A-Study-on-the-Application-of-Multimedia-in-English-Teaching-in-Middle-School-论文.doc

Abstract

Multimedia, an advanced media which consists of sound, pictures and animation, is being applied to English teaching and learning by more and more teachers and students in middle school. Using multimedia in teaching and learning has many benefits. But in usual contact with teachers and students of middle school, it is found that they have some viewpoints about multimedia teaching, so there is much value and meaning to multimedia application in English teaching in middle school.
The purposes of the thesis are the present situation and the main problems of multimedia application in English teaching in middle school, and then find out solve methods.
The research questions: 1) What are the teacher’s and student’s viewpoints of English Teaching with multimedia? 2) What is (are) the problem(s) students run into while teachers are conducting English teaching with multimedia? 3) What are the best methods to resolve the existing problems?
This research, through questionnaire survey, investigated some randomly chosen teachers and students of Chang Ji NO.4 middle school and chooses the Grade Two students. Through survey and analysis, it is found that the main problems existing in multimedia teaching of English are as follows: (1) Students can not take notes effectively because of the high speed of courseware. (2) Multimedia teaching negatively reduces the opportunities of emotional exchange between teachers and students because of the change from interpersonal communication to man-machine communication in classroom. (3) Multimedia courseware often serves as a platform for gathering materials and in fact becomes an electronic version of the traditional spoon-feeding education. Thus, many students become the passive recipients of information in class. (4) Multimedia teaching is not conducive to the training of students’ spoken English to a certain extent.
In response to these issues, under the guidance of the theory of Constructivism and Humanism, explored the methods and measures in order to deal with the existing issues and proposed the related suggestions as follows: (1) Building a scientific classroom teaching mode; (2) Designing practical multimedia courseware; (3) Strengthen emotional communication with students; (4) Further highlight the main role of students in learning

Keywords: Multimedia; English teaching in middle school; Suggestion

摘要

多媒体这一集声音、图画、动画于一体的先进媒体正被越来越多的学校应用到英语教学中。利用多媒体辅助教学的好处是不言而喻的，但在平时与中学师生的接触中，发现他们对多媒体教学存在一些看法，因此研究多媒体在初中英语教学中的运用有重要的理论意义和现实价值。
本课题旨在研究多媒体在初中英语教学中的运用和所存在的问题，从而找出解决的方法。
本课题的研究问题包括：1) 教师和学生对多媒体英语教学的观点是什么？2) 当教师在使用多媒体英语教学时学生会遇到哪些问题？3)解决现存问题有效的方法是什么？
本课题采用问卷调查的研究方法，对昌吉州四中初二年级部分教师和学生进行随机性的调查。通过调查与分析，发现多媒体英语教学中存在的主要问题是：（1）课件播放的速度较快，学生不能记全笔记；（2）多媒体教学使师生之间的情感交流减少，人际对话变成人机对话；（3）多媒体课件往往是一种材料的聚集平台，是传统填鸭式教学的电子版，故学生还是被动的信息接受者；（4）多媒体教学在一定程度上不利于学生英语口语水平的培养和提升。
针对这些问题，本文以建构主义、人本主义为指导，探究解决问题的方法。提出：（1）要建立科学的英语课堂模式；（2）设计实用性的教学课件；（3）加强与学生的情感交流；（4）进一步凸显教学中以学生为中心的特点。

关键词：多媒体，初中英语教学，建议

Contents

Acknowledgements i
Abstract ii
摘要 iii
1. Introduction 1
1.1Background of the Study 1
1.2 Significance of the Research 1
1.3 Framework 2
2．Literature Review 3
2.1 Definition of Multimedia 4
2.2 The Related Researches at Abroad and Home 4
2.2.1 Researches Abroad 4
2.2.2 Researches at Home 5
2.3 Theoretical Basis of the Research 5
2.3.1 Constructivism 5
2.3.2 Humanism 6
3. Research Design 7
3.1 Research Questions 8
3.2 Subjects 8
3.3 Instruments 8
3.4 Data Collections 8
4. Results and Analysis 9
4.1 Results of the Questionnaires for Students 10
4.2 Results of the Questionnaires for Teachers 12
5．Conclusion 14
5.1 Major Findings 15
5.2 Suggestions 15
5.2.1 Building a Scientific Classroom Teaching Mode 15
5.2.2 Designing Practical Multimedia Courseware 16
5.2.3 Strengthen Emotional Communication with Students 16
5.2.4 Further Highlight the Main Role of Students in Learning 17
5.3 Limitations of the Research 18
References 18
Appendixes 19

