Researching Instruction Model of Viewing, Listening ＆ Speaking Class——A Case Study Based on Exploratory Practice

The paper presents a case study on listening-speaking class instruction models based on exploratory practice. Assuming the dual roles of a teacher and a researcher, the writer of this paper has implemented three models of classroom instructions for the Viewing, Listening ＆ Speaking Class. From the students＇ report, teacher＇s log and classroom observation, it is concluded that the three models meet the needs of different students. The key to a successful Viewing, Listening＆ Speaking Class is to set reasonable goals and analyze students＇ needs.

Dialogue with Worldwide Literacy Classroom:From the Perspectives of Situated Learning Method in China

Situated learning method in western educational culture holds that effective education requires learning that is embedded in authentic contexts of practice,wherein students engage in increasingly more complex tasks within social communities.One of the Chinese situated learing methods,hich had been proposed and practiced by Li has high similarities with counterpartners on knowledge acquisition.In this essay,the researcher compared the situated learning method in west and its development in China based on Li’s exploration,contrasting participatory and acquisitive learning models as they apply in classroom settings.The dialogue indicates that no matter in west and in Chinese classroom,situated learning is one of effective methods.This study emphysizes the fact that teacher acts as a provider,facilitator,and mediator of knowledge;students are able to learn from that knowledge and practice it in group activities.In turn,students arrive at a new level of knowledge and understanding based on their experience as a real practitioner in the group or community.The different norms and values attached to participation and acquisition complement one another,and either one alone would be insufficient.The researcher then assess Chinese literacy education in Li’s situated learning methods.It suggests that a blend of participatory and acquisitive learning models may be the most effective approach to classroom instruction.

The Integration of Distance Learning and Classroom Teaching

The COVID-19 has not only changed people’s life-style,but also has changed our teaching concepts and methods.It causes sudden transition from classroom teaching to virtual teaching and then hybrid teaching.This presents a special challenge to language instruction which requires mutual communication between instructor and students as well as communication among students.First,by tracing the history of distance learning,this paper introduces the developmental stages of distance education,and the communication technology conditions behind them.Second,the background and current situation of Chinese language distance education is introduced.Third,after discussing the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning,the complementary relationship between virtual and face-to-face Chinese instruction,the ideal teaching mode and corresponding teaching strategies are discussed.

Cognition-Based Interactive Phases and Strategies in Teaching Academic Reading

Academic English reading requires deeper cognitive involvement in addition to language proficiency and plays a vital role in moulding a critical mindset. However, cognitive progress is seldom targeted in classroom teaching. This study proposed a teaching method of three reading phases in terms of cognitive mechanism and communicative teaching approach.Ninety university freshmen of non-English major participated in the study, who were taking the course of Academic English Reading in the 2nd semester. The data were collected from self-report Research Skills Assessment twice and semi-structured interview, and analyzed with paired sample t test and Pearson correlation. The results showed that 1） “critical thinking”, “organizing ideas”, and “finding information” were believed to improve significantly at the end of the course; 2） reading skill was associated with writing skill and the sense of “big picture” in self perception; 3） the cognition-based interactive reading instruction was acknowledged to be conducive to academic reading. It complements Academic English reading pedagogy by juxtaposing the need for both individual cognition and group interaction in classroom teaching.

Can Increasing Teachers’Teaching Autonomy Help Improve Instructional Quality?-Based on the Results of TALIS 2018

Teaching autonomy is an important power of teachers as professionals and also a key factor affecting instructional quality.Based on the relevant data of the Teaching and Learning International Survey(TALIS)2018,this study analyzes teachers’teaching autonomy and its effect on instructional quality.It finds that,firstly,as compared to those in the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD),teachers in Shanghai,China,have greater teaching autonomy,but there is still room for improvement in this regard.They have sufficient autonomy in determining the instructional content and disciplining students,but not in assessing students’learning.Secondly,increasing the teaching autonomy in Shanghai can significantly improve instructional quality.Increasing their autonomy in assessing students’learning has the greatest effect on improving instructional quality,while increasing the autonomy in choosing teaching methods has the least effect,which is culturally different from the situation in OECD countries.Thirdly,the influence of teaching autonomy on instructional quality is positively moderated by teaching efficacy,which means that teachers need to have the“ability”in addition to the“autonomy.”Based on this,suggestions are also made.

STUDY ON TEACHING THE INTERPRETATIONS OF CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURE IN LISTENING COMPREHENSION

本文讨论了在大学英语听力教学中教授会话含义理解的可行性和有效性。在教学实验中,研究者通过教授基本的语言学理论特别是会话含义理论的相关知识,改革传统听力教学模式,优化课堂教学结构和互动架构。研究表明,学生在掌握相应的会话含义理论之后,经过有指导的学习实践,成功地掌握了教材中听力会话的基本结构以及会话含义的推导过程,进而实现对篇章的理解。因此,在大学英语听力教学中教授会话含义,可以促进学生听力能力的提高。

Appraisal of the Production-Oriented Approach： An Introduction

The production-oriented approach （POA） has been developed over a decade. It is driven by the need to improve English classroom instruction for university students in China （Wen, 2016）. It is also motivated by the aspiration to enhance the quality of foreign language education in other similar pedagogical contexts outside China. A volume of research has been done by Wen Qiufang and her research team, to formulate the theory of POA and to test its effectiveness in classroom pedagogy （e.g. Wen, 2016, 2015; Yang, 2015; Zhang, 2015）. At the moment, the POA is still at an early stage of theory building and almost all empirical research is done in the Chinese context. In order to improve the quality of this theory and to make it intelligible to the international academic community, a one-day symposium was held in Beijing Foreign Studies University on May 15, 2017. The symposium was entitled ＇The first international forum on innovative foreign language education in China： Appraisal of the POA＇. In the forum, leading experts in applied linguistics were invited to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the POA and the directions for its future development. The symposium was the first attempt for the POA research team to discuss its latest work with international scholars. This Viewpoint section collects the responses of four experts who participated in the symposium, listed in alphabetical order. The collection of articles covers three topics related to the POA： its pedagogical application, its use for teacher training, and its research. Alister Cumming is Professor Emeritus and the former Head of the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, University of Toronto, Canada. His article focuses primarily on POA research as an exemplary case of design-based research. Rod Ellis is Research Professor in the School of Education at Curtin University, Australia. He discusses POA in terms of pedagogy, teacher training and research, with both critiques and constructive suggestions. Paul Kei Matsuda is Professor of English and Director of Second Language Writing at Arizona State University, the writed states. He responds to POA from the perspective of an expert researcher and teacher of L2 writing. Charlene Polio is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Linguistics ＆ Germanic, Slavic, Asian ＆ African Languages atMichigan State University, the writed states. She conceptualises POA as a useful method to address some issues in pre-service teacher development. Overall, the articles in this section are insightful and reader-friendly. They are not only useful for the development of POA in particular, but may also be valuable to a broad range of researchers as they touch upon pertaining issues, as well as emerging topics, in the field of applied linguistics. We therefore find it necessary to make them accessible to a wide readership.