HOW TO REGARD STUDENT AS THE CENTRE IN ENGLISH TEACHING
江阴市西郊实验小学 吴龙娣 小学英语高级教师
邮编：214433 联系电话：0510-88090511
Abstract
It’s widely known that student is the major role in English teaching, while teacher is not only the organizer, but also the another distinctive role. So student should be the center in the teaching session. How to regard student as the center in English teaching is quite important.
Firstly, Interest is the best teacher. Interest can prompt students to learn with enthusiasm. How can we make students keep their interest? To get it, teacher should try his or her best to establish friendly relation between student and teacher.
Secondly, teacher should set up the vivid and congenial studying atmosphere. In the teaching, the teacher should always keep the full enthusiasm and make student feeling into rested in whole studying. Agreeable class atmosphere is a critical way to ensure ideal result in English Teaching
Thirdly, teacher should create scenes for student. Practice has betokened that creating interesting English scenes is good to make students positive and interested in English learning, which also teach student how to communicate with each other and deal with difficulties. Let students learn in games, songs, chants, performances and so on. They will inspire the enthusiasm of learning because students shouldn’t be tired of learning. The contents of teaching are so interesting that it can fix the attention of each student through the whole class time.
And last but not the least, developing student’s character is difficult yet important. Character is independent of and different from one another. In a word, different people have different characters. The differences among characters can speak for themselves. But the education can , to some extent, influence the character of each student. Teachers should admit and find the differences in intelligence, environment, feelings and physiology, everyone can develop widely.
Key words
Interest, Atmosphere, Scene, Character
Introduction
Student is the host of study, but teacher is the organizer of the classroom teaching. So student should be the center of the teaching activity. Teacher, teaching materials and the teaching means should serve the students. Teacher should lead student to the teaching activity and play the main part in it. How to regard student as the center in English teaching? I’ll give some points about it.
Interest is the most important.
Interest is the best teacher. Interest can transfer the positive of the student. It can promote the study activity of student, too. Then how to keep the student’s interest in learning?
Firstly, it’s more important to make mutual – believed relation between student and teacher , Because it can affect the studying interest of student. The character of a teacher can even decide the student whether to learn or not, and to like a course or not. The teacher should pay attention to students and make them go into a best study condition.
The secondly, teacher should walk to the student and dispel the obstacle of it’s mental state. Teaching activity must be student’s positive activity. Positive activity presuppose the thought of the creativity. Creative activity is impossible in a bad mental state. Lack confidence, student will not be positive enough to finish the teaching activity. To overcome it, teacher should try its best to learn about the real thought of a student in order to make student try its best to study English well.
The thirdly, teacher should encourage student in time to make it become confident. To some extent, we can say it “self-confident”.
Teacher should help student to find a best way that is suitable for student to study. The way can make student positive in its study. When student does well in its study, teacher should praise student in class by alternative way(method) . It can make student feel proud of it and boost its confidence. When student faces difficulties, teacher should make encouraging. Teacher should at times say, “Very good”, “Try your best”, “Don’t give up”, “Keep up your courage, please” and“ I think you are the best one, I’ll be glad to wait”. Besides, teacher should encourage student to show everything that is good in some area. After a few steps, student will grow naturally and gradually.
And the fourthly, teacher should protect student’s interest by the relation.
Teacher should wear smile on face to make student feel happy with teacher. Teacher can reform the student with abundant knowledge and humor, it’s also important.
Establish the democratic and congruous study atmosphere.
In English teaching, teacher should practise, raise its own English level and enrich the related knowledge. In the teaching, the teacher should always keep the full enthusiasm and make students feel happier when they study. Teaching in English is a way to make an atmosphere for student. That means teacher should try its best to let student gain the feeling of the language.
At the same time, teacher and student should talk to each other, discuss points, play games and do some research at an equal position.
Teacher should try best to make himself or herself understood by student. Otherwise, the teaching is a failure, sometimes even a respective harm
Create scenes for student.
Practice has indicated that creating interesting English scenes is beneficial for making students positive and interested in English study. It can also teach student how to communicate with others and face difficulties.
