高中英语交互式阅读教学研究英文

2009年6月
第32卷　第3期中国英语教学(双月刊)CEL EA J ournal (Bimont hly)J un.2009V ol.32N o.3
A STU DY O N THE I NTERACTIVE APPROACH
TO THE TEAC HI NG OF ENG L ISH
READ ING I N SENIO R HIGH SC H OOLS
Xie Bin
Cha ngc hun Ta xa tio n Colle ge
We i L ixin g
N or th eas t N or mal U nive rsit y
Abs t r act
This pap er studies how to i ncorporate t he i nte rac tive approach to t he teaching of rea di ng in senior high sc hools.Based on the qualitati ve a nd quantitative anal yses of f our c ontesta nts πp ublic teac hings in a pr ovincial teaching c ontest ,t he author c omes up wit h t hree m odels of interactive appr oac h.The y ar e response 2orie nte d model ,p roble m 2solving model a nd signpost quest ion model ,whic h ar e reco mme nde d as a n ef f ective m eans of pro moti ng inte ract ion am ong t he teache r ,t he students a nd the te xt.I n the f ollow 2up researc h ,the author conducte d a series of semi 2str uct ured inter vie ws with the f our teac he rs ,one on 2line a nd t hree f ace 2to 2f ace.Key w or ds
interactive appr oac h;response 2orie nte d m odel ;pr oble m 2solving m odel ;signpost question model ;teac her belief
11Int roducti on
Where ther e is no r eading ,ther e is no i mp rove me nt in f or eign la nguage le ar ning.The a bility to rea d at a r easona ble r ate with good compre hension should be rec ognize d to be as import ant as other skills.The re ar e so many possible ways of stimulating re adi ng ;yet ,one still f inds classr ooms wher e t he te aching of re adi ng is a te diou s ,dry 2as 2du st pr oc ess in C hinese EFL classes ,esp ecially at t he secondar y e ducational level.
Not i nf r e que ntly ,t ea c hers ,i nst ea d of c oac hing stude nts to ac quir e str at egies f or re a di ng ,ha ve t he t en de nc y t o do wha t sh ould be p r act ic e d by stude nts t he mselves.They s ubc onsci ousl y r e duc e t he ti me f or stude nts t o r ef lec t on t he str uctur e a nd use of la nguage at t heir own p ac e.Af te r r ea di ng ,the f or ce d 2f e d stude nts do not ha ve t he slightest i dea of wha t t he y ha ve r e a d.The “com m unic ative i nte rc ha nges ”in classr ooms we r e (a nd ma ybe still a r e )domina te d by a pa r ticula r a ppr oa ch :The t ea c he r as ks questions a nd t he st ude nts a nswe r —a nd alm ost al wa ys t hese inte r ac tions h ave ha d a hid de n gra m ma tic al age nda (V a nPa tte n 2007:132).
Sinc e la ngua ge t ea c he rs d o not te ac h i n a va cuum ,thei r st udents a re a n inte gra l pa r t of t he inte r ac tive t ea c hi ng.St ude nts ne e d to pa r ticipa te i n ac ti vities t hat e nga ge t heir inte r est a nd at te ntion ,s o t hat t he inte r ac tion be co mes na tur al a nd desir able a nd wor ds slip out ,or p our out ,to a cc omp an y it.M e anw hile ,st ude nts shoul d als o be acti ve in c om munica ting with t he t ext.A t ext does not just t ra nsmit inf or ma tion.It i nvolves inf or ma tion going f r om t he te xt to t he r ea de r a nd bac k (Pa rr is h 2006:130).
This pap er emp hasizes the thr ee 2way te ac he r 2st udent 2te xt inte raction in rea ding class to help t he stude nts x ,y y I y f f ,f ,
unde rsta nd the te ts a nd lea d t o cre ative p roduction as w ell as maintai n the d namics and vitalit .t also introduces and anal ses a ra nge o options o inter active appr oa ch w hic h ca n be classi ied into thre e c ategories
na mely ,r esponse 2orie nte d model ,pr oble m 2solv i ng m odel and signpost question model.
