2015年英语教学设计与案例分析

英语教学设计与案例分析

EnglishTeachingDesign&CaseAnalysis

【课程性质】

本课程是为英语教育硕士学位研究生开设的一门专业必修课。本课程系统地阐述了中

学英语教学设计的基本原理、方法和教学活动的具体案例，并通过对教学案例的分析为学习

者更好、更有效地进行英语课堂教学设计提供了方向、具体的操作路径和方法。本课程主要

包括课程的导入、语言知识（语音、词汇、语法）、语言技能（听、说、读、写）、课堂管

理和教学反思等方面的内容，共分为十个教学专题。每个专题都将引导学生对英语课堂教学

的各层面与环节进行系统的探讨与学习，通过理论学习与案例分析相结合的方法，使学生学

会根据具体的教学目标、教学内容与教学对象，在相关理论的指导下进行科学合理的单元整

体设计和分课设计，有效组织课堂教学，灵活应对和处理课堂教学中的问题。

【课程学分】

本课程拟定60课时学习完毕，共计3学分。

【教学目标】

1.了解导入环节为一节课的成功与失败起着重要的作用，掌握各种教学导入的方式和

方法。

2.了解语音教学贯穿整个中学的英语学习阶段，包括发语音、语调、重音等多个方面

的内容。掌握语音教学的技能和方法。

3.了解词汇教学的具体内容和呈现方式，学会使用最恰当方法进行词汇的讲解和教学

活动的设计。

4.了解语法教学的基本教学模式，学会使用归纳法进行语法教学的讲解和教学活动的

设计。

5.了解并掌握听力教学的三个教学阶段和听力理解的学习策略，并能针对三个不同阶

段的教学任务设计恰当的教学活动。

6.了解口语教学的策略与方法，能够掌握口语教学活动设计的方法。

7.了解阅读教学的模式与训练学生阅读策略的方法，能够根据不同的文章体裁进行不

同阅读教学活动的设计。

8.了解写作教学不同教学模式，掌握过程写作具体教学活动的设计方法。

9.了解课堂教学管理的基本原理，学会使用恰当的方式进行课堂管理。

10.了解并掌握教学反思的各种方式与方法，学会对自己的教学进行系统的反思。

【教学方式】

本课程采用网络授课的方式进行，学生主要采取自主的方式进行学习。在教学过程中

学生可以在网上观看教师的教学录像视频，教学使用的PPT,同时还可以进行文本的阅读。

【考核方式】

课程学习过程中，包括专题思考讨论题、在线测试和小组合作研究三种考核方式。其

中期中和期末测试和小组合作研究考核结果计入最终的课程通过成绩。

1.专题思考讨论题：提供每个专题的思考讨论题，从而引导学员领悟总结所学知识并

实际运用于英语课堂教学中解决实际教学问题。

2.小组合作研究：提供3个小组合作研究题供学员选择。合作研究题目的在于引导学

员运用所学知识，通过相互合作，解决教学过程中遇到的问题。

3.期中在线测试：本阶段性在线测试旨在监控研究生的学习过程，促进研究生注重

平时学习，同时检查研究生对课程基本内容的掌握情况。

4.期末在线测试：本总结性测试旨在对研究生的整个学习结果进行考核，考核内容侧

重于对教学原理的应用，着重考核学员的实际应用能力。

【学习建议】

1.学习方法建议

(1)在每个专题的开始，都设有本专题的主要学习内容，在开始学习的时候，需要仔

细阅读这部分的内容，对本单元所学的内容有着整体的把握。

(2)在学习课程内容部分，结合课程中所提供的链接材料，加深自己对内容的理解。

(3)每个专题配有思考讨论题，在每单元学习结束时自觉地进行测试。

(4)拓展阅读部分是本课程所学内容的拓展，在熟悉了解完课程内容所介绍的相关知

识点之后，可以通过拓展资源部分扩展自己的知识面。

(5)学生除了自主学习以外，还应该充分利用“我的空间”实现与老师、同学的交流,

提高学习效率。

2.拓展资源的利用

拓展资源是本门课程所有资源的集合，既包括课内的资源，也包括课外的资源。

(1)视频资源：除主讲教师所讲授的课程的内容以，本课程还提供了相关的中学英语

教学视频的集合，学员可以运用所学到的知识对这些教学内容进行点评的分析，从而提高自

己的教学设计能力。

(2)文献资源：文献资源部分是本门课程所学内容的拓展，是本课程重要的组成部分。

通过文献资源部分，不仅可以加深学生对本门课程的学习，而且可以培养学生的基础科研能

力。

(3)课件资源：课件资源部分除本课程的课件以外，还提供了中学英语教师制作的课

件，学员可以从这些课件中学习一些新的见解和创意，开阔视野和思路。

(4)教学设计资源：教学设计资源主要提供了一些中学英语教师的教学设计供学员们

在教学设计过程中进行参考和借鉴。

(5)网站资源：网站资源部分选择的是一些优质的与英语教学设计相关的教学网站，

学员可以通过对这些网站的访问，搜索可用于英语课堂教学的有用的资源，也可在网站中进

行有选择的阅读与学习。

Lecture1LessonOpening:HowaLessonBegins

ContentsofthisLecture

1.1FourDimensionsofStructuring

1.2TheOpening--WhatItIsandWhyItIsImportant

1.3StepsforPreparingaLessonOpening

1.4TypesofOpeningActivities

1.5KeyPrinciplesforEffectiveLessonOpenings

Intennisyouareallowedtwoservesforeachpoint.Howyouplaythefirstservewillallow

youtodictatethepoint.Inknitting,howyoubeginthefirstrowwilldetermineyoursuccess

