TheProblemsandtheTactics.doc

AcknowledgementI am extremely grateful for the encouragement and support lent to me in the production of my paper by instructors. Without the help, I can not finish my paper so smoothly. 内容摘要此论文是基于作者个人的观点而创作的，现在关于多媒体教学的利与弊的争端很激烈。鉴于在英美文学多媒体教学中的一些感悟和观点，作者将教学中的问题列出来以得到广泛的重视：学生的兴趣淡化，教师的角色改变，课堂容量过大，教学活动仅限于教室。影响学生的创造性思维。之所以提出这些问题是为了更深层的研讨。除了这些表层的问题，还有一些潜在的问题等待我们更多的讨论。作者认为他们将会有满意的答复，同时作者这些对策也是相当有益的：调整学生兴趣，提高教学质量，控制课堂教学量，扩展课堂教学，多媒体与教材的有机结合，发散性思维，而这些策略的有效性只有通过教学活动得到验证。关键字： 多媒体 课件 教材 策略AbstractNowadays, the debate on the merits and demerits of the multimedia teaching was sharp. This paper emphasizes on the multimedia in “English and American Literature” teaching. Based on the authors own experience and perspective, the problems in the “English and American Literature” teaching are listed for the purpose of comprehensive attention. Although with the help of multimedia the teachers primitive role is changing, the students interest in multimedia is fading bit by bit. The students can not accept so much information in the limited time. Multimedia confines the teaching activity only to the class. It also confines the students creative thinking. The problems are presented to initiate further discussion. Besides the visible problems, some hidden problems are waiting for more studies. The author thinks they will be well advised. The students will benefit from the new tactics towards solving the existing problems, including transfer the students interest, efficiency of teaching, controlling of the volume, extension of the course, combination of the textbook and the multimedia and the diversified thinking pattern. The effectiveness of the strategies can be obtained by practical experiments.Key words： multimedia courseware textbook tacticsContents1. Introduction -012. The findings from two researches -023. The existing problems in multimedia teaching3.1 The students lose interest bit by bit -033.2 The teacher becomes the projector -043.3 Large information capacity and fast pace are hard for the students to digest -053.4 Multimedia is a teaching activity confined only to class teaching -073.5 Restriction on creative thinking -084Tactics to solve the problems 4.1 The transfer of students interest -08 4.2 The efficiency of teaching -094.3 Controlling the capacity -124.4 Extension of course -134.5 Diversified thinking pattern - 13 5. Conclusions -14The Problems and the Tactics of Multimedia inEnglish and American Literature Teaching1. IntroductionMultimedia teaching in English and American literature is going through rapid development and improvement. Meanwhile, more and more experts have realized some potentials and existing problems.Multimedia is the combination of text, animated graphics video and sound. It steps into the higher education completely. For “English and American Literature”, multimedia presents new opportunities and challenges. The problems existing in the English and American literature has become obvious, so there is the necessity for the discussion of this topic. Multimedia teaching in “English and American Literature” distinguishes itself a lot from the traditional teaching pattern, blackboard-chalk. It seems that the refinement of our ideas towards teaching benefit us a lot. According to Interactive Multimedia in University Teaching and Learning written by Chris Trevitt, a professor from the Australian National University, we should bear closer consideration from the point of view of the changing nature of the teacher and the students relation in the multimedia teaching. 2 The findings from two researchesMultimedia teaching in English and American literature is going through rapid development and improvement. Meanwhile, more and more experts have realized some potentials and existing problems.Before further analysis, a research by Nanjing Education Web will be presented below, from which we can see some vital changes of satisfaction towards multimedia teaching. Time: 2001 Objects: 103 studentsContent:1 Do you like multimedia? Like 96.1% Dislike 3.9%2 Do you fell comfortable with the multimedia?Yes 85.4% No 14.3%3 Do you think multimedia teaching improve your study efficiency?Yes 91.3% No 8.7%4 What do you think is the greatest advantage of the multimedia teaching?Interesting 100% large information capacity 93.3%5 What the weakness of the multimedia teaching?Too fast 16.5% Unclearness of the words 6.8% none 76.7% 6 What about you suggestion?Enhancing the use of multimedia 73.8% improving the technology 3.8%Time: 2004 Objects: 118 studentsQuestions: the same1 Like 77.1% Dislike 22.9%2Yes 71.2% No 32.2%3Yes 81.4% No 16.5%4Interesting 86.4% large information capacity 93.9%5Too fast 76.3% making the students lazy 29.7% none 19.5%6Proper use 56.8% slowing down 92.4% controlling the volume 64.4%From the above, we can clearly see the students satisfaction declines a lot during the three years. It is urgent to research the implementation of multimedia. 3 The existing problems in multimedia teaching3.1 The students lose interest bit by bitWe can see a danger of teacher and students become so wrapped up in the multimedia that they pay more attention to the superficial satisfaction than to the actual content. Many teachers are so taken with the novelties such as flashing text that they insist on using them on their course sites. Even though they do nothing to enhance or inform the course content. However, we believe we will soon reach the point where people stop adding flashy animations and graphics simply. Because they can and start including only these items that help to engage people in the content. 3. 