英语教学法复习要点.doc

Unit 1 Language and Learning 1 How do we learn language？We learn language at different agesPeople have different experiences People learn languages for different reasonsPeople learn languages in different waysPeople have different capabilities in language learningLearning can be affected by the way how language is taughtLearning is affected by the degree of success one is expect to achieve.Thus the challenge confronting language teaching is how teaching methodology can ensure successful learning by all the learners who have more differences than the commonality.2. What are the major views of language? 1) Structural view: Language is a linguistic system made up of various subsystems: phonology, morphology, lexicology and syntacx. To learn a language is to learn its vocabulary and structural rules. 2) Functional view:Language is a linguistic system as well as a means for doing things. Learners learn a language in order to be able to do things with it (use it). To perform functions, learners need to know how to combine the grammatical rules and the vocabulary to express notions that perform the functions.3) Interactional view: Language is a communicative tool to build up and maintain social relations between people. Learners need to know the rules of a language and where, when and how it is appropriate to use them. 3.Views on Language LearningTwo broad learning theories：Process-oriented theories are concerned with how the mind organizes new information.Condition-oriented theories emphasize the nature of human and physical context.Behaviorist theoryB. F. SkinnerA stimulus-response theory of psychologyAudio-lingual method The idea of this method is that language is learned by constant repetition and the reinforcement of the teacher. Mistakes were immediately corrected, and correct utterances were immediately praised.Cognitive theoryInfluenced by Noam Chomsky (revival of structural linguistics)Language as an intricate rule-based systemA learner acquires language competence which enables him to produce language. One influential idea of cognitive approach to language teaching is that students should be allowed to create their own sentence based on their own understanding of certain rules. Constructivist theoryJean Piaget (18961980)The learner constructs meaning based on his/her own experiences and what is already known.Socio-constructivist theoryVygotsky “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD); scaffolding (脚手架)Learning is best achieved through the dynamic interaction between the teacher and the learner and between learners.4 What are the qualities of a good language teacher?A good language teacher does not solely depend on his/her command of the language. There are a variety of element that contributes to the qualities of a good language teacher. These element can be categorized into three groups:ethic devotion, professional quality and personal styles.Ethic devotionProfessional qualitiespersonal styles warm -hearted creative Flexible灵活的 hardworking Resourceful知识渊博的 Dynamics有动力的enthusiastic authoritative patient Caring well-informed见多识广的 Attentive专心的 kind accurateIntuitive有洞察力的 well-prepared准备充分的 speaking clearly humorous disciplined Personally-trained经过专业训练的5 How can one become a good language teacher?o Wallaces (1991) reflective model (Figure 1.1, p.9) Stage 1: language developmentStage 2: learning, practice, reflectionv The learning stage is the purposeful preparation that a language normally receives before the practice,This preparation can include:1. Learning from others experience2. Learning the received knowledge3. Learning from ones own experiencesv The practice stage (2 senses)Pseudo practice: short period of time assigned to do teaching practice as part of ones pre-service education, usually under the supervision of instructorsThe real classroom teaching: what a teacher undertakes after he/she finishes formal educationv Teachers benefit from practice if they keep on reflecting on what they have been doingGoal: professional competenceUnit 2 Communicative Principles and Task-based language teaching1 How is language learned in classrooms different from language used in real life?Language used in real lifeLanguage taught in the classroomTo perform certain communtcative functionsTo focus on forms (structures or patterns)Use all skills, both receptive skills and productive skillsTo focus on one or two language skills and ignore others.Used in a certain contextTo isolate language from its context2 What is communicative competence?To bridge the gap between classroom language teaching and real-life language use, one solution is to adopt CLT, the goal of which is to develop students communicative competence. 3. Definition: Communicative competence include both the knowledge about the language and the knowledge about how to use the language appropriately in communicative situations4 Five components of communicative competence (Hedge 2000)u Linguistic competence （语言能力）The knowledge of language itself, its form and meaning.u Pragmatic competence （语用能力）The appropriate use of language in social context.u Discourse competence （语篇能力）Ones ability to create coherent written text or conversation and the ability to understand themu Strategic competence （策略能力）Strategies one employs when there is communication breakdown due to lack of resources.u Fluency （流利性）One s ability to link units of speech together with facility and without strain or inappropriate slowness or undue（过分的，不适当的） hesitation6.Implications for teaching and learningTeaching must enable learners to grasp the five components of communicative competence, but not just the linguistic competence.7. Principles of CLTThree principles suggest by Richard and Rodgers：1 Communication