withtherestofthestitches.It*sallinhowyoustart(Wong&Wong,2000).

Atthebeginningofeveryclass,teachersneedtodecidehowtheycanactivatestudents*

priorknowledge,howtheywillconnecttheday'slessontothepreviousclassmeeting,

howtheycanintroducethetopicthetext,howtheycanreducestudents*anxiety,andhow

theycanmotivatetheirstudentsfortheday'sactivities(YanGuiqin,2010).Howalesson

beginsisreferredtoaslessonopening.

1.1FourDimensionsofStructuring

TheprocessofteachingEnglishisacomplicatedone:asformanyothersubjects,itis

necessarilytobedividedintofourdimensions.

1.1.1Opening

Operasareusuallyprecededbytheshortovertures,whichpreparetheaudienceforthe

mainshow.Briefremarksareoftenmadetointroducearadioortelevisionshow.And

manybookshaveprefacesexplaintheauthors'aims.Similarly,appropriatelesson

openingscanhelptoactivateandharnesslearners'attention,effort,andintelligenceand

consciouslearningstrategiesinordertoenhancelearning.

1.1.2Sequencing

Sequencingishowalessonisdividedintosegmentsandhowthesegmentsrelateto

eachother.Basicsequencingrulesarelistedbelow.

(1)Simpleactivitiesshouldbeplacedbeforecomplexones.

(2)Activitiesinvolvingreceptiveskillsshouldbeprecededthosethatinvolveproductive

skills.

(3)Studentsshouldstudyagrammarrulebeforetryingtouseit.

(4)Studentsshouldpracticeusingatenseorgrammarstructurebeforestudyingthe

rulethatunderliesit.

(5)Accuracy-focusedactivitiesshouldbeprecededfluency-focusedones.

(6)Thereshouldbeatransitionwithinalessonfrommechanicalorform-based

activitiestomeaningful-basedactivities.

1.1.3Pacing

Pacingishowasenseofmovementisachievedwithinalesson.Englishteachersshould

beawareofthefollowingpacingrules.

(1)Avoidingneedlessorover-lengthyexplanationsandinstructions,andletting

studentsgetonwiththejoboflearning.

(2)Usingavarietyofactivitieswithinalesson,ratherthanspendingthewholelesson

ononeactivity.

(3)Avoidingpredictableandrepetitiveactivities.

(4)Selectingactivitieswithanappropriatedifficultylevel.

(5)Settingagoalandtimelimitforactivities.

(6)Monitoringstudents*performanceonactivitiestoensurethatstudentshave

sufficientbutnottoomuchtime.

1.1.4Closure

Closureisthephasewhenalessonisbroughttoanend.Frequently-usedclosure

techniquesarelistedbelow.

(1)Summarizingwhathasbeencoveredonthelesson.

(2)Reviewingkeypointsofthelesson.

(3)Relatingthelessontothecourseorlessongoals.

(4)Pointingoutlinksbetweenthelessonandpreviouslessons.

