1、英语论文培养学生自主学习capacitu大学英语教学的实证研究ANEMPIRICALINVESTIGATIONOFCULTIVATINGSTUDENTSAUTONOMOUSLEARNINGCAPACITYINCOLLEGEENGLISHTEACHINGAbstractThis paper is a two2year empirical investigation of cultivating students autonomous learning capacity inCollege English teaching at Shanxi University of Finance and E
2、conomics (SUFE).The goal of the study is to optimize students language learning and to find a new direction of teaching innovation. The paper analyzes the current teaching context and presents a critical review of the literature on learner autonomy. The author explores understanding of learner auton
3、omy in Chinese context and produces an autonomous learning model in the experimental study. The paper presents some strategies f or fostering autonomy such as instructing students how to learn, level2based teaching and collaborative learning. It was found that only by encouraging greater learner aut
4、onomy can students raise their English learning effectiveness.Key wordsTeaching English as a f foreign language; learners autonomy; teaching innovation1. IntroductionIt is true that after studying English for over ten years, most university students continue to find reading English books a difficult
5、 task. Understanding oral English, especially English spoken by native speakers, is considered an even tougher t ask than reading aloud. But, even more difficult, is the job of expressing themselves clearly and fluently in spoken English. Many students who are able to pass the upper2level English ex
6、aminations wit h high grades are frequently poor at using t he language .Especially since 1999, university enrollment across the country has been expanding annually. This has plunged college English teaching into a new series of problems including: particularly severe shortages of teachers, increase
7、d class sizes and a widening gap in t he English proficiency levels of university students. The best way to make students lea r n both actively and effectively in such a situation is to challenge the traditional methods that have proved insufficient.In order t o meet the requirements of work places
8、wit h t he intention of raising the quality of English teaching , Shanxi University of Finance and Economics called on the staff t o reform the cur rent teaching model of college English. By careful studying the modern theories of language teaching and learning of West countries, the author found th
9、at cultivating students autonomous learning capacity in college English teaching might be an effective and efficient way. Therefore, the author produced an autonomous learning model of college English and put it into teaching p practice. The paper reflects t he outcomes of the two year teaching expe
10、riment of learner autonomy conducted at the university.2. Current Teaching ContextSince opening the door to the outside world, college English teaching in China has made great progress. Indeed, remarkable changes and achievements have been made across the country. However, the developments at each u
11、niversity in China are of ten quite different from each other. Chinese students English proficiency is commonly rather limited. Unfortunately, teaching English as a foreign language in China still leaves much to be desired (Zhou Liuxi 2003) .2. 1 The goal of English teachingThe teaching goals of the
12、 traditional syllabus demonstrate an emphasis on a reading for comprehension based pedagogy, and the document nominates a basic amount of vocabulary that students were required to master. When tuition was focused on the emphasis in the syllabus the staff who delivered it regarded reading, writing an
13、d translating as the basis of scholarly endeavor and they tended to ignore it he cultivation of students list ending and speaking ability. Both are now recognized as essential to the requirements of the international business community. As a result, it is understandable that some teachers place cons
14、iderable emphasis on the students passing the examinations and spend much time in dealing with students examination competence. Therefore, students may demonstrate a capability to remember many words by sight but are, all too frequently, neither able to understand nor say them. Such students may wel
15、l have acquired a basic vocabulary but have not mastered the techniques of applying it in acts of communication.2. 2 The most recent model of English teachingThe English language teaching model, as it has been recently practiced in Chinese tertiary institutions, generally comprised a teacher, studen
16、ts, text books and the blackboard. This equipment has been used in a class room with students sitting in rows listening to a teacher who stood in front of them. Some classes occasionally used computers but that use has generally been very limited. Normally there are around 55 students in each class,
17、 and it is clearly impossible f or the teacher to instruct students individually in such a situation . The teacher will talk about grammar, do some translation, explain the text and ask students to do some written exercises. The teacher must deal with a wide range of student competencies. Many stude