(1) Game scene
Primary school students like playing very much. Games are their instinct. Putting teaching and interesting games together can make the English class full of vigor. For example:
I. Learn in performance
Students can accept knowledge quickly by actions and facial expressions. If teacher presents some performance, students can study happily, Such as in teaching “I have a pen”. for this sentence, at first I took out a schoolbag to speak “I have a bag” At slow speed. Then I reread “I have”, At the same time, I took the bag at hand and take books, pencils, rulers and erasers out one by one. Students asked, “What is teacher saying?” , by this, student understood what teacher was saying. When student realized what “I have…” meant, then I got two pens (one was new, and the other was old.) and compared them. I took the new one nearer and said gaily, “I have a new pen.” This time students couldn’t help expressing themselves, “How nice!”, When they had understood and realized “I have…” and “new”, Students began to take their own things to practice this sentence, Instead of simple words and sentences repeated several times. Performance can kindle students’ desire for showing themselves. I suppose students are unconsciously influenced toward learning new things in this way.
II. Learn by music
The music is appealing to the ear. Children’s songs are easy to sing. Learning English with singing and dancing will arose students’ interest in study and put up a kind of lively atmosphere in the classroom. By this way, students also can improve the expressions. So in teaching activities, I sometimes teach students some songs about what they will learn.
Some are in textbooks and some are chosen from other books. Singing and dancing, they will not be tired of lessons. Instead they will find the knowledge is easy to learn. More over, students can get kinds of game elsewhere after class. Taking teaching letters for example, and letting students learn letters from songs and dancing, After that, letting students grasp the spelling of 26 letters. Sometimes password can make students master how to pronounce various letters and spell them.
III. Learn in games
It’s a pleasure for me to take teaching letters for example again. Letting students play letter cards and say something about these letters. To primary school students, playing games is their human nature and common game activity. I let every student have a letter name (such as j, g or E, H, F) . Others can choose names according as themselves. Every letter is on the card. Teacher and students can play games, such as FINDING FRIENDS, RECRUIT and so on.
“Woodpecker doctor” is a game which deserve emphasis. Teacher writes some irregular letters in the tree trunk, such as A, j, K, w and so on. Teacher asks students to discuss in groups and find the error as much as they can. The group can get a woodpecker head picture if it can find more trouble quickly. It can also get a name “Woodpecker doctor”.
Besides, other games can let students practice the ability of writing and listening.
IV. Learn in drawing
Combining teaching with drawing can let students relax themselves in study. For example, when we learnt “Let’s go to school”; first I drew a picture of school and told the students, “This is our school.” ; Then I drew a picture of two students with schoolbags on their back, saying, “Let’s go to school.”; thus students can get it easily.
V. Learn in watching
Practice has proved that interesting things can concentrate student’s attention on learning. Teacher can find some interesting pictures in teaching activities. For example, when teaching words about man, woman and doctor, I taught students with a picture representing outline of a man, then I paint the man with hair in shape of “w” and two earrings in shape of “o”, So “This is becoming a woman.” Undoubtedly Students are interested in these.
With the development of modern education, some technical gadget can provide some new interesting things for students. These new technical methods can make the teaching not limited to classroom. In this way, students will try their best to learn everything in the class.
(2) Language scene
In English teaching, the application of modern multi-media can make a language scene noisy and picturesque. The language scene is lively and intuitional. It can stimulate and catch the students from different points of view. All these can make the students that attend the class pay all attention to the content of the class. For example, when I taught the students preposition words: ”in, on, under” etc. in Revision 17, Unit 6, I designed the multi-media: I make use of Bobby, that was a popular dog imagine in students, double clicked the rat mark, then Bobby came out and said, “Hello, boys and girls, nice to meet you. Now let’s guess, where am I?” A beautiful box appeared on the screen. After students guessed for a while, I double clicked the rat mark , Bobby jumped out of the box and had a glib tongue to say “I’m in the box.” Then I clicked the rat mark, Bobby asked, “Where am I?” Students are eager to express their own respective opinion. In a short while it stealthily uncovered the box and came out from the bottom of the box, saying, “I’m under the box.” “OK!” “Good!” Students couldn’t help laughing . This kind of teaching can attract students deeply. At the same time, students can grasp the language very well.