(5)Showinghowthelessonrelatestostudents*real-worldneeds.

(6)Makinglinkstoaforthcominglesson.

(7)Praisingstudentsforwhattheyhaveaccomplishedduringthelesson.

1.2TheOpening--WhatItIsandWhyItIsImportant

1.2.1DefinitionofOpening

Theopeningofalessonconsistsoftheprocedurestheteacherusestofocusthestudents'

attentiononthelearningaimsofthelesson.

Researchonteachingsuggeststhattheopeningor"entry1'ofalessongenerallyoccupies

thefirstfiveminutesandcanhaveanimportantinfluenceonhowmuchthestudentslearn

fromthelesson.

1.2.2PurposeofOpening

Lessonbeginningscanserveavarietyofpurposes.Forexample,specificlesson

openingscanbeusedto(McGrathetal,1992):

(1)Establishappropriateaffectiveframework.

a.Createfriendly,relaxedatmosphere.

b.Focusattention.

c.Makeclassenjoyable.

d.Geteveryoneinvolved.

e.Raiseconfidence.

f.Stimulateinterest.

(2)Establishpropercognitiveframework.

a.Provideorganizingframework.

b.Stimulateawarenessoflinguistic/culturalneed.

c.Elicitrelevantlinguisticknowledge.

d.Elicitrelevantexperience.

(3)Encouragestudents*responsibilityandindependence.

a.Makestudentsbeawareoflearningskillsandstrategies.

(4)Fulfillrequiredinstitutionalrole.

a.Givefeedback.

b.Checkonpreviouslearning.

1.2.3ImportanceofOpening

Acommonrookiemistakeistofailtoappreciatetheimportanceofalesson'sbeginning

andend.Atthebeginningofclasses,manyifnotmostteachersjumpintolessons

withoutcapturingstudentattentionorprovidinganycontextforwhatisabouttobe

learned.

Considerthefollowing'lessonopening'*:

"Okayclass,openyourbooksandturntopage321andbeginreading.Thenanswer

questions3to11onpage322.Anyquestions?"

Lessonopeninglikethisoneleavestudentswithnounderstandingofthelessonpurpose,

noreasontobeengaged,andnoincentivetoachieve.Consequentlybeginningalesson

likethiswillcontributetooff-taskbehavior,studentapathy,andminimalprogresstowards

anyendgoals.Withoutanysenseofwhatisabouttohappen,whyitisimportanttobe

abletoanswerquestions3-11,orhowpages321-332connecttowhathasbeendone

before,studentsmaysimplybefollowingdirectionswithoutconnectingtheirworktoany

priorknowledgeorfutureexperience.

JereBrophy*s(1998)summaryofacademicresearchverifiestheimportanceofastrong

openingforeverylesson:

Researchindicatesthevalueofestablishingalearningorientationbybeginninglessons

andactivitieswithadvanceorganizersorpreviews.Theseintroductionsfacilitatestudents,

learningbycommunicatingthenatureandpurposeoftheactivity,connectingittoprior

knowledge,andcueingthekindsofstudentresponsesthattheactivityrequires.

1.3StepsforPreparingaLessonOpening

Belowaresixstepstoguideyouwhenyoucreatelessonopenings.Eachstepis

accompaniedbyasetofquestionsmeanttopromptreflectionandaidyouindesigning

youropeningactivities(Milkova,2012).

1.3.1OutlineLearningObjectives

Thefirststepistodeterminewhatyouwantstudentstolearnatthebeginningandbeable

todoattheendofclass.Tohelpyouspecifyyourobjectivesforstudentlearning,answer

thefollowingquestions:

(1)Whatisthetopicofthelesson?

(2)WhatdoIwantstudentstolearn?

(3)WhatdoIwantthemtounderstandandbeabletodoattheendofclass?

(4)WhatdoIwantthemtotakeawayfromthisparticularlesson?

Onceyououtlinethelearningobjectivesfortheclassmeeting,rankthemintermsoftheir

importance.Thisstepwillprepareyouformanagingclasstimeandaccomplishingthe

moreimportantlearningobjectivesincaseyouarepressedfortime.Considerthe

followingquestions:

(1)Whatarethemostimportantconcepts,ideas,orskillsIwantstudentstobeableto

graspandapply?

(2)Whyaretheyimportant?

(3)IfIranoutoftime,whichonescouldnotbeomitted?