2.Li ter at ure Review
2.1The i nteraction between t he teacher and st udents
I nt e ra cti on is t he c olla bor at ive e xc ha nge of t houghts ,f e elings or ideas bet wee n two or m ore p eople r esul ti ng i n a r ecip roc al ef f e ct on e ac h ot her (Br own 2001:159).I n f or eign la nguage c lass roo m se tti ngs ,t ea c he r 2stude nt inte r ac tion is a n inte gr al pa rt of t he la ngua ge classr oom be ca use it builds ra ppor t be twe en t he t ea c he r a nd stude nts (Cho 2003:1).R ea l int e ra ctio n re quir es t he te ac he r t o step out of t he li me light ,t o ce de a f ull r ole t o t he stude nt i n de vel opi ng a nd ca r r ying t hr ough a ctiviti es ,to a cc ept all kinds of optio ns ,a nd be tole ra nt of e rr ors t he stude nt m a ke while att e mpti ng to c om m unica te (R ive rs 1997:9).Howeve r ,this m an y high sc hool E FL te ac he rs a r e r eluct a nt t o d o.F aci ng a class of up t o f if t y or sixt y stude nts ,t he y ar e a f r aid it will be c ha otic a nd hesita te t o t ry.So me st ude nts ,t oo ,be ca use of rigi d voca bula r y a nd gr a mm a r 2based t ra ini ng ,have no e xp er ie nce in e xe r cising initia tive a nd pa r ticipa ting in pur posef ul i nt e ra ctive le a r ni ng (S hu 2004)
2.2The i nteraction between st udents and texts
R ea ding is ope n t o va r ious inte r pr et ati ons.A te xt does not just tr a ns mit inf or m ati on.It involves inf or ma tion going f r om the te xt t o t he r ea de r a nd bac k.B ec aus e of t he na tur e of re a di ng ,the st ude nt 2t ext int er a ction is f air ly p e rsonal a nd p riva te ;t he re f or e it n ot eas y a nd obvious to be discove re d (P ar r ish 2006:1302131).The wa ys stude nts re a d a te xt dep en d on pr ior kn owle dge ,our ne eds ,e xpe ct atio ns ,t he c onte xt in whic h t hey a r e re a di ng ,as well as t heir own int e rpr e ta tions ,e xpe rie nces ,a nd c ult ure.
2.3The s tudent 2st udent i nt eraction
R esea r c her s who have i nvestiga te d t he c ur re nt situati on of EL T in C hi na (f or exa mple ,Lia o 2001;Wang 2006;Wa ng 2006;C he n 2006;He 2007)indica te t ha t EL T i n China still le aves m uc h to be desir e d.The y point out tha t t he r e is lit tl e stude nt 2stude nt inte r a ction in ETL classr ooms ,as t hese r ese a rc he rs believe t his typ e of int er a ction in cla ssr oom is a n ef f e ctive way t o devel op stude nts πc om munica tive c omp ete nc e.
F or ge nuine stude nt 2stude nt i nte ra cti on la ngua ge l ea r ning r e quir es i ndividual stude nt to app r ecia te t he unique ness of ot her indivi dua l wit h t hei r spe cial nee ds.I ndividual str a te gies ,te mp e ra m e nts ,a nd p ref er r e d m odes of op er a tion o n the pa r t of stude nts ma ke ea c h class s ession a unique e xp er ie nc e.
2.4Op tions of i nt eractive approach t o t he teachi ng of readi ng
2.4.1The response 2orient ed model
I nt e ra cti on bet wee n st ude nts a nd a te ac he r is i niti all y de pe nde nt.Obser vati on has shown t ha t t he most c omm on type of c lass roo m inte r ac tion is k nown as “I R F ”:i nitia te —r esp ond —f ee dba ck.I t is of te n t he pa tte r n w her e t he t ea c her “i nitia tes ”a n e xcha nge to w hic h t he st ude nts “resp ond ”wit h an a nswer f oll owe d us ually by t he tea c her πs “f e e dbac k ”(Sincla ir &Coult ha r d 1975).
I n the r esponse 2orie nte d m odel ,t he m ost f r e que ntly a dop te d te ch ni que is questio ni ng.A question is ve r ba l utt er a nce t hat se e ks a resp onse f ro m t he pe rson to wh om it is di re cte d.I t is a mea ns of f inding out a nd int er pr e ti ng i nf or ma tion.Howe ve r ,it is m ore t ha n a l ogical gr ouping of wor ds p unct ua te d by a question ma r k.The va lue lies i n sti mulati ng an d di re cting t hinking.
