Keywords: English extensive reading class introduction optimization teaching
English extensive reading is a very important course in the basic courses for English majors in colleges and universities. The reading chapters generally have different themes and styles, which play a positive role in broadening students' horizons, enhancing their sense of language and accumulating cultural connotations. Extensive reading course is also an effective way for students to systematically master the basic skills of fast reading, improve reading speed and improve their ability to obtain information. As the beginning of classroom teaching, lead-in plays an important role in extensive reading class. As the saying goes, "A good beginning is half the battle." Appropriate lead-in can stimulate students' interest in learning and desire for knowledge, make students quickly adjust their mentality and prepare for class, thus playing a good role in paving the way for the whole classroom.
First, the requirements of reading import
1. Fun. Interest is a guide to getting started and a "growing point" of knowledge. Einstein once said, "Interest is the best teacher." Confucius, a famous educator in ancient China, said, "Knowing is not as good as being kind, and being kind is not as good as being happy." The importance of interest in learning can be seen. The introduction of interest can provide students with a steady stream of learning motivation.
2. novelty. With the continuous progress of science and technology, the ability of college students to absorb new things and new information is constantly enhanced. Novel and contemporary information is more likely to arouse students' interest and the teaching effect will be improved accordingly. As language learners, we must constantly update our vocabulary and expressions. Examples that keep pace with the times and are close to life can win everyone's praise and get twice the result with half the effort.
3. Be targeted. The purpose of importing is to improve the teaching effect, so the application of importing must conform to the teaching content and the reality of importing chapters. Don't ramble, be far-fetched, talk nonsense, and make things up to distract students. Lead-in is to pave the way for the teaching of the main content of the classroom, and it can't be used for too long, and it is the master. Only by accurately finding the combination of old and new knowledge and introducing new lessons concisely and accurately can students' learning motivation be stimulated.
4. Flexibility. Classroom is the stage where teachers and students get together. In the classroom introduction, we should take students as the main body and teachers as the leading factor, fully mobilize students' initiative and let them participate in classroom activities. Don't cram teaching and monologues.
Second, the types of imported skills.
1. Audio-visual import method.
Multimedia technology is widely used in college English classes. It is a successful example of combining modern science and technology with advanced teaching theory. Therefore, in order to stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning, teachers can play some favorite songs or movies for students, infect students and ask relevant thinking questions at the same time. For example, take Extensive Reading Course 3 (edited by Wang Shouren and Yao Yuan) as an example. When explaining Unit 5 History, because the text content is boring and abstract, I chose the theme songs of two popular travel dramas "Palace" and "Walking on Thin Ice" as the introduction, using "If you have the opportunity to travel to ancient times, how would you choose? What are the advantages and disadvantages of modern times compared with ancient times? " And other issues have led to three modes of historical development. In the introduction of "14 unit evolution", I chose a vivid Flash animation about human evolution, so that students can understand the course of human evolution more clearly.
2. Current affairs introduction method.
The distinctive feature of language is its strong times, so language learners must pay attention to current events. Using recent events around you or major events at home and abroad to import the text can not only stimulate students' interest in learning, make your classroom full of the atmosphere of the times and life, but also enable students to learn some new words in time, and the memory traces of words memorized through this mode are usually clear. Take "Unit 7 Space" in Extensive Reading Lesson 3 as an example. We take the launch of "Shenzhou V", "Shenzhou VII", "Mars 500 Experiment" and "Tiangong No.1" as the leading topic to explain "Unit 9 City". 20 10, we use the quietly born "city-changing consumers". 20 1 1 When explaining the text, it was "Hong Kong Wine and Food Month", and vivid pictures quickly brought students into the rich cultural atmosphere of Hong Kong. When talking about "Extensive Reading Course 4" and "Unit 3 Refugees", we introduced the topic with the wars in Libya and Syria respectively, which caused students to think about the refugee problem. These topics, which are close to current affairs and life, can usually arouse students' enthusiasm quickly.
3. Situational introduction method.
Situational teaching method is a new model under the new curriculum reform, which is more and more widely used in the classroom. Creating appropriate situations will greatly improve classroom efficiency. For example, when we talk about 3《Unit 3 Body Language in extensive reading class 3, we use the situational drama mode of Who knows my heart to show the positive significance of colorful body language in expressing people's inner feelings. "Unit 10 Intercultural Communication" is also a very interesting topic. We created a situation for foreign guests to visit and looked for the differences between Chinese and western language expressions from the students' communication.
4. Comparative introduction method
Contrast is a common method in cross-language communication teaching. There are many similar expressions in English and Chinese cultures, but in fact there are great differences in connotation and meaning. Teachers can help students better understand the cultural differences between China and the West by guiding them to understand these seemingly "seemingly" expressions. Through comparative analysis, we can not only achieve effective reading purposes, but also make students gain the sensitivity of cultural exchange. Take the animals in Unit 4 of Extensive Reading Course 3 as an example. When introducing culture, I selected some examples of animals with obvious cultural differences. Such as: timid as a rabbit, wearing a lion's skin ass, casting pearls before swine, Monday morning quarterback, when the cat is away, the mouse can play. Students are interested in these sentences with obvious cultural differences and compete to participate in the discussion, which fully mobilizes students' initiative. In the introduction of Unit 6, we can use the rich loanwords in English to reflect the richness of the language. For example, foreign words from Chinese: kowtow, Beijing opera, kung fu, wool jacket. Preposition from Japanese: kimono, Hiroshima. Prepositions from French: champagne, contacts, plays, etc. Cultural contrast and the introduction of cultural background knowledge can quickly shift students' attention to the classroom, and the teaching effect is good.
5. Introduction of background knowledge
Some historical texts can be solved by introducing the author and discussing the background of the text. For example, this method can be used in the explanation of "unit 5 immigration" and "unit 8 holiness" in extensive reading class 4. In the introduction of the chapter "Immigration", through the analysis and discussion of the changes of American cultural nicknames ("melting pot" → "stew pot", "salad bowl", "kaleidoscope", "symphony" and "mosaic"), students can understand the unique American immigrant culture. In the course of explaining the Holocaust, students don't know much about Hitler and the reasons why he hates Jews, so they must supplement some relevant background knowledge before reading training. This way, students' reading will be smoother and more efficient.
6. Discuss the import method. This is a widely used lead-in method in English class. Questioning and discussion are not only a test of students' knowledge reserve, but also a challenge to students' expressive ability. Clever questioning can not only stimulate students' interest in learning and thirst for knowledge, but also give them enough space for activities and exhibitions, thus effectively promoting their development.
"... she turned the tuning pin, tested several strings, and even before she played, we could feel her feelings. Lead-in is an important part of the art of classroom teaching and an essential basic skill for teachers to carry out classroom teaching. Clever introduction will build a bridge of communication between teachers and students. However, there is no fixed mode of import, and the methods are ever-changing. Teachers should design different lead-in methods according to the different contents and characteristics of materials, with the aim of stimulating students' interest in learning English, making them want to learn, love learning and enjoy learning, making them understand new knowledge in the sea of knowledge, enhancing their ability and enlightening their wisdom.
References:
[1] Ding Mingjuan; On the Classroom Introduction of College English Extensive Reading [J]. Examination Weekly, 2065438+20, 2002
[2] Wang Qiang; English teaching method course [m]; Beijing: Higher Education Press; 2002
[3] Wang Shouren and Yao Yuan; Extensive reading course [m]; Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press; 2007
[4] Zhou Ting; On English reading teaching [J]: journal of jiangsu teachers university of technology; 01issued in 2004
About the author: Zhou (1984-), female, teacher of Foreign Languages College of Shangqiu University.