ABSTRACT
The focus of Chapter 5 is on putting tasks into action in classrooms. Regardless of how TBLT is defined and practised, the task is the central unit. The chapter therefore starts by going back to the central task construct. Drawing on both theory and practice, the chapter explores three key questions: (1) task evaluation, or “to what extent is this really a task?” (2) task sequencing, or, “how can tasks be ordered according to their level of challenge?” (3) task scaffolding, or, “how can learners be supported to get the best out of tasks?” Developing the notion of task scaffolding, the chapter presents the triadic model of “pre-task / task / post-task” as a structure for task implementation that has been proposed or advocated by several exponents of TBLT. The chapter then focuses on the crucial pre-task phase as the space in which teachers and learners prepare for task performance, and practical considerations that should be borne in mind both pre-task and as learners move into the during-task phase: (1) task planning; (2) task resourcing; and (3) task repetition.