2.4.2The problem 2sol ving model
The pr oble m 2sol ving m odel ai ms at pr om oting st ude nts πpr obl em 2s olvi ng a bilities ,w hi ch re quir es t he le ar ne r to us e t he skills a nd/or pr inciples alr e a dy maste r e d t o ac hie ve a new goal.Too of te n stude nts a r e r e quir e d to me m or ize t e r ms ,lists ,or f or m ula e just f or t he sa ke of m e mor izing ,an d t he te r minal goal mea sures onl y t hei r “boom e ra ngi ng a bility ”.I n p r ovidi ng f or p r obl em 2s olvi ng a bilit y ,t he te ac he rs give t he st ude nts oppor tunity t o appl y w hat th ey ha ve le a r ned (Tr ojc ak 1971:1552159).
3T q y I f A S tudy on t he Int e r a c ti ve App r oa c h t o t he Te a c hi ng of Engli sh R e a ding in...　Xi e Bin &Wei L ixing 2.4.he signpost ues tion model
A signpost sta nds a t a c r ossr oa ds to show t r a vele rs t he w a .ts unc ti on is to di re ct t he m along t he
r ight roa d ,ma king the j our ne y quic ker a nd sa vi ng t he m f r om ge tting l ost.A signp ost question (S PQ)has a si mil ar f unc tion :I ts purp ose is not t o test but t o guide t he r ea de rs ,dir ec ti ng t he ir a tte ntion to t he imp ort a nt p oints in t he te xt ,pr e ve nting t he m f r om goi ng a long a f a lse t ra ck (Nut tall 2002)
3.The C ur re nt S t udy
3.1Res earch design and met hodology
3.1.1Objectives
How i nt e ra cti on is a c hie ve d is a m at te r of classr oom a ppr oa ch.The t ea c her has a num ber of op tions dr a wn f r om e xp er ie nce of pr e decessors a nd c onte mpo ra ries.Whe n “The Se cond Se ni or Hi gh Sc hool (Ne w C ur r iculum)Tea c hi ng Contest of Jilin Pr ovi nc e ”wa s hel d i n Nove mbe r 2007,t he a ut hor r e cor de d t he p ublic t ea c hi ngs of t he f inal r ound a nd a nalyze d the dat a by her self .It is co mpa r a ble a nd c onve nie nt t o study t heir te a ching be ha vior ,si nc e the y ha ve t o te ac h t he sa m e t ext wit hi n 40mi nut es.Se c ond ,it is e nlight e ni ng to st udy how the y inte r a ct wi th a class of 10t h gr a de rs who m t he y ha ve ne ver me t bef or e.The t ea c he rs ha ve t o e mploy ef f ec tive app r oac h to a rouse t he st ude nts πi nt e rest ,mai ntai n t hei r motivati on ,a nd win t he ir c oop e ra tion wi thin s uc h a shor t pe ri od of tim e.Thir d ,all the p a rticip a nts a r e ke y me m bers in t he wor ki ng units ,a nd the ir ap pr oac hes to te ac hing r e ading c a n be f a irly r epr ese nta tive.The r ef or e ,t he p r oble ms wit h t heir te ac hing might be unive rsa l.A nd t he c or resp ondi ng s olutions to t hese pr obl e ms c a n be of gr e at i mpor ta nc e.
3.1.2Subjects
The r e we r e 24te ac he rs pa rt ic ip ati ng in t his p r ovincial te ac hing c ontest.Af te r t he f i rst secti on of Sh uoke (J ustif ic atio n of Te ac hing Obj ect ives a nd Pr oc edur es ),12of the m we re elimina te d.The r est of t he m we r e re qui re d t o t ea c h the te xt “I n Se a rc hing of t he A mbe r R oom ”in U nit 1of New Se ni or English f or Chi na St udent πs Book 2(For the c onte nt of t he t ext ,se e Appe ndix 1).The t ext intr oduces the outlo ok a nd hist or y of t he lost A mbe r Ro om.Alt hough t he t ext does not c onta in a la r ge num ber of ne w wor ds a nd c omplica te d se nt enc es ,it includes ma ny p r op e r na mes c once r ning plac es ,pe ople a nd e vents.I t see ms t o have too ma ny things to a tte nd t o.