(4)Andconversely,whichonescouldIskipifpressedfortime?

1.3.2DeveloptheIntroduction

Nowthatyouhaveyourlearningobjectivesinorderbasedontheirimportance,designthe

specificactivitiesyouwillusetogetstudentstounderstandandapplywhattheyhave

learned.Becauseyouwillhavediversestudentswithdifferentacademicandpersonal

experiences,theymayalreadybefamiliarwiththetopic.Thatiswhyyoumightstartwitha

questionoractivitytogaugestudents*knowledgeofthesubjectorpossibility,their

preconceivednotionsaboutit.

Forexample,youcantakeasimplepoll:"HowmanyofyouhaveheardofX?Raiseyour

handifyouhave."Youcanalsogatherbackgroundinformationfromyourstudentspriorto

classbysendingstudentsanelectronicsurveyoraskingthemtowritecommentsonindex

cards.Thisadditionalinformationcanhelpshapeyourintroduction,learningactivities,

etc.Whenyouhaveanideaofthestudents*familiaritywiththetopic,youwillalsohavea

senseofwhattofocuson.

Developacreativeintroductiontothetopictostimulateinterestandencouragethinking.

Youcanuseavarietyofapproachestoengagestudents(e.g.,personalanecdote,

historicalevent,thought-provokingdilemma,real-worldexample,shortvideoclip,practical

application,probingquestion,etc.).Considerthefollowingquestionswhenplanningyour

introduction:

(1)HowwillIcheckwhetherstudentsknowanythingaboutthetopicorhaveany

preconceivednotionsaboutit?

(2)Whataresomecommonlyheldideas(orpossiblymisconceptions)aboutthistopic

thatstudentsmightbefamiliarwithormightespouse?

(3)WhatwillIdotointroducethetopic?

1.3.3PlantheSpecificOpeningActivities

Prepareseveraldifferentwaysofleadinginthetopics(real-lifeexamples,analogies,

visuals,etc.)tocatchtheattentionofmorestudentsandappealtodifferentlearningstyles.

Asyouplanyourexamplesandactivities,estimatehowmuchtimeyouwillspendoneach

one.Buildintimeforextendedexplanationordiscussion,butalsobepreparedtomoveon

quicklytodifferentapplicationsorproblems,andtoidentifystrategiesthatcheckfor

understanding.Thesequestionswouldhelpyoudesignthelearningactivitiesyouwilluse:

(1)WhatwillIdotoexplainthetopic?

(2)WhatwillIdotoillustratethetopicinadifferentway?

(3)HowcanIengagestudentsinthetopic?

(4)Whataresomerelevantreal-lifeexamples,analogies,orsituationsthatcanhelp

studentsunderstandthetopic?

(5)Whatwillstudentsneedtodotohelpthemunderstandthetopicbetter?

1.3.4CreateaRealisticTimeline

Manyifnotmostexperiencedteachersknowhoweasyitistorunoutoftimeandnot

coverallofthemanypointstheyhadplannedtocover.Alistoftenlearningobjectivesis

notrealistic,sonarrowdownyourlisttothetwoorthreekeyconcepts,ideas,orskillsyou

wantstudentstolearn.Instructorsalsoagreethattheyoftenneedtoadjusttheirlesson

planduringclassdependingonwhatthestudentsneed.Yourlistofprioritizedlearning

objectiveswillhelpyoumakedecisionsonthespotandadjustyourlessonplanasneeded.

Havingadditionalexamplesoralternativeactivitieswillalsoallowyoutobeflexible.A

realistictimelinewillreflectyourflexibilityandreadinesstoadapttothespecificclassroom

environment.Herearesomestrategiesforcreatingarealistictimeline:

(1)Estimatehowmuchtimeeachoftheactivitieswilltake,thenplansomeextratime

foreach.

(2)Whenyouprepareyourlessonplan,indicatehowmuchtimeyouexpectitwilltake.

(3)Planafewminutesattheendofclasstoansweranyremainingquestionsandto

sumupkeypoints.

(4)Plananextraactivityordiscussionquestionincaseyouhavetimeleft.

(5)Beflexible-bereadytoadjustyourlessonplantostudents*needsandfocuson

whatseemstobemoreproductiveratherthanstickingtoyouroriginalplan.

