汝欲学作诗,工夫在诗外
——高三复习课效率提升策略微探
2018-01-25甘肃王国己
甘肃 王国己
对于高三英语复习课,通常的做法是三轮复习,即第一轮复习基础知识和基本技能;第二轮进行专题复习,第三轮进行综合演练。这一个套路被沿用多年,但笔者在长期的高三英语复习课教学中发现,这种复习方法效率低下,效果不佳。因为
这种复习是一种割裂式的复习方法,是将语言内容和形式剥离,变成了单纯、机械的操练,为做题而做题,死记硬背成为基本形式。教师教得辛苦,学生学得枯燥,课堂完全是“教师讲,学生听”的模式,课上师生们的教学流程和对话被简化为互相对题的选项答案,听到的只是“Which one? A or C”这样简单、快速却缺乏意义的交流和探究的教学活动。这不仅占据了宝贵的教学时间和学生珍贵的语言实践机会,还阻碍了学生在语言学习中对完整意义的关注,枯竭了学生语言思维学习的动力和交流能力,严重损害了学生真实语感的培养。因此,如何改变这种局面,让高三复习课也能够成为学生语言知识和语言实际运用能力提高的场所,显得尤为重要。为此,笔者做了一些尝试,取得了一定的效果。
一、优化课堂教学模式,提升课堂教学效率
建构主义哲学认为,儿童是在与周围环境相互作用的过程中,逐步建立起关于外部世界的知识,从而使自身认知结构得到发展。简而言之,就是学生应该是在不断的实践和思考中获得关于外部世界的知识的。换句话说,如果学生没有自我的实践和思考,外部世界的知识就很难进入学生自身的认知系统。教师要大胆地将课堂还给学生。让学生有独立思考的时间,主动积极地去建构自己的知识体系;让学生有空间展开思维的翅膀,主动积极地去获取知识,体验情感,生发思想,沉淀思维;让学生有机会去表达自己的认知、情感、思考和理念。
笔者一改过去完全由教师讲解词汇、语法、结构和翻译的课堂模式,将学生精心分组,组员各自承担一定的任务。布置语篇,分类指导。组织学生进行小组活动,让学生在讨论、争论中发散思维,发挥主动性和积极性,开展生生互动、师生互动,学生自主学习,相互启发,教师释疑答难,个别辅导,进行启发式和发现式教学。学生的主动性和积极性被极大地调动起来,人人是学生,个个是老师,取长补短,相互辩论,遇到疑难,找词典、语法书、课本查证、辩驳,决而不下的,举手请教老师解疑释惑。
譬如,学生拿到以下语篇:
O.Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories.His real name was William Sydney Porter.He was born in North Carolina in 1862.As a young boy he lived an exciting life.He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know.When he was about 20 years old, O.Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs.He fi rst worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O.Henry was believed to have stolen it.Because of that, he was sent to prison.During the three years in prison,he learned to write short stories.After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing.He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there.People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would fi nish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.
1.In which order did O.Henry do the following things?
a.Lived in New York. b.Worked in a bank.
c.Travelled to Texas. d.Was put in prison.
e.Had a newspaper Job. f.Learned to write stories.
A.e.c.f.b.d.a. B.c.e.b.d.f.a.
C.e.b.d.c.a.f. D.c.b.e.d.a.f.
2.People enjoyed reading O.Henry’s stories because_______________.
A.they had surprise endings
B.they were easy to understand
C.they showed his love for the poor
D.they were about New York City
3.O.Henry went to prison because _______________.
A.people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B.he broke the law by not using his own name
C.he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D.people thought he had taken money that was not his
4.What do we know about O.Henry before he began writing?
A.He was well-educated.
B.He was not serious about his work.
C.He was devoted to the poor.
D.He was very good at learning.
5.Where did O.Henry get most material for his short stories?
A.His life inside the prison.
B.The newspaper articles he wrote.
C.The city and people of New York.
D.His exciting early life as a boy.