This p ap er c hose f our of t he c ontesta nts t o a na lyz e.The y a r e c hose n be ca use thei r a ge ,e xp e rie nce ,a nd app r oa c hes to te ac hing re a di ng we r e f air ly rep r ese nta tive .F or p rivac y an d p olite ness ,t he y a r e a nonym ous.They a r e re f e r re d t o a s Te ac he r L ,Tea c her F ,Tea c he r W a nd Te ac he r Z i n t his pap e r.Teacher L
Te ac he r L has bee n te a ching English f or a lm ost 9ye ar s i n a t op senior high sc ho ol in J ilin City.S he sp ea ks Englis h quic kly an d briskl y wit h good p r onunciati on.S he is se rious i n spe ec h a nd ma nne r.S he belie ves he r r esp onsibilit y is to p ass on he r knowl edge of Englis h to he r st udents ,e quip t he m with ef f e ctive le a r ni ng st ra te gies a n d re gula te t heir be ha vior.
Teacher F
T e ac he r F is wa r m a nd since re ;always gr eeting pe ople wit h a ge nial s mile.S he has 6ye ars πteac hing e xperie nc e.She was pop ular wit h c hildr en when she was young.She f ound he r enthusiasm a nd talent of de aling wit h t eenagers when pr acticing teac hing English in one of t he ke y high sc hools in Cha ngc hun.Af ter gr aduating f r om a well 2known nor mal university ,she c ho se t o wor k f or that school ,because of t he wor ki ng at mosp here ,good prospects ,a nd most importa nt of all ,t he i ntellige nt a nd diligent st udents t he re.
Teacher W
Te ac he r W is t he youngest a mong t he f our subj ects.S he be ga n he r te ac hi ng c ar e er one ye a r a nd a half ago.She is a dyna mic ,e ner getic a nd e nt husia stic t ea c he r w ho expe cts as muc h f ro m h er st udents as she gives in pr ep a ra tion a nd pr ese nta tion.I n class ,she spe a ks Englis h al most e nti rel y a nd us es a wide va rie ty of a ctivities t o get mor e stude nts involve d.She spe nds seve ra l hours e ac h da y pla nning her lessons.
S he st ruggle d t o de velop te ac hing skills i n he r f irst ye ar of t ea c hi ng a nd dea lt wit h pr oble ms c om m on y f f I CEL EA J our na l π85
t o beginning te ac he rs.H e r pr ima r or ie nt ati on has s hi t ed r om discip li ne to motivati ng st udents a nd r esp on di ng t o t hei r ne e ds.n a dditio n she has lea r ne d to devel op de ta ile d a nd r ea listic less ons pla ns w hile
be co mi ng consiste nt wit h her te ac hing style.Alth ough s he is c onf used a bout t he mis ma tc h bet wee n he r vision of te a ching a nd a ctual cla ssr oom t ea c hi ng ,s he is a tta c hed t o te ac hing as a pr of ession a nd e njoys studyin g a nd usi ng English.
Teacher Z
Te ac he r Z has be e n te ac hing hi gh sc hool Englis h f or f our te e n ye a rs i n a sm all city.Her ap pr oac h t o t ea c hing Englis h is t ra ditional an d gra m ma r 2base d.She belie ves i n a tea c her 2c e nte re d classr oom i n or de r t o ma inta in ef f e ctive cont r ol of he r c lasses.Her i nstr ucti onal pla ns a r e gra mm a r 2orie nte d ,f or she f e els t hat kn owing a la ngua ge me a ns unde rst a ndi ng the rules a nd C hi nese e qui val ents of ta r ge t la nguage voca bula r y.B elie ving t hat t his ap pr oac h is ef f e ctive ,s he has not c ha nge d ma ny asp ects of her t ea c hi ng si nce s he be ga n he r ca r ee r.
3.1.3Research met hods
The aut hor first pa rticipate d in t he teac hing contest as one of the obse rve rs.While obser ving ,she r esponde d to e ach stat eme nt on the obse rvation workshe et (se e Appe ndix 2),which assesse d t he c onte nt orga niz ation ,pr ese nta ti on ,teac her 2stude nt inter action ,instr uctional mate rials a nd e nvironme nt.A digital ca mer a ,placed at the ba ck of t he room ,rec or de d the public tea chi ng f or f ur ther st udy.One of t he gre atest a dvantages of rec or ding a lesson is t hat it all ows choice of f ocus.In addition ,the r ecordi ng c an be replayed a nd e xa mi ne d many ti mes a nd c an capture ma ny details of a lesson t ha t ca n not easily be obse rve d by other mea ns ,such as the a ctual la ngua ge u se d by the tea chers a nd t he stude nts dur ing a lesson.
