小学英语教学论文

1、继续教育学院毕业论文题 目 Application of Games in Primary School English Teaching专 业 英 语姓 名 高 文 霞学 号 3二O一 年 月 日毕业论文评语 姓 名 高 文 霞 班级 08 学号 3 题 目 Application of Games in Primary School English Teaching正文字数 4182 字指导教师评语：评定成绩 201 年 月 日 指导教师 济 南 大 学 继 续 教 育 学 院Application of Games in Primary School English TeachingGa

2、o WenxiaAbstract The New English Curriculum Standard describes that the aim of primary English teaching is to foster students interest in learning English. The thesis aims to expound that game-teaching approach in primary schools is not only feasible but also an ideal way of teaching English. This t

3、hesis introduces classifications, advantages of games in English teaching and the present situation of primary school English teaching. The effectiveness of games in primary school English teaching is also analyzed and discussed in this thesis.In the last part, the author presents some implications

4、and argues that game is not just a method for fun, but an effective way to activate pupils interest in learning English. Teachers should organize games well to help students learn English well.Key Words Games; Classification; Primary School English Teaching; Interest; Teaching Mode. IntroductionIn r

5、ecent years, with the trend of lower age in learning English, more and more primary schools have taken English as their subjects. So it is urgent to explore a useful English teaching method to suit the childrens characteristics and cognitive development, also it is necessary to create an appropriate

6、 surrounding where they can learn English easily and pleasantly. In New English Curriculum Standard, the task for English curriculum is described as: “to arouse the students interest in English learning and develop the positive attitude towards English learning so as to build the confidence in Engli

7、sh learning.” Primary English Teaching Syllabus also points out: “interest is a good teacher for pupils to learn a foreign language. And it is an important task for primary school English teachers to arouse students interest at present.”It has been found that children have a greater need to be motiv

8、ated by the teachers or the materials, and they are easier to be motivated. Many scholars (Lin, 2000; Wu, 1996; Liu, 1987; Lu, 2004) agree that games in the language classroom have been considered a better way to motivate children to work hard and cultivate their interest in learning English. Childr

9、en enjoy playing games in their native language and this is a familiar experience for children to be introduced to studies in a foreign language.Games are motivating and funny and can help students develop positive attitude towards the foreign language and language learning, and create a desire to c

10、ontinue with their learning. However, because of the limitation of society and education, game teaching was mainly used in the kindergartens and seldom used in the primary schools. Therefore, it is of considerable significance and necessity to discuss the issue. This study focuses on proving the eff

11、ectiveness of games in primary school English teaching by exploring the characteristics, classifications and advantages of games in primary school English teaching，presenting how to operate games in English classes and offering data to prove the effectiveness of games in English teaching. The Presen

12、t Situation of Primary School English Teaching in ChinaAs English becomes more and more accepted as an international language, it is increasingly included in primary school curricula. Since the fall of 2002, primary English teaching has gradually been introduced into small towns, even into villages,

13、 normally with Grade 3 pupils as beginning learners. English classes are open to an increasing amount of pupils in a large scale covering vast areas.It is well known that education in our country has been influenced by the examination-oriented system for a long time. A teacher-centered class is a tr

14、aditional passive class. In English classes, the teachers explain every language point in detail, while students take notes all the time. Students interest in English is decreasing. Teachers fail to maintain pupils interest as the teaching goes further. Some pupils are forced into an English classro

15、om by their parents or teachers, some others take this course compulsory, and others are bored by the inappropriate choice of teaching approaches and etc.The education of China is experiencing a series of evolution to meet the needs of the modern world. Views on primary English teaching and textbook

16、s have changed a lot with the stages of evolution. The new textbooks absorb the modern linguistic teaching approach. There are some features different from the old ones. The textbooks now pay more attention to the use of language. The materials in the textbook are authentic and up-to-date and closer

17、 to the pupils life. The textbook by Chen (2006) contains many communicative activities, such as chant, rhyme, song, role play, guessing games, and so on. The contents of the textbooks are designed according to students cognitive features, from easy to difficult, from low to deep and from simple to

18、complex. The textbooks enlighten students thinking and creative competence. However, what are the main problems of the present primary English teaching? According to some surveys，there exist several problems such as teacher resources, learners interest, course design and classroom interaction.Firstl

