Communicative Approach in Teaching Reading in Chinese EFL Classrooms

How to teach reading has become a cornerstone of teachers in China as they develop overall teaching strategies in EFL classrooms.In this paper,firstly the author will introduce the context of teaching reading;thereafter clarify the concept of communicative language teaching(CLT) and its implications in EFL teaching;next illustrate the teaching context in China where CLT is encouraged to be implemented in classrooms;furthermore,reading with a purpose and the relevant teaching techniques will be introduced,in line with the important characteristics of communicative tasks.Finally the author will demonstrate some communicative tasks for purposeful reading in the EFL classroom of a senior high school in China.

Causes of Vocational College Students'Reticence in EFL Classrooms of China's Mainland-based on Panxi Vocational College

This article reports on a study of students' reticence in English as a Foreign Language(EFL)classrooms in Panxi Vocational College in Sichuan Province of China's Mainland.Forty-one students answered a 28-item questionnaire.The students' reticence levels,general tendency of unwillingness-to-speak,and their learning behaviors were identified.Individual and social factors contributing to the reticence phenomenon in the vocational college's EFL classrooms were also determined.The results suggested that culture have strong influences on Chinese vocational college students'reticence.However,their habitual classroom behaviors that have been established for a long time should be taken into account in regard to their reticence.

WHOLE LANGUAGE APPROACH IN EFL CLASSROOMS

Whole language, a relatively new approach emerged in theNorth America about more than thirty years ago, has becomeone of the two major philosophies (Phonics and WholeLanguage) in teaching and learning language. "The future ofwhole language is the future of education." (Goodman, 1992).Whole language is gaining its popularity all over the world andhas found its way into various language settings. It has also beenushered into the field of second language education. Whole lan-guage entails whole learners, whole teachers, whole texts, wholemethods, whole skills and whole environments. This paper at-tempts to introduce its definitions and explore its implications inteaching and learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Italso analyzes its limitations so that instructors, when imple-menting this approach in EFL classrooms, could make necessaryadaptations by taking into consideration the characteristics ofEFL learners, including their linguistic proficiency, sociocultur-al variables, and career orientations, and at the same time makesure that EFL classroom activities reflect wholeness of the majorcomponents underlying this approach.

Applying“First Principles of Instruction”as a Design Theory of the EFL Classroom:Findings from an Empirical Study

How to benefit the learners learning English as a foreign language(EFL)from the aspect of instructional design aroused the concerns of many teachers and researchers.The main purpose of this study is to address the question of how teachers can design and implement EFL classroom that benefit the learners.Specifically,the“First Principles of Instruction,”advocated by Merrill(2002),was applied by the English teachers to conduct their day-to-day pedagogical practices.The corresponding effects of this theory in designing EFL classroom activities were reported in this study.Two research questions are formulated as follows:(1)Does the“First Principles of Instruction”benefit the EFL classroom designing in the aspect of student achievement?If yes,what is the effect?(2)How do the English teachers perceive the“First Principles of Instruction”to design EFL classroom?While observing the EFL classroom activities and interviewing the college English teachers,an empirical study was done to perceive how college English teachers could best apply these principles to design EFL classroom activities.

Error Making Analysis in EFL Classroom

In the traditional education environment,the view of a good teacher is measured in the learners’results of examination.The higher the score,the less the learners’errors are made.Consequently,in English as a foreign language(EFL)classroom,faced with the requirements of good academic performance,it tends to be no escaping issue on the emphasis of right or wrong on the learners’performance since teaching goals require sensitivity to their errors.For this reason,the paper intends to probe into stu-dents’errors in the EFL learning from different perspectives.

How to Teach Speaking Skills in Chinese EFL Classroom?

This paper will explore some efficient methods of teaching oral English in China’s classrooms.Three case studies will be illustrated to show some problems in the classroom when the Chinese learner meets western pedagogy.This paper will put for⁃ward some proposals to solve the cultural problems in Chinese EFL classroom.

An Analysis of Teacher Talk in an EFL Classroom

In order to promote the efficiency of teachers’teaching and students’learning,based on the naturalistic inquiry,the study mainly describes the typical features of teacher talk.High quality language input rely on the teaching materials and curricu⁃lum design,more importantly,it relies on the teacher talk to express and explain language knowledge.The teacher talk has an influ⁃ence on learners’learning attitude,classroom performance and the learning process.If used appropriately,the teacher talk can pro⁃mote the communication as well as inspire students to participate the classroom interaction.

Factors Influencing Students＇ WTC in a Chinese EFL Classroom： From the Ecological Perspective

Given the dynamic traits of willingness to communicate or WTC and focusing on L2 learners' individual elements from the ecological perspective, this article involves an analysis of the variables impacting students' WTC in a Chinese EFL classroom to help promote their WTC and provide some insights for English instructors to optimize their English language teaching.

An Investigation of Two Ways of Teaching Vocabulary to L2 Learners

As for language learners, vocabulary acquisition is one of the most important tasks, and the same goes for L2 teachers.Recently, some researchers claim that semantic mapping is far more effective in vocabulary. The present study comparatively investigate two strategies of teaching vocabulary to non-English lower-intermediate learners. One is the traditional grammatical description and drilling way, the other is the semantic mapping. Six new words were taught by using these two ways respectively,and a sample test was applied to check students' mastery of these words at the end of the class. The test results show that there is no significant difference between the learning outcomes of these two different teaching approaches, but learners turned out to be more engaged when the teacher conducted the semantic links teaching method. Therefore, perhaps, a combination of these two approaches would be a good choice for those L2 learners.

Using Web Corpora to Develop Students’Autonomous Learning Compe⁃ tence for English Vocabulary—An Action Research

This study conducted an action research on facilitating students’vocabulary autonomous learning competence by applying web corpora into vocabulary teaching in EFL classroom.The research last for one semester(15 weeks),53intermediateEnglish learners.whose age ranged from 20 to 22 were the subjects.The data was collected usingquestionnaire,teacher’s log,students’diaries and interview.The findings were discussed in the light of interventions and recommendations in the classroom instruction.

Discuss the Framework of Edward de Bono＇ s Parallel Thinking Dispositions and Critically Evaluate Its Pedagogical Implications for Teachers in Foreign/Second Language Classroom

The educational orientation in 21 stcentury has shifted from traditional approach that solely driving academic achievement, to a comprehensive orientation that emphasises innovation and diversity. Following this trend, teaching students the skills of thinking such as creative thinking, critical thinking, etc. has been widely recognised as a hot topic in the recent classrooms.Some researches show that Edward de Bono's six thinking hats are affording both teachers and students well-structured framework for thinking skills' training. Therefore, in the EFL/ESL classroom, teachers' teaching targets are likely to promote students' learning outcomes through teaching thinking skills depending on Six Thinking Hats approach and a majority practices show that the results are satisfied.

IMPLEMENTING SPOKEN ENGLISH IN THE EFL CLASSROOM IN CHINA

Spoken English is generally neglected in English as a Foreign Language(EFL) classrooms inChina.While it has now been placed on the agenda for the first time in the forthcoming new CollegeEnglish Teaching Syllabus,many teachers still wonder if it is feasible to conduct spoken English in thetypical EFL classroom due to the problems of class size and inadequate teaching time.This article will ar-gue that it is feasible to implement spoken English in the EFL classroom,even under the present circum-stances,and makes some suggestions for doing so.