on the teaching approaches and teaching experience, the writer summed up four aspects of effective methods and some effective task-based activities and the methods of practice.Based on the research, the writer did two experiments. One of the aims of the experiments was to know the function of task-based teaching. The other experiment was to know the effect of the task-based teaching. By doing the evaluation of the experiment, it made us know the strategies, interests and ability of students' learning English. At last the writer made a conclusion of this research: It will make us aware that the application of this method to senior English teaching will be practical as well as operative.