Aufgabenorientiertes Englischlernen auf der Sekundarstufe I

In the canton of Zürich, new English course materials are currently being introduced at secondary level. They follow an action-oriented approach as promoted by the Common European Framework of Reference and combine complex and cognitively activating tasks with content from across the curriculum. The author carried out one such task with her secondary class and describes her observations. She came to the conclusion that competence-oriented teaching with the new materials is promising but also demanding, as it requires the teacher to take on the role of a coach who supports and challenges the pupils according to their individual competences. Since learners differ a great deal in terms of their prior knowledge, motivation and learning skills, it cannot be taken for granted that all will improve their skills simply by doing the tasks. Therefore, diagnostic competence is required to meet individual needs. In order for TBLL to succeed in practice, further conditions must be met: First, teachers should accept that grammar-based teaching does not lead to fluency. Second, they need the courage to face the challenge of a new teaching method. Third, there is a need for ‚vertical‘ harmonisation: As long as entrance tests to further schools mainly focus on correct language forms, teachers will continue to prioritise grammar-teaching.