Get ‘em While They’re Young: Complex Digitally-Mediated Tasks for EFL Learners in Primary Schools

Andreas Rohde,Celestine Caruso,Judith Hofmann

doi:10.37213/cjal.2021.31340

Abstract

We suggest that complex tasks can be introduced to learners as early as primary school level with the help of digital media in the form of different apps. As a theoretical basis, we will first outline the principles of teaching English in (German) primary schools. Secondly, we will look at the framework of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) according to Nunan (2004) and explore how digitally-mediated tasks can be connected to this framework. Then, we will look at complex tasks as outlined by Hallet (2011) and present an example of a complex digital task for young English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners that we developed and tested in a German primary school classroom. It is suggested that TBLT at the primary level is a motivating alternative to playful teaching techniques traditionally championed at the primary level. Moreover, it may be a way of bridging the problematic gap between the primary and secondary levels as tasks can prepare young learners for the challenges they will face at the secondary level.

Highlights

We suggest that complex tasks can be introduced to learners as early as primary school level with the help of digital media in the form of different apps
This focus on meaning, as well as other aspects of pedagogical tasks defined by Nunan (2004), such as learner-centeredness and the connection to the everyday lives of learners, is at the core of communicative and playful teaching approaches, which are employed in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in (German) primary schools
One way of bridging the gap between primary and secondary EFL teaching methods is by implementing the same task formats in both school types, and here, we suggest socalled complex tasks which are by definition problem-oriented (Hallet 2011), while at the same time focusing on meaning and communication

Summary

Introduction

We suggest that complex tasks can be introduced to learners as early as primary school level with the help of digital media in the form of different apps. One way of bridging the gap between primary and secondary EFL teaching methods is by implementing the same task formats in both school types, and here, we suggest socalled complex tasks which are by definition problem-oriented (Hallet 2011), while at the same time focusing on meaning and communication.

Results

Conclusion