Key words: passivity English class teaching stylet
Abstract: Language learning and teaching can be an exciting and refreshing interval in the day for students and teachers. There are so many possible ways of stimulating communicative interaction. However, the teaching condition seems to be far from its point of satisfaction. For example, English teaching is still a tedious, dry-as-dust process. Chinese students are very passive in class. Students lack confidence in learning English. This paper will analyze the reasons why Chinese students are still very passive in English class and will give some advice on how to change this condition as well.
论文摘要：随着科技的进步，中国已经出现了许多互动交际教学的可行性方案。这不论是对于学生的学习还是教师的教学都是一件令人振奋的事情。然而当今的教学状况仍不容乐观，如教学过程的枯燥无味，学生在课堂上仍然处于被动的地位等等。当然这些跟我们的传统教学理念、传统的教学方法等不无关系 。本论文将着重探讨中国中学生在英语课堂上处于被动地位的原因，并提出一些改变该状况的可行性建议。
1. Introduction
China has seen an increasing demand for English in people’s careers and promotions since 1978 and particularly after China’s entrance into WTO. Naturally, there is an impressive commitment to EFL teaching and learning from both teachers and learners. There is no doubt that much progress in English teaching and learning has been made in China in the last two decades. Seeing that, never in the nation’s history had so much money, time, effort, equipment and so on been invested in English language teaching and learning and never has so much international cooperation been involved in projects to train both Chinese EFL professionals and learners (Dzau, 1990, Cortazz&jin, 1996). [1] However, the outcome of the endeavors seems to be far from its point of satisfaction, especially in the field of English teaching and learning in the middle schools. As English course standard has pointed out, in the middle school, English curricula’s general aim is developing independent study and cooperation, forming effective learning strategy, developing student’s ability to apply the language comprehensively on the foundation, emphasizing student’s obtaining English information, handling information, analyzing and solving the problems, especially paying attention to student’s thinking and expressional ability, forming cross-culture social consciousness and basic cross-culture social ability, and further opening students’ vision. However, a lot of problems still exist in English teaching and learning. For instance, students lack confidence in learning English; Students are still very passive in class. Although students achieve high-test scores, they lack creativity and a working knowledge of other fields.
This paper intends to probe into the issue of the passivity of students in class and discuss the reasons why Chinese students are passive in the English class, and will also put forward some suggestions on it.
2. Reasons for Students’ Passivity
2.1 Chinese Tradition of Educational Concept.
The passivity has first of all its root in the Chinese tradition of educational concept, which puts undue stress on the authority of teachers. Students are told from the beginning of their formal education that they should be obedient at school and listen to teachers attentively. Day after day they have got used to be an obedient “listener” and “receiver”, and even when they become grow-ups, they still heavily depend on their teachers.
2.2. Academic Teaching Style
Another main cause is the academic teaching style, which is characterized by teaching techniques of grammatical explanations and translation, and it is also known as the grammar-translation method. Take a secondary-school class for example. In the class the students are being tested on their homework. The teacher has written a series of sentences on the board: The child has ＿(cross/crossed/crossing)the road. The boy was__ (do/did/doing) his homework, and so on. He asks them “What’s child?” “A noun.” “What’s cross?” “A verb.” “What′s crossed ? ”“Past participle.” “So what do we say? ” “The boy has crossed the road.” “Good.”
This teaching method over-emphasizes on language structural analysis and tutoring of language itself, ignoring students′speaking and listening. As a result, Chinese students′grammar is much better than those in English-speaking countries. But their speaking and listening cannot compare with that of many developing countries. KeJun, 81, a senior member of Chinese Academy of Science and a famous expert in physics of materials, describes this teaching method with great vividness. He likens the class teaching process to that of making a roast Peking duck. He said: “We first drove students to the classrooms or labs, and then inculcated many things in them like force-feeding ducks. Finally we tested the students, pressing then into dried salted ducks. As a result, these students lack the ability to apply what they have learned and have difficulty in analyzing and solving problems.
Under the guidance of such a teaching method, the students are prone to suffer from fatigue after listening to teachers′ dull talking, talking…and talking, let alone the students can be active in the class."
2.3 Fear of making mistakes
Some students are reluctant to speak in class for fear of making mistakes and “sounding funny”. It seems that expressing their own ideas in English is an arduous task for them. Even more, quite a number of students think it is embarrassing for them to speak English and feel awkward even in answering simple questions.
2.4 Teaching not standing in students’ position
As we know, the process of teaching on the part of teachers is at the same time the process of learning on the part of students. Teaching without being in students’ shoes is not a successful teaching. The purpose of all the activities designed by teachers is to bring students’ role in class into full play, that is, how much the students have participated in the activity and how much they have done in listening，speaking and reading.
However, what the English teachers do in this aspect is far from satisfaction. Teachers usually design teaching plans according to their own will, not from the students’ when giving classes. Most of them are completely immersed in their own eloquence of talking, neglecting students’ reactions.
2.5 Lacking English talent
2.6 Big class size
Nowadays, big class is still very common in China’s educational world. In the primary schools, secondary schools or even universities, there are often more than 40 to 50 students in a class. In some of the key primary or secondary schools, the number of the students is surprising---more than 60 students a class, which makes it difficult for teachers to carry out the learner-center teaching. Under this circumstance, teachers have to deal with students in groups rather than in inspaniduals. However, language is not learnt by groups, but by inspaniduals.
All these phenomena still prevail in China.
However, a comprehensive learning process includes receiving and storing information, imitation and repetition; thinking and creation. Therefore, a successful learning should at least involve three things: being able to understand something, being able to remember something; being able to use something. Just as pudding is to eat, language learning is to communicate. However, the passivity hinders students from acquiring the ability to use the language.
3.Suggestions to overcome students’ passivity
To overcome the passivity, I think we can take the following measures.
3.1 Rearranging the classroom
The traditional arrangement of desks ensures the teacher’s role of “master” in the class but makes the students passive. Try to arrange the desks in a circle, or semi-circle, or horseback or in pairs when necessary. In this way teachers are easy to access to every student, and give students the feeling that teachers are genuinely interested in them and available for them. However, considering which arrangement should be made, teachers should probably make his or her decision based on the particular condition, such as the class size, the number of students, the type of the lesson they are going to have, and the different level of the students etc.
3.2 Keep record of students’ progress
Teachers can try to keep record of students’ progress, which might bring English teaching to a better result. Try taping your students in a freer speaking activity. At first the students will be self-conscious about being taped, but the more you do it, the less they will notice. The tape can be used to show a before or after progress record. The students will be so glad to discover difference! In the short term, you can use a section of tape script to work on in class. You can show the students what they have said and ask them to analyze it and if they can, improve on it.[2]
3.3 Encourage Students to Overcome the Fear and Open Their mouth—speaking English
Here are some tips for the teacher to help students to overcome their fear, and at the same time build students’ confidence in the class.
3.3.1 Give the students more encouragement.
Teachers can start like this: “A bit difficult, but I’m sure you can do it.” There is ample research evidence to show that the performance of students is at least partly depends on the teacher’s confidence in their ability. After students finish the task, it is still necessary for the teacher to appropriately affirm and praise what they have done.
3.3.2 Remind the students that their goal are to be FLUENCY, NOT ACCURACY.
Their aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly. However, in speaking their aim is fluency.
3.3.3 Introduce an element of fun into classroom practice.
Teachers can use competition, invention or trying to find something out through guessing to make the practice more like a kind of game.
3.4 Maximizing STT (Student Talking Time) and Minimizing TTT (Student Talking Time)
There is too much TTT and not enough STT. A classroom where the teacher′s voice drones on and on and where you hardly ever hear the students say anything is not one that most teachers and students would approve of. But how can we change this situation? here are some suggestions.
