語(yǔ)言文化論文-Howtoimprovetheabilityoflistening,speaking,readingandwritingI.IntroductionThepurposeofmiddleschoolEnglishteachingistoimprovethestudentsfourskillsoflistening,speaking,readingandwriting,withthebaseofnecessaryphonetics,largevocabularyandgoodgrammar,Butthisisnotthefinalpurpose.Thefinalpurposeistolotletstudentsbeabletousethelanguage.WhydowestudyEnglish?Ifamanisonlygoodatlisteningandspeaking,canwesaythatheisgoodatEnglish?No,Ifamanisonlygoodatreadingandwriting,canwesaythatheisgoodatthelanguage?No,IfastudentisgoodatEnglish,heshouldbeabletousethelanguage,bothinspokingandwriting.NowmostofthestudentsdobetterinreadingandwritingEnglishthaninlisteningandspeaking.Theycanreadandwrite,buttheycanhardlycommunicate.Theycanhardlyexpressthemselveswiththeirownwords.Thisispartiallybecauseofourexaminationsystem,andpartiallyoftheteachingmethod.Wearenotabletochangetheexaminationsystem,butwecanimproveourteachingmethod.Mostofalltheteachersliketoprovidethestudentswithalotofknowledge-words,phrases,grammar,usagesandsoon,Theyarefocusingthesething,especiallyonthegrammar.Yes,thestudentsdoneedthese,butmanyteachersforgettoteachthemhowtostudyEnglish,andhowtouseit.Sowhenyouaregivingtheknowledgetothestudents,dontforgettoteachthemalltheabilitiesofthefourskills.II.Waysondevelopingthefourabilities1.ListeningTheteachersoftenspeakofthefourskills-listening,speaking,readingandwriting.Thatmeanseachofthemisimportant.Youcantsaythatyouhavemasteredthelanguagewithoutanyoneofthem,Listening,oneofthemeansoflanguagecommunication,isusedmostwidelyinpeoplesdailylives.About45%ofanadultstimeconcernslisteningtootherpeople,listeningtotheradio,listeningtothemusic.Inlinguistics，givingthestudentsalotoflisteningactivitiesisagoodwayofenlargingtheirvocabulary.Ontheotherhand,italsohelpsthestudentsimprovetheirlisteningcomprehension.Ihavedoneaninvestigation.About43.2%ofthestudentsthinkthatthemostbotheringandmostdifficultislisteningcomprehension,andevensomeofthemhavedifficultyinunderstandingtheirteacherwhogiveslessonsinEnglish.Withoutquestion,itisdifficultofamiddleschoolstudenttounderstandthelisteningmaterial,ifhehasntenoughvocabularyandtheabilityoftellingthegrammarconstruction.Inmyinvestigation,about35%ofthestudentswithlowlisteningcomprehensionthingthisisbecausetheydontunderstandorknowtheknowledgeaboutlinguistic,theyarenotabletotellthemeansofawhattheyhaveheard.Inmyanotherinvestigation,studentswereaskedtolistentoadialogueof244words,inwhichthewordsandgrammarhavealreadybeenlearned.But80%ofthemthoughtitwastoodifficult.Then,usingthesamedialogueasareadingcomprehensionmaterial,Ifoundonly5%ofthemthoughtitwasalittledifficult,ontheotherhandtheresponseabilityisalsoanotherreason.Itisclearthatthereadingspeedofamaterialalsoaffects.About43%ofthestudentsthoughtthatthematerialwasreadtoofastandtheycouldntfollow.Alotofstudentshavetheirownlisteninghabits.Somestudentsoftentriestounderstandeachwordoreachsentence.Theywillthinkhardwhentheymeetsomedifficultwordsorsentences,andagreatmanystudentscouldunderstandthematerialdirectly,TheyoftentranslatetheEnglishintoChineseintheirheart,thinkingthatonlyinthiswaycanthesentencebeunderstood.Thisisalsoareason,tryingtounderstandeachwordisdifficult,anditisnotnecessaryatall.Youshouldcatchthemostimportantpoints.Thenhowtoimprovethestudentslisteningskill?Weknowthelargestdifferencebetweenmotherlanguagelearningandforeignlanguagelearningistheenvironment.Achildcansoonlearnhismotherlanguagewell.Hehasheardalotbeforehecansaysomethingandwalk.Thenafterheisabletowalkandsay,hehasachanceoflisteningtomore.Beforehegoestoschool,hehasalreadybeenagoodlistenerandspeaker.Butforaforeignlanguage,youcanmeetitonlyinformalplaces,classes,forexample,otherwise,youcanhardlyhaveachancetomeetit.SoIthinkyoushouldtrytoletthestudentsbeinalanguageenvironment.Letthestudentsgraspthephoneticsymbol.Ithinkthephoneticsymbolisthebase.Agoodintonationandphoneticdependsonthebase.Oralreadingafteraradioorateacherisagoodwayatthebeginning,Studentsshoulddomuchaboutit.Payattentiontotheoralreadingskill,Itincludesstress,strongform,weakform,intonationincompleteplosiveconsonant,affricateconsonant,syllableandsoon.Trainingandpracticingtheoralreadingisnotadaysword.Theteachermustgivecorrectinformationaboutit.Thereisnoeasyway.EnlargethestudentsknowledgeaboutEnglish.Encouragethestudentstoreadsomethingintheirsparetimeaboutgeography,history,culture,storiesandsoon.Forexample,therearetwomaterialsofthesamedifficulty.OneexplainssomethingaboutChinasSpringFestival,theotherisaboutThanksgivingDayofthewesterncountries.Theformeriseasytounderstandbutthelatterismoredifficult.Why?Itisclearlybecausethestudentsknowlittleaboutthelatter.Bothlisteningtestandlisteningpracticearenecessary,butpracticeismoreimportant.Youcanunderstandyourstudentsthroughlisteningtests.Onlythroughthepracticecanthestudentsimprovetheirlisteningcomprehension.2.SpeakingSpeakingcantbetaughtseparately.Itisoftenconnectedwithlistening.Soweoftenspeakoflisteningandspeaking.Thetraditionalwayoflisteningandspeakingisaural-oralmethod.Now,thenewmethodoftwo-waycommunicationisverypopular.Asyouknowthatanyteachingmethodhasitspsychologicalbase.Theaural-oralmethodbeganinthe1940s.Itisbasedonbehaviourism.Oneofitspsychologicaltheoryisthatlearningalanguageisformingasetofnewlanguagehabit.Thisisitsusualprocess:Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement.Theaural-oralmethodisfitfortheteachingofbeginningstage.ItfocusesonthepracticeoforalEnglishdrills.Buttoomanydrillsarebeingpracticedwithoutanycontextorgivenconditions.Sowhatislearnedisisolatedclauses.Andithasfewcommunicativefunctions.Thetwo-waycommunicationmakesupforthedefectincommunicativeabilityinthetraditionalteaching.Two-waymeanstherelationshipofthecommunicationbetweentheteacherandthestudents.Thisrelationshipisconnectedwiththecommunicativeactivitiesbetweentwopeople.Thismethodisdifferentfromthetraditionalaural-oralmethod.ButitalsobasesontheprocessofS-R-R.Sowecallitamewtypeofaural-oralmethodhassomepeculiarities.ItcancreateafreshenvironmentforspeakingEnglish.ItneedssomenecessaryexplanationsofGrammar,includingsomesentencestructures.Hintsarethemajorwayofpractice.Teacherscancontrolthepracticewhollyorpartly.Thepracticecanalsobecontroledbystudentsfreely.Theinternalforceofstudyisnotduetotheinsterestsinphoneticstructure,butthecontentofthematerial.Tomakethecorrectresponse,thestudentsareaskedtopaymoreattention.Example:Teacher:AskmeifIamastudent.Student:Areyouastudent?T:Tellme-No,Youreateacher.S:No,Imateacher.Inthisexample,AskmemeansthatthestudentmustsayaquestionsentencewhileTellmeshowsthatthestudentmustsayadecarativesentence.Butbeforedoingthis,theteachermustexplainsomethingabouttheexchangeofinterrogativesentenceanddeclarativesentence.Thetwo-waycommunicationcanlengthenthedialoguelimitlessly.Thisisitsadvantage.Atthesametime,ifthestudentwantstogivethecorrectresponse,hehastothinkithard,Thesentenceisnoteasilyforgottenwhichisereatedbythemselvesthroughthinking,sometimeswiththeteachershint.Youcantalkfreely.Youcanexpressyourselfaswellasyoucan.Forexample:T:Askmehowmangpeoplethereareinmyfamily.S:howmanypeoplearethereinyourfamily?T:Tellme-therearefiveS:TherearefiveT:Askmewhatmyprreutsdo.S:Whatdoyourparentsdo?T:tellme-yourfatherisateacherandyourmotherworksinacompany.S:Myfatherisateacherandmymotherwordsinacompany.T:Askmeifmyfatherlikeshisjob.S:Doesyourfatherlikehisjob.T:Tellme-Sure,helikesteachingverymuch.S:Sure,helikesteachingverymuch.Alltheseresponsesformacompletedialogue.A:Howmanypeoplearethereinyourfamily?B:Therearefive.A:Whatdoyourparentsdo?B:Myfatherisateacherandmymotherworksinacompany.A:Doesyourfatherlikehisjob?B:Sure,helikesteachingverymuch.Ifyouwanttoaskmoreaboutfatherorotherfamilymembers,thedialoguecangoonasfarapossible.So,inaword,theaural-oralmethodisnotaout-of-dateone,butausefulone.Especiallyitisfitforthebeginningstage.Itattachestheimportancetotheoraldrills,andhasabadcommunicativefunction.Itisonlyusedtoaphoneticbase.Afterall,theaimofthelanguagelearningistocommunicate.Sothetwo-waycomunicationismoreeffectiveanddirect,butitisalsofitforthebeginningstage.3.ReadingReadingisanimportantwayofgaininginformationinforeignlanguagelearning,Itisabasicskillforaforeignlanguagelearner.Thereisalotofreadingexercisesinanexaminationtoday.Butallthesereadingsmustbedoneinlimitedtime.Sostudentsareaskedtoreadthemcorrectlyandwithacertainspeed.Todothis,youshouldchangeyourbadreadinghabitandraiseyourreadingefficiency.Newwordspreventyoufromreadingfast.Onewaytoovercomethisprobl