2 The teacher becomes the projector.Many students used to expect that the course would be supplemented fully by the multimedia. Later the student quit this expectation. Before the study of this topic, we should enter into the definition of teacher. The teacher is the person who gives introduction to the students and causes the students to know something and be able to do something. Teaching is a demanding profession. The implement of the multimedia in the literature teaching largely change the role of the teacher. The involvement of the students into the class is greatly affected too.3.3 Large information capacity and fast pace are hard for the students to digestThe courseware has been designed before .If click or double clicks the button, the social background, the playwrights life career and literary career and the main achievement will be immediately presented on the scream. The teacher especially the one with quick temper easily lose the consciousness to control the pace. William Faulkner is one of the leading American writers in the literary history of the United States. “A Rose for Emily” is Faulkner first story. In the excerpt of the story, there is a sentence “So she vanquished him, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell.” What is the “horse and foot”? Many students are stuck by this phrase Does it means that Emily refuses to pay tax and also sees the horse and horse foot. The students want to have a check, but another button was clicked or the slide was replaced by a new one. The students do not like to interrupt the teacher in the class. The students remember this phrase temporarily. They also have to move their eye sight to the new line to keep the same pace with teacher. After 50 minutes the exhausted brain gives up remembering the phrase.34 Multimedia is a teaching activity confined only to class teaching.Out of class, no equipment is available for the individuals. Most students obtain knowledge through paper material, textbook and reference books which are the regular tools. Projector is mostly installed in the classroom. It is difficult to meet individuals need to use the projector anytime. TV set is not allocated to the dormitory universally. PC enjoys a big voice. We have to accept the concept that computer provides large knowledge resource, but only a few students can afford it3.5 Restriction on creative thinkingThe students are confined by the prompt presentation of the multimedia. Creativity is beyond the recitation and is based on the comprehensive understanding. But click or double click the button set obstacle to the creative thinking.4Tactics to solve the problems 4.1 The transfer of students interestTransfer the students interest from the curiosity of designed courseware to the content. Employment of the PPT makes the courseware superficially beautiful. Some teachers insisted on the approach of “perfect design of the courseware can attract the students eye ball”. But the superficial perfect attracts the students attention temporarily and fades easily. It requires that the teacher avoid and reduce “marvelous” layout and affection of design. The teachers should direct the students to the essence of the lecture. Once the students are full of energy, distraction is extremely far away from the students. 4.2 The efficiency of teachingAdopting the audio-visual-animation approach makes the students and the teacher fully involved in the course. Glimpsing at the future of the multimedia, the teacher should be more expertise. Because they are the conductor of this project, communication and group learning. But everyone is not at the same level of expertise and has not had the same technological experiences. Individuals comfort in using certain technologies will vary so the teacher should be trained intensively. For example, as to the use of plug-in, those who are very knowledge about internet and computer may not have any problems downloading a plug-in, however those who do have not reach that comfort level will miss out on many sites that require plug-in. 4.3 Controlling the capacityTo transfer pressure to pleasure, it lies in controlling the quantity. Highlight the key points and stress on the difficult ones. Controlling the volume directly relates to the quality of “English and American Literature” teaching. The quality of teaching is flexing the minds of many universities. The universities continues to make the fund available to ensure that quality in learning and teaching needs to be identified and distinguished from other sorts of teaching and learning. We should rethink about the role of the multimedia, a tool or a teacher? Too much volume in the class is against the principles of teaching. 4. 4 Extension of course.We can not restrict our literature appreciation only to the class. TV steps into the dormitory. Extracurricular group study and making full use of PC are new creation. In the spare time, the teacher promotes the discussion of courseware design criteria besides the basic knowledge. The flourishing discussion will be consistent with the final goal of study and shorten the distance between the teaching and the learning. The assignments and the activities of the extracurricular is the extension of the inside teaching. The outside study is also the review of the course. The knowledge absorbed in the class is in disorder, so the extracurricular study assists the students to fulfill the requirement to reorganize the knowledge and put it into practice. Especially, the extracurricular group study is the exchange of the achievement. Group study also develops the students spirit of team work. The students can also go to the Internet Cafe to search for related information rather than the entertainment. 4. 5 Diversified thinking pattern The drawback in this point was also put forward by northwest medical education Mr. He which strongly promotes the diversified thinking pattern. Diversifying the students ideas and sharing new voice with the students make the students more intelligent rather than knowledgeable. The students conclude the way of thinking besides the answer to the problem. Furthermore, the students get the sense of creation, which makes them distinguishable. The habit of thinking pattern will form as the nature of intelligence. 5. ConclusionMultimedia now is a fertile ground for research because of the breadth of the usage in the teaching. Despite of the high acceptance and the great demand of the multimedia, the compelling multimedia has drawbacks in the teaching. The designers