3.4.1 Choose a suitable textbook, which can arouse students’ interest.
As we know, interest is the best teacher, and enthusiasm can help students do work efficiently. Therefore, a suitable textbook plays an important role in the learning process. It is found that the quality of textbooks has a direct impact on the enthusiasm of both teachers and students, and it in turn plays an active role in improving the quality of teaching and cultivating students’ language competence. Thus, our teachers are granted a considerable degree of freedom in the choice of textbooks so as to ensure the best cooperation between students and teacher who definitely plays a guiding role in middle school English teaching and learning."
3.4.2 Use the communicative approach.
Although mastery of the structural system is still the basic requirement for using language to express one’s meaning, it is wise for teachers to encourage students to go beyond language structures. Only in this way can students match the content more closely with the actual foreign language.
3.4.3 Teachers′ language should be simple and concise.
As we know, classroom is a main learning channel for Chinese students. Students in a secondary school are often beginners. If teachers give classes with words, which are beyond students’ understanding, they will have to explain what they have said until most of the students can understand. In an only 45-minute class, this is a great loss for the students for it wastes students’ precious time in which they can do more speaking, listening, reading, writing or other activities. Therefore, it is very important for teachers to have a good knowledge of classroom English.
3.5 Question strategies
This semester, I made full use of my spare time to go to several middle schools in Luoyuan to attend English classes, and did a survey about the students’ attitude towards teachers’ questions. The following is the data.
Teachers
Total Number of questions
Nominating
Chorus
Volunteer
Teacher self
T1
10
0
2
7
1
T2
12
3
0
6
3
T3
18
3
2
10
3
T4
20
5
1
10
4
T5
27
8
7
11
1
T6
27
7
6
12
2
Percentage
100%
22.8%
15.8%
49.1%
12.3%
Data analysis:
The data above shows that the number of volunteer answering is the largest. It seems to indicate that the students were very active in the class and they liked to answer questions voluntarily. But in fact, the volunteers were always the same persons who were quick in learning. Most of the students were passive and they did not have opportunities to express themselves, let alone the weak students and the shy students.[4]
Suggestions:
Adopt different means of questioning in different situations
Different means of questioning serve in different situations.
The level of Questions
Means of questioning
The most difficult
Volunteer-answering, Nominating students who are good at English
The average level
Non-volunteer-answering
The easiest
Nominating (week students),
Chorus-answering
3.6 Variety
The saying “A change is as good as a rest” is certainly true in the classroom. Variety of activities for both teachers and students is essential. We should vary:
The content—-a whole lesson on one tense, for example, can be boring; a few minutes′ work on something totally different is needed.
The language skills---oral work for 45 minutes, for example, usually means exhaustion, restlessness and boredom.
The learner activity ---using group or pair work the whole time, for example, can also be dull and therefore ineffective.
The aids---an over-used wall picture, for example, will soon lose its appeal.
The pace---a uniform rate of presentation and practice, whether fast or slow, can induce fatigue.
3.7 Teacher Training
It is obvious that course quality depends much on the teachers’ quality. Foreign language teaching is a professional job which requires a teachers′expert knowledge(e.g. Knowledge of education, psychology, communications, Applied linguistics, etc.), flexible skills (be able to apply skills to meet different needs for different purposes, etc) and responsible attitudes. In the knowledge explosive era, teachers are no longer the resource of knowledge. What they have learned might quickly be out of date. Hence, it is very important for teachers to receive teacher training. Teacher training not only means teachers take part in teacher training program, but also teachers should learn from other experienced teachers as an apprentice, accumulate experience from his own teaching practice, go to foreign countries to learn from native speakers and observe other teachers’ teaching. In order to keep pace with the latest teaching information, teachers should also listen to some programs, such as BBC, VOA, and public education channels etc.
3.8 Teacher’s Voice
Despite advances in technology and current trends in educational theory, the teacher′s voice is likely to remain a major educational resource. It is minimally necessary for teachers to speak loudly and clearly enough to be understood by large numbers of pupils in noisy environments and to produce their voice in a way that avoids physical and psychological stress. Optimally, the teacher′s voice should be as rich and as varied an instrument as an actor′s."