principle：involve real communication2 Task principle：Carry out meaningful tasks3 Meaningfulness principle：Meaningful language to the learnerHowatt proposes a weak and a strong version of CLT:Weak versionLearners first acquire language as a structural system and then learn how to use it in communication.Strong version“language is acquired through communication” (Howatt, 1984:279)8. Major Activity Types of CLTA sequence of activities represented in Littlewood (1981: 86)Pre-communicative activities Structural activities Quasi-communicative activities类似,准,半Communicative activities (PP22-23) Functional communication activities Social interaction activities9.Littlewoods (1981) classification of communicative activities:1). Functional communicative activities: 2). Social interaction activities: (1). Functional communicative activities: 1. Identifying pictures 2. Discovering identical pairs3. Discovering sequences or locations4. Discovering missing information5. Discovering missing features6. Discovering secrets7.Communicating patterns and pictures8. Communicative models9. Discovering differences10. Following directions11. Reconstructing story-sequences12. Pooling information to solve a problem(2). Social interaction activities: 1. Role-playing through cued dialogues2.Role-playing through cues and information3.Role-playing through situation and goals4.Role-playing through debate or discussion5.Large-scale simulation activities6. Improvisation10.Six Criteria for evaluating communicative classroom activities1.Communicative purpose2. Communicative desire3. Content, not form4.Variety of language5.No teacher intervention6. No materials control9.What is Task-based Language Teaching?TBLT is a further development of CLT. It shares the same belief in the use of language in real life, but stresses the importance to combine form-focused teaching with communication-focused teaching.10.Four components of a task1. A purpose2. A context3. A process4. A product11. Exercises, exercise-tasks and tasksExercise-tasks is halfway between tasks and exercises. This kind of activity consists of contextualized practice of language item. 12. Differences between PPP and TBLT1 The way students use and experience language in TBLT is radically different from PPP. 1.Free of language control2. genuine need to use language to communicate3.A free exchange of ideas4.Appropriateness & accuracy of language form in general, not production of a single form5.A genuine need for accuracy and fluency2. TBL can provide a context for grammar teaching and form-focused activities. PPP isdifferent in this aspect. A task-established contextEncouraged to think, analyze, not simply to repeat, manipulate and applyA more varied exposure to natural languageLanguage forms not pre-selected for focusLearner-free selection of languageTBL cycle lead from Fluency to accuracy (+fluency)In TBL Integrated skills practiced 13. How to design tasks?Step 1 Think about students needs, interests, and abilitiesStep 2 Brainstorm possible tasksStep 3 Evaluate the listStep 4 Choose the language itemsStep 5 Preparing materials14. CLT and TBLT in the Chinese contextProblems with CLT1. The very first and forceful argument is whether it is culturally appropriate2. The second problem of CLT relate to the design the syllabus for teaching purpose in the classroom.3. The third problem is that whether such an approach is suitable for all age level of learners or all competence level of learnersConstraints of TBLT1.The first is it may not be effective for presenting new language items2.The second constraint is Time as teachers have to prepare task-based activities very carefully.3.The third is the culture of learning4.The forth is Level of difficultyUnit 3 1. A brief history of foreign language teaching in Chinav A phase of restoration (1978-1985)v A phase of rapid development (1986-1992)v A phase of reform (1993-2000)v A phase of innovation from 20002. Designing principles for the National English Curriculum1) Aim for educating all students, and emphasize quality-oriented education.2) Promote learner-centeredness, and respect individual differences.3) Develop competence-based objectives, and allow flexibility and adaptability.4) Pay close attention to the learning process, and advocate experiential learning and participation.5) Attach particular importance to formative assessment, and give special attention to the development of competence.6) Optimize learning resources, and maximize opportunities for learning and using the language. 3. Goals and objectives of English language teachingThe new curriculum is designed to promote students overall language ability, which is composed of five interrelated components, namely, language skills, language knowledge, affects, learning strategies and cultural understanding. Each component is further divided into a few sub-categories. Language teaching is no longer aimed only for developing language skills and knowledge, but expanded to developing learners positive attitude, motivation, confidence as well as strategies for life-long learning along with cross-cultural knowledge, awareness and capabilities.The overall language ability required in the 2001 National English Curriculum includes the following aspects language knowledge, (language skills, learning strategies, affects cultural understanding.4 Design of the National English CurriculumThe standards for different levels of competence5 Challenges facing English language teachers1) English language teachers are expected to change their views about language which is not a system of linguistic knowledge but a means for communication.2) English language teachers are expected to change their traditional role of a knowledge transmitter to a multi-role educator.3) English language teachers are expected to use more task-based activities and put the students at the center of learning.4) English language teachers are expected to use more formative assessment in addition to using tests.5) English language teachers are expected to use modern technology in teaching, creating more effective resources for learning and for using the language.Unit 4 Lesson Planning1.Lesson planning means making decisions in advance about what techniques, activities and materials will be used in the class.2. Why is lesson planning necessary?Proper lesson planning is essential for both novice/beginner and experienced teachers. 