IREC支架在英语议论文写作教学中的运用
2019-09-10杨宇学
摘要:为解决英语写作教学中对拓展学生写作思维关注不够,导致学生写作思路不畅、视野狭窄、论证乏力等问题,尝试在议论文写作教学中运用IREC支架。具体教学步骤为:引入写作任务,激发思维的能动性;训练破题技巧,培养思维的辩证性;创新立意基点,发展思维的独创性;变换例证角度,拓展思维的广阔性;提升结论高度,增强思维的深刻性。
关键词:思维品质 IREC支架 英语写作 议论文
常见的英语写作教学中,教师更关注写作的语言层次,如语法和标点符号的正确使用、主题背景信息的收集、主题词汇的列举、观点与结论表述常用的句型等,对学生写作思维的拓展关注不够。其结果往往是学生虽然手握词汇和句型,但无话可写或老调重弹,没有新意;或观点幼稚,缺乏深度。究其原因,是写作的思路没有得到拓展,或者缺乏拓展思路的路径。为此,笔者尝试了支架式写作教学。本文试以IREC支架在议论文写作教学中的应用为例,探索支架式写作教学对思维品质的培养。
一、理论基础
在写作教学中,常见的问题是学生的思维水平与写作任务所需的能力要求有差距。消除差距的有效办法之一,是搭建拓展思维的指导性支架,其理论基础是苏联著名心理学家维果茨基的“最近发展区”理论。
“最近发展区”理论认为,儿童独立解决问题时的实际发展水平与在教师指导下解决问题时所需要的潜在发展水平之间是有差距的,缩小这个差距的途径就是教师的教学所搭建的学习支架。这个支架能帮助学习者从实际发展水平提升到更高的潜在发展水平。“根据所提供的支持来源,支架可以分为两类:一类是指导性支架,即教师为了有效地指导学生学习而采用的策略与方法;一类是支持性支架,即教师根据学生学习的实际需要提供的工具和手段。”
IREC支架是帮助学生拓展思路、提升思维品质的指导性支架。该支架把握学生发展的本原,从兴趣、情感和思维入手,设计有针对性的活动和具体化的任务,塑造学生思维的主体地位,发展多元思维,培养高阶思维品质,提升写作能力。
IREC是议论文写作过程中的interpretation,reinterpretation,examples和conclusion四个步骤,也是架构语篇的思维外显形式。其中,interpretation旨在破题,即诠释话题的主旨意义,打开写作之门;reinterpretation是立意,即以一个新的角度或更具体的方式对写作话题进行再解读,说明自己对主旨的独特理解,确立写作的基点;examples为例证,即通过举例进一步阐述和支撑自己的理解,使观点更具说服力;conclusion是结语,常以评论、展望或总结等与主题形成呼应。
二、实践案例
下面以笔者执教的一节写作教学公开课为例,具体说明议论文写作教学中使用IREC支架提升思维品质的做法。写作任务及要求是:
仔细品味下面这幅漫画,然后写一篇120个词左右的英语短文,短文应包括以下内容:
(1)简要描述漫画内容;
(2)阐述其所蕴含的意义;
(3)发表自己的看法。
具体教学步骤如下:
(一)引入写作任务,激发思维的能动性
教师布置写作任务:How do you understand the famous proverb “We are happy by far with friends coming from afar.”? Please make a short speech to tell your opinion.
在课堂中,大多数学生是将“We are happy by far with friends coming from afar.”这句谚语翻译成“有朋自远方来,不亦说乎”,然后就很难再继续。虽然演讲的主题是司空见惯的,但学生却无法展开话题,其根源在于学生缺少拓展思维的支架,缺乏破题的路径。
本节课教学为借班上课,笔者以谚语“We are happy by far with friends coming from afar.”作为导入,请学生说说对该谚语的理解并做一个简短演讲。该任务的设计具有开放性,不同的学生可能有不同的理解和阐释。其目的在于推动学生积极参与,激发思维的能动性。同时,该任务设计能获得学生演讲的真实文本并将其作为例文进行评析,分析其中的语篇架构思维和存在的问题,了解学生在议论文写作中的破题、立意、例证、结语等技能和技巧水平,及时引入IREC支架。
(二)训练破题技巧,培养思维的辩证性
【任务1】
Interpret the meaning of the following proverb“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.”
在学生完成任务之后,教师点评,并提供用兩种不同的方法进行解读的示例:
(1)字面意义解读:If you feel the world is cold to you, you can warm it with your enthusiasm.
(2)隐含意义解读:You feel the world cold to you, because you are cold to the world. The world is like a mirror. If you smile to it, it smiles to you. So embrace the world with your warm heart, and you will find a warm world.
然后,学生仿照任务1的方法完成后续任务。
【任务2】
Describe the picture“The finish line is a new start line”.
在学生完成后,教师检查、点评并给出示例:(Interpretation)In the picture we can see a runner competing in a race. He is running hard and will successfully reach the finish line, which, however, is also the start line.
本环节对谚语和图片进行诠释的训练任务,旨在培养学生在把握写作话题时善于运用唯物辩证法的原则。学生在对具体材料进行思维加工时,能运用对立与统一等辩证的眼光理解话题,训练运用辩证思维的方法进行破题的技巧,培养辩证思维品质。
(三)创新立意基点,发展思维的独创性
【任务3】
Reinterpret the theme of the following proverb from different views.No matter how far you may fly, never forget where you come from.
