卓张众
摘要:在英语学习中,写作是一个复杂的语言输出过程,是学生对所学的语言进行内化和再创造的一种思维过程。然而在高中英语教学过程中,写作一直是学生的薄弱环节,写作教学也存在诸多问题。基于此现状,本文以人教版一节单元写作课为例,把得到教育专家们认可的支架式教学模式运用到这节写作教学课中,拟从如何进入情境、搭建支架、独立探索、协作学习与评价四个方面展开实验教学,希望借助该模式增加高中生对英语写作的兴趣,解决写作中存在的突出问题,进而提高他们的英语书面表达能力,实现英语写作教学的有效性。
关键词:支架式教学模式;英语写作教学;教学活动
中图分类号:G632.0 文献标志码:A 文章编号:1674-9324(2015)44-0237-03
一、引言
写作是一个复杂的语言输出过程,是学生对所学的语言进行内化和再创造的一种思维过程。目前我国高中生英语写作现状不容乐观,表现为写作兴趣淡薄、能力差、语句表达缺乏连贯性和条理性、词汇匮乏、语法结构错误诸多、有恐惧感、课堂气氛沉闷等。应该来说,写作一直是学生的薄弱环节,而教师的写作教学缺乏有效性。尽管教师与学生在这方面做了很多努力,但英语写作仍然属于薄弱环节(关世民,2011)。以上现状在很大程度上反映了我国当前英语课堂写作教学模式存在的不足。如何改进教师的教学方法和手段,增强高中英语写作教学的有效性,进而解决目前学生写作中存在的问题,提高学生的写作能力,显得尤为重要和迫切。只有在这些突出的问题得到解决以后,学生的写作水平及能力才能得到真正的提高。
二、支架理论
建构主义是西方教育心理学的最新教学理论,最先由瑞士著名的心理学家皮亚杰(Jean Piaget)于20世纪60年代提出,支架式教学模式是基于建构主义理念的一种核心教学模式,源于前苏联著名心理学家维果斯基(Vygotsky)的“最近发展区”理论。“支架”原本指建筑行业中使用的脚手架,在这里用来形象地描述一种学习者获得新的语言结构的一种学习方式(Richard,Platt& Platt,2000)。通过建立“支架式”概念框架,教师不停顿地将学生的智力从一个水平提升到另一个更高的水平,进而完成对复杂概念的意义建构。整个建构过程始终围绕以学生为中心的教学原则,教师在教学中的作用就是搭建一个个学习的脚手架,便于学生一步步攀升,最终实现对知识的理解和掌握。
近年来,支架理论越来越受到国内外语学界的重视,并越来越多地在教学中被运用,尤其是在外语教学中,更是受到了教育工作者极大的关注。张国荣(2004)认为,支架式教学理论的核心是通过教师与学生的有效互动、课堂上的成员互为支架、合作学习等活动来帮助学生完成其无法独立完成的任务;吴晓燕(2006)提出,支架式教学法在组织英语对话课各环节的教学上优势非常明显,学生的语言运用能力在教师精心设计的教学环节中逐步攀升;韦丽秋(2011)分析了支架式教学策略在英语学术论文写作教学中的应用;傅源源(2011)强调教师要关注写作过程,在学生写作过程中给予适当的引导与帮助,在学生的“最近发展区”为其搭建写作支架。
三、教学案例探析
近两年,笔者主持了教育部福建师范大学基础教育课程研究中心开放性课题《能力导向的课堂有效教学研究》,为此,本文以人教版高二选修模块六第三单元“A Healthy Life”一节写作课为例,把得到教育专家们认可的支架式教学模式运用到这节写作教学课中,拟从如何进入情境、搭建支架、独立探索、协作学习与评价四个方面展开实验教学,希望借助该模式增加高中生对英语写作的兴趣,解决写作中存在的突出问题,进而提高他们的英语书面表达能力,实现英语写作教学的有效性。
(一)进入情境
Activity 1:Topic talks about “Growing pains”(3 minutes)
T:Good morning,students. In this period,you are going to write a letter to give Xiaolei,a senior high school student like you,some helpful advice.
First,I'll ask you some easy questions. Do you have growing pains?
Ss:Yes.
T:What are they?
S1:Misunderstanding,Loneliness...
S2:Study,Money...
S3:Independence,Friendly...
T:Exactly. Everyone has his own problems while growing up. But do remember:Growing up is not always easy. Naturally,everyone can have some problems. But do be optimistic and confident as whatever it is,you'll find your way out,which is said in Chicken Soup for Soul.
设计意图:让学生围绕感兴趣的“Growing pains”这个话题,设计了“Do you have growing pains?What are they?”两个问题,将学生引入真实的问题情境,同时借助于各种直观的图片,在头脑风暴活动中,学生填补了信息差,激活了原有的知识储备,产生了创造性设想的连锁反应,为后期的写作搭建脚手架。
(二)搭建支架
Activity 2:Read Xiaolei's letter(3 minutes)
T:Now read Xiaolei's letter please and then discuss in pairs what problems Xiaolei is facing.
S1:He was upset because his best friend started smoking.
S2:He did not know how to refuse it when offered cigarettes.
S3:He didn't know how to keep friendship going without smoking.
T:Well done. Do you have any suggestions to Xiaolei?
