英语教学法重点

Unit 1 Language and Learning1.1 How do we learn language？We learn language at different agesPeople have different experiencesPeople learn languages for different reasonsPeople learn languages in different waysPeople have different capabilities in language learningLearning can be affected by the way how language is taughtLearning is affected by the degree of success one is expect to achieve.Thus the challenge confronting language teaching is how teaching methodology can ensure successful learning by all the learners who have more differences than the commonality.1. 2 What are the major views of language?1) Structural view:Language is a linguistic system made up of various subsystems: phonology, morphology, lexicology and syntacx. To learn a language is to learn its vocabulary and structural rules.2) Functional view:Language is a linguistic system as well as a means for doing things. Learners learn a language in order to be able to do things with it (use it). To perform functions, learners need to know how to combine the grammatical rules and the vocabulary to express notions that perform the functions.3) Interactional view:Language is a communicative tool to build up and maintain social relations between people. Learners need to know the rules of a language and where, when and how it is appropriate to use them.1.3Views on Language LearningTwo broad learning theories：Process-oriented theories are concerned with how the mind organizes new information.Condition-oriented theories emphasize the nature of human and physical context. Behaviorist theory⏹ B. F. Skinner⏹ A stimulus-response theory of psychology⏹Audio-lingual method⏹The idea of this method is that language is learned by constant repetition and the reinforcement of the teacher. Mistakes were immediately corrected, and correct utterances were immediately praised.B.Cognitive theory⏹Influenced by Noam Chomsky (revival of structural linguistics)⏹Language as an intricate rule-based system⏹ A learner acquires language competence which enables him to produce language.⏹One influential idea of cognitive approach to language teaching is that students should be allowed to create their own sentence based on their own understanding of certain rules.C.Constructivist theory⏹Jean Piaget (1896—1980)⏹The learner constructs meaning based on his/her own experiences and what is already known.D.Socio-constructivist theory⏹Vygotsky⏹“Zone of Proximal Development”(ZPD); scaffolding(脚手架)⏹Learning is best achieved through the dynamic interaction between the teacher and the learner and between learners.1.4 What are the qualities of a good language teacher?A good language teacher does not solely depend on his/her command of the language. There are a variety of element that contributes to the qualities of a good language teacher. These element can be categorized into three groups:ethic devotion, professional quality and personal styles.1.5 How can one become a good language teacher?☐Wallace’s (1991) ‘reflective model’(Figure 1.1, p.9)Stage 1: language developmentStage 2: learning, practice, reflection❖The learning stage is the purposeful preparation that a language normally receives before the practice,This preparation can include:1. Learning from others’experience2. Learning the received knowledge3. Learning from one’s own experiences❖The practice stage (2 senses)Pseudo practice: short period of time assigned to do teaching practice as part of one’s pre-service education, usually under the supervision of instructorsThe real classroom teaching:what a teacher undertakes after he/she finishes formal education❖Teachers benefit from practice if they keep on reflecting on what they have been doingGoal: professional competenceUnit 2 Communicative Principles and Task-based language teaching2.1 How is language learned in classrooms different from language used in real life?2.2 What is communicative competence?To bridge the gap between classroom language teaching and real-life language use, one solution is to adopt CLT, the goal of which is to develop students’communicative competence.2.2.1 Definition:Communicative competence include both the knowledge about the language and the knowledge about how to use the language appropriately in communicative situations2.2.2 Five components of communicative competence (Hedge 2000)◆Linguistic competence （语言能力）The knowledge of language itself, its form and meaning.◆Pragmatic competence （语用能力）The appropriate use of language in social context.◆Discourse competence （语篇能力）One’s ability to create coherent written text or conversation and the ability to understand them◆Strategic competence （策略能力）Strategies one employs when there is communication breakdown due to lackof resources.◆Fluency （流利性）One ‘s ability to ‘link units of speech together with facility and without strain or inappropriate slowness or undue（过分的，不适当的）hesitation’2.3Implications for teaching and learningTeaching must enable learners to grasp the five components of communicative competence, but not just the linguistic competence.2.4 Principles of CLTThree principles suggest by Richard and Rodgers：1 Communication principle：involve real communication2 Task principle：Carry out meaningful tasks3 Meaningfulness principle：Meaningful language to the learnerHowatt proposes a weak and a strong version of CLT:Weak versionLearners first acquire language as a structural system and then learn how to use it in communication.Strong version“language is acquired through communication”(Howatt, 1984:279)2.5 Major Activity Types of CLTA sequence of activities represented in Littlewood (1981: 86)Pre-communicative activities✓Structural activities✓Quasi-communicative activities类似,准,半Communicative activities (PP22-23)▪Functional communication activities▪Social interaction activities2.6 Six Criteria for evaluating communicative classroom activities(main features of communicative activities?)