There have been great improvements in English teaching in China since the adoption of the New National English Curriculum, however, there are still some problems in western Sichuan province in China. Silent class is f...There have been great improvements in English teaching in China since the adoption of the New National English Curriculum, however, there are still some problems in western Sichuan province in China. Silent class is found through the author＇s observation of some English lessons in some senior schools. This paper analyzes the situation of classroom interaction in English teaching in southwestern China and explores the reasons of silent class based on the analysis of the statistics drawn from questionnaires. The reasons are illustrated from three perspectives： teacher-centered class, exercises-based teaching, and learners＇ instrument learning motivation. The author suggests some proposals to solve the problems, such as changes of teachers＇ roles, creation of stress-free learning environment, and use of task-based teaching, which aims to make teachers consider using interactive language teaching to cultivate learners＇ whole abilities and to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning.展开更多
With more emphasis on the communicative and pragmatic function of Business English learning, the author discusses a case study of a Business English course based on projects conducted by the students in their communit...With more emphasis on the communicative and pragmatic function of Business English learning, the author discusses a case study of a Business English course based on projects conducted by the students in their community This curriculum aims at students experiencing and implementing their knowledge of Business and English in the real business environments, engaging community in the process, and avoiding isolation and separation of business English teaching and learning from communities. The research lays more importance on the students＇ experiencing and participating process by providing them with a series of guidelines as reference and assessment, but meanwhile the students have their freedom of choices and decision-making in many aspects. Integrative skills are practiced including linguistic skills, business-related skills, communicative skills, and technology-related skills. Specifically, the students are required to conduct a mini market research in their community. The topic of the research is negotiated, classified, and grouped in the entire class until each individual student belongs to a group. The project procedure and requirements are given to the students on weekly basis, including field of research, questionnaire, data collection and analysis, report, and the final group presentation. Based on their experience from the research, the students write down their reflections. Based on the observation of the instructor and students＇ feedback, the research found that students＇ expectations and teacher＇s roles varied in a number of aspects. A variety of knowledge and skills have been practiced. Problems have also been found in each step of the project.展开更多
Interaction in EFL （English as a foreign language） classrooms has received much attention in recent years However, little research exists that has investigated interaction in Chinese EFL classrooms. To bridge this g...Interaction in EFL （English as a foreign language） classrooms has received much attention in recent years However, little research exists that has investigated interaction in Chinese EFL classrooms. To bridge this gap, the current research investigates interaction in EFL classrooms in middle schools in China in terms of： （1） the amount of teacher talk and interaction; （2） the type of teacher questions and teacher feedbacks; and （3） the amount and forms of meaning negotiation. The data set include observation records and observation reports of 140 naturally occurring lessons in middle schools in China. The findings reveal that there is not much interaction in EFL lessons in middle schools in western areas of China, which is shown by class time dominated by TTT （teacher talking time）, teacher questions and feedbacks that do not encourage students＇ responses and very little negotiation of meaning Possible causes are analyzed, and implications of this research for EFL teaching in China, teacher development and further research are also discussed展开更多
文摘There have been great improvements in English teaching in China since the adoption of the New National English Curriculum, however, there are still some problems in western Sichuan province in China. Silent class is found through the author＇s observation of some English lessons in some senior schools. This paper analyzes the situation of classroom interaction in English teaching in southwestern China and explores the reasons of silent class based on the analysis of the statistics drawn from questionnaires. The reasons are illustrated from three perspectives： teacher-centered class, exercises-based teaching, and learners＇ instrument learning motivation. The author suggests some proposals to solve the problems, such as changes of teachers＇ roles, creation of stress-free learning environment, and use of task-based teaching, which aims to make teachers consider using interactive language teaching to cultivate learners＇ whole abilities and to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning.
文摘With more emphasis on the communicative and pragmatic function of Business English learning, the author discusses a case study of a Business English course based on projects conducted by the students in their community This curriculum aims at students experiencing and implementing their knowledge of Business and English in the real business environments, engaging community in the process, and avoiding isolation and separation of business English teaching and learning from communities. The research lays more importance on the students＇ experiencing and participating process by providing them with a series of guidelines as reference and assessment, but meanwhile the students have their freedom of choices and decision-making in many aspects. Integrative skills are practiced including linguistic skills, business-related skills, communicative skills, and technology-related skills. Specifically, the students are required to conduct a mini market research in their community. The topic of the research is negotiated, classified, and grouped in the entire class until each individual student belongs to a group. The project procedure and requirements are given to the students on weekly basis, including field of research, questionnaire, data collection and analysis, report, and the final group presentation. Based on their experience from the research, the students write down their reflections. Based on the observation of the instructor and students＇ feedback, the research found that students＇ expectations and teacher＇s roles varied in a number of aspects. A variety of knowledge and skills have been practiced. Problems have also been found in each step of the project.
文摘Interaction in EFL （English as a foreign language） classrooms has received much attention in recent years However, little research exists that has investigated interaction in Chinese EFL classrooms. To bridge this gap, the current research investigates interaction in EFL classrooms in middle schools in China in terms of： （1） the amount of teacher talk and interaction; （2） the type of teacher questions and teacher feedbacks; and （3） the amount and forms of meaning negotiation. The data set include observation records and observation reports of 140 naturally occurring lessons in middle schools in China. The findings reveal that there is not much interaction in EFL lessons in middle schools in western areas of China, which is shown by class time dominated by TTT （teacher talking time）, teacher questions and feedbacks that do not encourage students＇ responses and very little negotiation of meaning Possible causes are analyzed, and implications of this research for EFL teaching in China, teacher development and further research are also discussed