首先,学生尝试对该谚语进行解读、分享和交流,然后教师讲评并给出示例:Wherever you go or wherever you are, you must remember your family, your hometown and your country, and whatever you do, it matters much about the honour of your hometown and your country.
接着,教师提出新任务:Describe the meaning of the proverb from three different views:①your starting point;②your hardship;③your helper。
学生尝试再解读,教师再检查、讲评并给出示例:
①your starting point: No matter how successful you are and how far you have gone, you must remember your starting point and take your present place as a new starting point. Keep on going and reach your potential to its fullest for new achievements.
②your hardship: No matter what achievements you have made, you must remember the hardship you have experienced and do keep in mind that nothing comes in an easy way. It didnt in the past, it doesnt now and will not ever. Be prepared to overcome difficulties in the future.
③your helper: No matter what a great person you have become, you must remember the people who have helped you and pass on their favour to others.
然后,學生仿照任务3的方法完成后续任务。
【任务4】
Reinterpret the theme of the picture“The finish line is a new start line”.
在学生完成之后,教师讲解并给出示例:(Reinterpretation)The picture implies that the runner will finish this race, but it doesnt mean he can stop making efforts, because more competitions and challenges are coming in future.
“多角度解读名言警句”的训练活动,旨在引导学生通过调整、变换、批判、质疑等方式对话题材料进行分析,从而提出新颖的认知和观点,形成独特的立意,培养思维的独创性品质。同时,对名言警句的再解读,确立了文章将要论述的基点,使文章的展开有了新的增长点,能够充实文章内容。
(四)变换例证角度,拓展思维的广阔性
【任务5】
Give examples to support your understanding of the following proverb:“The land did not move, but moved. The sea was not still, yet still.”
首先,学生尝试完成任务5,教师检查、讲评并给出示例:The proverb is true of people. One seems to be calm but his inner self is passionate, while one seems to be passionate, but his inner self is calm and he can always keep his head. So it is with nature. Still waters run deep and calm is always before the storm.
同时,教师引导学生从例证中归纳举例,如从人与自我、人与社会、人与自然的关系出发,通过多方位例证达到说理充分、论证有力的效果。
然后,学生仿照任务5的方法完成后续任务。
【任务6】
Give examples to support your understanding of the picture “The finish line is a new start line”.
在学生完成后,教师检查、讲评并给出示例:(Examples)So it is with each one of us in life and work. When saying goodbye to the past on New Years Eve, we are looking ahead to the future meanwhile. When the last graduates left school, teachers are already preparing for new students. Harvest time is also the time to sow seeds. Astronauts are attempting to conquer the Mars after successfully walking in outer space.
在这一环节,笔者主要通过例证引导学生进一步认识和感受人与外部世界的相互联系,形成宏觀视野,拓展思维的广阔性,以使文章论证充分、内容丰满。同时,基于宏观视野寻找具体案例,能培养学生从宏观到微观、从抽象到具体的思维切换能力。
(五)提升结论高度,增强思维的深刻性
结论句是对主题句的回首照应,往往紧扣主题意义,选择不同角度和采用不同方式进行表述。
【任务7】
Write concluding sentences for the following topic sentences:
①Leaves are falling down(主题句)_____(结论句)
②Autumn passes too quickly(主题句)_____(结论句)
学生完成任务7,交流并分享答案,教师点评后给出示例:①Autumn is coming;②Winter has come.
然后,学生仿照任务7的方法完成后续任务。
【任务8】
Write a concluding part for the following text about the picture“The finish line is a new start line”.
(Interpretation)In the picture we can see a runner competing in a race. He is running hard and will successfully reach the finish line, which, however, is also the start line.
(Reinterpretation)The picture implies that the runner will finish this race, but it doesnt mean he can stop making efforts, because more competitions and challenges are coming in future.
(Examples)So it is with each of us in life and work. When saying goodbye to the past on New Years Eve, we are looking ahead to the future meanwhile. When last graduates left school, teachers are already preparing for new students. Harvest time is also the time to sow seeds. Astronauts are attempting to conquer the Mars after successfully walking in outer space.
(Conclusion)_____.
学生完成后进行交流、分享,教师点评并给出示例:
(Conclusion)In a word, we should take the finish line as a new starting point. As a student, Ill never stop working hard while Im enjoying the pleasure from making progress.
最后,根据本课开头设置的写作任务,完整呈现“终点又是新起点”看图写作范文,总结IREC支架在写作中的意义和作用。
结论句的写作是高水平的思维活动,需要高阶思维能力。本环节的任务设计旨在促使学生深入思考问题,进而抓住事物的本质与内在联系,学会站在较高层面得出具有规律性和方法论特点的结论,并用以解决现实生活中的问题,以此增强学生思维的深刻性。
综上,写作的工具性支架如语言支架等,往往只能满足特定写作任务在语言材料方面的要求,在提升学生思维品质、发展写作能力方面缺乏足够的方法论价值。而指导性支架能帮助学生拓展思路,理顺脉络、夯实表达,有效解决了学生长期以来展不开、写不长和逻辑混乱的问题。在使用过程中,教师也可以先将IREC支架分解成I、R、E、C这四个小的项目进行逐项训练,然后再进行合成训练,最终使学生的运用达到一体化。在写作教学中,教师及时总结、提炼、构建写作思维指导性支架,在提升学生的思维品质和提高学生的写作能力方面不失为一种科学、实用和有效的教学方法。
参考文献:
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