18、nts come from the countryside while others are from large cities. The very large gap between the levels of students English proficiency does pose a real challenge to teachers.2. 3 The methodology of English teachingThe Grammar-Translation Method has had a dominant place in college English teaching a
19、nd it has had a long lasting influence on TEFL practice in China. Indeed, many teachers still feel more comfortable with the traditional “chalk and talk” techniques that deliver information in a pre digestible format. Teachers primarily pay attention to t he linguistic points of English and do not a
20、ddress aspects of teaching concerning learning strategies. All too frequently teachers have tended to structure classes in such a way that students regard the teacher as the provider of knowledge and the student as the receiver. In class, students are used to listening to the teachers and taking not
21、es, but not anticipating a request for information from the teacher. Even if the answer is known, generally only a small percentage of students will become involved in answering the teachers questions. There is generally no exchange of information (Yang Xuanyan , 2003) .2. 4 The impact of Chinese cu
22、ltureMost students in China would be considered introverted when compared to similar cohorts in Western countries and this is due to the impact of Chinese culture. China is bound by a powerful adherence to Confucian values with a strong emphasis placed on co-operation, the preservation of face” (dig
23、nity and honor) and self-effacement. Each of these concepts has had enduring implications for the language teaching class room. Self-effacement and “face” saving may account for the reason why few students are so reluctant to speak in open response to the questions from the teacher; self-effacement
24、reflects the societys need for modesty and balance, and appears to be counter-productive for encouraging critical self-awareness.3. Learner Autonomy in Language LearningSince Henri Holecs work “Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning” was published in 1981, autonomy in language learning has been a to
25、pic of widespread discussion in the West. Just as and “authentic” were the catchwords of the 1980s, learner autonomy had fast become one of the new EL T buzzwords by the 90s (Broady & Kenning 1996; Little 1990). Great progress has been made in the exploration and implementation of t he concept of au
26、tonomy. However, much less concern has been shown and “little formal academic discussion about learner autonomy” (Wu Hongyun 2001) has been held in China.Many researchers and theorists define learner autonomy in many different ways. One of the earliest advocates of autonomy in language teaching, Hol
27、ec (1981: 47), has defined it as the “ability to take care of ones own learning”. This point is developed further by Wenden (1991) who summarizes the issue: In effect, successful or expert or intelligent learners have learned how to learn. They have acquired the learning strategies, the knowledge ab
28、out learning and the attitudes that enable them to use these skills and knowledge confidently, flexibly, appropriately and independently of a teacher. Therefore, they are autonomous .Dickinson ( 1995 ) considers aut onomy as“bot h an at titude t owa rds lea rning and a capaci ty f orindependent lea
29、r ning” . He elaborat es t he at titude as resp onsibili ty t he lea rner is p repa red t o t a ke f ordecision2ma king about his lea rning a nd capacity f or critical ref lection and decision2making in t he lear ningp rocess . That is ,“t hey ca n identif y , f ormulat e and change goals t o suit t
30、 hei r own lear ning needs a ndint erests a nd are able t o use lea rning st rat egies a nd monit or t hei r own lea r ning”(p . 43) .Lit tlewood (1996 : 12) sees aut onomy mainly as“lear ners ability and willingness t o make choicesindependent ly”and goes on t o a rgue t hat : t he ability dep ends
31、 on p ossessing bot h knowledge about t he alt er natives f rom which choice have t obe made a nd necessary skills f or car rying out what ever choices seem most app rop riat e . Willingnessdepends on having bot h t he mot ivation and conf idence t o t ake resp onsibility f or t he choices requi red
32、.It is also emp hasized by Lit tlewood ( 1996 ) t hat t he capacity and int ent ion t o engage f reely willusually depend on students motivation a nd conf idence , just as much as it does on t hei r knowledge a ndskills .Anot her major inf luence on t he concept of lear ner aut onomy has been t he Soviet psychologistVygotsky. Cent ral t o his ideas is t he imp ort ance of social relationships t o t he development of ment alabilit ies a nd lea r ning. A cent ral t erm in his t heory is t he“zone of p roximal development” . The zone ofp roximal development is “t he dist ance between
