Keywords:: Reflections on the Popularization of Higher Vocational Education in Dialect Areas
Mandarin is a homophonic sound of the Han nationality, a standardized modern Chinese and a national common language. Promoting Putonghua is a basic language policy in China. Because of its special geographical location, unique educational orientation and broad audience base, higher vocational colleges in dialect areas should conform to the historical trend, stand at the forefront of "popularization" and play an important guiding role in popularizing Putonghua.
First, the status quo of "popularization" of higher vocational colleges in dialect areas
"Popularization" and Putonghua proficiency test are closely related and complement each other. In practical work, teachers in higher vocational colleges in dialect areas improve learners' Putonghua level through Putonghua teaching and training, and finally make them pass the Putonghua proficiency test. At the same time, the Putonghua proficiency test certificate is linked to the graduation employment of higher vocational students, which will greatly improve the enthusiasm and motivation of students to learn Putonghua. However, with more and more majors in higher vocational education emphasizing the importance of Putonghua certificate, in Putonghua training and teaching, there has been a "strange phenomenon" in which teachers teach for testing and students study for passing the grade. A series of bad consequences brought by this "grotesque" are slowly emerging: in order to improve the passing rate of exams, teachers teach a large number of test sites and difficulties, gradually lose their love for language and lose their way in teaching; Students study hard before passing the grade. Once you pass the exam and get the corresponding Putonghua certificate, you will never learn or speak again. As a result, many students' Putonghua level has become "rigid" or even retrogressed after work. In this sense, the "popularization" of higher vocational colleges in dialect areas is actually a "popularization experiment", which has not really played a wide role in promoting and popularizing Putonghua.
Two. Thoughts and suggestions on the current situation
In view of this situation, the author believes that we should first change our thinking, change the previous concept of "all for the purpose of examination", base ourselves on "popularization", promote training by examination, and protect examination by training. When applied to Putonghua training and teaching, the most important point is to stimulate students' effective and strong learning motivation.
It is generally believed that motivation is the inherent desire and impulse to urge human beings to engage in certain activities. People's motivation is based on actual needs. Motivation is divided into internal motivation, external motivation, or superficial motivation, deep motivation and so on. Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation caused by personal internal needs, such as hobbies, curiosity, sense of accomplishment, etc. External motivation refers to the motivation caused by external incentives, such as obeying parents' wishes, getting rewards, getting high marks, and being afraid of punishment. Apparent motivation refers to the reasons for learning a foreign language for superficial material stimulation, such as getting a diploma, finding a good job, getting a high salary, etc. Deep motivation refers to learning for deep non-material stimuli, such as interest and increasing knowledge. The existing research shows that both types of motivation are beneficial to learning, but internal motivation and deep motivation have a greater role in promoting learning, especially for long-term memory.
Cod, a British applied linguist, famously said that "anyone can learn a language as long as they have the motivation to learn". The same is true of learning Mandarin. In the past, we put too much emphasis on Putonghua proficiency test in Putonghua teaching. No matter whether the school links graduation with Putonghua grade certificate or conducts a Putonghua proficiency test for students every semester, it is creating an atmosphere of "all for passing the grade". Slowly, teachers and students will be subconsciously influenced by this atmosphere, thus unconsciously taking "passing" as the primary goal. In fact, we analyze and emphasize that passing the Putonghua proficiency test is the external and superficial motivation of students' learning motivation. This external and superficial motivation is a powerful stimulus in a short time and has a clear goal. But in the long run, it can't stimulate learners continuously and effectively, so that they can continue learning consciously. Therefore, it is still necessary to stimulate learners' intrinsic and deep learning motivation.
This kind of learning motivation is not the kind of "utilitarian, superficial" motivation that students can only pass the Putonghua proficiency test or obtain a higher level certificate after learning Putonghua, but it can make them sincerely like Putonghua, love Putonghua, and like the beautiful language and rhythm of Putonghua, so that they can consciously and actively learn Putonghua for life and make their nonstandard Putonghua approach standard Putonghua in their study. With the deepening of acquisition, this intrinsic and deep learning motivation can be internalized in learners' learning strategies and will have a dynamic impact on the whole acquisition process.
According to this theory, we should not only emphasize the importance of Putonghua proficiency test, but also emphasize the beauty of Putonghua as a standard language in training and teaching. We should pay attention to the knowledge of constructing the Putonghua language system, use various means to create the beauty of the language in the classroom, and let students feel the beauty of the language in the "beautiful language", so as to fall in love with the language from the bottom of their hearts, be willing to learn the language, and finally dare to speak the language and like to speak it. Stimulate students' intrinsic and deep learning motivation, make students consciously understand Mandarin, like Mandarin and finally fall in love with Mandarin, and form an atmosphere of learning Mandarin in the school, which coincides with the responsibility of "popularization" in higher vocational colleges.
Therefore, the focus of Putonghua training and teaching in higher vocational colleges in dialect areas is really based on "popularization". For students who have studied Putonghua, it is necessary to promote Putonghua by publicizing the linguistic beauty of Putonghua, stimulate students' intrinsic motivation, and let students learn Putonghua voluntarily and continuously. For those students who haven't studied Putonghua systematically, we can also convey the linguistic beauty of Putonghua to students through lectures on Putonghua knowledge, guiding students' club activities such as Putonghua lovers' associations, and training before the Putonghua proficiency test, so as to construct systematic Putonghua knowledge and achieve the goal of "popularization".
Change thinking, base on "popularization", promote training by examination, and protect examination by training. This is no longer an empty slogan, but the motto, work goal and cornerstone of Putonghua teachers in higher vocational colleges in dialect areas. Clarify the relationship between testing and training, and realize that the purpose of training is no longer to "pass the grade", but to convey a kind of "beauty of standard language", so that students can feel the beauty of language in beautiful language, thus stimulating learners' inner and deep learning motivation and enabling learners to learn Mandarin for life. This is the purpose of Putonghua training and one of the purposes of Putonghua proficiency test. The true meaning of "popularization" is also here.
References:
[1] The Putonghua Proficiency Test Implementation Outline compiled by the Putonghua Training and Testing Center of the State Language Commission, Beijing: Commercial Press, 2005.
[2] Putonghua Proficiency Test Training Course organized by Sichuan Putonghua Proficiency Test Center, Chengdu: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Press, June 2008.
[3] Yuan "Popularization of Words" [M], Beijing Language Publishing House, 2004.
[4] Luo Xiangming, Le Hong, "The correct understanding and application of dialects in the popularization of higher vocational colleges", Journal of Liaoning Education Administration College, 2007(2)
About the author: Qi Mingzhu (1978-), female, graduate student of Suining, Sichuan, lecturer of Sichuan Vocational and Technical College. Research interests: linguistics and applied linguistics, Putonghua teaching.