●Communicative purpose●Communicative desire●Content, not form●Variety of language●No teacher intervention●No materials control2.7 What is Task-based Language Teaching?TBLT is a further development of CLT. It shares the same belief in the use of language in real life, but stresses the importance to combine form-focused teaching with communication-focused teaching.2.7.1Four components of a task1. A purpose2. A context3. A process4. A product2.7.2 Exercises, exercise-tasks and tasksExercise-tasks is halfway between tasks and exercises. This kind of activity consists of contextualized practice of language item.2.8 Differences between PPP and TBLT1 The way students use and experience language in TBLT is radically different from PPP.*Free of language control*A genuine need to use language to communicate*A free exchange of ideas*Appropriateness & accuracy of language form in general, not production of a single form*A genuine need for accuracy and fluency2. TBL can provide a context for grammar teaching and form-focused activities. PPP isdifferent in this aspect.■ A task-established context⏹Encouraged to think, analyze, not simply to repeat, manipulate and apply⏹ A more varied exposure to natural language⏹Language forms not pre-selected for focus⏹Learner-free selection of language⏹TBL cycle lead from Fluency to accuracy (+fluency)⏹In TBL Integrated skills practiced2.9 How to design tasks?Step 1 Think about students’needs, interests, and abilitiesStep 2 Brainstorm possible tasksStep 3 Evaluate the listStep 4 Choose the language itemsStep 5 Preparing materials2.10 CLT and TBLT in the Chinese context☐Problems with CLT1. The very first and forceful argument is whether it is culturally appropriate2. The second problem of CLT relate to the design the syllabus for teaching purpose in the classroom.3. The third problem is that whether such an approach is suitable for all age level of learners or all competence level of learners.⏹Constraints of TBLT⏹The first is it may not be effective for presenting new language items⏹The second constraint is Time as teachers have to prepare task-based activities very carefully.⏹The third is the culture of learning⏹The forth is Level of difficultyUnit 33.1 A brief history of foreign language teaching in China❖ A phase of restoration (1978-1985)❖ A phase of rapid development (1986-1992)❖ A phase of reform (1993-2000)❖ A phase of innovation from 20003.2 Designing principles for the National English Curriculum1) Aim for educating all students, and emphasize quality-oriented education.2) Promote learner-centeredness, and respect individual differences.3) Develop competence-based objectives, and allow flexibility and adaptability.4) Pay close attention to the learning process, and advocate experiential learning and participation.5) Attach particular importance to formative assessment, and give special attention to the development of competence.6) Optimize learning resources, and maximize opportunities for learning and using the language.3.3 Goals and objectives of English language teachingThe new curriculum is designed to promote students’overall language ability, which is composed of five interrelated components, namely, language skills, language knowledge, affects, learning strategies and cultural understanding. Each component is further divided into a few sub-categories. Language teaching is no longer aimed only for developing language skills and knowledge, but expanded to developing learners’positive attitude, motivation, confidence as well as strategies for life-long learning along with cross-cultural knowledge, awareness and capabilities.The overall language ability required in the 2001 National English Curriculum includes the following aspects language knowledge, language skills, learning strategies, affects and cultural understanding.3.4 Design of the National English Curriculum3.5 The standards for different levels of competence3.6 Challenges facing English language teachers1) English language teachers are expected to change their views about language which is not a system of linguistic knowledge but a means for communication. 