Activity 3:Watch and answer(8 minutes)
T:Now let's watch a video and pay attention to what Kirk,a character in the film Growing Pains,suggested to the problems?
S1:You don't have to do what you don't want to just to keep your friends happy.
S2:Taking drugs is not cool. It's not a symbol of being grown up.
S3:They're wrong. If that's the way they feel,then maybe they're not your friends.
T:OK. It is now the time to voice your opinions. Repeat the advice with the following expressions when possible.
(1)Why not tell her...
(2)Just tell her...
(3)You should...
(4)Just say no...
(5)You had better...
(6)It's a good idea...
S4:You should calm down and find ways to settle them.
S5:You are doing right. Tell her she was wrong.
S6:It's a good idea to try to persuade him to quit it and help him find ways to stop it.
S7:...
S8:...
Activity 4:Tips for writing(2 minutes)
T:Now before writing,I'd like to give you some tips.
(1)Examine the title,paying attention to details.
(2)Make an outline,storming the brain.
(3)Do the writing, including each key point.
(4)Check the writing, correcting errors.
设计意图:本环节旨在引导学生积极探索问题情境。通过先细读文本,了解“Xiao lei”存在的问题,再通过让学生观看电影《成长的烦恼》中的部分相关内容,激起了学生的学习兴趣,找到共鸣,让学生操练表示建议的句型,教师给出写作之前的技巧提示,这一切教学活动的设计都在为之后的写作环节积累素材,为学生搭建写作的语言、结构及思维支架。
(三)独立探索
Activity 5:Writing(12 minutes)
T:Imagine you are the adviser who deals with students' problems. Write a letter of about 100 words to give Xiaolei some helpful advice on your own as follows.
Dear Xiaolei,
I've got your letter and know
.
Best regards!
Yours
Activity 6:Correcting(3 minutes)
T:Have you finished?Now please correct the draft by yourself. While correcting,please pay attention to the structure,person,tense,spelling,capital and small letter,punctuation and number of words.
设计意图:该环节旨在培养学生选择自己的方法,独立的去探索问题和解决问题的能力。通过教师的修正提示,让学生学会如何进行自我干预,发现自身不足,完善自我,最终体验成功,同时为后期的同伴欣赏与互改做好铺垫。
四、协作学习与评价
Activity 7:Peer correction and assessment(8 minutes)
T:Exchange your composition with your partner please and try to find out the proper words,good sentence patterns and the points needed improving and at last grade the composition. You can use the assessment table below. If you have some problems,you may ask me for help.
Activity 8:Appreciation(4 minutes)
The teacher picked out one representative composition of the student for all the class to appreciate,leading the students to taste the means to achieve effective expression of the thought and the skills of wording and phrasing and thus making them realize the shortcomings of their compositions.
(One Model Composition)
Dear Xiaolei,
I've got your letter and know you're upset for your best friend. I'm sorry for what you are feeling. But I think there is no need for you to be embarrassed because you are doing right. Smoking is not a symbol of growing up. You don't have to do what you don't want to just to keep your friends happy.
I know you love your friend and don't want to leave her. Why not talk to her about how harmful smoking is. I think it a good idea to persuade her to quit cigarettes. Make some efforts to keep your friendship going. After all,a friend without faults will never be found.
Please cheer up and be confident. I believe you will find your way out.
Best regards!
Yours,
Shelly
Activity 9:Homework(1 minute)
According to the revision opinions of yourself and your peers,rewrite the composition.
设计意图:通过生生之间、师生之间的协商讨论、相互交流及最终的效果评价、成果展示等一系列教学活动,学生结合提供的评价表彼此纠错,在共享前一环节同伴独立探索的成就的同时,又发现了自己的不足之处,对写作标准有了一个较全面、正确的理解,提高了自身的写作、鉴赏及评价能力,最终根据自己和合作同伴的修改意见,在课后重写本篇作文,达到对本单元话题作文的意义建构,实现写作能力的升华。
五、结语
本次教学实验证明,以支架理论为基础的高中英语写作教学能激发学生的英语写作兴趣,给生生、师生之间带来知识上的互动和写作能力上的培养,切实提高学生的写作能力。教师通过搭建层层“支架”,通过反复的系统训练,给学生提供各种有效的学习帮助,学生在写作中更能注意避免一些低级错误,更加注重语句表达的连贯性和条理性,词汇及复杂句型的运用实现多元化。在这种模式下,学习能力稍弱的学生在同伴的帮助下逐渐恢复了自信,在学习上也变得更加独立自主。也就是说,在高中英语写作教学中,无论是对教师教学的系统性、科学性来说,还是对学生写作兴趣和信心的增强以及促进他们的写作动力来说,这种支架式教学模式无疑是一种行之有效的教学模式。然而,每种教学模式都有自己的优缺点,支架式教学模式也是如此,还需要一线的教育工作者进一步发展和完善,尤其是在搭建支架这一环节中。众所周知,适当的支架可以促成师生、生生之间有效、成功的多维互动,使其更具有操作性,因此,教师一定要根据学生原有的写作水平,搭建可行的符合最近发展区的任务支架,并适时地减少支架,最终撤除支架,达到学生在没有教师的指导下,进行自主写作的目的,提高他们的再学能力。
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