Consider Task Demand to Ensure Lesson Success

Written By Lindsay Herron

Have you ever been struck by an amazing lesson concept that you are sure your students will love? Then you spend hours – or even days! – fretting over the details and preparing the materials. It is hard work, but you are sure it will be worth the effort. Your students’ smiles are all the reward you need! Then the big day arrives . . .

And the lesson flops. Fails. No smiles. Total chaos.

We as teachers have all had this kind of experience. It can be very frustrating but also provide fertile ground for growth. A well-prepared teacher can begin to anticipate these kinds of problems during the lesson-planning process. While you might already perform an anticipatory analysis of potential problem areas, it could be useful to look systematically at each activity or task and assess the amount of task demand it entails.

“Task demand” is, at its heart, the amount of effort an activity requires from learners. A few types of task demand are discussed below.

Language Task Demands

This type of task demand is related to the language itself and thus is probably already on your mental checklist. Can your students understand the meaning and nuances of the target expressions, vocabulary and grammar? Is it appropriate to their level? For example, if you are playing Battleship, are you explaining it in terms of “cruisers,” “destroyers” and “aircraft carriers?” That would definitely add to the level of demand! Also, remember to keep your instructions short and simple, with plenty of demonstrations and modeling at each step.

Involvement Task Demands

This task demand is related to how engaged your students are. Perhaps you are already thinking of how a topic relates to your students’ interests. But how about the duration of the task? Is it short enough to retain students’ interest, but long enough for depth of involvement and focus? And do not forget about humor, novelty and mystery. Can you introduce the activity in a way that maximizes these elements? For example, I know one teacher who, instead of eliciting clothing vocabulary via pictures, walked into the classroom literally wearing every clothing item she wanted to review. The students’ attentions were immediately snagged by the peculiar sight of their clothing-swaddled teacher waddling into the classroom. (In fact, she explained the activity merely by taking off each clothing item and then lifting her eyebrows questioningly, thus also minimizing language task demand!)

Physical Task Demands

How long do your students have to sit still for the activity? What motor skills are needed? Are there obstructions in the classroom that students might have to work around? Can everyone reach the game board? Are they writing in tiny boxes? Can they see the words easily? For younger learners, simply shaping letters can be a challenge; but even for university students, the amount and type of movement required (or not) should be a consideration, as should the design of any materials you hand out for the students to use.

Metalinguistic Task Demands

Are you using technical words (such as “adjective,” “relative clause,” or “dyad”) in your instructions or to explain the target language? Depending on your students, this kind of explanation might be necessary and/or expected, but you should also be aware of the additional demands this practice can create and prepare for it accordingly.

Cognitive Task Demands

This type of task demand is related to schema and context, background knowledge and experience. Are your students familiar with the activity, itself? For example, do they know how to do a survey, read an analog clock or make a bar graph? Are they familiar with the context and concepts? For instance, my students are unaccustomed to using street names when giving directions, as street names are only a recent development in Korea. And when I first taught a zombie apocalypse lesson nearly a decade ago, it faltered because my students were not familiar with the zombie mythos and kept asking about the efficacy of daylight or religious symbols against such creatures.

Getting into the habit of thinking systematically about task demand can help ensure a stream-lined lesson that allows students to focus on what you want them to learn. Careful planning can help students complete the tasks successfully, rather than being diverted by unrelated considerations and unintended complexity; and when students do encounter difficulties, you will be well prepared to deal with those issues individually.

Reference

Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Singapore: Cambridge University Press.

Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL, Monthly Chapter Meeting

Date & Time: February 13 (Saturday), 1:45 p.m.

Place: Gwangju National University of Education

Presentations on:

“How to Snag That FLT Dream Job” (Nancy Harcar)

“Grading Improvement, Rather Than Just Ability” (Daniel Corks)

Swap-shop Session: Present your own ideas, activities, advice.

Morning (11:00) Reflective Practice Session

No Admission Charge, For More Details

Website:  http://koreatesol.org/gwangju

Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL

Email:     gwangju@koreatesol.org

The Author

Lindsay Herron is Treasurer of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the Chapter, she invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings and special events. Lindsay is a visiting professor at Gwangju National University of Education, where she has taught for the past six years. She is also presently the National President of KOTESOL and an active presenter on topics such as that of this article at chapter and National KOTESOL events.