首先开始自主阅读,画出自己不懂的词、短语、句子,有语法障碍的地方;然后分组进行相互辅导,不会的同学把自己划出的部分提出来,小组成员中会的同学负责讲解,相互辅导;然后把有争议、全组成员都拿不准的地方提出来,分头查字典、语法书,进一步研究讨论;还不能搞清楚的,则提交给老师;接着,一名同学负责朗读,其他的学生一边听,一边将短文中的语块画出来,进行理解并造句;接着讨论文后的阅读理解题目,相互提示,辩论,做出该组最终的选择;老师负责讲解文后的阅读理解题目,小组把自己的答案和老师的讲解进行核对,错误的选择,找出思路上的不足。
坚持一段时间后,笔者发现,学生们对小组活动驾轻就熟,上课时,学生成为主角,教师成为助手,课堂显得开放、自由,整个课堂气氛是一个自由学习的状态,学生置身其中,感到轻松自然而又紧张、高效。教师成了学习的组织者、促进者、帮助者和引导者,学生成为学习的主人,通过讨论、讲解、辩驳、查证等过程,学生的知识记忆深刻,能力提升扎实,同时学生还克服了对英语学习的恐惧心理和懒惰心理,取得了良好的教学效果。
二、优化教学内容,加大语言输入,提升语言学习质量
大量的考题性阅读让学生失去了阅读兴趣,学习英语要多读书,少做题。“在学生的脑力劳动中,摆在第一位的并不是背书,不是记住别人的思想,而是让学生本人进行思考,也就是说,进行生动的创造,借助词曲认识周围世界的事物和现象,并且与此联系地认识词本身的极其细腻的感情色彩。”苏霍姆林斯基的这段话,让我们深刻地认识到,机械地做题永远无法让学生真正地思考,也无法真正地让学生感受到语言之美,无法用英语来认识周围的事物和现象,更不能体会到英语词语和篇章所表达的极其细腻的感情色彩。要改变这一现象,就是读书。引进阅读材料,通过共读享受英语之美,培养语感,提升综合语言运用能力。
为此,笔者将安徒生童话的英文原文等大胆引入课堂,和学生共读共赏。当笔者宣布说从今天开始我们一起读安徒生童话The Little Sea Maid的时候,学生们发出一阵欢呼声;从中也可以看出,学生们不是没有读书的兴趣和动力,正是各种英语题让学生对英语本身产生了厌恶之情。多做题表面上看起来见效快,效率高,其实却欲速则不达,既破坏了语言之美,也消减了学生学习英语的热情,反而让学生产生了许多畏难情绪。更为糟糕的是,这样的英语学习根本无法培养学生的语言技能和思维,听、说、读、写都不能有所发展。而阅读安徒生童话、英文绘本、美丽英文等原汁原味的素材,让学生能够直抵英文的根本,享受英文语言之美,直接塑造学生的英语思维,培养语感,表面上看起来与高考远了些,但真正是“汝欲学作诗,工夫在诗外”,反而让学生的英语水平有了大幅提高。
譬如,The Little Mermaid的开头部分:
Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above.There dwell the Sea King and his subjects.We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand.No, indeed; the most singular fl owers and plants grow there;the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life.Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land.In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King.Its walls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber.The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water fl ows over them.Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fi t for the diadem of a queen.
笔者在呈现文本之后,让学生圈出描写大海特征的词,很快,学生就抓住了 blue, clear, deep等词,然后笔者让学生找出描述海底奇异景象的词汇、短语和句子,并展开想象。学生们兴致高昂,找到了一些关键词句,并反复朗读,对奇妙的海底世界充满了无限的好奇。笔者要求学生划出表示海底世界的事物的词,并写出对应的描述词和短语,突出了the castle of Sea King,为后面的阅读埋下了伏笔,学生们急切地想知道在国王的海底城堡里发生了什么。
在教学中,笔者发现,学生在课堂上的表现更为积极主动,热情高涨,对故事情节的发展,人物命运的起伏充满了期待和好奇,迫不及待地想往下读,有些同学甚至自己动手在字典的帮助下往下读,畏难情绪逐渐消失了,开始爱上英文,爱上英文阅读,在阅读中解决了词汇、语法、搭配、句型结构等问题,更重要的是在阅读中提升了听、说、读、写的综合运用能力,面对各个题型都有如鱼得水,驾轻就熟之感,考试成绩非但不会受到影响,反而得到了很大的提升。