王蔷主编的《英语教学法教程》第二版Unit.docx

1、王蔷主编的英语教学法教程第二版UnitUnit 1 Language and Language LearningAims of the unitIn this unit we will discuss some general matters about language learning and teaching. We are going to discuss five questions on particular:1.How do we learn language?2.What are the common views on language?3.What are the commo

2、n views on language learning?4.What are the qualities of a good language teacher?5.How can one become a good language teacher?1.1How do we learn languages?Mach of human behavior is influenced by their experiences. The way language teachers teach in the classroom is to some extent influenced by the w

3、ay they learned languages. This is especially true in foreign language teaching. Before we discuss language learning theories, let us first reflect on our own language learning experience.Task 1Below is a list of interview questions on how people learn a foreign language. In the first column, write

4、down your own responses. Then interview three other students in your class and enter their responses in the other columns. Discuss your findings in group of 4 and draw some conclusion.YouST1ST2ST31. How many foreign languages can you speak so far?2. When did you start learning the foreign language(s

5、)?3. How do you feel about learning a foreign language?4. What difficulties have you experienced in learning?5. Which skill do you find more difficult to learn?6. Have you focused on knowledge or skills? Why?7. Why do you learn the foreign language(s)?8. Do you consider yourself a successful learner

6、? Why?9. What are your most common learning activities?10. Do you like the way you learned the foreign language(s)?From the above task, you may have found that 1) people started learning a foreign language at different ages; 2) people have different experiences in learning a foreign language, some f

7、ind it easy, some find it difficult; 3) people learn languages for different reasons; 4) people learn languages in different ways; 5) people have different understandings about language learning; 6) people have different capacities in language learning; 7) learning can be affected by the way it is t

8、aught; 8) learning is affected by the degree of success one is expected to achieve; and more. Thus the challenge confronting language teaching is how teaching methodology can ensure successful learning by all the learners who have more differences than the commonality.1.2views on languageThe questio

9、n that all approaches to language teaching should answer is, what is language? The answer to this question is the basis for syllabus designs, teaching methodology, teaching and assessment procedures in the classroom. Different views on language generate different teaching methodologies.Task 2Work in

10、 group of 4. Brainstorm possible answer to the question: what is language? When you are ready, join another group and share your ideas.To give a concise definition of language has always been difficult for linguists and philogists. Although there has been an enormous amount of research in language i

11、n the past century, no authoritative answer has been given to what is language? rather, people have settle down to talk about views of language, seemingly allowing for or accepting different theories for the moment. However, language teachers clearly need to know generally what sort of entity they a

12、re dealing with and how the particular language they are teaching fits into that entity (Brown, 1994a). for sample definition of language , please refer to Appendix 1.Structural viewThe structural view of language sees language as a linguistic system made up of various subsystems (Larsen-Freeman & L

13、ong, 1991): the sound system (phonology); the discrete units of meaning produced by sound combinations (morphology), and the system of combining units of meaning for communication (syntax). Each language has a finite number of such structural items. To learn a language means to learn these structura

14、l items so as to be able to understand and produce language. When this structural view of language was combined with the stimulus-response principles of behaviorist psychology, the audio-lingual approach to language learning emerged.Functional viewIn the 1960s, British linguists developed a system o

15、f categories based on the communicative needs of the learner (Johnson and Marrow, 1981) and proposed a syllabus based on communicative functions. The functional view not only sees languages as a linguistic system but also a means for doing things. Most of our day-to-day language use involves functio

16、nal activities: offering, suggesting, advising, apologizing, etc. therefore, learners learn a language in order to be able to do with it. In order to perform functions, learners need to know how to combine the grammatical rules and the vocabulary to express notions that perform the functions. Exampl

17、es of notions are the concept of present, past and future time, the expressions of certainty and possibility, the roles of agents, instruments with a sentence, and special relationships between people and objects.Interactional viewThe interactional view considers language to be a communicative tool,

18、 whose main use is to build up and maintain social relations between people. Therefore, learners not only need to know the grammar and vocabulary of the language but as importantly they need to know the rules for using them in a whole range of communicative contexts.These three views present an ever

19、 wider view of language. The structural view limits knowing a language to knowing its structural rules and vocabulary. The communicative or notional-functional view adds the need to know how to use the rules and vocabulary to do whatever it is one wants to do. The interactional view says that to kno

20、w how to do what you want to do involves also knowing whether it is appropriate to do, and where, when and how it is appropriate to do it. In order to know this, you have to study the patterns and rules of language above the sentence level to learn how language is used in different speech contexts.T

21、he understanding of the nature of language may provide the basis for a particular teaching method (Richard and Rodgers, 1986), but more importantly, it is closely related to the understanding of language learning. If language is considered to have a finite number of structural items, learning the la

22、nguage probably means learning these items. If language is more than just a system of structures, it is more importantly a tool then to learn the language learning. If language is more than just a system of structures, it is more importantly a tool, then to learn the language means to use it, rather

23、 than just study what it is and how it is formed. The next section discusses some current theories about language learning. Views on Language learning and learning in generalA language learning theory underlying an approach or method usually answers two questions; 1) What are the psycholinguistic an

24、d cognitive processes involved in language learning? 2) What are the conditions that need to be met in order for these learning processes to be activated?Task3Work in groups of 4. Brainstorm the answers to the two questions stated above.When you are ready, join another group and share your ideas.Alt

25、hough these two questions have never been satisfactorily answered, a vast amount of research has been done from all aspects. The research can be broadly divided into process-oriented theories and condition-oriented theories. Process-oriented theories are concerned with how the mind organizes new inf

26、ormation such as habit formation, induction, making inference, hypothesis testing and generalization. Condition-oriented theories emphasize the nature of the human and physical context in which language learning takes place, such as the number of students, the kind of input learners receive, and the

27、 atmosphere. Some researchers attempt to formulate teaching approaches directly from these theories. For example, the Natural Approach, Total Physical Response, and the Silent Way are based on one or more dimensions of processes and conditions. At this level, it is too early to formulate a specific

28、approach, because some aspects are still too vague, for example, what is done in these processes.Behaviorist theoryThe behaviorist theory of language learning was initiated by behavioural psychologist Skinner, who applied Watson and Raynors theory of conditioning to the way human acquire language (H

29、armer, 1983). Based on their experiments, Watson and Raynor formulated a stimulus-response theory of psychology. In this theory all complex forms of behaviormotions, habits and suchare seen as composed of simple muscular and glandular elements that can be observed and measured. They claimed that emo

30、tional reactions are learned in much the same way as other skills. The key point of the theory of conditioning is that you can train an animal to do anything (within reason) if you follow a certain procedure which has three major stages, stimulus, response, and reinforcement (Harmer, 1983:30).Based

31、on the theory of conditioning, Skinner suggested that language is also a form of behavior. It can be learned the same way as an animal is trained to respond to stimuli. This theory of learning is referred to as behaviorism, which was adopted for some time by the language teaching profession, particu

32、larly in the . One influential result is the audio-lingual method, which involves endless listen and repeat drilling activities. The idea of this method is that language is learned by constant repetition and the reinforcement of the teacher. Mistakes were immediately corrected, and correct utterances were immediately praised. This method is still used in many parts of the world today.Cognitive theoryThe term cognitivism is often used loosely to describe