Learners'-Interest-in-Oral-Practice--在口语练习中提高学生的兴趣毕业论文.doc

本科生毕业论文（设计）

题目：_在口语练习中提高学生的兴趣_

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专 业： 英语
年级（高自考不填）：
学 院：
完成日期
指导教师

Learners' Interest in Oral Practice

Contents

Abstract (English) ··················································································································i
Abstract (Chinese) ·················································································································ii
Introduction ···························································································································1
Chapter1 Project Objective and Hypothesis ·······································································2
1.1 Project Objective ··································································································2
1.2 Project Hypothesis ································································································2
Chapter 2 Problem Identification and Solutions·································································3
2.1 Project Rationale ··································································································3
2.2 Oral Work Design ·································································································3
2.3 Control and Target Group ·····················································································7
Chapter 3 Project Implementation and Evaluation ·····························································8
3.1 Project Implementation ························································································8
3.2 Project Evaluation ································································································8
Conclusion ···························································································································11
References ···························································································································12
Appendices ··························································································································13
Appendix A: The Methods of Problem Analysis ·························································13
Appendix B: Teaching Notes ·······················································································15
Appendix C: Teaching Plan ·························································································17

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Abstract

This study presents a detailed report of a project implemented to solve the problem that most of my students do not like doing the oral practice. It is hypothesized that learners’ interest in oral practice will be greatly increased by better-designed oral work activities. The role of speaking in class and its purpose are real-life communication, the students should feel relaxed and free about speaking to each other in English in class. The teacher takes a supplementary role in class, not only as an evaluator. Learners’ interest in oral practice is increased by better-designed activities. Moreover, my new assignment activities should have a real purpose to communicate. I designed four activities to be tried out in four weeks. And these activities are reported as follows. I disarranged the order of the Unit 17, 19, 23 and 25.
Among the used methods of scientific investigation are analytic method, cause analysis, interview and brainstorming.

Key words: oral practice, interest, better-designed activities

摘要

这项研究是针对我的大多数学生不喜欢口语练习而进行的。这个细节报告做了一个假设，通过精心设计的活动来大大提高学生的学习英语兴趣。在课上说英语的作用和目的是真实的交际。学生之间用英语互相交流应该感到放松和自由，教师在课上起到的是辅助作用，而不仅仅是个评判者。好的设计活动在口语练习中能提高学习者的兴趣，而且，我设计活动的真正目的是交流。在接下来的四个星期里，我设计了四个活动，这些活动在我的论文中有详细的报告，设计的内容顺序是17单元、19单元、23单元和25单元。
在调查报告中，我使用的方法是分析法、原因分析法、面谈和自由讨论。

关键词：口语练习，兴趣，好的设计活动

Introduction

As is commonly accepted, motivation is the key to success, and interest is the best teacher. What the teacher should do in class is to provide conditions for learning to take place. I am now teaching senior grade one students. After one semester, I found that the classroom atmosphere was getting less and less active. A quite part of students idled in class. They were taking a less active role in classroom activities. A few students even dropped out. Basing my project on some approaches that I have learned form "English Language Teaching Methodology" and considering the characteristics of my students, I decided to adopt oral practice in my lessons to motivate the learners and help them keep up their English learning.

Chapter 1 Project Objective and Hypothesis

1.1 Project Objective
The objective of my project is to enhance my students’ interest in doing oral practice. Most of my students do not like doing the oral practice. I think that learners’ interest in oral practice will be greatly increased by better-designed oral work activities. The role of speaking in class and its purpose are real-life communication, the students should feel relaxed and free about speaking to each other in English in class. The teacher takes a supplementary role in class, not only as an evaluator. Moreover, my new assignment activities should have a real purpose to communicate. I designed four activities to be tried out in four weeks. And these activities are reported as follows. I disarranged the order of the Unit 17, 19, 23 and 25.
1.2 Project Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that learners’ interest in oral practice is increased by better designation.

