Chapter 1 Concepts for English Teaching in Schools
Section 1
1. Based on the theories in this unit, what are the main educational factors that cause teacher L’s wholehearted enthusiasm to meet with cold indifference from his students?
Key: In the first place, teaching is an interactive activity in which both teachers and students become more developed. Teacher L conducts a completely exam-oriented teaching, which is boring and mundane. He is ignorant of students’ learning needs and there is no interaction between them. Secondly, in language teaching, the more important factor is students’ positive and active approach to learning. Teacher L obviously doesn’t care about students’ motivation and incentive; he crams learning materials and exam content in the students, regardless of students’ emotional response. Lastly, teaching should be teacher-led but students-centered activity. Here teacher L takes teaching as teacher-led and exam-centered. He is putting the cart before the horse. Only by focusing on students’ learning needs and motivation can they perform well in exams and achieve learning goals.
2. In your opinion, what kind of classroom teaching activity conforms to the essence of education?
Key: The essence of teaching is to lead students to develop and the teacher ’s job is to help students to find answers by themselves and to explore language learning methods by themselves. Therefore, the teaching activity that conforms to the essence of education is a series of questions thrown to students to help deduce proper answers.
Section 2
1. What do you think are the main causes for the misunderstanding in the argument “English teaching in elementary and middle schools in China cannot be communicative competence oriented”?
Key: It ignores the fact that language is the tool for communication and communication is the function of language. It is through interpersonal communication that language remains active and vigorous. Therefore, one of the teaching goals of elementary and middle school English should be to develop student’s communicative competence. If communication is removed from the goals of English teaching, then language learning becomes a boring process of memorization. There’s no fun in it. Besides, without focusing on communication, language learn ing will be far from effective, since communication is the best way to learn al language.
2. After reflection on your own English study, identify what your main learning problems are.
Key: The main learning problems may include: 1) fear of speaking English, especially in public; 2) lack of motivation; 3) imbalance of fun and homework.
Section 3
1. What do you think is the major mistake in the viewpoint “one’s vocabulary size is the indicator of whether one’s English learning is successful”?
Key: This statement overemphasizes the role of vocabulary. It should be noted that vocabulary constitutes only a part of language; there is also grammar. Even if one has a good mastery of vocabulary and grammar, there are still culture and style to bear in mind. A successful English learner should have certain awareness of culture with a good command of vocabulary and grammar. S/he should be able to adjust his or her style on different occasions; his or her knowledge of English should be able to satisfy his or her needs successfully.
2. What do you think the essential difference between an English language curriculum and an English literacy curriculum is? How do you understand the instrumental nature of English curriculum and the humanist nature of English curriculum in the National Curriculum Standards for English in Schools in China (MOE, 2001)?
Key: 1) The essential difference is that an English language curriculum is to develop students’ overall competence in English. Its teaching and learning process is to cultivate students’ proficiency in the basic four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. By the end of the learning, students should be able to communicate effectively in English, have certain knowledge of English culture and develop some value and abilities. However, an English literacy curriculum is to focus on students’ reading ability. The main job involved is to teach students to read and perhaps to write. The teaching objective and learning purpose is narrowed down to master a set of words; communication is absent in this curriculum.
2) It’s instrumental in that it views English as a tool for communication. To achieve effective communication, not
only vocabulary and grammar but culture is embodied in the teaching goals. Besides , it is instrumental in that it sets English as a tool help understand oneself and the world. The job is not only to learn language but to develop and better oneself. It is humanist in that it concerns not only the learning of language but the development of children.
Chapter 2 ELT Methods and Approaches in and outside China
Section 1
1. Based on what you just learned, give suggestions to Miss M to help solve her problem of having nothing to teach after the second week of the term.
Key: Miss M should follow certain theories in teaching. She should work out the teaching plan at the beginning of the term and adjust her teaching to the usual pace. Most importantly, she should take into consideration of students’ learning realities, including questions like: how do students like her teaching method? Have students achieved the supposed goals after the teaching? Does her teaching meet students’ present language level? Has the teaching covered less than expected or something unnecessary? She should first conduct a needs analysis of students, then works out the teaching plan based on the needs and finally assess teaching and learning after a certain period. 2. What do you think is the best language teaching approach or method?
Key: The Communicative Approach is the best language approach in that it covers the most important aspect of language learning: language is learned to communicate, to exchange meaning and information and to share feelings. It is the language in use that injects life and vitality into language and that makes it a more real existence of life. Language teaching and learning should be centered on communication, which should be regarded as a proper method and the final goal.
Section 2
1. What is the problem with Mr. N’s complaints that the course book does not explain much about grammar, does not have enough grammar exercises, and has too many activities?
Key: The problem is the contradiction between the design of textbook and the actual assessment of teaching and learning. The design of the textbook is based on the task-based approach: students are supposed to achieve learning goals through the completion of a series of tasks. The main activity involved is communication. However, Mr. N has to find lots of grammar materials outside the textbook for students because little is mentioned in the book and what is mentioned cannot meet the requirements of exams, which includes lots of grammar and little completion of tasks. There is certainly a gap between the textbook design and the assessment and this causes much challenge for both teachers and students. To bridge up the gap, either should be adjusted to adapt to the other.
2. Consider the style of a teacher you know. Do you think his/her teaching is in line with the National Curriculum Standards? Please give reasons and examples.
Key: My high school English teacher’s teaching is not consistent with the National Curriculum Standards. In the first place, the focus of his teaching is on vocabulary and grammar. English lessons are filled with mechanical and meaningless drills instead of meaningful tasks. Besides, his teaching does not allow too much communication. Throughout the class, he spent much time explaining grammatical points and little time is devoted to communication. Finally, his teaching doesn’t encourage holistic development for he was always hastening for exams and ignoring students’ learning needs. There was no time for value-imparting or affection-influencing. All these contradicts with the National Curriculum Standards.
鲁子问英语教学论(英文版)课后习题详解
