高中英语口语教学策略方法谈
2014-11-24蒋春荣
蒋春荣
学生在英语口语高考中表现出的问题值得思考,尤其是第三部分故事复述环节,学生难以完整地复述故事要点。不少学生有辅音发音太重、元音发音不饱满、通篇语调是降调、不按意群停顿、吞掉尾音/t/ /d/ /s/ /z/等问题。在平时的口语模拟训练中,学生的能力亟待提高,主要存在语音语调、意群停顿、错用疑问词和助动词、不会概括等不足。如何在课堂教学中针对存在的不足进行实效训练,是当前高中英语教学重要环节之一。我对课堂教学进行了观察和反思,发现高中英语口语教学主要存在以下问题:(1)对语音教学不够重视,高中语音教学要求学生能够结合人物、情景、场合文化等各方面的因素去理解语音语调,包括节奏、重音的各种变化及其所表示的隐含的意图和态度,并且能运用这些变化手段进行内容比较丰富的有效表达。(2)教师对英语口语教学策略的思路框架不了解,所以他们对口语语篇特征的关注意识较弱,对口语微技能目标意识不足,对学生表达的难度预测不足,教学步骤安排不太合理。(朱晓燕 2011)(3)课堂上口语输入不够,不能巧妙地给学生搭建脚手架,以至于在课堂交际中,学生进行口语表达时会出现各种消极的情感态度,如焦虑、紧张、害羞等,不敢主动用英语交流。
一、加强语音教学
高一新生入学后第一个月的英语课堂都是学习我校英语教师共同编写的衔接教材,夯实基本功,特别是对语音语调的训练。如学生元音发音往往不饱满、不到位,所以在复习音标/u:/时,可以编写以下绕口令让学生练习:At noon,I took a book,and sat by the pool in the wood and put my foot in the pool. Oh,how cool. 由于方言的影响,广东学生往往会吞掉尾音/t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ 等。针对尾音/t/,我让学生结对子练习下面的句子,相互纠正吞音现象:Tom's got a lot of dots on his pocket. If he wants to wash off the dots,he will use a pot of hot water./l/位于词尾时,学生的发音常常不到位,我建议他们反复练习:girl,little,moral,cattle,noodle,well,cool,settle,grateful. Better to do well than to say well.还通过对哲理性谚语的反复诵读改善语音语调和意群停顿,如:A friend in need is a friend indeed. Lost time is never found again. Beauty is truth,truth is beauty. Well begun is half done. No pains,no gains. East or west,home is best.
二、巧用英语口语教学策略的思路框架
教学人教版高中英语Module 2 Unit 1 workbook,speaking task时,我运用该思路框架对四个分解要素逐一进行了剖析。
Speaking task: Think of your hometown and discuss the following questions with your partner.(1)Is there any cultural relic worth protecting in your hometown?What is it?Write it down and give a reason.(2)What do you think you can do to protect it?(3)Here are some suggestions. Discuss them in pairs and add your own idea.
要素1:关注口语材料的语言特征。课本中的口语任务是根据练习中的三个问题,两人一组口头表达个人意见,然后通过讨论和协商,找出双方都认可的自己家乡的cultural relics,再讨论其是否值得保护,该如何保护。这个活动提供了交流和协商的理由和目的,是一个符合口语特征意义的活动,它并非为交谈而交谈,也不是缺乏目的和理由的纯粹控制性活动。为了让学生更了解cultural relics的知识,我为学生作了适当铺垫。
Guessing game: Guess what is being described according to the given 3 clues. You can get 5 points if you can guess it out with the help of only 1 clue. 3 points for 2 clues and 1 points for 3 clues. If you fail to guess it out,youll get no points.
TASK 1:
Clue 1. It is made in China and also called china.
Clue 2. It appeared in Yuan Dynasty and was popular in Ming & Qing Dynasty.
Clue 3. It is known to almost everyone because of the same name song written by Jay Chou.
通过播放学生喜爱的歌星周杰伦的歌曲,学生很开心的猜出了这种cultural relic是青花瓷,瞬间点燃了学习热情。
要素2:明示口语微技能教学目标。告知学生该项口语任务训练的微技能目标是训练两人交谈时如何“引出话题、维持交谈请求和澄清意思”这些口语对话中常见的“asking for opinions and giving opinions ”的口语微技能。
要素3:预测口语学习难度。
要素4:设计口语教学活动。
T: Lets have a guessing game about the cultural relics. Guess what is being described according to the given 3 clues. You can get 5 points if you can guess it out with the help of only 1 clue. 3 points for 2 clues and 1 points for 3 clues. If you fail to guess it out,youll get no points.
Ss: Oh,great!
T: TASK 1:
Clue 1. It is one of the most famous four gardens in Guangdong Province.
Clue 2. It was built by Zhang Jinxiu in Qing Dynasty.
Clue 3. It lies in Wanjiang District,Dongguan city.
TASK 2:
Clue 1. It is a place where Chinese soldiers used to fight against British Ships.
Clue 2. It was built at the entrance of the Pearl River.
Clue 3. The war there is recorded in Chinese history textbook.
TASK 3:
Clue 1. It is the symbol of China and its culture.
Clue 2. It is one of the World Seven Wonders.
Clue 3. It is as long as 6,000 kilometers and had been built since 475 B.C.
Task 4与Guessing Game相同。
三、创设和谐互动氛围,缓解焦虑心理
1. 发现学生优点,激发说英语的自信。人教版Module 2 Unit 2 speaking task的第一环节,口语任务是基于52页的阅读任务教学之后对文中的三个故事进行评论,说出自己最喜欢的故事及理由。在学生已经充分掌握了文章的篇章结构、故事内容、重点词汇句型,又给与足够时间讨论之后,我提问了班里英语成绩不错但平时比较沉默的学生来阐述自己的意见,可是该学生并没有如我预期的那样流利顺畅地表达自己的观点,反而因为紧张吞吞吐吐地说不出几个单词。我在学生练习时留意到该生与同伴一直在用英语交谈,所以应该不是无话可说,只是不够自信。联想到上星期该生在校艺术节中街舞的精彩表演,于是鼓励他:“Take it easy. Well,I remember you dance very well and you gave us an amazing performance in our school art festival last week. Can you dance for us now?”在同学们热情的掌声中,这位学生随着音乐跳起了欢快的舞蹈,看着他自信的脸庞,我启发他:“How can you dance so well?Who help you practice dancing?”学生在真实的语境中流利地表达了自己的观点,而且对文中问题的回答有自己的思考和独到的见解。
2. 及时评价,正面反馈。课堂宽松、和谐氛围的营造不是光靠表扬学生就可以获得的,班上总会有一些调皮捣蛋的学生扰乱课堂秩序,这就需要老师适时、适度、适当、合理的批评。如果教师能把批评的方式方法科学化、艺术化到心灵对话层面,那么在教师循循善诱的同时,也是在进行着师生的情感交流,在成就学生的同时,也是在陶冶教师自己,这才是教育的和谐。
3. 激发学生积极思维,营造探究氛围。课堂教学是理性的认知过程,课堂活动的实质是思维的活动,如果课堂教学过程中没有和谐而活跃的气氛,课堂死气沉沉,学生就会停止积极思维,这样的课堂很难达到口语交流的目的。所以教师必须采取各种有效的办法,不断创设情境,激发学生积极思维,主动探究,突出学生的主体作用。
责任编辑 魏文琦