3.9 Plan inspanidual lessons
A well-planned lesson might ensure that the class does not get bored or tired. The lesson plan should emphasize the activities that will bring about learning. This emphasis will keep in check any temptation on the part of the teacher to give a “start turn” with the students as passive spectators. Besides, it is all agreed that a well-prepared student is surely more active than those who are not prepared. To bring the students’ role in class into full play, we should pay more attention to the following points in planning the lessons:
Objectives---often includes what language components to present, what communicative skills to practice, what activities to conduct and what materials and teaching aids to be used.
Schedule---often includes timetable, language content and supplementary activities. All this should be told to the students so that they will have a clear idea of what will take place in the classroom before they actually enter it.
Suggestions for the learners′previewing---often includes a list of reference books, questions for comprehension and topics for discussion.
Necessary preparation for the students′ activities---such as spanision of groups for seminar, arrangement of materials and arrangement of desks, etc.
3.10 Foster Students’ Ability to Study on Their Own
To bring the student’s role in class into full play, we also need students’ effort---developing a good habit of self-study. Outside the classroom, it is very necessary for students to make good preparation for lessons they are going to learn, and review timely what they have learned as well. It is a prerequisite for a successful interactive classroom teaching. But how can the teachers foster students’ ability to learn by themselves. Here are some suggestions.
In the current information age, Internet is playing an ever-increasing role in our daily lives. Internet has made it possible for language learners to be exposed to a wide range of authentic materials of the target language, which is an ideal environment for language learning. If the students have access to computers, they should learn to make full use of it. British Broadcasting Corporation is famous for its English teaching program. Once you click “education” at http://www.bbc.co.uk, vivid and funny pictures will catch your eyes, which are designed particularly for children. There are also other programs for learners in different levels. Other websites such as http://bbc.co.uk/world service, http: //ww.cbs.com/navbar etc. are also helpful for self-study. If students can’t get access to computer, it doesn’t matter. A Walkman or a radio is still ok. Students can buy some classical English tapes, such as Li Yang Crazy English, New oriental English, New Concept English etc. Choose one of the tapes listen attentively and hang on to listen, your English will certainly make great progress. Only when students have improved their English have they the desire to express themselves and be active in the class. Therefore, developing students’ self—study habits is still a key step to bring the student’s role in class into full play.
4. Conclusion
To bring the student’s role in class into full play is a hard-working and time-consuming process. It needs students and teachers to work together to accelerate this process. Neither can students nor teacher achieve this goal alone. Originally, we emphasized teaching while taking little notice of learning, and teachers were supposed to dominate the class. But now, the education world is trying to attach more importance to the student’s learning. Teachers are striving to change their roles into guides, organizers and participants. In the years to come, I believe class teaching will become an interactive activity in which students will play a more important role.
At the end, I would like to say that people have for centuries learned languages from teachers following all sorts of approaches. There is no reason why we should be obliged to adopt just one, and there is every reason why we should use the strengths of several “Either/or” attitudes seldom help; “Both /and” attitudes often do.
References:
[2] 杨阳。《英语教学法——技能与技巧》[M]，高等教育出版社，2005年8月。P48
[3] 冯伟年，朱益平，张倩.《 英语话中国》[M]，西安电子科技大学出版社，2001年1月。
[4] 周红 谈英语阅读课中的提问[J] 解放军外国语学院报,1997年6月。
[5] Jeremy Harmer. How to Teach English Foreign language[M], Teaching and Research Press,2000年8。
[6]马丁.韦德尔，刘润清. 《外语教学与学习 》[M]，高等教育出版社，2003年8月。
[7]王蔷，程晓堂. 《英语教学法教程》，高等教育出版社[M]，2004年1月。
[8] William Littlewood. Communicative language Teaching[M], 外语教学与研究出版社，人民教育出版社，剑桥大学出版社，2000年10月。
[9] 高等学校大学外语教学指导委员会编。《2002年全国大学英语教学研讨会》[M]，上海外语教育出版社，2004年6月。
这部分参考文献的格式请参考开题报告中的格式。
另外：参考文献在文中都没出现。