2) English language teachers are expected to change their traditional role of a knowledge transmitter to a multi-role educator.3) English language teachers are expected to use more task-based activities and put the students at the center of learning.4) English language teachers are expected to use more formative assessment in addition to using tests.5)English language teachers are expected to use modern technology in teaching, creating more effective resources for learning and for using the language.Unit 4. Lesson Planning备课4.1 why is Lesson Planning ImportantA lesson plan is a framework of a lesson in which teachers make advance decisions about what they hope to achieve and how they would like to achieve it. Proper lesson plan is essential for both novice and experienced teachers. Language teachers benefit from lesson planning in a number of ways.1.Makes teachers aware of the aims and language contents of the lesson, soas to plan the activities and choose the techniques accordingly;2.Helps teachers distinguish the various stages of a lesson and see therelationship between them so that the activities of different difficulty levels can be arranged properly and the lesson can move smoothly from one stage to another;3.Gives teachers the opportunity to anticipate potential problems so thatthey can be prepared;4.Gives teachers, esp. novice ones, confidence in class;5.Raises teachers’awareness of the teaching aids needed;6.Planning is a good practice and a sign of professionalism.Teachers benefit from proper lesson plans in a number of other ways: ☐To enable the teacher to improve class timing;☐Lesson plans are also an aid to continuing development(plan←-→practice ←-→reflection)4.2 Principles for Good Lesson Planning1.Aim: the realistic goals for the lesson; what students are able to do by theend of the lesson;2.Variety: different types of activities; a wide selection of materials;3.Flexibility: preparing some extra and alternative tasks and activities4.Learnability: the contents and tasks planned should be within the learningcapability of the studentsDoing things that are beyond or below the students’coping ability will diminish their motivation (Schumann, 1999)5.Linkage:the stages and the steps within each stage are linked with oneanother.4.3 what are macro planning and micro planning?Macro planningPlanning over a long period of time which is often done by a group of teachers, it provides a general guidance for language teachersMicro planningPlanning for a specific unit or a lesson, which usually lasts from one to two weeks or forty to fifty minutes respectively. Micro planning is often an individual activity and different teachers may have different ways of writing their own lesson plans.❑Macro planning involves the following：Knowing about the professionKnowing about the institutionKnowing about the learnersKnowing about the curriculum/syllabusKnowing about the textbookKnowing about the objectivesA lesson plan usually has the following components:➢Background information➢Teaching aims➢Teaching content and skills➢Stages and procedures➢Teaching aids➢End of lesson summary➢Optional activities and Assignment➢After lesson reflectionUnit 5 Classroom Management5.1 What is classroom management?the way teachers organize what goes on in the classroom. (68)the goal of classroom management is to create an atmosphere conducive to (有助于)interacting in English in meaningful ways (Gebhard, 1996).Efficient classroom management can be achieved when the following six conditions are met.1.The teacher plays appropriate roles.2.The teacher provides clearer instructions.3.Students are grouped in a way suitable for the learning activities.4.There is discipline as well as harmony in the class.5.The teacher asks appropriate questions.6.The students’errors are treated properly5.2 What roles does the teacher play?1.Controller (what to learn; how to learn)2.Assessor (correcting mistakes; organizing feedback)aniser (students’activities)4.Prompter (when ss don’t know what to do…)5.Participant (in ss’activities)6.Resource-provider☐New roles:☐⏹Create a positive learning environment, use various strategies to motivate learners, guide students in planning and assessing their learning and develop their learning strategies…☐⏹Activate students’prior knowledge; find individual interests and explore potential capabilities; acknowledge and respect individual differences; give each equal opportunity in learning; evaluate students’development fairly from an all-round perspective…☐⏹Observe a problem, reflect on the reasons, think about possible solutions, implement the solutions and evaluate the results…Q: How much control is needed?⏹Appropriate degree of control⏹Different activities need a different degrees of control.⏹The more communicative an activity, the less control it needs.Q: What does the teacher do as an assessor?1.Correcting mistakes⏹The correcting should be gentle, not harsh.anizing feedback⏹The feedback should be focused on students’success or progress so that a success-oriented learning atmosphere can be created.Q: How to organise?⏹Before the activity: what the activity is going to be like, anticipated problems; clear instructions given to students (with T’s demonstration)⏹During the activity: overhear what the students are saying, rectify wrong practices; take notes for later feedbackQ: When to prompt?⏹When students are not sure how to start an activity, or what to do next, or what to say next…⏹When a student doesn’t seem to be ready for an answer,…⏹When a student finishes with a very short answer,…Q: why to participate in student’s activities?⏹Monitoring + participating changes the role from an authority to a conversationalist, a good chance for students to practise English with a superior…Q: What do you think of the jug-and-mug metaphor?Although the jug-and-mug method has been widely criticised, the teacher is still considered a good and convenient resource for the students.”5.3 How to give effective classroom instructions?Classroom instructions refer to the type of language teachers use to organize or guide learning.1.To use simple instructions and make them suit the comprehension level of the students;2.To use the mother-tongue only when it is necessary;3.Give students time to get used to listening to English instructions;e body language to assist understanding;5.Model the task/activity before letting students into groups or pairs…6.Teachers are not expected to do all the talking in class.Tip: Demonstration is usually more effective than words.5.4 What are the different ways for student grouping?