(3) Life scene
The life is the headspring of human language. Without life, there will not be any languages. To Let children learn language in a real life, I work hard at creating specific and lively scenes to mimic life. For example, when I taught “Shopping” Unit 2, the focal point is to let students grasp “Can I help you?” and other sentences. Before class I let students go to shops to watch the acts of shoppers and customers. At the same time, students should bring back some things, such as writing tools, toys, cakes, drinks and clothes. After practicing, students should mark the prices of what they buy. In the classroom, some desks were ranged as counters; the goods, which the students bought, were laid out on the desks; It made the classroom like a “mini-supermarket” or grocery. Finishing learning new sentences, I advised students to join the activity to show their performance abilities. They took turns to be as shopper or customer. They can communicate with others in English. Following is among examples:
A: Good morning. Can I help you? Some apples?
B: No, thanks. Show the sharpener to me, please.
A: How about the green one?
B: It’s good, but I want the pink one.
A: Here you are. Anything else?
B: Nothing. How much is it?
A: Twenty-two yuan.
B: OK. Here you are.
A: Thank you. Goodbye!
(4) Question scene
The ancients said, “Doubt is the beginning of thoughts and learning.” Problems are the basis of creation. As a teacher, anyone should have a sense of making question scenes according to teaching contents. This method can stimulate student’s desire for learning all the unknown knowledge all over the world. For example, The second textbook has two words “have, has”; But in the fourth textbook, the “there be” comes out. To tell the differences between the two expressions, I didn’t give a conclusion at first. I let students think, “Why they were used in different kinds of sentence”.; Are they have same meaning in some areas? These question make students think more and more. They would do some research by themselves. Then I gave some cards, 1.There is a pencil in the pencil-box. 2. The boy has a pencil. 3. There are two books on the desk. 4. I have two books. After these, I let students discuss in groups, each group having four members. The atmosphere was ardent in the class: Some students were thinking, some were discussing, some even were arguing with others. After it, students got some points about it. But they didn’t know which points were right. I smiled and didn’t give them any answer. Students had to think over again. In a while, I gave some cards with words and pictures on it. This can tell students whether they were right. I encouraged them to think about more things about it. When they got right answers by themselves, they were so happy that they would not be less confident than before. As widely known, primary school students’ learning is not a simple passive receiving. It should be a course of discovery and “self-creation”. Only practice, comparing and thinking can make students interested in learning, how to grasp the knowledge and get capability in fluency English.
(5) Create the scene
After students got a new point of learning and grasp new words and sentences, teacher should try its best to create the scene according to the new points of what students learnt in class. It’s a high level for the teacher and English teaching. It requires students to choose new language materials according to a new scene that is created already. These new materials can make dialogues that match the new scenes. This also wants students to think and practice according to the knowledge they’ve learnt. For example, After students learnt “I like….”, “Me too.” and so on, teacher can ask students to make up several groups of their own accord. After surveying, let students make dialogues with “What do you have?”, “I like ….Me too.”, “Do you like … or …?” and so on, they can realize what (fruit or vehicle) the partners like or not.
Besides, for a subject, such as “on the way to school”, let all the groups perform leisurely and care freely. They can talk about everything if they want. All the members can help and learn from each other in the same group. Every member can know other’s advantages. Then they can make a good scene about going to school. At last, let students discuss according to the learning and make up a few scenes about the life and study by themselves. Then they’ll put what they’ve learnt before into the new scenes. Thus, students can improve their capability of communication.
Develop the character
Character is personal. It’s independent and different from one another. In a word, different people have different characteristics. The differences between characters can tell something about themselves. But the education can influence the character of every student. Teacher should admit and find the differences on intelligence, environment, feelings and physiology, everyone can develop widely.
(1) The encouragement is principal element in teaching and students should develop independent characteristics.