L a te r ,t he a ut hor has vie we d t hese re cor dings ma ny ti mes in or de r t o f ind out how t hese t ea c hers inte r ac te d with t hei r stude nts a nd w ha t act ivities we r e i nc orp or at ed t o pr om ote st ude nt 2te xt a nd st ude nt 2stude nt inte r ac tion.
Af t e r t he co nt est ,t he aut hor cont act e d wit h the f our t ea c he rs a nd as ked f or inte r vie ws.As two of t he m live d outside C ha ngc hun ,t heir inte r vie ws w er e c onduct ed on li ne.The othe r tw o loc al t ea c hers we r e int er vie we d f a ce 2t o 2f a ce.The int er vi ew was c onducte d in a se mi 2st r uc tur e d w ay.Ea c h i nte rview laste d f r om thir ty minutes t o f ort y minutes.
3.1.4Research ques tions
1)
How do high sc hool English t ea c he rs inte r act with the ir stude nts whe n t ea c hi ng re a di ng ?2)
Do high sch ool stude nts ha ve a n opp ort unit y t o inte r ac t wit h thei r p ee rs i n r ea di ng classes ?3)
Wha t opti ons do high sc hool te ac he rs h ave t o pr om ote st ude nt 2te xt inte r act ion ?4)
Wha t dif fic ulties ar e high sc hool te ac he rs likely t o e nc ounte r wit h t he i nte ra cti ve ap pr oac h ?5)How do high sc hool te ac he rs inc orpo ra te r esponse 2orie nte d m odel ,pr oble m 2sol ving model a nd
signp ost questi on m odel int o re a di ng cla ss ?
3.2Res ul ts and analysis
Te ac hi ng is a ve ry p ers onal a cti vity ,a nd it is not sur prising t hat i ndividual t ea c her s bri ng to t he t ea c hing of t he sa me t ext ver y dif f e re nt t ec hniques ,p roc edur es a nd assump tions a bout wha t c onstit utes ef f e ctive te ac hing.This ca n be see n by c ompa ri ng the ta ble i n Appe ndix 3.
3.2.1Analyzi ng t eacher 2st udent interaction
This se ction will a na lyz e t he inte r a ction betwe e n t he f our te ac he rs a nd thei r st ude nts in t e r ms of a ction z one ,grouping a r ra nge me nts a nd seve n ca te gories f or desc ribing ve rba l e xc ha nges.
Action zone
Alt hough te a che rs ge ne ra ll y t r y t o t re a t st ude nts f a irl y a nd give e ve r y stude nt i n the class a n e qual opp ort unit y t o p ar ticipa te i n t he lesson ,it is of te n ha r d to a void i nte ra cti ng wit h som e st udents m or e t han ot her s.This c re at es what is r ef e rr e d t o as t he t ea c her πs a ction z one (Ric ha rds &Loc kha r t 1996:139).Those st ude nts who a re l oc at ed wit hin t he te ac he r πs ac ti on z one a r e li kely to p a rticipa te m ore act ive ly in a f z T f πz y f A S tudy on t he Int e r a c ti ve App r oa c h t o t he Te a c hi ng of Engli sh R e a ding in...　Xi e Bin &Wei L ixing less on t ha n stude nts w ho all outside t he ac tion one.
he our te ac he rs ac tion ones w er e r ec orde d b m ar king on a se ati ng pla n t he numbe r o ti mes t he
t ea c he r a ddresse d the i ndividual stude nts.The aut hor ma r ks i nt er a cti on p at te r ns with a li ne e ac h ti me an inte r ac tion oc curs.The lines a cr oss th e a rr ows in dic at e t he num ber of int er a ctions t ha t occ ur re d i n t he less on (Richa r ds &L oc kha r t 1996:140).Ac cor ding to Ada ms &Bi ddle (1970),i n ma ny classr ooms ,t his z one i ncludes t he middl e f r ont r ow sea ts an d sea ts up t he mi ddle a isle.This is not only a n ef f e ctive wa y t o c ollec t usef ul i nf or ma tion on t his issue but also helps r e veal t hi ngs tha t t he te ac he rs the msel ves we re of t en una wa re of.
Durin g Te ac he r L πs less on ,she a ddresse d f our te e n of t he t hirt y 2two individuals eighte e n tim es.Figur e 1s hows she p r ef e rs t o i nte ra ct with stude nts in t he middle a isles.