⏹Whole class work, pair work, group work, individual study1.Whole class work☐All the students are under the control of the teacher, doing the same activity at the same rhythm and pace.2.Pair work☐Students work in pairs on an exercise or task.3.Group work☐Students work in small groups of 3-5 students.4.Individual study☐Students work on their own at their own speed.Q: How to group? (Grouping methods)1.Whole class work is normally used when presenting and explaining new language or new information and it should be used wisely by the teachers.2.Successful group/pair work depends on skillful organization.3.The biggest problem for group work is the selection of group members.4.While teachers are encourage to use pair wok and group work to provide more practice chance, individual study should not be forgotten.Types of student grouping and their advantages and disadvantages in P314 (task4)5.5 Discipline in the language classroomQ: What does discipline mean?Discipline refers to a code of conduct which binds a teacher and a group of students together so that learning can be more effective. (78)Q: Does discipline guarantee effective learning?☐No. There might be little learning even the class is very disciplined.☐Although discipline is necessary, it is not a sufficient condition for effective learning as a thoroughly indisciplined atmosphere will surely yield no learning at all. (79)Q: How to maintain discipline?P.79Although discipline is often discussed together with classroom management, Classroom management skills are not sufficient if discipline is to be achieved，rather，a variety of teacher’s behavior contribute to discipline, such as the teacher’s choice of methodology, their interpersonal relationships with students, their preparation for the lesson. Beside, student’s motivation, which can be enhanced by the teacher action, is extremely important for discipline.When students are engaged in learning, they will be disciplined. (79)☐Ss are clear about learning purpose;☐Ss are able to do the work but find it challenging;☐Ss are emotionally, physically and intellectually involved by the tasks;☐The presentation, variety and structure of the work and activities generate curiosity and interest;☐Ss have opportunities to ask questions and try out ideas;☐Ss can see what they have achieved and how they had made progress;☐Ss get a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment from the work.Q: What causes discipline problems?⏹ A gap in the lesson (e.g. bad planning, equipment fails to work)⏹Unclear instructions⏹Lack of teacher attention⏹The teacher concentrates on lengthy explanations to one individual so that theothers get bored⏹Work is too easy or too challengingQ: What measures can we take for undisciplined acts and badly behaving students?☐Harmer (1983) p.811.Act immediately.2.Stop the class.3.Rearrange the seats.4.Change the activity.5.Talk to students after class.6.Create a code of behavior.⏹Ur’s (1996) advice1.Deal with it quietly.2.Don’t take things personally.3.Don’t use threats.5.6 How to make questioning more effective?☐Questions should be closely linked to the learning objectives in the lesson;☐Questions should be staged so that the level of challenge increases as the lesson proceeds;☐There should be a balance between closed and open, lower-order and higher-order questions;☐Wait time is important to allow students to think through their answers;☐Ss should be provided opportunities to ask their own questions and seek their own answers;☐A secure and relaxed atmosphere of trust is needed and ss’opinions and ideas are valued.5.6.2 What types of questions are there?( Classification of questions)1.Closed and open questions;2.Display and genuine questions;3.Lower-order and high-order questions;4.Bloom’s taxonomy分类系统(Nuttall, 1982)①Knowledge②Comprehension③Application④Analysis⑤Synthesis⑥Evaluation5.7 Dealing with errorsQ: What are errors? How are they different from mistakes?☐A mistake refers to “a performance error that is either a random guess or a ‘slip of tongue’, and it is a failure performance to a known system”(Brown, 2000: 218-219)☐An error has direct relation with the learner’s language competence. Errors do not result from carelessness nor hesitation, but lack of knowledge in the target language.☐A mistake can be self-corrected; an error cannot be.Q: How to deal with errors?☐In dealing with errors and mistakes we need to be clear whether the task oractivity is focusing on accuracy or fluency.Q: When to correct errors?☐Generally, it is best not to interrupt students during fluency work unless communication breaks down.☐Let a trivial mistake pass if most of the language is right.☐For some common mistakes, take a note in mind first and correct after the student’s performance.Q: How to correct errors?☐Different ways and techniques:⏹Direct teacher correction⏹Indirect teacher correction⏹Self-correction⏹Peer correction⏹Whole class correctionQ: Which techniques to use?