情境教学法在小学英语听说教学中的应用以提升学生英语听说能力

.IntroductionWiththedevelopmentofglobaleducationreform,educationalsystemsaroundtheworldareadoptinginnovativeteachingmethodstomeetmodernlearningdemands,especiallyforeignlanguageeducation.InChina,Englisheducationinprimaryschoolshasundergonemajorreforms,butchallengesremain,especiallyindevelopingstudents’listeningandspeakingskills.Traditionalteacher-centeredteachingmethodemphasizesgrammarandvocabularymemorization,butitdoesnotpromotethepracticalapplicationoflanguageandrestrictsstudents’confidenceandabilityincommunication.Situationalteachingmethodoffersapromisingsolutionforstudentsbycreatingscenariosinreallanguagesituationswherestudentsactivelyparticipateinlisteningandspeakingtasks.Sure,thesituationalteachingmethodisafreshtakeonlearningcomparedtotraditionalmethods.Insteadofjusthittingthebooks,itusesreal-lifelanguagethroughfunactivitieslikerole-playing,groupchats,andreal-worldconversations.Thisway,studentsfeelmoreinvolved,gainconfidenceintheircommunicationskills,andconnectwhattheylearnintheclassroomtoreal-lifesituations.Whenyoucompareittotraditionalteachingmethods,STMhasalotgoingforit.Forstarters,itletsstudentsdiveintorealconversations,whichhelpsthemgraspandusethelanguagesothatfeelsnaturalinsteadofjustmemorizingthings.Plus,STMencouragesstudentstotaketheleadintheirlearning.Thisshiftfromtheteacherbeinginchargetostudentsbeingmoreactivemakesthewholeprocesswaymoreengaging.AnothergreatthingaboutSTMisthatitletsstudentspracticespeakingincomfortable,low-stresssituations,whichcanreallyhelpeaseanyanxietytheymighthaveaboutusingthelanguage.Withallthatpracticeinreal-lifescenarios,studentscangraduallyboosttheirfluency,pronunciationandunderstanding.Despitetheseadvantages,manyprimaryEnglishclassroomsinChinastillsufferfromashortageoflisteningandspeakingresourcesandlimitedopportunitiesforstudentstoparticipateinoralpractice.Especiallyforfourthgraders,listeningcomprehensioncanbeprettychallenging.AlotofthemfindithardtoexpressthemselvesclearlyandoftenfeelabitunsurewhentheyarespeakinginEnglish.Theseissuescanreallyhinderkids’languageskillsandmakeithardforthemtostaymotivated.Thisapproachdirectlyaddressesthosechallengesbyofferingsomeinterestingactivitiesthatencouragekidstopracticetheirlanguageskillsinreal-lifesituations.Thisthesistalkaboutthatusingagoodshort-termmemorytohelpprimaryschoolkidsimprovetheirlisteningandspeakingskills.Iwillexplorehowitaffectstheirunderstandingofwhattheylisten,howfluentlytheycanexpressthemselves,andhowmuchtheyparticipateinclassdiscussions.Ialsocomeupwithfun,interactiveactivitiesthatfitthestudents’needstomakelearningmoreenjoyableandeffective.Byunderstandinghowshort-termmemoryworks,IwanttosharepracticalstrategiesthatcanenhanceEnglishteaching.TheresultsofthisstudywillprovideusefultipsforteacherslookingtoboosttheirEnglishteachingmethods,helpingstudentsdevelopkeycommunicationskillsinafunandhands-onway.2.TheSituationalTeachingMethod(STM)2.1TheIntroductionofSTMTheSituationalTeachingMethod(STM)isateachingapproachbasedonreal-lifescenariosthatemphasizesstudents’practicallanguageskills.Thismethodfocusesonthepracticaldimensionoflanguagelearning,creatingspecificandauthenticlanguagesituationstohelpstudentslearntoapplythetargetlanguageinreal-worldcommunication.Unliketraditionalteachingmethodsthatmainlyfocusonmemorizingwordsandgrammar,STMemphasizesmoreononstudents’abilitytoexpressthemselvesinrealcontexts.Byintegratinglearningcontentintoeverydaysituations,STMenablesstudentstoacquirelanguageknowledgethroughnaturalcommunication.Thisteachingmethodnotonlyenrichesthelearningprocess,makingitmorevividandengaging,butalsoeffectivelystimulatesstudents’enthusiasmforlearning.Thebasicconceptofsituationalteachingmethodisthat“languageisinseparablefromcontext”.Whenitcomestolearninganewlanguage,itismuchmoreeffectivetofocusonrealsituationsinsteadofjustmemorizingrulesanddoingdrillsoverandover.Intheclassroom,teacherscanreallyhelpstudentsbycreatingsituationsthatmimiceverydaylife,likeshoppingsimulationsorfunrole-playingactivities.Letustalkaboutdesigningashopping-themedactivity.Inthissetup,studentsgettopracticereal-lifeconversationsbyaskingaboutprices,sharingtheirneeds,andusingusefulphrases.Thisisn’tjustaboutlearningvocabularyandgrammar;itisalsoabouthelpingthemfeelcomfortableusingtheirlanguageskillsnaturallyineverydaysituations.Finally,thishands-onapproachletsstudentsapplywhattheyhavelearnedinclasstoreal-worldskillsthatgobeyondschool.Thesituationalteachingmethodreallyemphasizeshowimportantitisforteachersandstudentstointeractandlearntogether.Inthisapproach,teachersdon’tjustgiveoutinformation;theyactuallybecomementorsandpartnersintheirstudents’learningjourneys.Whenteachersgetinvolvedwiththeirstudents,theycanquicklyseewheretheymightbestrugglingandofferhelprightwhenitismostneeded.Teacherscanreallydesigntheirlessonsbythemselvestohelpstudentsimprovetheirlanguageskills.Forexample,whendoingarole-playaboutorderingfoodatarestaurant,theymightmakeplanswhichdependonthesituationofstudentsaregrasping.Sometimes,theymightevenaddafewsurprisestokeepitengaging,whichhelpsstudentslearntoadaptandsharpentheirskillsatthesametime.Plus,whenstudentsgettochatwitheachother,itcansparktheirmotivationandmakethewholelearningexperiencealotmoreenjoyable.Collaboratingontasksnotonlyhonestheirspeakingabilitiesbutalsoencouragesthemtotakepartinteamwork.2.2TheApplicationofSTMTheapplicationoftheSituationalTeachingMethod(STM)inlanguageteachingisveryextensive,especiallyinEnglishteaching,whereithasgainedsignificantattentionfrommanyteachersandeducationalresearchers.Thismethodmainlyinvolvesdesigninglanguagesituationsrelatedtodailylife,allowingstudentstocommunicateandinteractinEnglishwithinspecificcontexts.Forexample,inelementaryschoolEnglishclassrooms,teacherscancreatecommondailysituationssuchas‘askingfordirections’or‘shopping,’helpingstudentslearnandpracticefrequentlyusedEnglishexpressions.Thisapproachnotonlymakestheclassroomcontentfeelmorerelevanttoreallife,butalsoincreasesstudents’interestinlearningandengagement.Inpractice,teachersusuallytailortheteachingscenariostosuitstudents’actualneeds,selectingcontextsthattheirlevelandinterestsinordertoachievebetterlearningoutcomes.Inpracticalteaching,theapplicationofsituationalteachingmethodismainlyreflectedinthreeaspects.Thefirstisitsapplicationinlisteningtraining.Theteacherguidesstudentstounderstandthecontentofthelanguagebyplayingadialogueorstoryrelatedtotheteachingsituation.Forexample,inthe‘supermarketshopping’scenario,studentspracticeshoppingexpressionsbylisteningtodialogue.Notonlydoesthisimprovetheirlisteningskills,italsoteachesthemhowtoexpresstheirneedswhileactuallyshoppingsituations.Thistypeoflisteningtrainingismoreattractivethanjustlisteningbecauseitallowsstudentstovisualizespecificsituationsastheylistenandhelpsthembetterunderstandthemeaningofthelanguage.Thesecondistheapplicationinoraltraining.Situationalteachingmethodprovidesstudentswithalotofopportunitiesfororalpracticethroughroleplayingandsimulateddialogue.Forexample,Inthecontextofarestaurant,studentscantaketurnstoactascustomersandwaiters,andpracticecommonorder-relatedsentencesthroughsimulatedconversations.Thiskindofinteractivepracticenotonlyenhancesstudents’orallanguageskillsbutalsobooststheirconfidence.Moreover,thesituationalteachingmethodalsoemphasizescomprehensivetrainingoflisteningandspeaking.Whendesigningclassroomactivities,teacherscanuseacompletesituationaltaskthatrequiresstudentstobothlistencarefullytothequestionandaccuratelyexpresstheanswerinEnglish.Forexample,inateachingscenarioon‘askingfordirections,’theteachercanassignsomestudentstoplaytheroleoftheoneaskingfordirections,whileothersplaytheroleofpassersby,completingthedialoguetaskthroughaQ&Aformat.Thismethodtrainsstudents’listeningandspeakingskills.Italsohelpsthemlearnhowtouselanguageflexiblyinrealcommunication.Throughsuchpractice,students’abilitytointegrateandapplylanguagecanbegreatlyimproved.2.3TheLiteratureReviewofSTMTheeffectivenessoftheSituationalTeachingMethodhasreceivedwideattentionfromresearchersathomeandabroad.Therefore,acomprehensivereviewoftheliteratureprovidesinsightintothedevelopment,applicationandoutcomesofSTMinavarietyofeducationalsettings.ThissectiondiscussesthecurrentresearchsituationofSTMathomeandabroad,andmakesacomparativeunderstandingofitsapplicationinprimaryEnglishteaching.2.3.1DomesticResearchStatusInChina,theapplicationoftheSituationalTeachingMethod(STM)inEnglishteaching,especiallyinenhancingstudents’motivation,hasbeenwidelyresearchedandacknowledged.StudiesshowthatSTMcansignificantlyincreasestudents’interestinlearningbycreatingimmersiveandengaginglearningenvironments.Li(2020)exploredtheapplicationofSTMinprimaryschoolEnglishteaching.Thestudyfoundthatthroughroleplayandscenariosimulation,students’participationandmotivationweresignificantlyincreased.ListressedthatSTMmakeslearningmoreengagingandinteractivebyplacingstudentsinarealisticlanguagecontexts.Lu(2019)onSTMintegrationinEnglishclassroomsinelementaryschools.Studieshaveshownthatshort-termmemoryiseffectiveinimprovingstudents’languageskills,especiallylisteningandspeaking.Inaddition,theuseofSTMstudents’motivationandencouragesactiveparticipationinclassroomactivities.Sun(2020)analyzesthepracticalapplicationofSTMinprimaryEnglishclassrooms.STMcanbeeffectiveinstimulatingstudents’interestinlearning,thestudystressed.Byconstructingalife-likelearningsituations,teacherscouldguidestudentstomasterlanguageinreallifeandcultivatestudents’greaterautonomyandmotivation.Zhu（2020）conductedanin-depthstudyontheapplicationofSTMinEnglishclassroomsinprimaryschools.Theresultsshowthatthroughshort-termmemory,studentscanimprovetheirEnglishlanguageskills,especiallyvocabularyandgrammarusage,insimulatedreallife.Thishasgreatlyimprovedstudents’learningmotivationtolearn.Zhang(2017)pointedoutthattheapplicationofscienceandtechnologymanagementinEnglishclassroomshasnotonlyincreasedstudents’interestinlearningEnglish,butalsotheiractuallanguageability.Throughscenariosimulation,studentscanlearnEnglishinamorepracticalandpleasantenvironment,whichcanimprovetheirmotivation.InChina,STMhasbeenwidelyappliedintheteachingofEnglishinprimaryschool,andhasachievedremarkableresultssuchasincreasingstudentparticipation,examresultsandlanguagecommunicationability,especiallyinimprovingstudents’learningmotivationandlanguageproficiency.2.3.2AbroadResearchStatusInternationally,STMhasalsobeenwidelyapplied,especiallyinenhancinglearners’motivation.Researchconductedinothercountrieshasalsoshownsomereallypositiveeffects.Jiang(2021)conductedastudythatexploredhowusingSTMcouldhelpeighth-gradestudentsinThailandenhancetheirChinesespeakingskills.Thestudyfoundthatthroughscenariosimulationandreal-lifeconversationpractice,students’orallanguageskillssignificantlyimproved,andtheirenthusiasmalsoincreased.Thestudyemphasizestheimportanceofscienceandtechnologymanagementinlanguagelearning,especiallyinimprovingstudents’practicallanguageskills.İpek&Daloğlu(2017)examinedtheeffectivenessoftheSpecialTeachingMethodsIIcoursesinpreparingstudentsfortheSpecialTeachingMethodsIIthroughcasestudies.TheirresultsshowthatSTMplaysanimportantroleincreatingauthenticlearningenvironmentsandimprovingstudents’learningmotivation.Studieshaveshownthatwhenstudentsareabletopracticewhattheyhadlearnedinasituation,theirinterestandmotivationinlearningincreasessignificantly.Luo(2023)reviewedtheintegratedapplicationoftheCommunicativeApproachandSTMinBusinessEnglishteaching.ThisstudyemphasizedthatSTMhelpedstudentsbetterunderstandandapplycommunicationskillsinbusinessEnglish,soastoincreaseclassroomparticipation,bettercompletespokentasks,andimproveoveralllanguageproficiency.Studiesathomeandabroadshowthatshort-termmemoryhasasignificantimpactonstudents’learningmotivation.STMgoesbeyondjustsparkingstudents’interestinlearning;Iwanttohelpstudentsuselanguageintheireverydayliveswhilekeepingthingsfunandengaging.TomakeSTMtrulystandout,teachersshouldcreateactivitiesthatarepersonalizedtoeachstudent’suniqueneedsandculturalbackgrounds.Thisway,studentsnotonlyunderstandthematerialbetterbutalsostayinterestedandhaveanincreasedchanceofsucceedingacademically.Lookingforward,therearelotsofexcitingwaystoseehowSTMcanworkwithdifferentteachingmethodsandbeusedinvarioussubjectsandgradelevels.Inshort,recentstudiesonusingsituationalteachingmethodsinlanguageeducationhaveshownsomesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenwhatresearchershavefoundhereandabroad.Inourcountry,researchersmainlyfocusonhowthesemethodscanbooststudents’motivationandengagement.Theyhavefoundthattechniqueslikerole-playing,scenariosimulations,andhands-onclassroomactivitiesreallyhelpimprovelisteningandspeakingskillsinEnglish.Ontheflipside,internationalstudiesoftenemphasizetheimportanceofstandards,norms,andmanagementpracticeswhenitcomestodevelopingpracticalcommunicationskills.Theyusuallymixsituationalteachingwithotherapproaches,likecommunicationstrategies.Plus,manyofthesestudieslookathowwellsituationalteachingworksinvarioussettings,coveringeverythingfromgenerallanguagelearningtobusinessEnglish.Despitethesedifferences,researchathomeandabroadagreesthatSTMimprovestudents’abilitytoapplylanguageinreallife,enhanceclassroomparticipation,andincreaseconfidenceinverbalcommunication.Futurestudiescouldlookintohowusingshort-termmemorytechniquesaffectspeopleovertimeindifferentschoolsandamongvarioustypesoflearners.3.TheApplicationofSTMinImprovingEnglishListeningandSpeaking3.1StudyingSituationinEnglishListeningandSpeakingInordertoapplytheSituationalTeachingMethodeffectivelytoimprovestudents’Englishlisteningandspeakingabilities,itisnecessarytoanalyzestudents’learningstatus.Inthissection,wearegoingtolookatthecommonchallengesthatprimaryschoolstudentsdealwith,especiallywhenitcomestotheirlanguageskillsandlearninghabits,andtheemotionalfactorsthatcomeintoplay.Byunderstandingtheseissuesbetter,wecancreateteachingstrategiesthataremorecustomizedtotheirneedsandreallyeffective,allbasedontheideasofSTM.3.1.1ThedefectsofPrimaryStudentinListeningandSpeakingTheprimaryschoolyearsarearealturningpointforkidsstartingtolearnEnglish,anddevelopinglisteningskillsisparticularlyimportantduringthistime.Unfortunately,manystudentsstrugglewiththeseskills,whichcanholdthembacknotonlyintheirabilitytolearnthelanguagebutalsointheirenthusiasmandself-confidenceaboutit.Let’sdiveintosomeofthemainchallengesthatelementaryschoolkidsrunintowhenitcomestolisteningandspeaking.Manyprimaryschool-agedchildrenstrugglewithlisteningtoandunderstandingwhattheyarelearning.Whentuningintoaudiomaterialsorconversations,theyoftenhaveahardtimegraspingthekeyinformation—especiallywhenthespeechisfast-pacedorpackedwithunfamiliarwords.Accordingtoasurveyof200fourth-gradestudents,approximately68%ofthemreportedhavingdifficultyunderstandingthemeaningofcompletesentencesduringtheirlisteningpractice.Theproblemsmainlystemfrominsufficientvocabularyandweakphoneticrecognitionability.Forinstance,whenlisteningtoarecordinglike“Describeyourfavoriteanimal”,manystudentsonlyfocusonasinglewordandoverlookthecontext.Inaddition,someofthelisteningcontentinthetextbookisoutoftouchwithstudents’everydayexperiences,lacksinterest,andmakeslisteningpracticeboring,thusaffectingthestudents’learningoutcomes.Intermsoforalexpression,elementaryschoolstudentsoftenexhibitalackoffluencyandmayevenbehesitanttospeakout.Inclass,manystudentshesitateorusesimplewordstogiveperfunctoryanswerswhenrequiredtorespondinEnglish.Surveydatashowsthat72%ofstudentsreportthattheyarereluctanttoactivelyspeakEnglishinclass,withthemainreasonbeingthefearofmakingpronunciationmistakesorusingincorrectgrammar.Forexample,inasimulated‘shopping’scenario,manystudentsareunsurehowtoexpresstheirneedsinEnglishcorrectly.Thislackofconfidenceisrelatedtotheabsenceofrealpracticeopportunities.Moreover,students’graspofEnglishpronunciationandintonationispoor,andsomestudents’pronunciationisinfluencedbytheirnativelanguage,resultinginanoticeable‘Chinglish’phenomenon.Primaryschoolstudentsgenerallylackgoodlearninghabitsandstrategieswhenlearninglisteningandspeakingskills.Forinstance,Ihavenoticedthatsomestudentsfocussolelyonhowcertainwordsarepronouncedduringlisteningexercises,buttheymissoutontheoverallmeaningofthesentences.Thishabitcanreallyhurttheirgraspofthelanguageandmakesittoughforthemtopickuponwhatisbeingsaidincontext.Duringourspeakingpractice,itisclearthatlotsofstudentstendtojustrepeatthetextsinsteadofexpressingtheirownthoughts.Arecentsurveyshowedthatabout80%ofstudentssticktothesentencepatternsfromtheirtextbooksandrarelytrytosharetheirthoughtsinEnglish.Thiskindofpassivelearningcanreallyholdthembackwhenitcomestousingthelanguagemorefreely.Psychologicalandenvironmentalfactorsreallyinfluencehowprimaryschoolkidsdeveloptheirlisteningandspeakingskills.Manystudentsholdbackinclassbecausetheyarescaredofmakingmistakes,especiallywhentheirclassmatesarewatching.Arecentsurveyfoundthataround60%ofstudentsfeelanxiousduringEnglishclasses,andthatanxietydirectlyaffectshowwelltheycommunicate.Moreover,thefamilylanguageenvironmentplaysanimportantroleinthedevelopmentoflisteningandoralskills..Insomenon-Englishspeakinghouseholds,studentshavelittleaccesstoEnglishintheirdailylives,makingthemevenlessfamiliarwiththeactualuseofEnglish.Thefollowingarethesurveydataonthelisteningandspeakinglearningstatusoffourth-gradeelementaryschoolstudents:ProblemTypePercentage(%)Difficultyingraspingkeyinformationduringlisteningexercises68.11%Reluctancetospeakactivelyinclass72%Focusongrammarandvocabularyratherthanlisteningandspeaking80%Insufficienttimeallocatedforlisteningandspeakingpracticeinclass70%FeelingnervousduringEnglishclasses60%Table3-1:SurveyDataontheCurrentStatusofEnglishListeningandSpeakingLearningforFourthGradePrimarySchoolStudents3.1.2TheLearningStrategyandMethodSelectingPrimaryschoolisthebasicstageoflearningEnglish.ThecultivationoflisteningandspeakingskillsisanimportantpartoflearningEnglish.However,duetovariousreasons,primaryschoolstudentsgenerallyshowsignificantdeficienciesinthesetwoaspects.TheseproblemsnotonlyaffecttheirlanguagelearningefficiencybutalsolimittheirabilitytouseEnglishinreallife.Thefollowingisananalysisofthemainproblemsstudentsfaceinlisteningandspeakingfromfiveaspects,andtherelevancetheSituationalTeachingMethodtheseproblemsinimprovingstudents'listeningandspeakingability.Manyprimaryschoolstudentsfindithardtounderstandwhattheylisten.Whenconversationsmovequickly,itcanbetoughforthemtopickoutthemainideasorimportantdetails.TakealessonthatinvolvesorderingfoodinEnglish,forexample—somekidsmightcatchindividualwordsbutstillstruggletounderstandthewholemessage.Inarecentsurveyof200students,around68%saidtheyhadtroublewithEnglishlisteningtasks,especiallywhendealingwithlongsentencesorunfamiliartopics.Thereareafewreasonswhythiscanbetough:nothavingawiderangeofwords,findingithardtocatchthesoundsinEnglish,andnotgettingenoughpracticewithgoodlisteningmethods.Thesituationalteachingmethodisindeedhighlyeffectiveinaddressingthisissue.Itcreatesarealisticlifeenvironmentforlanguagelearning,helpingstudentsconnectlisteningpracticewithdailysituations.Forinstance,aninterestingrole-playingactivitylike“SupermarketShopping”canbedesigned,wheretheteacherintroducespracticaldialoguestofamiliarizestudentswithessentialvocabulary.Thisnotonlymaintainsstudents’interestbutalsoenhancestheircomprehensionoflisteningmaterialsthroughpracticeinrelevantcontexts.ManyprimaryschoolstudentsstrugglewithspeakingEnglish.Alotofthemfeelshyabouttalkinginclass,andwhentheydospeak,itoftensoundsliketheyarejustrepeatingwhattheyhavelearnedinsteadofreallygettinginvolved.Itseemslikebecomingfluentandconfidentinspeakingisabigchallengeforthem.Forexample,duringamockconversationactivity,morethan70%ofthestudentsexpressedconcernsabouttheirpronunciationandgrammar,whichmadethemanxiousaboutbeinglaughedat.Thatfearreallyholdsthembackfromjoininginonoralpractice.Totacklethis,usingasituationalteachingmethodcanbereallyeffective.Itgivesstudentsmorechancestopracticespeakingthroughrole-playingandinteractiveactivities.Takethe“askingfordirections”scenario,forinstance—studentscantaketurnsbeingthepersonaskingfordirectionsandtheoneprovidinganswers.Thiskindofhands-onpracticenotonlyhelpsthemlearnhowtoconstructsentencesnaturallybutalsohelpsthemgraduallyovercometheirfearofspeakinginfrontofothers.Thestudents’fluency,pronunciationabilityandcomprehensiveexpressionabilityhavebeengreatlyimprovedbythepracticeinpractice.Inadditiontothelackoflanguageproficiencyitself,elementaryschoolstudentsalsoareshortofeffectivelearningstrategiesinlisteningandspeakingpractice.Manystudentsfocusonlyonthepronunciationofindividualwordsduringlisteningexercises,neglectingthemeaningoftheentiresentence.SomestudentsevenrelyonChinesetranslationstounderstandlisteningmaterials,whichwastestimeandhinderstheirmasteryofthelanguageitself.Inspeakingpractice,somestudentsareinclinedtomemorizefixedsentencepatternsratherthanattemptingtoexpressthemselvesusingtheirownlanguage.Thesituationalteachingmethodemphasizesthepracticalapplicationoflanguagelearningandcanhelpstudentsdevelopmoreeffectivelearningstrategies.Forexample,teacherscandesignquestionsinclassthatrequirestudentstothinkandanswerinEnglish,encouragingthemtounderstandlisteningcontentfromthecontext.Inthisway,studentscanlearnhowtouselanguageflexiblyinreal-lifesituations,ratherthansimplyrelyingonmemorizationandtranslation.Currently,manyEnglishteachingmaterialsaretooformalanddisconnectedfromstudents'reallives.Thisgapmakesitdifficultforstudentstoapplywhattheylearninclasstoreal-lifesituations.Youknow,itiscommontoseelisteningandspeakingexercisesintextbooksthatfocuson“Britishculture”orsomeprettyfar-fetchedhypotheticalscenarios.Butletusbehonest—moststudentsdonotrunintothesetopicsintheirday-to-daylives.Whenstudentsfeeldisconnectedfromtheirlessons,itishardforthemtogetexcitedaboutlearningbecauseitallseemsirrelevant.Thatiswheresituationalteachingreallyshines.IfIconnectlessonstoreal-lifeexperiences,Icantrulyengagestudents.Forexample,whenateachertalksaboutshopping,theymightbringinwhatishappeninginlocalmarketsandhavestudentsrole-playrealshoppingscenarios.Thesekindsofactivitiesaremucheasiertorelateto,andtheyhelpstudentsunderstandhowtousethelanguageineverydaysituations.Ireallyneedtopayattentiontothestressandoutsidefactorsthatkidsinprimaryschooldealwithastheyworkontheirlisteningandspeakingskills.Manystudentsremainsilentinclassoutoffearofmakingmistakes,especiallywhenspeakinginfrontoftheirpeers.Surveydatashowsthat60%ofstudentsareanxiousinEnglishclasses,andthisanxietydirectlyaffectstheiracademicperformance.Additionally,somestudents’homeenvironmentslackanatmosphereconducivetoEnglishlearning,whichmeanstheyhavefewopportunitiestopracticelisteningandspeakingoutsideofclass.Thesituationalteachingmethodcaneffectivelyreducestudents’psychologicalpressurebycreatingarelaxedandinteractivelearningenvironment.Forexample,inasimulated“restaurantordering”scenario,teacherscansetupadialogueexercisewithnorightorwronganswers,allowingstudentstoparticipatemoreconfidentlyintheactivity.Atthesametime,teacherscanassignpracticallisteningandspeakingtaskstogivestudentsopportunitiestopracticeEnglishoutsideofclass.3.2PracticalApplicationsofSTMinEnglishListeningandSpeakingActivities3.2.1TheApplicationforListeningActivitiesTheapplicationoftheSituationalTeachingMethod(STM)inEngli