Atama-ii Books / Widgets Inc: A Task-Based Course

Welcome to Widgets Inc., a different kind of English communication course.

Widgets Inc. is an EFL course employing a communicative language teaching approach called task-based language Teaching (TBLT).

Widgets employs a "strong" version of TBLT, which makes it unlike most other language coursebooks. For instance, lessons are organized according to task complexity rather than by language forms, and their primary goal is to develop communicative competence rather than grammatical accuracy. Accordingly, self, peer, and teacher assessment is based on the appropriate completion of tasks, rather than on grammar or vocabulary tests.

Something else that makes Widgets different from other courses is its focus on creating a “real-life-like” English-speaking environment in the classroom. Students simulate being interns at a technology startup called Widgets Incorporated. There, they work together in small groups to perform workplace and business related tasks. In this way, all classroom activities are realistically connected; all conversations, discussions, presentations, video calls, and interviews have a contextual purpose, and build from one to the next.

This has several advantages:

**It recycles useful language and situations. Relevant vocabulary and sentence patterns, as well as communicative situations, naturally reappear again and again.

This implicitly builds confidence and language proficiency.

**It is well-suited for mixed-level classes. Since the course is organized by task complexity, clearly contextualized, and assessed by practical outcomes, learners at differing proficiency levels can achieve meaningful results.

**It's easy to understand the purpose of activities. Because all tasks are realistic and clearly connected to each other, even less proficient students can understand whats going on by drawing on their own background knowledge.

**It is motivating. Students appreciate the practical aspect of tasks, because more than just practicing English, they are also applying real-world skills. This can lead to greater participation and a decrease in absenteeism.

Widgets Inc. is available in print or digitally. Starting in 2021, we will offer a Moodle course as well. Contact us for more information at publisher@atama-ii.com or order internationally via our Japan-based distributors, englishbooks.jp.