The crap lesson
This week at LCST the task was to ask which metro station a sightseeing spot is near. Unfortunately the lesson wasn’t very good. The first steps of the task were very poor. It wasn’t helped by assuming students would be able to just ask where a foreign place is. The complexity of the task needed to be thought about first.
I suppose this needs to be key in task design. Perhaps a task design process should be considered. A preliminary idea is:
Task Design Process
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Idea
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What language functions are necessary?
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What different skills are needed?
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What is likely to occur?
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What can be done to scaffold to enable best-case scenarios?
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Review
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Check what could go wrong at each step.
So, anyway, after a focus on form on questions and longer answers, I’d say the task was finally done well, but I’ll check over everything so far in next week’s review lesson.
Read Here be (Dungeons and) Dragons previous ‘chapters’: 1, 2, 3, 4
Read the future chapters 6
I wouldn’t call that a ‘crap’ lesson Marc; you observed, modified and students performed well in the end, right?
Your task design process is very useful and it might be worth considering student involvement in it.
When designing a short task, I’ve sometimes felt that I’m too leading – the group understands and completes the task, but that mostly means they successfully followed my instruction. The best – in terms of aqcuired language & functions – tasks have been those where students were involved in the design process, either individually or as a group. Would that be possible in your context?
In any case, keep sharing!
Thanks Christina. I actually tried to have the learners consider what they would need to do to perform both roles but I don’t think many of them spent much time truly considering it.
You are right, though; it was alright in the end but I was hoping to be much further along. It was the same for two classes on the same course. Hmmm. Reflections.
Yup, reflections 🙂 useful and purposeful.
Getting and keeping students involved is a tough one, especially when they expect you’ll always provide and they’ll always just complete – at least that’s been my experience over here.
I’m sure your following classes will go further, though; it takes us time to get the right balance.
Thanks! ?
I’m doing ordering food tomorrow and basically thinking about the same. What is involved and how to put it together. Thanks!
I’m glad my mistake is a learning opportunity, Kamila. Cheers.