小組活動在英語課堂教學中的作用及實施方式

摘要：

自1993年使用九年制義務教育國中英語教材以來，廣大教師已經逐漸地熟悉了新的課堂教學步驟"五步教學法"。五步教學法在對教材的處理上，練習佔有較大的比重，而且富有變化，使課堂容量加大，節奏加快，時間緊湊，氣氛活躍，可收到事半功倍之效，因此深受廣大教師的青睞。我們也不難發現，在練習方面，幾乎每節課都會有同桌兩人一組的"對練"（Pair work ）和前後三、四人一組的"組練"（Groupwork）等小組活動方式，這成了課堂上不可缺少的練習方式。那麼，這些小組活動在英語課堂教學中究竟起到哪些作用？教師在課堂上如何穿插、實施和控制小組活動呢？本文想通過對這些問題的討論來探索提高英語課堂教學質量的途徑。

一、小組活動的實施方式

小組活動為課堂教學提供了簡便、有效的操練方式，這些活動主要可以穿插在以下幾種教學步驟之中進行。

1.在"呈現（Presentation）"環節後

在"呈現"新的語言項目後，就轉入操練（Drill）這一環節，目的是幫助學生熟悉新的語言項目的書面和口頭形式。此時的操練難度一般不大，以教師控制式的機械性練習為主。教師可以出示一些圖片、幻燈、實物、提示詞等"指揮"學生進行練習，這時最好穿插Pairwork（內容簡單的話不必讓學生先準備，反之，事先作些準備），直接以快頻率的方式讓學生一對一對地（pair by pair）、一問一答地進行下去。學生可以通過視覺、聽覺、口頭表達，很快地掌握新的語言項目。這樣做的特點是節奏快、密度大、頻率高，使學生在緊張熱烈的氣氛中興趣濃厚，人人蔘與，差生也跟得上。

2.在"練習（Practice）"階段

"練習"階段的目的是幫助學生加深對新的語言項目的理解，鞏固新的語言習慣，為在實際中進一步自如地運用作好準備。練習的'內容應該具備一定的難度，學生在問答時有較寬的選擇餘地。這時適宜穿插"對練"或"組練"方式，用幾分鐘時間讓學生看圖、看物問答，模仿對話，表演課文對話等等。教師要巡視監聽，對有困難的"對"或"組"進行一些必要的指導，充當"助手（helper）"或"引導者（guide）"的作用。練習結束後一定要抽查幾對或組當堂表演，以瞭解練習情況，並對錶演出色的組進行適當的表揚，以鼓勵學生的積極性。這個階段的特點是節奏放慢，頻率放低，但密度大，氣氛活躍，學生參與意識強，有利於調動每一個學生的積極性。

3.在"鞏固（Consolidation）"階段

這個階段的目的是使學生在多種模擬日常生活的背景中，運用所學的語言解決實際問題來體現語言的各種功能。學生可以根據自己的意願來作答，答案是多種多樣的，不可預料的，學生的自由度較大，有充分發揮創造的機會和餘地。這時候最好以"組練"方式，如進行角色扮演（一般用學生真實姓名為好）、會談、討論解難、模擬採訪、擴展對話、補充想象性結尾等等。教師要提醒學生結合課文中的語言形式來表達，注意人物的身份和具體的場合。教師往往扮演裁判（judge）、評委（commentator）的身份。這時的特點也是密度大、氣氛熱烈活躍，學生們有充分發揮、表現自己的機會。隨着課堂語言實踐量的增加，學生獲得了充分的語言實踐的機會，為獲得"為交際運用英語的能力"打下了紮實的基礎。

小組活動通常穿插在以上三種教學步驟中，然而，教無定法，這並不是一成不變的。

二、小組活動在教學中的作用

對絕大多數中國學生來説，課堂環境幾乎是外語學習的唯一場所。教師如何在有限的時間內有效地利用積極因素，避免或消除消極因素，採用更適合於學習者語言發展的課堂教學方法，是外語教學是否成功的關鍵之一。小組活動在英語課堂教學中始終起着積極作用。