Chapter 2 Problem Identification and Solutions

2.1 Project Rationale
2.1.1 The Role of Speaking in Class and Its Purpose
Personally I think classroom oral practice can not to be judged by grades. In fact, it plays the role of real-life communication. This means that the students should feel relaxed and be free to talk with each other in English in class. They should also see that speaking to their peers has its purpose and does not have to be evaluated by the teacher all the time. The emphasis should shift from accuracy to fluency.
2.1.2 The Role of the Students
I would like the students to feel that learning is a collaborative endeavor and not a competitive one. They should come to realize that they can learn from each other and help each other, especially in speaking as it is not a skill that they can practice on their own.
2.1.3 The Role of the Teacher
Students should realize that the teacher has many roles in the classroom except that they are always regarded as the evaluator. I would like to demonstrate these different roles so that students will realize when the teacher takes a major instructing role in class and when she takes only a minor helping role. I would like my students to get used to being responsible for their own learning and not depending on the teacher all the time.
2.1.4 The Type of Used Classroom Tasks
I think all of the above can be dealt with by designing and using appropriate tasks in one classroom. If the learners have to do with some information tasks in class, I will give them a topic that they are interested in. In that case they can speak freely. Then I feel the value of their communication with each other will be shown.
2.2 Oral Work Design
My hypothesis is that learners’ interest in oral practice is increased by better-designed activities. Moreover, my new assignment activities should have a real purpose to communicate. I designed four activities to be tried out in four weeks. And these activities are reported as follows. I disarranged the order of the Unit 17, 19, 23 and 25.
2.2.1 Week 1, activity 1
This activity is based on Senior English for China Book 1B, Unit 17.
Purpose: to practice expressing the reason for doing something such as “we are trying to do” “we want to do” etc. and some other expressions of the ways of asking the reason for doing something such as “Why are you doing…?’ “What is the purpose of doing…?” and so on.
Instructions: Students work in pairs. First one is the person asking for reasons and the other is the person answering reasons and then they swap roles. (The detailed instructions are as follows: You are going to work in pairs. One of you is the person trying to express the reason for doing something. The other one is the person who answers the reason for doing something.)
Procedure: I taught the dialogue of Lesson 65. Then I provided some model dialogues, and then let students to work in pairs. The students should exchange their roles several times. The teacher circulates and monitors the activity.
Situations: A dialogue between a reporter and some students
R (reporter): What is the purpose of your new project
Ss (students): We want to build a new science lab and buy more equipment for it. But we have not enough money.
R: How are you to collect the money?
Ss: We are trying to collect some money by putting on performances.
R: Where are you going to put on your performances?
Ss: We are going to give them in the cinemas and theatres of some towns and some large factories.
R: How much money do you need for your project?
Ss: About 5000 yuan.
R: How long will it take you to do that?
Ss: Nearly 2 months.
R: That sounds a great idea. Good luck to you!
Ss: Thanks a lot.
Activity in class: Make up a dialogue based on the information given in the form below:
Activity: English speech competition
Number of students who will take part in it: 150 students
Time: One month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15
Purpose: To improve the students’ spoken English
The dialogue made by the students may be as follows:
R: What are you planning to do as activities out of your English classes?
S: We’ll do something meaningful.
R: Sorry, I can’t fully understand. Can you tell me more?
S: We are trying to hold an English speech competition.
R: What is the purpose of doing that?
S: We want to improve the students’ spoken English.
R: That’s a good idea. How long are you planning to go on it?
S: One month. It will begin on Sept. 15 and end on Oct. 15.
R: How many students will take part in it?
S: All the students from 30 classes of our school. They will take part in the competition.
R: I’m sure all the students will do their best. Good luck to you.
S: Thanks a lot.
2.2.2 Week 2, activity 2
This activity is based on Senior English for China, Book 1B, Unit 19 Jobs
Purpose: To let the students give their opinions about the work which men and women do in our country by using the given phrases.
Instructions: This is pair work. Let the students read the dialogue first and then the teacher gives them some phrases to practice in pairs. Several minutes later the teacher asks some students to act it out. (The detailed instructions are as follow: You will work in pair. You both have your own ideas of the work which men and women do in our country. You can express your ideas freely each other according to the phrases below.)
The phrases:
I think… I believe…
It seems that … I’m sure…
I agree. I guess…
I don’t agree. In my opinion, …
Do you think so?
The dialogue made by the students may be as follows:
Pair 1:
A: I think women are better doctors than men.
B: I agree.
Pair 2:
A: In my opinion, men work harder than women.
B: I don’t agree. I believe women work harder than men. Do you think so, C?
C: I agree.
2.2.3 Week 3, activity 3
This activity is based on Senior English for China, Book 1B, Unit 23 Rescuing the temple
Purpose: To practice the expressions of making suggestions accepting and refusing suggestions.
Instructions: Design a discussion. Suppose the students are planning a visit to a place of interest. Discuss the questions first, and then make up a dialogue using the expressions they’ve learnt. (The detailed instructions are as follow: You will work in groups of four. Discuss the questions first, four minutes later, you should prepare the dialogue in your group and then some students will act it out.)
Discussion
(i) Where to go
(ii) How to get there
(iii) How long to spend there
(iv) What to do there
(v) What to take
The dialogue made by the students may be as follows:
A: Hi, Tom. What shall we do this weekend?
B: I’ve no idea. Do you have any plan, C?
C: Well, there are several things we could do. We could go to the cinema. There is a good film on.
D: What will you do this weekend, A?
A: I’d like to do some cleaning, but not during the day. Maybe we could do the cleaning this evening?
B: Can’t we go to the country?
D: That’s a good idea. I feel like going fishing by the river.
C: If we go to the country. We can go there by bike. When we get there, we can take a long walk along the river and listen to the singing of birds.
A: I think that’s a good idea, too. But we’d better take a hat and a picnic lunch. We can’t get back until it is dark.
2.2.4 Week 4, activity 4
This activity is based on Senior English for China, Book 1B, Unit 25 At the conference
Purpose: To practice the expressions of making phone calls.
Instructions: Before learning this lesson, let the students preview it. After learning it, give them a situation about making phone calls, let them work in pairs, five minutes later ask some students to act it out.
Procedure: At first I dealt with the dialogue and pointed out the expressions of making phone calls. Then I let them read the dialogue according to the different roles. At last I gave them a situation. The students made up dialogues in pairs and were ready to act them out.
2.3 Control and target group
I set up control and target groups. The students of control group were not involved in the project implementation. They were required to do some other oral task. The students of target group carried out the project with me. The implementation of the project takes four weeks. After that，both groups are asked to do an oral task again and then I compare the students’ performance. The results obtained from the comparison should show whether the students in the target groups show stronger interest than the control group. This will show whether the students’ interest in oral practice can be increased by better-designed oral work.

Chapter 3 Project Implementation and Evaluation

3.1 Project Implementation and Evaluation
My students are first-year students. They are not good at speaking English. It took me four weeks to implement my project. Each week I am scheduled to do it.
Teaching notes: To see Appendix B
I want to know if the hypothesis has been proved by the four-week use of better-designed oral work with the target group. That is to say, I