Te a ch er L ┼
┼
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┼!┼┼Figure 1.Te ac he r L πs int e ra ctio n wit h stude nts during a l esson
As f or Te ac he r F ,she a dd resse d twe nt y 2one of t he twe nt y 2e ight i ndi viduals t we nt y 2se ve n tim es.Figur e 2r e ve als t ha t s he ove rlooks t he stude nts sitting i n t he bac k r ows.S he h as a n a ction z one loca te d in t he c e nte r of the classr oom.
Tea c her F
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Fi gure 2.Te ac he r F πs inte r a ction wit h st udents dur ing a lesson
Te ac he r L πs a nd F πs a ction zones conf or m to the pa tt er n descr ibe d by Ada ms a nd Biddle.While t ea c he r W l oo ke d mor e of t en t o t he right ha nd si de of t he class th an to t he lef t.As f or Te ac he r Z ,she p rop osed m ost quest ions to the stude nts ,eliciti ng twe nty 2tw o of t he t hir ty 2two i ndividuals t hirt y 2nine ti mes.She ca lled o n girls mor e of t en t ha n boys.If a ctive pa rticip atio n is imp ort a nt in le ar ning ,t hen t hose st udents not wit hi n the te ac he r πs a ction z one a re a t a disa dva nta ge.
Groupi ng arrangements
While t he te ac he rs ma y ha ve indivi dual p r ef e r enc es f or t he ac tion z ones ,the inte r ac tional dyna mi cs of a classr oom a re l ar gely a pr oduct of c hoic es the y ma ke a bout the l ea r ning a r r a nge m e nts t he y set up wit hi n a less on.The most f r eque ntly a dopt e d a rr a nge me nts i nclude w hole 2class t ea ching ,individual wor k ,pa ir wor k a nd gr oup wor k (Ric ha rds &L ock har t 1996:1462147).
The ta ble below illust r at es how muc h tim e e ac h te ac he r spe nt on dif f e r ent gr ouping a rr a ngem e nts in t he f our r e cor de d classes.
Ta ble 1.Ti me alloca tion
Whole 2class te ac hing
(mi ns)
I ndivi dual wor k (mins)Pai r wor k (mins)Gr oup wor k (mi ns)Total time (mins)Te ac he r L
2780540Te ac he r F
2480840T W
T Z CEL EA J our na l π85
ea c he r 2277440e ac he r 2910
0140
This ta ble cl ea rly suggests t ha t w hole 2class t ea c hi ng took up t he most time i n all t he f our t ea c he rs πclasses.The m ost pr o mi ne nt a dva nta ge of suc h instr uction is t o e na ble t he te ac he r t o t ea c h la r ge num bers of stude nts at t he sa me tim e.I n China ,classes of up t o f if ty or si xt y stude nts a r e not uncom m on ,ne cessit at ing t he use of m a ny whol e 2class a ctivi ti es.Suc h i nst ructi on ca n ser ve a s a p r epa r ati on f or subse que nt ac tivities w hic h ca n be c omple te d in divi dua lly or in gr oups.Howe ver ,wit hin wh ole 2class t ea c hing a ctivities ,te ac he rs t en d to inte r ac t wit h only a li mite d nu mbe r of stude nts ,as is se e n f r om t he t ea c he rs πac tion zones.B esides ,t his p at te r n is obviously te ac he r 2ce nte r ed.Alth ough t he re a re so me e xc ha nges bet we en t he te ac he r a nd t he stude nts ,t he f or me r is the only init iat or ,with t he lat te r t o r esp on d ac cor dingly.The n t he t ea c he r is expec te d to p r ovide the f e edba ck or the “cor r ec t ”a nswers.
I ndividual wor k ,r a nking the s ec ond in f r eque ncy ,i ncludes s uc h a ctivi ti es as r e a ding t he te xt ,c omple ting wor ks hee ts a nd a nswe ring questions.I t c a n p rovide th e stude nts wit h t he opp or tunities t o p rogr ess at the ir ow n spe e d a nd in t heir own wa y.M ea nw hile ,it gives t he m t he opp ort unities t o p r actic e a nd a pply skills the y ha ve le a r ned.Furt he r mo re ,it e na bles t he t ea c her to ass ess st ude nt p r ogr ess.But on t he othe r ha nd ,it p r ovides litt le oppor tunities f or int er a ction b ot h wit h t he te ac he r a nd wit h ot he r stude nts.
Gr oup wor k a ctivities is a not he r cite d st ra te gy f or c ha ngi ng t he inte r ac tional dyna mics of la nguage classr oom.It ca n r e duc e t he domi na nc e of t he te ac he r over t he c lass a nd i ncr e ase t he a mount of st ude nt pa r ticipa tion.
