Abstract:

Informal talks with primary English teachers have identified problem areas that are not being properly addressed through teaching strategies used in most Portuguese classrooms, namely: providing time for each young learner to speak and interact with peers in class; promoting truly communicative activities instead of drill exercises; relying mainly on teacher-student interaction; or dealing appropriately with the feelings of inhibition, insecurity, anxiety or discomfort that many young learners exhibit when required to participate orally in class. Research (Martins & Cardoso, 2015) has shown that to overcome these problem areas teachers should build a communicative task plan that meets the interests and learning preferences of their target group, i.e., learners. Research (Ellis, 2018; Long, 2015; Nunan, 2004) has also identified that teaching and learning strategies using the Task-Based Learning and Teaching (TBLT) approach can encourage students to express their ideas spontaneously and improve the quality of their oral interaction. This presentation establishes a framework for an action research study that uses TBLT to promote oral interaction to encourage 3rd and 4th-grade learners to engage with English in real language use contexts in the classroom.

The research aims are:
(1) to explore the potential of TBLT for the development of oral interaction skills;
(2) to encourage young learners’ involvement in oral interaction activities;
(3) to develop self-regulatory language learning skills in young learners, focusing on oral interaction through TBLT;
(4) to assess the impact of various TBLT interventions on learning as well as on learner motivation for performing interactive tasks with peers in class; and
(5) to reflect on classroom management when using task-based learning.

This practice entails shifting class control in oral interaction from the teacher to young learners themselves and assigning the teacher a mediator role as task-solver, time controller and behaviour manager. To analyse the efficacy of TBLT for oral peer interaction, several data collection instruments are used, such as a survey through a questionnaire to students, class observations and recordings, student portfolio, student interviews and teacher field notes. A pilot study was conducted with 3rd grade and 4th-grade learners at A1 (CEFR), using two task sequences on curricular English topics (recycling; winter clothes). The enthusiasm, commitment and joy with which young learners carried out the proposed tasks suggest that, although different in nature, the tasks were well received. Some aspects emerged during the pilot run that deserves further attention when designing tasks for peer oral interaction, such as:
(1) creating clear scaffolded opportunities for collaboration and communication among peers to solve a task;
(2) taking into account students’ preferences; and
(3) including movement, action, and play in the task sequence.

Preliminary findings also highlight some strategies used by young learners when faced with an oral interaction task sequence, such as codeswitching according to need (i.e.if they lack English vocabulary to complete a task); and an increasing feeling of being more at ease with the TBLT approach as a recurrent practice in the English classroom.

Keywords:

Oral interaction, TBLT, Young Learners, pilot study.