1.4TypesofOpeningActivities

1.4』CheckingHomework

Ateachercouldchoosetogothroughprevioushomework,inordertofulfillrequired

institutionalrole,especiallycheckonpreviouslearningandgivefeedback.

Thiscanbeaccomplishedby

(1)Askingquestionsaboutconceptsorskillstaughtinthepreviouslesson.

(2)Givingashortquizatthebeginningofclassonmaterialfrompreviouslessonsor

homeworkassignments.

(3)Havingstudentsmakesmallgroups(twoorfourstudentspergroup)toreview

homework.

(4)Havingstudentspreparequestionsaboutpreviouslessonsorhomework.Theyask

questionstoeachother,ortheteachercanaskthemtotheclass.

(5)Havingstudentsprepareawrittensummaryofthepreviouslesson.

However,accordingtoSjoberg(2012),althoughmoststudentsexpecthomework

correctionstocomerightatthebeginningofalesson,it'snotthebestormostenjoyable

waytostartoff.Hesuggestedtheteacherstocheckhomeworkasawayof'calmingdown'

afteraboisterousgroup-worksessionorleaveittilltheendofthelesson.

1.4.2Brainstorming

Toestablishpropercognitiveframework,suchaselicitinglinguisticknowledge,ateacher

canorganizebrainstormingactivitiesatthebeginningofclass.Brainstormingworksis

focusingonaproblem,andthendeliberatelycomingupwithasmanysolutionsas

possibleandbypushingtheideasasfaraspossible.Oneofthereasonswhyitisso

effectiveisthatthebarnstormersnotonlycomeupwithnewideasinasession,butalso

sparkofffromassociationswithotherpeople'sideasbydevelopingandrefiningthem.

Brainstormingcaneitherbecarriedoutbyindividualsorgroups.

Generallyspeaking,"individualbrainstorming"istheuseofbrainstorminginsolitary.It

typicallyincludessuchtechniquesasfreewriting,freespeaking,wordassociation,and

drawingamindmap.Individualbrainstormingisausefulmethodincreativewritingand

hasbeenshowntobesuperiortotraditionalgroupbrainstorming(Furnham&

Yazdanpanahi,1995).Whendoneindividually,brainstormingtendstoproduceawider

rangeofideasthangroupbrainstormingasindividualsarefreetoexploreideasintheir

owntimewithoutanyfearofcriticism.Ontheotherhand,groupstendtodevelopthe

ideasmoreeffectivelyduetothewiderrangeofdiversity.

1.Freewriting

Freewritingisbasedonapresumptionthat,whileeverybodyhassomethingtosayand

theabilitytosayit,thementalwellspringmaybeblockedbyapathy,self-criticism,

resentment,anxietyaboutdeadlines,fearoffailure,orotherformsofresistance.

Howtocarryoutfreewriting?

Step1:Selectatopicforfreewriting.

Ifyou'vechosentodofocusfreewriting,writethistopicatthetopoftheblackboard.

Step2:Setatimerorusetheclockonyourcomputerscreen.

Givethestudents1-3minutestowritecontinuously.

Step3:Startyourtimer.

Step4:Writedownwhatevercomestomind.

Step5:Continuewritinguntilthedesignatedtimehasrunout.

Tellthestudentsnottostopuntilthatpoint.

Askthemnottopayattentiontogrammarorspelling.Ifthereareanyincomplete

sentencesormisspelledwords,don'tworry.Justkeepgoing.

Iftheyrunintoadeadendordrawablank,keepwritingthesamewordorphraseover

andoveragainuntilsomethingelsepopsintotheirmind.

Whenthetimehasrunout,askthestudentstolookoverwhattheyhavewrittenandcircle

orunderlineideasthattheylikeorthattheythinkthatmightbeusefulfortheproject.

2.Drawingamindmap

Amindmapisadiagramusedtorepresentwords,ideas,tasks,orotheritemslinkedto

andarrangedaroundacentralkeywordoridea.EspeciallyinBritishEnglish,theterms

"spidergram'*and"spidergraph*'aremorecommon,buttheycancauseconfusionwith

theterm"spiderdiagram'*usedinmathematicsandlogic.Mindmapsareusedtogenerate,

visualize,structure,andclassifyideas,andasanaidtostudyingandorganizing

information,solvingproblems,makingdecisions,andwriting.

