可视教具在初中英语口语教学中的应用(毕业论文).doc

15IntroductionThe syllabus for junior English (1992) indicates that the educational goal of junior middle schools is to let students gain the ability to master basic English knowledge and the ability to use English for the purpose of communication through the practice in listening, speaking. It is known that English speaking teaching plays a very important role in English learning and teaching in junior middle schools. In fact English speaking teaching not only concerns the meaning and form but also concerns the ability of communication. However, in parts of China English speaking teaching is still neglected and the teaching method is still traditional. Teachers and students pay more attention to reading and writing, but neglect speaking and listening. As a result, quite a number of students cannot speak English fluently after they have studied English for many years. In the book of A Course in English Language Teaching, it indicates that: “Speaking is the skill that the students will be judged upon most in real-life situation.”1 It means that English speaking is such an important part of everyday interaction and the first impression on a person is often based on his/her ability to speak fluently and comprehensibly. Thus, it is very necessary to have an effective and interesting teaching method in order to change the current situation of English speaking teaching and learning in junior middle schools.In the early 16s century, the direct method was employed in the teaching activity. The application of visual aids was derived from the visual teaching method. The application of visual aids can stimulate the students interest and strengthen the students attention. And it helps the teachers to build up some real communicative activities which can involve the students in performing a real communicative purpose rather than just practicing language for its own sake. The application of visual aids can increase the motivation of students and improve the efficiency of the study. It is a useful and practical way for English speaking teaching in junior middle schools.About the application of visual aids for English teaching in junior middle schools, there are a lot of explorations by some famous Chinese scholars and experts. Zheng Xiaohua, a famous Chinese scholar, points out that the application of visual and electric aids in English teaching can provide lively, figurative, visual teaching activities. Cheng Ke, a teacher, points out that the visual aids can provide a various teaching method and way, and help the teacher to bring all the sense organs of the students into full play in activities, such as the hearing, visual sense, and kinesthesia. As a result, it is easy to arouse and maintain the students interest, and activeness. The visual and electrical aids provide various teaching environment and the real communicative situation, which is very helpful in creating English teaching environment and designing the teaching activities, strengthening the use of English thinking, increasing the students opportunities of English use. The famous scholars and experts have done a lot of explorations, but most of them just concerned about the general aspect. The practical, specific method is very little. The application of visual aids to English speaking teaching in junior middle schools is to be researched.In this paper, the merits of visual aids and some useful teaching techniques will be presented. Based on the theories of teaching method and the merits of visual aids, how to apply some typical and useful visual aids to English speaking teaching will be researched. It aims to improve the students ability of using English; to arouse the students interest; to develop students thinking and self-learning ability; to make the teaching more efficiency.1. The Current Situation of English Speaking Teaching in Junior Middle Schools 1.1 The Main Teaching SkillsNowadays, in parts of China, the English teaching method is still traditional. The main teaching method is The Grammar-Translation Method which emphasized reading and writing skills and virtually ignored listening and speaking skills. The English speaking teaching is also neglected. In the traditional language classroom, both teacher and students have paid great attention to learning grammar and vocabulary but not enough time is given to the meaningful practice and use of the language for communication.2 In the English class, speaking practice only occupies a small portion of classroom teaching (oral English teaching is also totally ignored in some junior middle schools) or takes monotonous form. Many students are not satisfied with the present methods of English speaking teaching.In the English speaking teaching, teachers mainly use the following skills: first, the teacher read firstly, and then ask the students to read. Second, the teachers read and translate the sentence, and ask the students to read. After the class, the students recite it. Third, the teachers give the task and ask the students to make a dialogue and practice it. In all, the teaching skills concern more about the form. The time of practice is very limited. The context is very boring. The students read mechanically.1.2 The Actuality of Teaching EffectsIn our country, the actuality of teaching effects is not satisfying in the junior middle schools. Quite a number of students cannot speak proper English though they might read and write. In the English test, a lot of students can get a high score, but they have low abilities. In the English speaking practice, some students dare not speak. And some students are not willing to speak and to cooperate with their partners in communication activities though they have the ability of expressing their ideas. The other students can speak fluently in the daily life, but they cannot speak well in the formal situation. The phenomenon is that teachers and students consider it crucial to reinforce