Ta ble 2shows how t he t ea c he rs m ade use of gr oup wor k.
Ta ble p a ring dif f e r e nt gr oup wor k
Tasks f or gr oup wor k
Gr oup siz e P urp ose Te a che r L
Mi nd 2m ap dr awing 4Post 2r e a ding a ctivit y Tea c her F
R ole pla y 6Post 2r e a ding a ctivit y Te ac he r W
R ole pla y 5Post 2r e a ding a ctivit y Te ac he r Z Nu mbe ring t he
disor de re d sent e nc es Not me ntione d Post 2r e a ding a ctivit y
Fir st ,dr awin g a p ost r ea ding ma p ca n help stude nts r ef lec t t he ac tual associ atio ns a nd inf or m ati on f ound in t he te xt.It allows t he stude nts t o de m onst r at e t heir under sta nding of t he r ela tionships a m ong idea s within a t ext.B ut th e wa y to p rese nt a hie r ar c hy of ide as i n di agr a m f or m at is i ndi vidually unique.Alt houg h it is ac cep ta bl e f or st ude nts to wor k in gr oups of f our ,it is m or e ef f e ctive t o le t t he m w or k indivi dua lly f irst ,a nd t he n wor k c olla bora tively t o sha r e t heir dr awings lat e r.S ec ond ,r ole pla y is a mor e suita ble p ost 2re a di ng ac ti vity.L ongma n Dictiona ry of L a ngua ge Te aching a nd Applied Li nguistics (2000)def i nes r ole pla y as a dra ma 2like ac tivit y in w hic h st udents t ake t he r oles of dif f e re nt pa r ticipa nts i n a sit ua tion a nd ac t out w hat might typica ll y happ e n in tha t situa tion.I t ca n be i nte resti ng a nd me a ni ngf ul f or st ude nts t o t ake r oles of dif f e r e nt hist oric al f igures.In t his gr oup wor k a ctivity ,t ea c her F wor ke d mor e as a f a cilit at or a nd c onsult a nt ,f or she off e re d scaf f olding to he r st ude nts wit h suggeste d questions a nd key c ont e nt of p ossible answe r.B esi des ,she wal ke d ar ound t he class ro om t o ma ke sur e t he stude nts we r e on t he r ight tr ac k.As f or t ea c he r L ,she f or esa w t ha t he r ne w stude nts might be unf a milia r wit h t he c oncep t of mind map.The r ef or e ,s he pr ovide d t he m wit h a de qua te sup por t bef or e set ting the m o n t he t ask of dr a wi ng a mi nd ma p.C onse quently ,it p r oves t ha t whe n t he st ude nts wor k in gr oups ,the te ac he r is not f r ee .The re is muc h he /sh e ne e ds t o p r ep ar e ,ma nipulat e ,sup er vise a nd ass ess.
The r e is no ge nui ne pair wor k in the f our cl asses.Pai r wor k r ef e rs t o (i n la ngua ge te ac hing)a le ar ning a ctivi ty w hic h involves le a r ne rs wor king toget he r in p airs.It ca n p rom ote bet te r i nte ra cti on.B ot h stude nts nee d to ha ve dif f e r ent inf or m atio n t hat t he y a r e r equi re d to sha r e in or der to solve a p roble m ,or c omple te a task (Ric ha r ds &Loc kha r t 1996:15).I n Te a che r W πs wa r m 2up se cti on ,s he di d invi te p airs of st udents t o pla y t he guessing ga me.Howe ve r ,only t he two elicit ed pai rs p e rf or m e d t he t ask ,while t he r est we r e on 2looker s.
S f x R f y f y
A S tudy on t he Int e r a c ti ve App r oa c h t o t he Te a c hi ng of Engli sh R e a ding in...　Xi e Bin &Wei L ixing even categories or describing verbal e changes
esea r c her s o class r oom int er a ction ha ve de velop e d obse r va tional s ste m t o desc ribe a nd c lassi
pa tt er ns of stude nt 2te a che r inte r ac tion in te ac he r 2le d w hole 2class a ctivi ti es.A we ll known obse r vati on sche m e de vel op ed obse r ving st ude nt 2t ea c he r i nte ra c ti on in m ain st r ea m classes use d se ve n ca te gories f or desc ribing ve rba l e xc ha nges (B r own 1975:67;Ric ha rds &L ock ha rt 1996:1472151).
