Task Varieties Task-based Language Teaching a. Task Definitions

22 52. This means that the teacher should be able to control the classroom when the students do the task. The next phase in task cycle is the planning. In planning, the students prepare their report on what the information they get from the task to be shared to the class. Willis notes the role of the teacher in the planning phase is “as linguistic adviser, giving feedback” in order to “help students to correct, rephrase, rehearse, andor draft a written report” 1996, p. 52. Thus, in this phase, the students work on the preparation to share what they get to the class by the guidance from the teacher in using the exact language to present the report. The last phase in task cycle is the report. This phase requires the students to present their report to the class in verbal or written. As Willis noted about the teacher’s role in this phase that “teacher acts as chairperson, linking the contribution, summing up” and, as the teacher does in the planning phase, giving the feedback on the report presented 1996, p. 52. The task, planning, and report phase enable the students to be accustomed to using the target language in communication. 3 Language Focus After the task cycle, it is time to apply the language focus. The language focus is aimed at underlying the specific language features occurred during the task cycle. Willis suggests two activities to complete the language focus. The activities are analysis and practice. In analysis activity, Willis 1996 notes the students “analyze texts, transcripts, and sets of examples taken from familiar data” p. 100. It means the students discuss specific features used in the text or 23 recording they hear. Besides, the practice activity is usually conducted by requiring the students to work on “words, phrases, pattern and sentences from the analysis activities” Willis, 1996, p. 100. Thus, the students have a chance to review what they get after analysis the language focus.

3. Listening a. The Nature of Listening

According to Nunan 2003, p. 24, listening is a receptive skill that requires somebody to receive and understand incoming information or input. In addition, listening refers to a complex process which allows people to understand the spoken language, as stated by Rost 2002, p. 7. It can be concluded that listening is one of the skills which should be mastered by people in order to gain and understand the information which is said by other people. This skill enables people to communicate with each other by understanding what each other says. Listening is considered as the most difficult skill to most students Riddell, 2001, p. 108. However, there are chances for the teachers to help the students to improve their listening skill. As stated by Harmer that through a combination of extensive and intensive listening material and procedures, students can improve their listening skill 2001, p. 228. The extensive and intensive listening materials and procedures provide varied teaching-learning activity for listening skill both inside and outside the classroom.