Title

Arrangements over the phone

In this task the learner does...

In this task the learners will interact with other learners in a group in order to achieve a number of communicative goals over the phone. The communicative and linguistic goals of this task include making arrangement over the phone and be exposed and practice formulaic language typically associated with calling.

Task Flow

Willis task cycle

Language Characteristics

Focus on meaning

Focus on form

Communicative gap

Reliance on learners' own resources

Task Goals

To solve a communication problem or gap

To make a decision or choice

To reach an agreement

Other - to make arrangements

Language Skills Practiced

Speaking/Pronunciation

Listening

Pragmatics

Reading

General Domain

Occupational

General Topic

Making arrangements over the phone. It was designed for a English for Communication Studies course, so it could be part of a unit on making arrangements over the phone and e-mail.

Target Languages

English

Other - The structure of the task could be kept the same but it could be translated and adapted to any other language

Abilities Fostered

Sociolinguistic competence (ability to communicate in ways that are socially appropriate given the context)

Discourse competence (ability to communicate in cohesive and coherent ways)

Strategic competence (ability to solve communication issues as they arise)

Cognitive Skills

Checking

Comparing

Explaining

Organizing

Planning

Mode of Communication

Face-to-face (in person)

Digital (online)

Synchronous

Video-conferencing

Type of Participation

Pair work

Focused or Unfocused

Focused task (specific language focus)

Focus Type

Pragmatics

Language Features

Formulaic expression related to phone use, prepositions associated with phone language

Input/Output

Input providing

Output prompting

Kind of Input

Manipulated authentic/genuine (authentic input edited for L2 learners)

Elaborated

Output Type

Fluency

Functional adequacy

Type of Input

Aural (listening) input

Written input

Concrete input

Type of Output

Oral output

Type of Task

Two-way

Decision-making

Information-gap

Problem-solving

Task Features/Conditions

Numerous elements - Students must deal with a schedule in which there many items, which makes it difficult for them to make arrangements. Task complexity could be manipulated along the number of elements, which would allow the teacher to make it easier or more difficult to learners to reach an agreement.

Reasoning demands

Two/multiple-way information flow (dialogic)

Task part of a multi-task sequence

Intercultural differences required/assumed

Outcome

Closed solution

Convergent outcome

Appropriate Learners

18-22 years

22-40 years

40-60 years

60+ years

Proficiency Framework

Yes - the Common European Reference Framework (CEFR)

Proficiency Levels

CEFR: B2

CEFR: B1

CEFR: A2

Learner Individual Differences

Foreign language learners

Second/additional language learners

Context

School setting - Upper levels of high school, university, private language schools for adults

Face-to-face setting

Online setting

Hybrid face-to-face and online setting

Immersion context

Second/additional language context

Foreign language context

Context Details

Content and language integrated learning

Language for specific purposes context

Task-based program

Task-supported program

Migrant adult learners in receptive classes

Working adults

Used in Research?

No

Do you have plans to publish this in the future?

Yes

Part of a series?

Yes (please provide details) This task could stand alone, but I plan on uploading others that are thematically related to this one

Uploader Name

Roger Gilabert

Uploader Email

rogergilabert@ub.edu

Uploader Affiliation

University of Barcelona

Uploader Identity

Teacher - University level. English for communication studies.

Researcher - Task-based language teaching, second language production, multimodal learning, game-based learning

Teacher trainer - I train teacher at the undergraduate and graduate levels

Uploader Relationship

I am the sole creator of this task

Creative Commons

Agreed

DOI (Direct link to this page)