Hampel (2006) argues that an environment of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) cannot be thought the same as a face-to-face classroom setting, and both the design of tasks and their implementation have to reflect the affordances of the environment. Then, Hampel (2006) considers that the appropriate task design and the implementation through examining level 2 and level 3 German courses at Open University.
Hampel (2006) concludes that the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and sociocultural theories developed for face-to-face teaching can be transferred to a CMC environment. However, new features have to also be considered when designing and implementing tasks for a CMC environment.
Features for effective tasks in SLA theory are as follows (Ellis, 2000):
・Information exchange
・Two-way information gap
・Closed outcome
・Non-familiar task
・Human/ethical topic (vs. objective/spatial topic)
・Narrative discourse (vs. description/expository)
・Context-free
・Involving detailed information
Features for effective tasks in sociocultural theory are as follows (Meskill, 1999):
・Provide ample opportunities for differing perspectives and opinions.
・Motivate active participation and interaction by having no one single answer or process.
・Provide some form of problem-solving.
・Designate roles for individual learners to help situate them in a community of target language.
・Offer some focuses on the forms and functions of language use.
Regarding new features of a CMC environment, I summarized features of SL in my posting “Report about my reading”.
References
Ellis, R. (2000). Task-based research and language pedagogy. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 193-220.
Hampel, R. (2006). Rethinking task design for the digital age: A framework for language teaching and learning in a synchronous online environment. ReCALL, 18(1), 105-121.
Meskill, C. (1999). Computers as tools for sociocollaborative language learning. In K. Cameron (Eds.), CALL: Media, design and applications (pp. 141-162). Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger.
I like the fact that you're consistently examining LT theories, particular of a task-based nature, and relating them to SL. This is extremely interesting and creates a possible research space.
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