1. Introduction

1.1Background of the study
Owing to the globalization, the English language is taught as the second language in most non-English-speaking countries all over the world. However, English teaching in non-English-speaking countries faces many troubles. A large number of students could not be activated in English learning. Many students, especially students in middle schools, lose their interests at the initial period because of the boring learning condition and atmosphere. The representative of Cognitive psychology J.S.Bruner (1963) believed that the best stimulus for learning is the interest to the teaching materials. To the students, interest will directly affect their study effect. Therefore, in English teaching, the teaching aid is unavoidable. Human’s understanding is from vivid direct viewing to the abstract thought, and from abstract thought to practice, therefore, teaching must strengthen the image to be direct viewing. If the teacher appropriately utilizes the teaching aids in the classroom, it can strengthen the teaching direct viewing, increase the knowledge density, break through the difficulties, give prominence to the key points, reduce the burden of students for remembering and understanding, and enhance the students’ interest.
With the rapid development of science and technology and the advent of the digital revolution, changes have taken place in all areas of society, with no exception in foreign language teaching. In today’s China, the traditional teaching mode itself can not adapt to this new technological revolution, an increasing number of middle English teachers have gradually realized the power of the computer and make it assist their own teaching of English. Therefore, a new teaching model, namely, multimedia assisting English teaching model has come into being. Multimedia technology teaching requires an effective approach to present a great deal of authentic background information, which arouse learners’ interest and establish a living background context. Undoubtedly, multimedia technology naturally becomes a good choice for language teaching.
1.2 Significance of the Research
The multimedia teaching is of great significance for English teaching in middle school, which briefly speaking can be judged from three aspects.
Firstly, such a teaching mode is one of the major directions of the present teaching reform. With the faster development of science, technology and the use of internet, the educational field is positively influenced greatly and surely benefits a lot, and as a result, the dominant traditional teaching mode doesn’t adjust to the requirements of modern teaching and the need of our society for qualified graduates. Thus, it is natural that the modern teaching tools have to be applied by teachers in teaching in order to create a modern learning environment for students to acquire as much knowledge as possible.
Secondly, the main significance of discussing the multimedia teaching can help teachers create reflective thinking for the purpose of optimizing their teaching. We all know that even though multimedia teaching owns much advantages, its disadvantages, which are existing simultaneously, are easily neglected, which can result in inefficient teaching results and unsatisfying use of modern media. Through the necessary research, we can certainly attain some understanding of the reasons for the existing problems and some insights for optimizing multimedia teaching by making full use of all the teaching resources.
Thirdly, this research not just concerns teaching but also learning. In the previous researches, learning with the help of multimedia is mostly ignored. The present research will take learners as the main subjects, from which we can know much better the opinions from the learning side, thus it can contribute a lot to the success of the multimedia teaching, for a successful multimedia teaching relates to many factors, including students’ learning habits, attitude, motivation, methods as well as the skill of operating computer. Remember, all the above factors are certain to exert some influence upon the teaching mode.
1.3 Framework
The present thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One outlines the necessity, background and significance of the research, and points out the overall structure of the thesis. Chapter Two is about literature review, which reviews all stages of the development of computer-assisted language teaching and the related practice and research of multimedia teaching at home and abroad. Chapter Three describes the entire process of the survey, class observation and presents the data, information and analysis of them. Chapter Four is reveals the existing problems and explores some related countermeasures. Chapter Five is the conclusion.