1.小組活動在課堂上起到操練語言、有目的地實踐語言項目的作用，從而達到當堂鞏固的效果。

新大綱中提出在教師對學生進行訓練的過程中要使學生的"言語技能發展成運用語言進行交際的能力"。學生對語言形式和語言意義的掌握是否充分，是其能否運用所學語言表達特定功能的必要條件。通過教師設置的與課文和學生實際相關的交際情景，學生能通過小組活動進行大量的操練，加深對語言形式和意義的理解，從而使"言語技能"到"運用語言進行交際"的發展成為自然和可能。

2.小組活動提供了大量的向其他同學學習的機會。

教師應當使學生明白，學生學習英語，不僅可以從教師那裏學，還可以從其他同學那裏學。Johnson和Paulston在談到leamer roles（學習者的角色）時説到："The leamer is a member of a group and he leams by interacting with others; The leamer is a tutor of other leamers; The leaner leams from the teacher,f rom other students and from other teach-ing sources…"學生們明白了學習是互相的、平等的，就可以克服不願與比自己水平差的同學操練的心理，從而充分調動了學生學習的主動性和積極性。

3.小組活動增加了課堂的密度和廣度。

英語課是語言課，是訓練課。許多知識的掌握和能力的培養不是靠教師"教"出來的，而是靠學生"練"出來的。小組活動加快了教學的節奏，加強了訓練密度和廣度。在課堂上教師可以用快速反應的方式通過 “pa ir by pair" 的形式，有節奏地讓學生練。這樣無論學生成績好、差，人人都能參與。學生在活動時都被一種積極的情感所支配，將大大激發參與課堂教學的熱情，調動積極性。以教師為中心的課堂教學模式將轉變為以學生為中心，學生成為教學的主體，他們在一個近似自然的語言環境中運用語言進行交際，以達到語言學習的目的。小組活動活躍了課堂氣氛，是初中學生所喜愛的教學活動方式之一。本人曾以問卷形式進行過"對國中生所喜歡的英語課堂活動的調查"，課堂小組活動方式是學生最喜歡的課堂活動方式之一。國中生具有愛説、好動、愛模仿、愛表演、羞怯感少等特點。在小組活動中，把教師的教學要求轉化為學生自己的願望，給學生提供學習語言結構、理解語言功能的外部條件和參加語言實踐的機會，課堂上氣氛十分活躍。學生們想在課堂上有好的表現，他們在課前、課後就有興致去積極準備，互相對話，大大激發學習英語的興趣。

教師在課堂教學中，通過靈活多變的教學形式對學生的學習動機、課堂學習環境和語言的輸入產生積極的影響，使課堂教學擺脱應試教育的枷鎖。課堂小組活動在課堂上營造輕鬆愉快、活潑的學習氛圍，不失為一種較好的、簡便易行的教學形式。課堂小組活動組織得好與壞，在某種程度上決定着一堂英語課的成敗，它來自於師生的共同創造，它在課堂上的作用是不容忽視的。

[原創]A thank-you letter

Hi, Valerie,

How are you? have you got the approval for your new EP(Employment Pass).

If yes, congratulations!

I wanted to email to GP first, but temporally can't

find his address. It doesn't mean I don't want to write

to you, just feel like GP is more closer to me that

time.

GP told me that because of me you don't want to

talk to Kent either. I was very appreciateful, cause

I took this as my true friend's action! However, Rex

didn't do as you did at all!

I didn't talk to you much when we were in the same

company, though you just sat behind me. Last time I

thought even talk too much with another girl is

considered a great offence to my "wife". I was stuck

too deep to stay awake of this mass. Thank you and GP

so much for having given me great support when I

needed it badly.