Theelementsofagivenmindmaparearrangedintuitivelyaccordingtotheimportanceof

theconcepts,andareclassifiedintogroupings,branches,orareas,withthegoalof

representingsemanticorotherconnectionsbetweenportionsofinformation.Mindmaps

mayalsoaidrecallofexistingmemories.

Bypresentingideasinaradial,graphical,non-linearmanner,mindmapsencouragea

brainstormingapproachtoplanningandorganizationaltasks.[citationneeded]Thoughthe

branchesofamindmaprepresenthierarchicaltreestructures,theirradialarrangement

disruptstheprioritizingofconceptstypicallyassociatedwithhierarchiespresentedwith

morelinearvisualcues.Thisorientationtowardsbrainstormingencouragesusersto

enumerateandconnectconceptswithoutatendencytobeginwithinaparticular

conceptualframework.

Themindmapcanbecontrastedwiththesimilarideaofconceptmapping.Theformeris

basedonradialhierarchiesandtreestructuresdenotingrelationshipswithacentral

governingconcept,whereasconceptmapsarebasedonconnectionsbetweenconcepts

inmorediversepatterns.However,eithercanbepartofalargerpersonalknowledgebase

system.Belowisamapmindwhichhelpstoelicitideasandlinguisticknowledgeabout

health.

Whenconductingbrainstormactivities,itisimportantfortheteacherto:

(1)Establishawarm,supportiveenvironment.

(2)Emphasizethataquantityofideasisthegoal.

(3)Discourageevaluativeorcriticalcommentsfrompeers.

(4)Encourageandprovideopportunityforallstudentstoparticipate.

(5)Initiallyemphasizetheimportanceoflisteningtoexpressedideas,andmodel

printingandrecordingoftheideas,thenreadeachcontributiontoorwiththegroup.

1.4.3Introduction

Itiswisetobeginclasseswithashortintroduction,remindingstudentsofwhathappened

lasttimeandsayingwhatyouaregoingtostudythistime.Suchanintroductionmaybe

onlythreeorfoursentencesandshouldhardlyeverbemorethantwoorthreeminutes,

butneithershoulditbeomitted(Lewis&Hill,2002).

Thebeginningofalessonwithashortintroductioncanprovidethestudentswith

opportunitiestolearnwithclearaims.Itishardforthemtoachievetheteachinggoalsif

theyarenotawareofwhattheteacherexpectsonthem.

Forexample,ateachercouldchooseto:

(1)Describethegoalsofalesson.

(2)Describewhatstudentsareexpectedtodointhelesson.

(3)Statetheinformationorskillsthestudentswilllearn.

(4)Describetherelationshipbetweenthelessonactivitiesandareal-worldneed.

(5)Statethattheactivitythestudentswilldoissomethingtheywillenjoy.

Thegeneralguidelinesongivingeffectiveintroductionarelistedbelow.

⑴Prepare

Youmayfeelperfectlyclearinyourmindaboutwhatneedclarify,andthereforethinkthat

canimproviseaclearintroduction.Butexperienceshowsthatteachers'explanationsare

oftennotascleartotheirstudentsastheyaretothemselves.Itisworthpreparing:think

forawhileaboutthewords.

(2)Makesureyouhavethestudents'fullattention

Inongoinglanguagepracticelearners'attentionmaysometimesstray;theycanusually

makeupwhattheyhavelostlater.Butifyouareexplainingsomethingessential,they

mustattend.

(3)Presenttheinformationmorethanonce

Arepetitionorparaphraseofthenecessaryinformationmaymakeallthedifference:

learners'attentionwandersoccasionally,anditisimportanttogivethemmorethanone

chancetounderstandwhattheyhavetodo.Also,ithelpsre-presenttheinformationina

differentmode:forexample,sayitandalsowriteitupontheboard.

(4)Bebrief

Learners-infact,allofus-haveonlyalimitedattentionspan;theycannotlistentoyoufor

verylongatmaximumconcentration.Makeyouinstructionasbriefasyoucan,compatible

withclarity.

(5)Illustratewithexamples

Veryoftenacarefultheoreticalexplanationonly,comestogether*foranaudiencewhen

maderealthroughanexample,orpreferablyseveral.Similarly,whengivinginstructions

foranactivity,itoftenhelpstodoa*dryrun':anactualdemonstrationoftheactivity

yourselfwiththefullclassorwithavolunteerstudentbeforeinvitinglearnerstotacklethe

taskontheirown.