3. Benefit from lesson planning in a number of ways 1). A clear lesson plan makes the teacher aware of the aims and language contents of the lesson.2). It also helps the teacher to distinguish the various stages of a lesson and to see the relationship between them so that the lesson can move smoothly from one stage to another.3). The teacher can also think about how the students can be fully engaged in the lesson. 4). when planning the lesson, the teacher also becomes aware of the teaching aids that are needed.5). Lesson planning helps teachers to think about the relative value of different activities and how much time should be spent on them. 6). The teacher soon learn to judge lesson stages and phases with greater accuracy.7). Plans are also an aid to continuing improvement. 8). After the lesson, the teacher can add an evaluation to the plan, identifying those parts which went well and those which were less successful. 4. There are four major principles behind good lesson planning:1) variety, 2) flexibility,3) learnability, 4) linkageDefinitions of variety, flexibility, learnability, and linkage.Variety means planning a number of different types of activities and where possible introducing students to a wide selection of materials so that learning is always interesting, motivating and never monotonous for the students.Flexibility means planning to use a number of different methods and techniques rather than being a slave to one methodology. This will make teaching and learning more effective and more efficient.Learnability means the contents and tasks planned for the lesson should be within the learning capability of the students. Of course, things should not be too easy either. Doing things that are beyond or below the students coping ability will diminish their motivation (Schumann, 1999).Linkage means the stages and the steps within each stage are planned in such a way that they are somehow linked with one another. Language learning needs recycling and reinforcement.5.Macro planning involves: 1) Knowing about the profession: 2) Knowing about the institution: 3) Knowing about the learners: 4) Knowing about the syllabus/curriculum: 5) Knowing about the textbook6) Knowing about the objectives6.Components of a lesson plan1.Background information: number of students/ ages/ grade/ genders/ the time and the date of the lesson/ the time duration of the lesson2.Teaching objectives: What do you want students to know and be able to do?3.Language contents and skills: structures, vocabulary, functions, topics and so on; listening, speaking, reading and writing.4.Teaching stages and procedure: the major chunks of activities that teachers go through in a lesson. Procedures are the detailed steps in each teaching stage.1) Five-step teaching model(1)warm-up/ a tarter/revision;(2)presentation(3)drilling(4)consolidation(5)summary and homework2) The three Ps model: presentation, practice, and production5.Teaching aids: real objects/ flashcards/ wordcards/ worksheets/ wallcharts/ cassette tapes/ magazine pictures/ video, Multi-media, etc.6.End of lesson summary: Purposes of making a summary is to take learning further and deeper by helping the students to refer back to the learning objectives; To create a sense of achievement and completion of tasks for the students. To develop with students a habit of reflection on learning; stimulate interest, curiosity and anticipation about the next phase of learning; help students draw out applications of what has been learned and highlight the important conceptions which have developed.7.Optional activities and assignment8.After class reflection7.The advantage of a concrete teaching plan: Teachers can follow it in the class and check what they have done;The plan will be the basis of a record of what has been covered in class; It will make it easier to make achievement tests later;It will be good records for the entire course. 8. The aims of a lesson includelanguage components to present, communicative skills to practice, activities to conduct materials to be usedteaching aids to be used.Unit 5 Classroom Management 1. What is classroom management?Classroom management is the way teachers organize what goes on in the classroom. (68)the goal of classroom management is to create an atmosphere conducive to (有助于)interacting in English in meaningful ways (Gebhard, 1996). 2.Efficient classroom management can be achieved when the following six conditions are met.1. The teacher plays appropriate roles.2. The teacher provides clearer instructions.3. Students are grouped in a way suitable for the learning activities.4. There is discipline as well as harmony in the class. 5. The teacher asks appropriate questions.6. The students errors are treated properly3 What roles does the teacher play?1. Controller (what to learn; how to learn)2. Assessor (correcting mistakes; organizing feedback) 3. Organiser (students activities)4. Prompter (when ss dont know what to do)5. Participant (in ss activities)6. Resource-providerTeachers roles are not static. They change with the development of the society.