The independence of individual characteristics is the comparative differences in psychology. The differences decide the independence of individual character. Created scenes reasonably undoubtedly provide a live stage for every student. They’ll be the host of the act. The atmosphere that is made up by the scenes is so lax, happy that the students will not be nervous in it. They began to show themselves on the new stage. I often let excellent students and other students reform a group. There are several groups. In each group, student can choose a suitable role according to its English level. Students in a group can exchange views. It can make students learn from other’s strong points to make up for their weakness. The competition among groups is interesting. Groups try to outperform each other. In the cooperation and competition, students can show their capability and confidence. As the organizer and guide of the act, I appreciate the hard working of every student. I protect and encourage students’ desire, force activity and attempt. My appreciate the classroom act from the bottom of my heart and I encourage the students to try more interesting act for more progress. In front of the phrasal and confirmation, students can realize their own values. They will not be afraid of communication in English. They are confident in attending teaching act in different.
(2) Create a scene to exert character of individual in act.
In English teaching, if teacher creates an easy, lively and congenial atmosphere, students can be brave enough to orientate and show themselves. They can announce their own points of view and play a main role in the teaching. Meanwhile they can be aware of interaction in teaching and assimilate education. The character will permeate through the whole of teaching act.
For example, each time I teach students a dialogue and after that, I will ask them to practice dialogues with objects. They are active to join it and eager to perform. I always let student who is better in performance set an example for other students. Then I encourage other students to imitate. At last I ask them to add their imagination to the dialogue and make the performance more completely. It can not only enjoy all the students but also make students be the center of learning. Students grasp new knowledge and learn more things from old knowledge. This will cement the knowledge system and bring individual character into full play in the classroom.
(3) Practice and develop the social predilection of individual character.
Student’s individual character doesn’t proceed alone. In English teaching, teacher should take every opportunity to create more conditions for student. Teacher can provide a stage for student to show its individual character and capability. Let students practice before, in and after class. Then everyone can make a dialogue with teacher and students in English. Let them join the course of learning as much as possible.
For example, when I taught students the dialogue in lesson 22, I ,on the basis of students’ reading, let students practice fully as follows:
I. Teacher brings students to the zoo.
T: A: Come here.
A: OK.
T: Let’s go to the zoo.
A: All right.
T: What’s this?
A: It’s a bird.
T: Good.
II. Student bring teacher to the zoo.
B: Good morning, Miss Wu.
T: Good morning, B.
B: Let’ go to the zoo. Miss Wu..
T: All right.
B: What’s this?
T: It’s a bird.
III. One student brings another student to the zoo.
C: Hello. D.
D: Hello. C.
C: Let’s go to the zoo.
D: All right.
C: What’s this?
D: It’s a dog/ cat/bird…
thus, letting students enter the capability of communication with words they learnt and bring the social leaning of individual character into full play. They should get along well with each other. This will make students feel , this is only a dialogue about going to the zoo in daily life and rather than a dialogue in the textbook. It’s more appropriate for students to learn this way. This can create a new education system instead of the standard system that is simple but not apply to each student. Developing individual character in practice, dialogue and act can provide a wider space for the students to show themselves. Combining theory with reality will put knowledge into reality and well direct the development of individual character exactly.
(4) Teach happily and emphasize the entirety of individual character.
Love takes the prerequisite role in happy teaching. The core of happy teaching is to return the activeness in learning the to student and develop the apacilly of self-study. Only joining in class act and playing in an interesting atmosphere can make students learn more and be interested in the knowledge of the world. Let individuality develop and shape in a collective world. Let intelligence and potentiality non-intelligence elements - develop in balance. Each student can show its entirety.
Conclusion
In a word, according to the age and level of English learner, teachers should create scenes and make the atmosphere to distract students’ attention to study. This can implement regarding student as the center in English teaching.
References
Xu Qin. (2003). Make English teaching interesting. English Weekly, 74,3.
Zhou Xiaoyan. (2003). How can students keep the interest of English? English Weekly, 70, 6.
Lin Jianxin. (2003). How can teacher stimulate the interest of student in English teaching? www.oh100.com.
Ma Weihua. (2004). Give the right of query back to students. TIMES ENGLISH POST, 17-18.
此文获2005年度江苏省教育学会优秀论文一等奖。 |
苏公网安备 32062102000253号 Powered by Discuz!
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