I miss GP and you, really. Just hope one day we can

meet together and drink together. I am sure I won't

have a boss like GP again, not to mention a colleague

like you and Vincent. You guys left me the sweetest

memories in Singapore. How am I going to thank

you?

Please tell GP that I have mailed to you and let me know

his address as well. I want to email to him too. I'm

now at home being taken well care of by my parents.

They are about to buy me a car so that I can travel to

some other provinces in China. Ok, my daddy is back,

got to take lunch with him. See you.

All the bests to you and GP

Danny

[原創]About the F word

When I first started to learn English in middle school, I didn't know there is F word in vocabulary. Until many years later, browsing through a book about American Slang in the college library, I spotted the F word in an expression about cursing. I looked it up in my dictionary, but found nothing. Back then, we didn’t have computers or Internet, which gives you access to any sort of information in the blink of an eye, nor did we have DVD or VCD. The only chance we could watch American movie was that during some weekday evening the American teachers played some movies brought from US on a VCR. The TV in our classroom was very small, and the sound was poor. And the room was always packed and had an awful smell of body odor, stale air, and lots of noises.

Honestly, I could understand disturbingly little of the movie, which had no subtitle and couldn’t be played back. All we studied was some stupid textbooks titled advanced English with passages written probably decades or even centuries ago by some famous writers or philosophers whatsoever.

Many years passed, we have more options of English learning, and my knowledge increases. I found that the f word is so widely used in English that no one could say his or her English is really good without solid knowledge of it.

To many beginners, teachers told them that the f word is a bad and crude word they should never learn or use. But I think this is terribly wrong. The f word, though often used as a verbal insult to other people as in “f you”, it is also frequently used to indicate anger, resentment, affection, or even care. Some good examples could be easily caught in the many popular American movies. “Where the f are you talking about?” “Where the f have you been” The speaker may be simply emphasizing an emotion of surprise, shock, or concern. The most interesting word incorporating the f word is “abso-f ing-lutely” in one episode of the TV show “Sex and the City”. If we don’t know how to use the f word, it is really hard to express a degree of certainty higher than the word “absolute”.

My point is that as language learners we should always keep in mind that sometimes what you see is not what you get. To learn a language better, it requires us so much more than hard work and practice. We need to expose ourselves to a more authentic language environment even it is very difficult for people like us living and working in China. The earlier we expose ourselves to cross-cultural problems, the more obstacles we come across in learning English, the deeper we would understand the language. So challenge yourself and you would become tougher and smarter.

為了更好理解這篇文章，請觀看以下電影：

[原創]BEC高級--讓我難忘的考試

又一年的BEC考試又要開始了.很多人急着複習備考了.平心而論,她在對測試非英語為母語的考生運用英語作為工具進行商務活動能力的方面還是比較有説服力和權威性的,所以對於將來有志進入(或已經進入)外企進行國際貿易的人員來説,這項考試還是值得一試的.特別是BEC HIGHER, 她對英語綜合能力的評估力度相對更大一些.

由於BEC考試有她特有的特點,報考她的人也越來越多.但是也正是由於她將英語和商務結合到一起,致使考試難度加大.無論是對於沒有經過英語專業訓練的非英語專業考生,還是對於學習英語專業但沒有商務知識的考生來説都是比較困難的.尤其如果是沒有正式進入工作崗位,只是在校學生,他們對BEC高級商務實務不是很瞭解,在解決具體考試內容的時候,就會有一定難度.

[原創]Government Officers

I had no idea what the government officers were like before I joined my bureau. I, however, had no positive impressions on them, because of some officers I approached when I was a salesman.

Of course, I usually contacted those who were in charge of purchasing. Those officers were/maybe still are proud, demanding and powerful. Some of them hinted me for returns and some just asked directly. I invited them for dinner sometimes, and they ordered the most expensive dishes. Some even asked for more services after dinner. Not until all the so-called services were done, did they want to release some useful information to us or sign the purchasing orders. That’s why I used to look down upon them. They were nothing but a big pile of shit to me.

