Application Of Task-based Approach To English Composition Teaching

Recently, Task-based Approach is widely used in English teaching classes. AndTask-based Approach is also included in the English Curriculum Standards (2001) asan instructive teaching approach used in practical teaching. Prabhu put forward ateaching model in1980s, in which students learn language by accomplishing a seriesof real tasks in class.“Students may learn more effectively when their minds arefocused on the task, rather than on the language they are using”, he said.Chongqing University Version Textbook was put into use in2010. As a newtextbook, it is well fir for the use of Task-based Approach, especially compositionteaching, in terms of the context arrangements and structures. But, there is littlepractical cases for teachers to refer to.This article analyses the current research situation of Task-based Approach athome and abroad, and states the theoretical foundation of Task-based Approach,including Inter-language theory, Social Constructive Learning theory and SecondLanguage Acquisition theory, in which the author also emphasize the theoreticalfoundation of composition teaching. Then the author design a complete writing class ofone lesson in Chongqing University Version Textbook on the basis of the principles oftask-design by Professor Jia Zhigao, from Southwest Normal University, and the tasksfor teaching by Willis. The author also makes some comments about8steps of theteaching procedures, in which the author state some ideas for classes and theoreticalfoundations for each step.In the end, the author comes to the conclusion that the Task-based Approach isgood for making use of the textbook effectively, involving the students in the classteaching, arising the interests of students about learning English, fostering the abilitiesof communication, making decisions, thinking and adjusting, and enlarge the horizonof students. Meanwhile, it also has some disadvantages, like slowing down the speedof teaching, weakening grammar, hard for teachers to choose tasks and not a bestlearning strategy for every student.