☐As a general rule, indirect teacher correction is encouraged rather than direct ones to avoid damaging ss’self-esteem and confidence.☐In practice, self-correction is encouraged before teacher correction or peer correction, esp. for mistakes.☐The whole class correction is used for main error types (e.g.The Big Ten)Summary1.Roles of the teacher: controller, assessor, organiser, prompter, participant,resource-provider, facilitator, guide, researcher, etc.2.Classroom instructions: simple; suit the level of students3.Grouping: whole class work, group work, pair work, individual study4.Discipline: to engage ss in learning; how to maintain discipline, how to treatwith undisciplined acts5.Questioning: different classifications; questioning techniques6.Error correction: error and mistake; different ways and techniques forcorrecting errorsUnit 6 Teaching PronunciationCritical Period Hypothesis: a biologically determined period of life when language can be acquired more easily and beyond which time language is increasing difficult to acquire.6.1 The role of pronunciation☐DebateSide A: students do not need to learn pronunciation because pronunciation will take care of itself as the students develop overall language ability.Side B: Failure in pronunciation is a great hindrance to language learning.Views of teaching pronunciation vary☐The Learners who have more exposure to English need less focus on pronunciation than those who only learn English in the class.☐Adult learners need more focus on pronunciation because they are more likely to substitute English sounds with sounds from their native language.☐The teaching of pronunciation should focus on the ss’ability to identify and produce English sounds themselves. (pronunciation vs. phonetics)☐Ss should not be led to focus on reading and writing phonetic transcripts ofwords, esp. for young students.☐Phonetic rules are helpful for ss to develop ability to cope with English pronunciation and they should be introduced at a suitable stage.☐Stress and intonation are important and should be taught from the very beginning.6.2 The goal of teaching pronunciationThe goal of teaching pronunciation is not to teach learners to achieve a perfect imitation of a native accent, but simply to get the learners to pronounce accurately enough to be easily and comfortably comprehensible to other speakers.The realistic goals of teaching pronunciation is as following:☐Consistency: the pronunciation should be smooth and natural;☐Intelligibility: the pronunciation should be understandable to the listeners;☐Communicative efficiency: the pronunciation should help convey the meaning that is intended by the speaker.6.3 What aspects of pronunciation do we need to teach?Pronunciation is an umbrella term covering many aspects, beside sound and phone symbols, such as stress, intonation, and rhythm, of course ,these aspects are not isolated from each other, rather, they are interrelated.Q: How to achieve good pronunciation?☐Practice makes perfect☐Both mechanical practice and meaningful practice are beneficial.6.4 Practising sounds(List some methods of practicing sounds. )Mechanical drilling is boring and demotivating; it is important to combine drilling pronunciation exercises with more meaningful exercises that focus onwhatever aspect of pronunciation is the focus of the lesson.Focus on a soundFocus on a individual sounds especially those sound that are difficult to learn Perception practice☐What is the goal of perception practice?⏹Developing the students’ability to identify and distinguish between different sounds.☐Examples of perception practice:⏹Using minimal pairs(with one sound difference): will/well; ship/sheep;light/night⏹Which order: bear, tear, ear⏹Same or different? [met], [mi:t]⏹Odd one out⏹CompletionProduction practiceThe goal of production practice is developing students’ability to produce sounds.1.Listen and repeat ( practice individual sounds, individual words, groups ofwords, sentences (mechanical imitation)2.Fill in the blanks (in sentences with words which contain certain sounds).3.Make up sentences (using as many from the given words as possible).e meaningful context (to perform meaningful tasks such as role-play).e pictures (to produce meaningful language).e tongue twisters (to practice pronunciation).6.5 Practising stress and intonation☐Two types of stress:⏹word-level stress☐It is very important to stress the proper syllable in multi-syllabic words.☐The best strategy is to emphasize the importance of learning the stress aspart of learning a word.⏹Phrase-level or sentence-level stress☐Each phrase or sentence has one syllable which receives greater or moreprominent stress than the others.☐Some phrases or sentences may have one stressed syllable, while othersmay have 5-6 stressed syllables.6.5.1 Teaching methods of stress⏹The most important thing in practising stress is making the students awareof where to stress the words or phrases.e gestures (e.g. clapping hands; using arm movements)e the voice (raise the voice to indicate stress)e the blackboard (underline the stress parts or write with colored chalks6.5.2 Practicing intonation (How to practise intonation?)⏹Use hand or arm movement to indicate change of intonation.⏹Use rising or falling arrows to mark intonation.⏹Draw lines to mark change of intonation.How can teachers help the students to improve pronunciation?e individual, pair, group and whole class work;e hands and arms to conduct practice.。