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Section 1
1. Based on the theories in this unit, what arethe main educational factors that cause teacher L’s wholehearted enthusiasm tomeet with cold indifference from his students?
Key: In the first place, teaching isan interactive activity in which both teachers and students become moredeveloped. Teacher L conducts a completely exam-oriented teaching, which isboring and mundane. He is ignorant of students’ learning needs and there is nointeraction between them. Secondly, in language teaching, the more importantfactor is students’ positive and active approach to learning. Teacher Lobviously doesn’t care about students’ motivation and incentive; he cramslearning materials and exam content in the students, regardless of students’emotional response. Lastly, teaching should be teacher-led butstudents-centered activity. Here teacher L takes teaching as teacher-led andexam-centered. He is putting the cart before the horse. Only by focusing onstudents’ learning needs and motivation can they perform well in exams andachieve learning goals.
2. In your opinion, whatkind of classroom teaching activity conforms to the essence of education?
Key: The essence of teaching is tolead students to develop and the teacher’s job is to help students to findanswers by themselves and to explore language learning methods by themselves.Therefore, the teaching activity that conforms to the essence of education is aseries of questions thrown to students to help deduce proper answers.
Section 2
1. What do you think are the main causes for themisunderstanding in the argument “English teaching in elementary and middleschools in China cannot be communicative competence oriented”?
Key: It ignores the fact that languageis the tool for communication and communication is the function of language. Itis through interpersonal communication that language remains active andvigorous. Therefore, one of the teaching goals of elementary and middle schoolEnglish should be to develop student’s communicative competence. Ifcommunication is removed from the goals of English teaching, then languagelearning becomes a boring process of memorization. There’s no fun in it.Besides, without focusing on communication, language learning will be far fromeffective, since communication is the best way to learn all languages.
2. After reflection onyour own English study, identify what your main learning problems are.
Key: The main learning problems mayinclude: 1) fear of speaking English, especially in public; 2) lack ofmotivation; 3) imbalance of fun and homework.
Section 3
1. What do you think is the major mistake in theviewpoint “one’s vocabulary size is the indicator of whether one’s Englishlearning is successful”?
Key: This statement overemphasizesthe role of vocabulary. It should be noted that vocabulary constitutes only apart of language; there is also grammar. Even if one has a good mastery ofvocabulary and grammar, there are still culture and style to bear in mind. Asuccessful English learner should have certain awareness of culture with a goodcommand of vocabulary and grammar. S/he should be able to adjust his or herstyle on different occasions; his or her knowledge of English should be able tosatisfy his or her needs successfully.
2. What do you think the essential differencebetween an English language curriculum and an English literacy curriculum is?How do you understand the instrumental nature of English curriculum and thehumanist nature of English curriculum in the National Curriculum Standards forEnglish in Schools in China (MOE, 2001)?
Key: 1) The essential difference isthat an English language curriculum is to develop students’ overall competencein English. Its teaching and learning process is to cultivate students’proficiency in the basic four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.By the end of the learning, students should be able to communicate effectivelyin English, have certain knowledge of English culture and develop some valueand abilities. However, an English literacy curriculum is to focus on students’reading ability. The main job involved is to teach students to read and perhapsto write. The teaching objective and learning purpose is narrowed down to mastera set of words; communication is absent in this curriculum.
2) It’s instrumental in that it views English as a tool forcommunication. To achieve effective communication, not only vocabulary andgrammar but culture is embodied in the teaching goals. Besides, it isinstrumental in that it sets English as a tool help understand oneself and theworld. The job is not only to learn language but to develop and better oneself.It is humanist in that it concerns not only the learning of language but thedevelopment of children.
Section 1
1. Based on what you just learned, givesuggestions to Miss M to help solve her problem of having nothing to teachafter the second week of the term.
Key: Miss M should follow certaintheories in teaching. She should work out the teaching plan at the beginning ofthe term and adjust her teaching to the usual pace. Most importantly, sheshould take into consideration of students’ learning realities, includingquestions like: how do students like her teaching method? Have studentsachieved the supposed goals after the teaching? Does her teaching meet students’present language level? Has the teaching covered less than expected orsomething unnecessary? She should first conduct a needs analysis of students,then works out the teaching plan based on the needs and finally assess teachingand learning after a certain period.
2. What do you think isthe best language teaching approach or method?
Key: The Communicative Approach isthe best language approach in that it covers the most important aspect oflanguage learning: language is learned to communicate, to exchange meaning andinformation and to share feelings. It is the language in use that injects lifeand vitality into language and that makes it a more real existence of life.Language teaching and learning should be centered on communication, whichshould be regarded as a proper method and the final goal.
Section 2
1. What is the problem with Mr. N’s complaintsthat the course book does not explain much about grammar, does not have enoughgrammar exercises, and has too many activities?
Key: The problem is thecontradiction between the design of textbook and the actual assessment ofteaching and learning. The design of the textbook is based on the task-based approach:students are supposed to achieve learning goals through the completion of aseries of tasks. The main activity involved is communication. However, Mr. Nhas to find lots of grammar materials outside the textbook for students becauselittle is mentioned in the book and what is mentioned cannot meet therequirements of exams, which includes lots of grammar and little completion oftasks. There is certainly a gap between the textbook design and the assessmentand this causes much challenge for both teachers and students. To bridge up thegap, either should be adjusted to adapt to the other.
2. Consider the style of a teacher you know. Doyou think his/her teaching is in line with the National Curriculum Standards?Please give reasons and examples.
Key: My high school English teacher’steaching is not consistent with the National Curriculum Standards. In the firstplace, the focus of his teaching is on vocabulary and grammar. English lessonsare filled with mechanical and meaningless drills instead of meaningful tasks.Besides, his teaching does not allow too much communication. Throughout theclass, he spent much time explaining grammatical points and little time isdevoted to communication. Finally, his teaching doesn’t encourage holisticdevelopment for he was always hastening for exams and ignoring students’learning needs. There was no time for value-imparting or affection-influencing.All these contradict with the National Curriculum Standards.