Three Approaches to Task-Based Syllabus Design

Choice of the unit of analysis in syllabus design is crucial for all aspects of a language teaching program. A variety of units, including word, structure, notion, function, topic and situation, continue to be employed in synthetic, Type A syllabuses. While each is relevant for analyses of the target language and its use, native-like linguistic elements find little support as meaningful acquisition units from a language learner's perspective. Task has more recently appeared as the unit of analysis in three analytic, (primarily) Type B alternatives: procedural, process and task syllabuses. Each of these has certain limitations, too, but when the task syllabus is combined with a focus on form in Task-Based Language Teaching, the task receives more support in SLA research as a viable unit around which to organize language teaching and learning opportunities.