Supporting learners' potentials and talents: complex competence tasks in the EFL classroom - Einzelansicht

Complex competence tasks are well suited to diagnosing and developing individual learners’ potentials and talents in the foreign language classroom. We will discuss different approaches to task-based language learning and then focus on developing complex competence tasks. They are characterised by an orientation towards situations and challenges in the students’ lifeworld, autonomous and cooperative working and learning processes as well as the central role of the outcome. Complex competence tasks aim at developing foreign language discourse ability by activating, integrating and fostering various skills and competences. Students will work in project groups to design their own complex competence task and also learn about ways for diagnosing and fostering learners’ potentials and talents, e.g. through individual support, formal assessment and by evaluating learner texts.

At the end of the course, students will (be able to) …

· understand the characteristics of complex competence tasks and explain how and why they can support learners’ individual talents, potentials, and competence development,

· analyze, evaluate and adapt tasks and activities which take into account different learner needs, and provide suitable scaffolding,

· design a complex competence task (including choice of topic, competence goals, input, genre, scaffolding, assessment tools),

· use, adapt and develop task-based tools for diagnosing and assessing learners’ individual talents and potentials.

Credit requirements: active participation including required readings and/or assignments and continuous work in a project group. Project groups will consist of 2-3 students and design and present a complex competence task at the end of the seminar.

Teaching proposal