19、y, the teachers lack enough expertise and teaching experience. As is known to all, a teacher is an important factor in teaching. To a great degree, a teachers ability decides the result of teaching.Nowadays, in primary schools, only 55% of English teachers are originally English majors and only 46%

20、of them have more than three years teaching experience. Teachers who have teaching experience admit that they also know little about primary teaching theories and just follow the teaching model that is adopted in middle schools. They explain words and grammar items and seldom design any classroom ac

21、tivities. Realizing their lack of teaching methodological theory, 45% of the teachers are eager to improve their teaching skills. Most teachers also want professional training such as pronunciation and intonation, teaching skills and classroom activity design. Besides, some teachers do not know the

22、teaching purpose of primary school English teaching. They learn little about the childrens mentality, so they cannot improve the pupils interest. Even they use the junior English method to teach the primary pupils. At the same time, they do not notice the personal characteristics of the pupils such

23、as reserved, timid and constrained.Secondly, teachers fail to maintain students spontaneous interest with the teaching going further. At the very beginning, pupils are enthusiastic about this new language: 69% of the pupils show interest in learning English; in Grade 4, one third of the pupils do; i

24、n Grade 6 only 30% of the pupils do have interest while 42% of the pupils show no interest in learning English. We can see that pupils become less and less interested in English learning with the learning going further. Some of them say that they have to take this course because it is a compulsory o

25、ne, and still others say that they are bored with the monotony of teaching or inappropriate choice of learning methods and etc.Thirdly, the course design in primary schools is not optimistic. The beginning grade from above Grade 4 sums up 59%. To ensure the quality and efficiency of pupils English l

26、earning, the basic requirements demand at least 4 periods each week, which is compulsory. But some surveys showed that about 44% primary schools only have 1-2 periods each week. The amount of the school which has above 4 periods each week is 8%. To my surprise, there are 62% schools which havent per

27、iods for self study. One problem can not be ignored is that most English classroom is full of too many students, about 42% more than 50, only 7% less than 30. This will inevitably influence the effect of the English teaching.In addition, the interaction between pupils is not enough. In the classroom

28、 most of the interaction is from the teacher to the pupils. There is little pupils-pupils interaction. One teacher is in charge of many pupils in one class. Teacher-centeredness, little chance to practice English and dull, boring class environment are still very common in English class. The teacher

29、pays little attention to each pupil. Pupils still feel badly nervous and worried while speaking English. Few feedbacks from the teacher will make the pupils not sure whether they perform well or not and there are too much criticism and interruption. These language teaching approaches affect the lear

30、ners to learn English well.Teaching and Textbook Writing Syllabuses for Primary School English postulates that the main aims of primary English include: to develop pupils interest, self confidence and positive attitude towards learning English; to cultivate the pupils language sense and enable good

31、pronunciation and intonation; to develop the pupils preliminary ability to use English in daily exchanges and lay a good basis for further study. So the activation of pupils interest is quite important. Games in Primary School English TeachingThis part consists of three sections. The fist section pr

32、esents the role of games in primary school English teaching, the second section discusses the advantages of games, and the third section is the effectiveness of games in primary schools.1. The Role of Games in Primary School English Teaching1.1 Characteristics of GamesGames ought to be at the heart

33、of teaching foreign languages. According to Fredericksen (1999), games create “a bridge between learning and doing”. At all levels of education, games have amazing power to engage, challenge, intrigue, and delight students who may resist more conventional materials.Applications of games also require

34、 careful planning. In order to make the classroom games enhance language learning, games must be “purposeful, relevant, and educational” (Fredericken, 1999). For games to be a successful element in the teachers tool kit, it is important that they contain the following characteristics.(1) A game is g

35、overned by rules. Playing just to pass the time will not have the effect. To make a simple activity into a game just gives a couple of rules and that is all.(2) A game has objectives. One of the rules and probably the main one is the achievement of an objective. This objective can be something like

36、making points for correctness or finishing an activity first.(3) A game is a closed activity. Games must have a beginning and an end. It must be easy for the players, or the teacher, to know who is about to reach the aim.(4) A game is novel. Work sheet and drills do not usually appeal to the curious

