Creating an English Language Environment

四川省绵阳中学外语组 李小亭

1.The benefits of creating an English language environment

Firstly, Creating an English language environment can encourage the use of English beyond the text book and beyond the teacher’s instructions and offer a welcome change from the routine of a text book, which expands the student’s use of English and a provides great way to re-cycle vocabulary and grammar. Secondly,it can be an interesting and exciting way to incorporate English into the classroom by classroom displays. if the topic is appropriate, students will be motivated to look, read and think. Thirdly, With greater control and a stronger sense of achievement, active learners are able to acquire new skills faster and put what they know to better use. So students’ involvement in creating an English language environment helps them to identify with and ‘own’ the language. Lastly, it can be fun for the teacher as well. Through the activity, teachers and students can interact with each other naturally. In a nutshell, a real language environment is more authentic, more practical and more personalised, so students feel more relaxed and more familiar in it.

2.Potential problems with creating an English language environment and the solutions to them

2.1 It is very time consuming for the teacher to organise and train the students to take responsibility.

Solution：Collaboration with other teachers to share the workload. It is time-consuming but productive and ultimately rewarding, as we are working towards a goal which eventually saves us time. It is also a life skill we must teach students to have. It is also worthwhile because we are helping the students to feel a sense of identity with, and ‘ownership’of, the English language environment.

2.2 There might be a lack of support from other members of staff in the school who do not appreciate what we are trying to achieve.

Solution：We can try and convert our colleagues! Invite them to see what we are doing in our classroom and explain why. Talk to other teachers who seem interested and then we can support each other.

3.The approaches to creating an English language environment

3.1.School environment

As is known to all, the English learning usually takes places in school. Here are some ways to creat an good enviroment for students：Teachers can put up English signs and English proverbs on the bulletin boards on campus and the walls of the corridors for the students to appreciate and learn; In the classroom, it's a good way to make and use classroom displays; Some organised English activities,such as English singing competitions, English speaking competitions, English parties,English broadcast and English Talent Competition are necessary.Finally, English lesson is one of the best occasions when English language environment is created.Activities in English classes should be meaningful and fruitful and how a teacher organizes his or her classes is definitely important.

3.2 Outside school environment

3.3.1 Family environment

if the parents encourage them to put some stickers with English words or proverbs on them on the objects in their rooms, or encourage them to speak English,or even teach their parents to speak English, the students will feel very relaxed and will be very willing to learn English.And also, the students should be encouraged to listen to English songs and watch English programs at home. Besides, A good family English language environment needs the English teacher’s help as well. The parents should keep contact with their children’s English teachers as often as possible to get the teachers’advice on how to help their children.

3.3.2 Social environment

Now a day s,with the development of China's economy,more and more English-speaking foreigners come to China. It's not difficult for students to get the chance to communicate with them. Communicating with them, the students can correct their pronunciation, enlarge their vocabulary, improve their listening ability.

Making full use of the Internet is also a good alternative. Through the Internet, students can make friends with their peers across the English world. They can blog in English to share their ideas with their friends.

The bookstore and library are also a good social environment for students to learn English.Firstly, there are a lot of English materials there, so students can get lots of English information. Meanwhile, they can communicate with other people who are also interested in English there, they can communicate about their experiences in learning English, and of course it is possible for them to help each other in study in the future.

Besides, in the daily life,students also have chance to face English. For instance, the English directions of products,the English brochures of a place,the English advertisements in the newspapers or magazines and the English road signs all can provide English language environment.