(Ur,2000)

1.4.4ApplyingEnglishSongs

Songscancreateapleasantatmosphereduetotheuniversalappealofpleasingmusic.

Theyareauniqueteachingtoolandamarvelousmeansoffacilitatingpositivefeelings

aboutbeinginanEnglish-speakingenvironment.

Somecoursebooksincludesongsthatspecificallyfocusongrammaticalorfunctional

items;thesehavebeenspeciallywrittenandrecordedforstudentsofEnglishandthey

canbeusedinthesamewaythatyoumightuseanordinaryspeechrecording(Scrivener,

2002).

ItisacknowledgedthatmoretimeandattentiontopopmusicinanEnglishcurriculum

wouldincreasestudents*motivationandtheirinvolvementinEFLlearning;thatlearning

throughEnglishsongsismoreeffectivethanmemorizationinisolation;andthatsong

lyricscontainrichlinguisticandculturalknowledge.Englishsongsarevitalin

communicativelanguageteaching(WangBaoan,2008).

1.TheadvantagesofusingEnglishsongs

(1)PopularEnglishsongsaremotivating

Popularsongstouchthelivesofstudents,andgrowoutoftheirnaturalexperiencesand

interests.Allpopularsongsareeternallyoccupiedwithvariationsonthesamethemesof

love,friendship,joy,sorrow,dream,andtherest,whicharethecommonfeelingsof

humans,aswellastheaffectiveobjectivesofNewEnglishCurriculumStandards.

Therefore,moretimeandattentiontopopmusicinanEnglishcurriculumwouldincrease

students*motivationbecauseclassroomactivitieswouldusetheirknowledge,theirmusic,

andtheirlanguage.

EnglishsongsofferachangefromroutineEFLclassroomactivitiesbyprovidingfunand

creatinganactiveatmosphere.SingingEnglishsongsisentertainingandrelaxing.

LearningEnglishthroughsongsalsoprovidesanothreateningatmosphereforstudents,

whousuallyaretensewhenspeakingEnglishinaformalclassroomsetting.Inthisway,

studentshavestrongmotivationtobeinvolvedintheclassroomactivities.Meanwhile,

Englishsongssupplyauthenticandreal-lifematerials,whichhelpChinesestudents

understandnativespeakersofEnglish.AscitedbyDomoney(1993)"Whilemeaningful

contextandbackgroundareprovidedforcommunicativeactivitiesbyvariousEnglish

songs,studentsareencouragedtoengageinusingtheirknowledgetoexpresstheirown

opinions'*.Andtheteacherisabletoinsertmoresubstanceintotheclassandbuild

relationshipswithhisstudentsaswell.

(2)Englishsongscontainlinguisticinformation

AccordingtotheCommunicativeLanguageTeachingtheory,theprimaryunitsoflanguage

arenotmerelyitsgrammaticalandstructuralfeatures,butcategoriesoffunctionaland

communicativemeaningasexemplifiedindiscourse(Widdowson,1978).Studentscan

benefitalotfromEnglishsongsiftheylearntoappreciatethembecausegoodEnglish

songscanteachthemthelanguage,thecultureaswellasart.

Therefore,popsonglyricscanserveasentertainingcontextsforEnglishlearnersto

mastertheusageofsomelanguagepointsandacquiresomeculturalbackground.

Songsnotonlycanmotivatestudentsbutalsocontainrichlinguisticinformation,including

pronunciation,vocabulary,grammar,rhetoricandlanguagesense.

Lookingatthetextofthesong'BecauseYouLovedMe',teachersfindsomanyparallel

sentences.Teacherscanteachthestudents'parallelism*withthehelpofthissong.

Asstatedabove,songscontainrichlinguisticknowledge.Accordingtothetheoryabout

learning,learningtakesplaceinmanywaysandallsortsoflearningaregoingonallthe

time.Sometimes,itisintentional,aswhenstudentsacquireinformationpresentedina

classroomorwhentheylooksomethingupinanencyclopedia.Sometimes,itis

unintentional,aswhentheylistentomusic.Therefore,itisadvisablethatEnglishteachers

usepopsongsbecausethelyricsmayhelpstudentsacquirethoselanguagecomponents

throughunintentionallearning.

(3)Englishsongscontainhistoricalandculturalknowledge

Inmanypartsoftheworld,