7.3 Tasks – the teacher’s tool to support active learning

From the teacher’s point of view, carefully designed tasks are the main tools to support active processes of learning. In designing or adapting learning tasks, a teacher takes into account all major aspects of teaching and learning: the structure of contents and learning objectives, the students’ initial levels of achievement, understanding and skill, learning opportunities, media, and the working atmosphere in class.

EDC/HRE is essentially organised as task-based learning. Volumes II-VI give many demonstrations and descriptions of task-based learning – integrated into a sequence of four lessons to allow realistic planning. Task-based learning falls into three basic categories: simulation of reality, exploration of reality and production. The following table gives some examples for these categories.