37、 and imaginative nature of most students. Games have delighted students over the years simply because they provide a novel approach to understanding concepts and mastering skills. They also teach social and academic skills in a natural way, in cooperative teams or one-by-one with the teacher, rather

38、 than in the traditional, hierarchical classroom.(5) A game needs less supervision from the teacher. This must be understood as linguistic supervision. Sometimes the game is conducted by the teacher who acts as a judge, scorer and or referee.1.2 Advantages of Games in Primary School English Teaching

39、There are many advantages of using games in the classroom. They can transform a boring class into an interesting one. They can give shy students more opportunities to express their opinions and feelings. Games are enjoyable for both teachers and students.Language learning is a hard task that can som

40、etimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the

41、same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation. Games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice many t

42、ypes of communication. There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the s

43、ame time. One of the best ways of doing this is through games.The main reason why games are considered effective learning aids is that they spur motivation and students get absorbed in the competitive aspects of the games. Naturally, when playing games, students are trying their best to win. Therefo

44、re, it is possible for a teacher to introduce students to new ideas, grammar, and knowledge and so on. As in the dictation game, students are so competitive that they want to finish first and win. It can be clearly seen that games can capture students attention. They can motivate students to learn m

45、ore. Moreover, they can transform a boring class into a challenging one.Another reason why games are frequently used in language classes is that they can relax students tension in the classroom. In conventional classrooms, there is a lot of stress put on students who try to master the target languag

46、e. Schultz (1998) said, “Stress is a major hindrance in language learning process. This process (learning language in a traditional way) is by its nature time-consuming and stress-provoking. As a result, it raises the stress level to a point at which it interferes with students attention and efficie

47、ncy and undermines motivation. One method has been developed to make students forget that they are in class, which is to relax students by engaging them in stress-reducing task (games).”Also, playing games in the classroom can enormously increase students ability in using language because students h

48、ave a chance to use language with a purpose in the situations provided. Hadfield (1990) confirms “games provide as much concentrated practice as a traditional drill and more importantly, they provide an opportunity for real communication, albeit within artificially defined limits, and thus constitut

49、e a bridge between the classroom and the real world.” Like in a traditional classroom, students have an opportunity to drill and practice using grammatical rules and other functions.2. Operation of Games in English Teaching2.1 How to Choose Appropriate GamesWhen choosing a game, the teacher should b

50、e careful to find an appropriate one for the class in terms of language and type of participation. There are a great number of language games. So teachers have a variety of choices. However, in deciding which game to use in a particular class and which game will be the most appropriate and most succ

51、essful with the students, teachers must take many factors into account.According to Carrier (1990), teachers should first consider the level of the game to fit their students language level. They should choose the game that fits the purposes of that class or the content. Moreover, teachers should co

52、nsider students characteristics: whether they are old or young, serious-minded or light-hearted, and highly motivated to learn or not. They should also consider when the game should be used because there is a big difference between using the game in the morning and in the afternoon, on Monday and Fr

53、iday.In addition to the factors mentioned, teachers should also be able to play and overact sometimes to help students feel comfortable and want to join the activity. This means teachers should thoroughly understand the game and its nature and be able to lead the game.2.2 The Integration of Games in

54、to LearningGames should be regarded as an important part of an English lesson, but the whole syllabus should not be based on games only even for young learners. Remember that a game for a games sake is of no use. The teacher should choose a game that will let students practice their target language.

55、There is a common perception that all learning should be serious and solemn in nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and laughter, then it is not really learning. This is a misconception. It is possible to learn a language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time (Lee, 1995).Ga

56、mes ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon (1981) suggests that games be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully chosen. At different stages of the lesson, the teachers aims connected with a game may vary:“1. Presentation. Provide a good

57、 model making its meaning clear.2. Controlled practice. Elicit good imitation of a new language and appropriate responses.3. Communicative practice. Give students a chance to use the language.” At the beginning of the class, using games can warm them up and review the previous times language. They s

58、ing, dance and remember the previous work all at the same time. During the process of the class, using games makes it so much easier to teach the new language. The purpose of the game is also for the kids to practice the target English and good for the teacher to see if the kids have mastered the language or if they need more practice. At the end of the class, playing games ends the lesson on a high spirit so that they are looking forward to the next lesson.2.3 Presenting Clear Rules of Playing Games for Students.Unless the