2．Literature Review

2.1 Definition of Multimedia
Different people with different purpose might define multimedia differently.
According to Nunan (1999) multimedia is any computer based presentation or application that integrates one or more of the following elements: text animation, video, graphics, and audio. It can also be defined as information presented in more than one format, such as text, audio, video, graphics, and images.
Literally, multimedia means two or more media: text and graphics (the figures). Nevertheless, when most people refer to multimedia, they generally mean the combination of two or more continuous media, that is, media having to be played during some well-defined interval, usually with the user’s participation. In practice, the two media are normally audio and video, that is, sound plus moving pictures. (Ge, 1999)
2.2 The Related Researches at Abroad and Home
2.2.1 Researches Abroad
It is a long history (more than a half century) of the research of multimedia teaching and learning abroad, especially in the United States.
Taylor (1980) expressed that computer assisted language learning programs can be wonderful stimuli for second language learning. Nunan (1999) reported that “interactive visual media which computers provided seem to have a unique instructional capability for topics that involve social situations or problem solving, such as interpersonal solving, foreign language or second language learning” (p.26).
Cheng-Chieh Lai & William Allan Kritsonis (2006) pointed out that research findings indicate that the use of computer has a positive effect on the achievement levels of second language learners, but it still has its limitations and weaknesses, such as financial, isolated, and knowledge required issues. And they emphasize that we must recognize both the advantages and disadvantages of using computers so we can get the maximum effectiveness of technology to enhance second language learning.
The above few examples just provide us with a window through which we can get a summary as follows:
(1) The multimedia teaching method actually has many advantages and meanwhile lots of disadvantages.
(2) The previous researches mainly focus on the forms or models of design of teaching and learning so as to try to highlight the advantages of application of multimedia.
(3) Many researches focus on the issues of linguistic aspect, but a certain extent, neglect the learners’ psychological aspect.
2.2.2 Researches at Home
Although the so-called multimedia teaching emerges a little late in our country (objectively speaking, it began in 1980s), it develops quickly. As mentioned previously, nearly every school and university apply this modern teaching and learning model—teaching and learning with multimedia, and the related researches are naturally followed.
Wang Xiaojuan (2007) thought that if the auxiliary courseware (e.g. PowerPoint) is produced and used in conjunction with CD-ROMs this teaching software can play a better role in class. The reason is that students will produce fatigue and dull mood over time if the entire text revolves around the CD-ROMs. Her advice is that auxiliary instruction courseware will be produced to moderately supplement and adjust the CD-ROMs.
2.3 Theoretical Basis of the Research
Some theories as follows are taken as the theoretical basis of the present research according to the need.
2.3.1 Constructivism
Constructivism is a humanistic model that differs radically from behaviorism, suggesting that learning is a process by which learners construct new ideas or concepts by making use of their own knowledge and experience (Ken Betty, 2005:91). The individual itself constructs his own understanding depending on the current or past knowledge rather than purely accepts the knowledge and stores it in the mind.
Constructivism encourages movement away from the transmission model of learning to the experiential model (McCann, 2001) within the context of our multimedia learning environment. Oxford (1955: 362-3) states that constructivism is partly basing on Kelly’s theory of personal constructs. Kelly suggests that people understand experience by grouping according to similarity and opposites (as cited in Betty, 2005, p.94). On the constructivist model, J.S. Bruner (1963) believes that to instruct someone in a discipline is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind.
In a constructivist-learning environment, students should play an active part and assume more responsibility for their own learning, and they learn by fitting new information together with what they already know, actively constructing their own new knowledge system and solutions to the problems. MAI will assist the teachers to realize the goals by constructing different kinds of contexts by means of the multimedia. Only when the MAI is on the basis of the Constructivism, it can exploit its powerful functions at an optimal level. In the environment of MAI based on the Constructivism, the role of the teacher becomes more complex as it does not only involve providing instruction but also involves scaffolding activities, monitoring feedback by means of the multimedia. Constructivism cannot tell teachers new things to do, but it may suggest why certain attitudes and procedure are counter-productive, and it may point out opportunities for teachers to use their own spontaneous imagination.
2.3.2 Humanism
Humanism emphasizes “the importance of the inner world of the learner and place the individual’s thoughts’ feelings and emotions at the forefront of all human development (Williams & Burden, 2005)”. Erik Erikson is an outstanding psychological researcher in Humanistic psychology. The basis for Erickson’s ideas, which he sets out brilliantly in his classic text Childhood and Society (1963), is that human psychological development depends on the way in which individuals pass through predetermined maturational stages and upon the challenges that are set by society at particular times in their lives (Williams & Burden, 2005). Erikson’s theory also views education as involving the whole person, the emotio