oral English practice but when it comes to certain topics, they have little to say and they do not know how to express themselves in English.1.3 The Analysis of Teaching EffectsAccording to all above, it is easy to find that why so many problems exist in English speaking teaching.First, in the case of students, they do not control the basic knowledge. They are lack of vocabulary, and grammar. They dare not speak because they are afraid of being laughed at by others if they cannot speak fluently. They are not interested in the content. They have fewer opportunities to ask questions and try out ideas so that they cannot speak correctly and fluently. Most of them are lack of confidence. Second, in the case of teachers, they have the following problems: teaching ideas and method are out of date. For the influence of the model of exam-oriented education, the teachers put the writing, reading, grammar, and mark on the first place. In other words, the teaching is the purpose of testing. The teachers give fewer opportunities to students to practice. The English speaking teaching is neglected. For many reasons, many teachers, especially those in the countryside, cannot make good use of the various teaching materials, such as pictures, photos, and real objects, audio and video materials. In the cause of schools, there is lack of language environment. Our native language is Chinese. So, in the school the whole environment is filled with Chinese. For most students who are learning English in schools in China, the classroom is perhaps the major if not the only place for them to encounter English.3 It means that only in the classroom will they have the opportunity to hear and speak the language in a genuinely communicative way such as through simulations of real life outside the classroom. And, in most parts of China, especial in the small town and countryside, the equipment of English teaching is out of date. Many schools are lack of the equipment of English teaching. They have a little electrical aid such as materials for listening and speaking, multimedia devices. 2. The Definition, Class and Function of Visual Aids2.1 The Definition of Visual AidsVisual aid is a picture, video, etc. used in teaching to help people to learn or understand something.2.2 The Class of Visual AidsThere are four main classes. The first one is real object which can connect with the textbook. The teachers can present the object things directly to the students with the real object, so the students can observe, listen, touch, smell, taste, and fell directly. The second one is simulacrum. It includes exemplar, model, such as globe, manikin, etc. The third one is the diagram which describes the images of the things. It includes picture, photos, maps, statistics and designs, etc. The last one is the modern media which can represent the phenomenon and procedures of things. It includes movies, televisions, magic lantern, recorders, kinescope, and projection and so on.42.3 The Function of Visual Aids Visual aids can help teachers to make an issue clear, and to make the context interesting and build up a better language environment. Visual aids can provide the situation to use language and meet the students need. Visual aids can arouse and maintain the students attention and stimulate their interest and deepen their learning impression. And it can improve the students thinking and observation.3. The Relationship between Visual Aids and English Speaking TeachingLanguage is the most important means of human communication. English, as an international language, has become the dominant medium for communication world wide. With the development of our countrys economy, more excellent practical and talented persons who are best in English are needed in China. English in China is facing a new task of raising the English level.English speaking teaching is crucial, but how to make the students learn quickly and easily, speak correctly and fluently? How to help students to express their thoughts? It is known that the students have so many subjects to learn in the junior middle schools. Their energy and time are limited. They practice English speaking only in classroom. If the teachers teach mechanically and boringly, it will snuff the students study interest. So, how to improve the English speaking teach effects? We all remember things best when they are relevant and close to our personal experiences or when we can express our personal views.5 Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to exert their creativity for designing different activities to stimulate students study passion and enthusiasm and to help students learn better by personalizing the content and context. The psychological characters of students in junior middle schools present the following figures: they are good at speaking, practice, and simulation. Their ability of memory is good. They have strong consciousness of competition. They have wide interest. They are eager to express themselves and to try everything, especially the new ones, but they care a lot about their face and do not want to be laughed at by others in class.Above all, the application of visual aids not only arouse and keep the students study interest, but also help the teachers to create many activities which draw on the students experiences of their school, home, and social lives. The application of visual aids can make the students understand the language sensibly by providing the true language learning context for the students. And the application of visual aids can help the teachers organize some activities and maintain the motivation of students. With the help of visual aids teachers can create a relaxed and supportive environment to build up the students confidence. It can improve the teaching efficiency.4. The Application of Visual Aids in Present Speaking Teaching and Learning to Junior Middle Schools 4.1 The Application of Real ObjectsThe real object is the thing which exists truly. It includes people and things, such as teachers, students, vegetables, fruits, books, clothes, goods, blackboards and so on. Furthermore, the peoples actions, heights, fatness, the color, size also can present the meanings of the words.4.1.1 The Application of ThingsMaking good use of visual aids to stimulate the students study passion is crucial. And real object is a direct and easy way to create the English speaking environment. The things are invaluable resources. The teachers can bring the real objects to the class conveniently. For example, when the teachers teach the sentence pattern “Do you like?”, they can bring some fruits to the class, such as oranges, pears, apples, bananas, strawberries, and grapes and so on. The teachers point to the bananas and ask like this “Do you like bananas?”, “Yes, I do. No, I dont.” It is necessary for teachers to repeat and write these sentences on the blackboard in order to help the students understand it clearly. Then ask the students to read after them. After the presentation, the teachers translate the sentence and tell the students how to use it. And the teachers can give the other similar structures to student, such as “What do you like? What is your favorite fruit? Would you like?” and so on. This can enlarge the students knowledge. After telling the students how to use the structures, the teachers should let the students practice it. Practicing can help students speak fluently. After the practice, the teachers must check the students work.When the students do the pair work, they can touch, smell, and taste, and they can apply their own direct sense to learning. The students are very happy, so they can have a deeper impression on them. When the students touch the things they eat, and see in the daily life, they are eager to discuss and perform. They are full of passion, but the teachers must control the class. The application of real objects can arouse and maintain the students interest and deepen their understanding of the sentence. It also reappear the real life. It develops the students ability as much as possible. 4.1.2 The Application of the Resources of People In the speaking teaching, the teachers must be good at using or exploring hidden resources. The hidden resources include things like our own gestures, facial expressing, imagination, creativity, our own emotions, our knowledge and skills, that exist in the classroom which are very valuable for teaching and learning. The teachers should use students and themselves as resources.The students are the direct resource in the class. When the teachers teach “how to describe a person”, the teacher can use the students as a model. When teach “what is she/he like?” the teachers can ask the students to stand in the front of the class. Then the teachers ask the other students to describe her/him. And the teachers write the important sentence on the blackboard. Ask the students to read after them and repeat. The teacher can ask the students to describe their best friends in the class room, and then ask others to guess who they are.The application of students can directly involve the students in the activity. It can make the context like the real. And the students will take part in soon.The students are the masters of their study and get more chances to use English orally. So encouraging students to speak up is the first and important task for a language teacher. The most important aspect of preparing students to speak in real life is to give students as many opportunities as possible to practice producing unplanned, spontaneous and meaningful speech under time pressure.6 So the teachers should give the students enough time to practice. The teachers should use body language to assist understanding and stick to it each time they teach the class. Teaching and learning are communication activities between teachers and students and they are a process to exchange thoughts, emotions and information. So, the body language is a good way to communication.4.2 The Application of SimulacrumSimulacrum is something that looks like or represents something or someone else. Take sentence pattern “where isfrom?” for instance. The teachers bring the globe to the class. First, the teachers write the sentences “Where is your pen pal from?”, “She/he is from” on the blackboard. Second, ask some students to answer. And the teachers write the place and the countrys name on the blackboard. Third, ask the students to find the place on the globe. Fourth, the teachers ask the students to do the pair work, let them point out the place and answer the questions. For example: S1: Wang Ling, where is your pen pal from? S2: She is from America. S1: Can you point it on the globe? S2: Yes, here it is. (The student points it on the globe). Fifth, the teachers check the students work.The application of simulacrum can deepen the students memory.4.3 The Application of PicturesPicture is a painting or drawing, etc. that shows a scene, a person or a thing. Pictures are invaluable in speaking activities. Appropriate pictures provide cues, prompts, situations and nonverbal aid for communication. Students from elementary level to advanced level can all benefit from using pictures in speaking activities.74.3.1 The Application of PhotosThe application of photos can make the class lively. It can arouse the students attention. When the teachers teach the students how to introduce people and identify people. The photos can bring a best efficiency. The teachers and students bring some family photos to class. First, the teacher present their photos and say: “This is my family; this is my mother; this is my father, and so on.” When they said, they must write the sentences on the blackboard. Ask the students read and repeat. Second, the teachers can take one of students photos and ask like this: “T: Is she your mother? S: Yes, she is. / No, she is not”. And the teacher write the sen