And now I’m working as a government officer too, not only because I am tired of being a salesman, but I want a stable and reliable job. I don’t think this position will be my final career destination, though! It’s been three months since I joined in the bureau. I’m impressed by the government officers in my bureau, because they are far away from what I thought before. Some of them are really good and responsible people!

Our bureau is a bit different from the others, because we are in charge of all the trades and investments in the city. Local companies have to apply for invitation letters if they want their foreign customers, colleagues, friends, relatives or whoever to come to Shenyang to live or work. And we’re in charge of all the foreign companies in the city. Though we have great power in hand, we use it to get more legal foreign investments and for anything which could be helpful for employment opportunities.

Some small problems still occurred to me after I became a member of the officers. I had no such experience on dealing with them before. For example: A section director asked me to translate a long essay for him. I said yes, but my boss was not happy because he said the director had no right to ask his man to do anything without his permission. I understood, cause he is my boss. I shall not take orders from other people, though their ranks are much higher than mine! So my boss asked me to leave his translation alone and let him to explain to the director. In fact, he forgot to do it, and I was there waiting for the consequence. It came to me pretty soon. The director told the president of my bureau that my English was poor. And don’t forget I just impressed the boss in a negative way. I smiled when I heard this, bitterly. “So what?” I asked myself. It’s no big deal. Danny’s English level has been proved by many foreigners, not only from English-speaking countries. I have, at least, great confidence on my English skills.

This incident made me more mature. Working for the Chinese government is not easy. As long as you’re sophisticated enough, you will definitely stand a batter chance to be promoted. You have to be bad, mean and whatever suitable for the job. I’m outta here, sooner or later. Like my brother told me before: if you work for the government, you’re gonna die soon.

Now I understand what he meant. Oops, being a government officer is not easy; being a good and innocent one is nearly impossible. So are you ready to be a government officer?

[原創]how to "use" english!!!

some people just dont know why after 10 years of learning they

still cant speak like a 10 year old native speaker. the only

reason or difference is that while you are "learning" english,

a native kid is "using" english.

a book just wont get you anywhere, but without a good book,

you cant go far either. so here is my idea, use the language

first, read when there is something you dont understand, but

before you go through this reading process, do ask a native

for help first.

i spent 3 years on this and it definitely worked. i hope

newbies could do like i did, but one thing for sure, you will

never be as good at this as you wanna be, and this feeling will

either get you motivated or bored, if you can manage well, you

will see the big picture.

here is a website where you can meet a lot of native people,

, there is a forum which can be accessed

for free if you register, you can chat with native people on

that forum in real time, its much better than having a teacher

right? well, at least i think so.

you know, i avoid the chance to talk with non native speakers,

because i might learn from them, and they might become some

kind of habbit to me, which tells you not to use english with

your own kind, cause if you do it will not do you any good.

mistakes can happen, but make sure they dont come out all the

time, cause if they do your brain will register them and it

will be hard for you to correct later on.

dont you ever think going abroad to learn english is much better

than doing it in your own country and dont forget who you are, because if you forget who you really are, no one else would

remember that for you, and if you think going abroad can learn

the real thing, to some point you are right, but for most of

you, its a big mistake, who told you native speakers can accept

you as their friend when you still need to learn english? if

you cant talk fluently with them they will get bored.

dont argue, if a native spearker says "hey whats up", you just

need to accept the fact that they dont use "hello how are you",

just register that piece in your mind and use it the next time

you see someone you know, "habbitize" yourself. "ima tell you

like dis," grammar rules dont work very well in real conversations

if you see what i mean.

"is" and "are", you dont know how to use them? maybe a native

speaker doesnt know that either but they do know how to use

them in a "right" kind of way. "who you think you is?" does

this one sound right to you? cause it does sound right for a

native. whatever a native says, its right, if you follow,

you will become more like them.

alright, im sick of this long ass sh*t, enough for you to

get my point...(or maybe i need to write more?)