Eng 345: task-based instruction

The article and chapter really helped clarify what I've been wondering for weeks.  Using the language and teaching through meaningful tasks and language, sure, but how?  However, I was surprised to read in chapter 5 that "...no task-based program has been implemented and subjected to rigorous evaluation.  Until this has been accomplished and any positive results replicated, the use of task-based courses will be open to doubts and criticisms" (Beglar & Hunt, 102).  I was really surprised to read that even though many authors argue what works "the best" in classrooms (whatever that means...), that no one has really critically looked at task-based instruction in a classroom setting.  It seems to me that these methods would be evaluated almost instantly unless they were either too difficult to evaluate or they weren't used as the only model in the classroom.  This brings us back to giving credit to an eclectic approach, or what I think of as using the best approaches for the context of the lesson and of course, the context of the students and the classroom I will be teaching in.

Though task-based learning makes sense to me, it still seems a bit idealistic.  Simulating meaningful language usage in an activity may or may not be meaningful for all of the students.  And let's not even bring up the stress and pressure of passing language testing.  Though I have learned a lot of activities and strategies from task-based learning that I will definitely be able to use in my classroom to promote language learning.