TL Tea c her lec tur es 2desc ribes ,e xpl ains ,na r ra tes ,dir e cts.
TQ Tea c her questions a bout cont e nt or pr oce dur e ,w hic h pupils a r e i nte nded t o a nswe r.
T R Tea c her r esp on ds 2a cc epts f eelings of t he class ;descri bes past f e elings a nd f ut ur e f eelings i n a
non 2t hr ea te ning wa y.P ra ises ,e nc oura ges ,jokes wit h pupils.Ac ce pts or use pupils πide as.B uilds upon p upil r esp es mild c riticis m such as “no ,not quit e ”.
P R Pupil resp ond dir ectl y an d p r edict a bly to t ea c her questions a nd dir ec tions.
P V Pupil volunte er inf or m atio n ,c om me nts ,or questions.
S Sile nc e 2pa uses ,sh ort p e riod of sile nce.
X Unclassif ia ble .Co nf usi on in which c om munica tions c an not be unde rstood.U nusual ac tivities
suc h as r ep ri ma nding or c riticizing pup ils.De monstr a ting wit hout a c comp a nyi ng te ac he r or pupil t alk.Sh or t spa tes of bla c kboa r d wor k wit hout a cc ompa nying te ac he r or p upil t alk.
Figur e 3is lesson se gme nts c ode d a t one 2mi nut e inte r va ls in t he Te ac he r L πs cla sses.(Se e App en dix 4f or ot her te a ch ers πlesson se gme nts )
TL
////////////////TQ
///////TR /PR
////////P V
////////
S
/////X ///////////////Fi gur e 3.L esson seg me nts of t ea c he r L πs class
The s egm ent r eve als h ow the t ea c hers question ;r e ceive no a nswe r a nd rus hes in wit h TLs.He r stude nts ma y be ma nipul ati ng her be ha vior.The y ke ep qui et a n d she a nswe rs he r own questions.This pa tt er n re inf orc es t heir sile nce ke epi ng.Howe ver ,t he susta ine d TRs usually b ring f or t h PVs as well as PRs whic h the te ac he r ca n t he n build on.
3.2.2Analyzi ng s tudent 2st udent interaction
It is obvious t hat the st udents in t he f our classes ha ve little expe rie nce in e xe r cising imit atio n a nd pa r ticipa ting im agina tively in task 2orie nte d p urp osef ul lea r ning or c oope r ati ve le a r ni ng ,t hough the y study in one of t he key high sc hools in Cha ngc hun.In cla ss ,s ome of t he m wit hdr aw ,hesita te a nd ac t with c aution.
As f or m ost of C hi nes e EFL stude nts ,t hey va lue th e i nte ra cti on wit h t he t ea c her ,who has l ong be en r e ga r de d as t he a uth ority of t ea c hi ng a nd le ar ning.They seldo m wor k ei the r in pai rs or in gr oups.O nc e t he y do have t he c ha nce t o w or k coll abor a tively ,the y p r ef e r to us e t heir mot her t ongue to c omple te t he t ask or let s ome top stude nts domi nate in t he spe a ki ng.
3.2.3Analyzi ng s tudent 2text interacti on
Durin g t he r ea ding p r ocess the r e is a dyna mic re lati onship bet we e n r ea de r a nd te xt.Te xt itself does n ot enc omp ass m ea nings ,but is e ndowed wit h the abilit y to expr ess me anings (Al ders on &U r quhar t 1984).This kind of a bilit y c a n be r e alize d only t hr ough t he i nte r acti on bet wee n te xt a nd r ea de r.The r e a ding p r oc ess is not si mp ly a m at te r of e xt ra cti ng inf or m ati on f r om the te xt.R at he r ,it is one in which t he r ea ding a ctiva tes a r a nge of kn owle dge in t he r ea de rs πm ind t ha t he or she uses ,a nd th at ,in t ur n ,ma y be re fi ned a n d exte nde d by t he ne w i nf or ma tion supply by t he t ext.R e ading is thus viewe d as a ki nd of dial ogue be twe e n t he r ea de r a nd t he te xt (Gr a be 1997:3752406).Only whe n the st ude nts a re equipp e d wit h ade quat e re a ding skills ca n t he y ha ve a c hanc e to pe rf or m a m ea ningf ul an d ef f ec tive dia logue with x CEL EA J our na l π85
t he t e t.。