First, the basic understanding of bilingual teaching in China
Bilingual teaching is an activity of teaching subjects in two languages. Generally speaking, it refers to the teaching mode of teaching some subjects in mother tongue and teaching some or all non-language subjects in non-mother tongue. Its ultimate goal is that learners can think in their mother tongue and non-mother tongue (usually English) at the same time, and can switch between the two languages freely according to the needs of communication objects and working environment, so as to become international talents who know both majors and foreign languages. China is not a bilingual country, and the language environment is not equal between China and foreign countries. Therefore, the bilingual teaching environment in China determines its purpose, which belongs to the category of "foreign language" teaching, not "second language" teaching. In colleges and universities, bilingual teaching refers to the use of a foreign language other than Chinese as the main language (excluding bilingual teaching for ethnic minorities in China), and most of them are English at present. Correct and fluent English is needed to explain knowledge, but Chinese is not absolutely excluded to avoid students' thinking obstacles caused by language lag. That is to say, in teaching, teachers write teaching notes in foreign languages (mainly English) and write them on the blackboard, and at the same time explain and organize the completion of the teaching tasks in Chinese and foreign languages in order to achieve the purpose of imparting knowledge. Through bilingual teaching, students can be promoted to strengthen the learning and practical application of the second language with professional knowledge, thus broadening the interface of students' professional learning and communication and meeting the urgent needs of society for professional bilingual talents; It can also better implement quality education, cultivate innovative talents, enhance students' innovative consciousness, improve the speed of accepting international advanced scientific and technological level, connect with international standards and enhance international competitiveness.
Second, the problems in bilingual teaching in colleges and universities
Judging from the development of China in recent years, bilingual teaching has made gratifying achievements, but there are also many problems, which lead to unsatisfactory teaching results. At present, the problems existing in bilingual teaching in colleges and universities in China are reflected in many aspects:
1. Teachers' strength and enthusiasm
The primary factor of actively developing bilingual teaching in colleges and universities lies in teachers. For bilingual teachers, they should not only be proficient in the subject theory of their major, but also have solid professional knowledge and teaching skills, as well as a high level of foreign language and the ability to skillfully use foreign languages for teaching. Only by having these two basic qualities at the same time can we become a qualified bilingual teaching teacher. However, judging from the current situation of bilingual teaching in colleges and universities, the overall level of bilingual teaching teachers in colleges and universities in China is not optimistic. Teachers who are proficient in this professional knowledge theory may not have the ability to teach foreign languages skillfully; Teachers who are proficient in foreign language teaching lack professional knowledge, and teachers who can really possess these two basic qualities are still scarce. In addition, because bilingual teachers have to pay a lot of labor, if colleges and universities cannot reasonably determine the workload of teachers for various reasons, it is not conducive to the mobilization of teachers' enthusiasm.
2. Students' basic foreign language problems
Another important factor in bilingual teaching in colleges and universities is students. Bilingual teaching requires students not only to have enough vocabulary and good reading ability, but also to have certain foreign language listening and speaking ability. At present, foreign language teaching is still based on exam-oriented education. A considerable number of college students come from different regions, and there are great differences among students. It is also difficult for teachers to grasp the difficulty and speed of speaking in class. Some students can't keep up too fast, and some students think it's too low and unattractive. Teachers and students are slower than their mother tongue in language output and input, which leads to the problem of slow progress. If the progress can't keep up, it will be difficult to complete the teaching plan. In a word, it has seriously affected the smooth development of bilingual teaching.
3. Selection of teaching materials.
Another major problem in bilingual teaching is bilingual teaching materials. At present, bilingual teaching in colleges and universities generally chooses the original textbooks imported from abroad. Because the original textbook can fully display the whole knowledge system and the latest research results of the subject, so as to ensure that students can appreciate the original things. However, due to certain differences between Chinese and western cultures, the use of foreign original textbooks may lead to "acclimatization", because it is difficult for many students to understand the basic meaning of these articles, let alone thoroughly digest and think deeply about their contents.
Third, thinking about promoting bilingual teaching.
Bilingual teaching is a systematic project, and we must persist in exploration and practice with a scientific attitude, so as to combine teaching, scientific research and practice, promote each other and constantly improve.
1. Identify bilingual teachers and strengthen the construction of bilingual teachers.
To improve the quality of bilingual teaching, the construction of teaching staff is the key. On the one hand, you can "please come in" and invite foreign teachers or Chinese teachers who have studied abroad for many years as visiting professors to teach professional courses or lectures to enhance the foreign language learning atmosphere; On the other hand, if financial resources permit, we can consider "going abroad", and the school will create more opportunities for teachers to go abroad for short-term exchange and study. In addition, cooperation between schools can be strengthened to achieve talent sharing. Every school has its own advantages. Schools can make full use of teachers' resources, introduce competition mechanism, implement cross-school teaching for teachers and cross-school course selection for students, and realize a more effective combination of resources. But it is also very important to cultivate and stimulate the potential of existing teachers and make good use of existing people.
2. Handle the control and utilization of introducing foreign original textbooks and selecting excellent Chinese textbooks.
It is necessary to establish a strict auditing system and choose excellent teaching materials that can truly reflect the frontier of discipline development. We should not completely abandon the selection and construction of excellent domestic textbooks just because we want to introduce foreign original textbooks. Read more English materials related to this major, so that students can understand the importance of bilingual teaching and benefit them for life. On the one hand, the introduction of original textbooks should try to choose excellent original textbooks that can provide relatively new professional knowledge in this field, which is practical and moderately difficult. The introduction of the original textbook should also be coordinated with other related courses to avoid duplication, imbalance and lack of cohesion and coherence. On the other hand, it is necessary to organize academic backbones to combine their actual advantages and compile English textbooks suitable for China's national conditions. Conditional schools can even set up a special bilingual textbook writing team to organize teachers to adapt the original English textbooks and write bilingual textbooks suitable for students of this major.
3. Reform teaching methods and teach students in accordance with their aptitude.
Teachers who study teaching methods should first fully understand English textbooks and then adopt effective methods to teach students. This requires teachers to seriously study teaching methods and create an English atmosphere in time. With the help of multimedia courseware, debate and other forms, teachers can fully explain the connotation and extension of knowledge and improve students' learning enthusiasm. At the same time, we should strengthen classroom practice. Classroom practice is an indispensable part of the classroom. Demonstrate English test questions by projection or other forms of exhibition boards, and give students a reference model, which can effectively improve the correct rate. At the same time, English definitions and formulas should be recited and dictated in English. It is necessary to strengthen the logic between them in various professional courses and actively carry out two-way communication activities.
In short, in view of the unfavorable factors such as the late start of bilingual teaching, poor bilingual environment, lack of teachers' resources, students' low ability to use foreign languages and insufficient research on bilingual theory, it is necessary to learn from the successful experience of bilingual education countries and make improvements according to China's national conditions. In addition, we should advocate the combination of English teaching and professional subject teaching, and allow teachers to try different teaching methods, homework requirements, assessment methods and course quality evaluation methods in combination with different disciplines and different characteristics of teachers and students. Encourage teachers to explore boldly and practice constantly to improve the level of bilingual teaching. After a certain period of exploration and practice, it has gradually achieved the expected goal and developed into a scientific, standardized and perfect teaching system, which makes bilingual teaching play an increasingly important role.