Analysis of the Cultivation of Middle School Students’ Oral English Ability under the New Curriculum Standard

Meng Fanbing

【Abstract】Starting from the practical situation of middle school students oral English， this article briefly analyzes the factors that restrict the cultivation of oral English ability in the non-linguistic environment and proposes several solutions to improve middle school students oral English communicative competence.

【Key Words】Chinese Middle School Students； Oral English Ability

【作者簡介】Meng Fanbing， Zhengzhou Foreign Language School.

Ordinary Senior High School English Curriculum Standards （Experiment） puts that， senior high school English courses should emphasize the ability to think and express in English and cross-cultural communication ability. Therefore， the majority of English teachers in China start to focus on the oral English teaching at the middle school stage. However， in practical English teaching， many teachers do not permeate oral teaching to all aspects of language teaching. As a result， classroom teaching fails to create a sound atmosphere for students and they cannot get enough oral training opportunities so that it is difficult to achieve the purpose of communicating in English among the students. This article briefly analyzes several factors that restrict the improvement of spoken English and proposes some solutions so that effective oral English teaching can be achieved and students spoken English ability can be improved to meet the requirements of the Ordinary Senior High School English Curriculum Standard （Experiment）.

The following are factors limiting oral English training in middle schools in China.

1. Non-Language Environment Limitations

Whether it is in the corresponding language environment is a key factor in English spoken language training. Most English learners in our country are in the non-language environment. They have to use grammar knowledge and logic analysis to make up for their deficiencies. As a result， multi-year English learners， even having accumulated profound grammar knowledge， cant speak authentic English fluently. At present， some teachers in the English class basically use English to teach students， which has a positive effect on cultivating English thinking， but the effect on spoken language training is not obvious， since students are not in language applied environment. In other words， students are not able to freely express their own ideas and make mutual communications in English-learning atmosphere. Therefore， how to overcome the constraints of non-linguistic environment on the English learning of Chinese middle school students should be one of the significant topics studied by English teachers and researchers.

2. Restrictions on Oral English Teaching in Middle School

The improvement of the quality of English professional teachers and the use of modern teaching methods such as multimedia and network technology provide objective possibilities for improving the efficiency of oral English training. However， in the current teaching of middle school English， especially in rural middle schools， there are still restrictions that are not conducive to oral training.

1） Relative deficiencies and lags in English vocabulary for middle school students

Spoken English also requires a certain vocabulary as its basis. The more vocabularies students have， the more familiar with the vocabulary， the fluency and accuracy of spoken English can be guaranteed. However， according to the secondary school English syllabus， the English vocabulary requirement of our countrys middle school students are around 3， 000， while the requirement in Japan and Russia is three times as much as ours. The great disparity undoubtedly make our students spoken English at a low level. At the same time， the lag of the vocabulary and the disconnection with reality cannot be ignored. Speaking oral English is intended to communicate with the outside world， which means practical vocabularies should be adopted. However， many vocabularies commonly used in foreign exchanges cannot be found in word lists or textbooks， thus limiting middle school students oral English training.

2） Constraints in the Method of Middle School English Teaching.

Due to the long-term influence of traditional teaching methods in China， the current oral training methods have the following characteristics： First， the spoken English training is mechanical. Students just read texts aloud or only answer questions put forward by their teachers. Second， students initiative is not enough. When students are asked to answer questions， most of them are silent and only a few activists respond. Third， information exchanges are not frequent. Teachers and students cannot communicate beyond the scope of answers. These three characteristics show that the oral English training in secondary schools is restricted in terms of content and form. Students lack interests and enthusiasm in oral English training. Therefore， students always fail to achieve the purpose of oral English training. As a result， teachers should focus on breaking through this limit while teaching.

3） English teaching in middle school focuses on how to pass the examinations. As a result， oral training is ignored.

We have long proposed that we should pay attention to quality education instead of exam-oriented education. However， we are now still in an exam-oriented stage. Almost all middle schools English teaching centers on the entrance exams. Even if students get high scores， their oral proficiency is still at a low level. At the same time， in order to achieve high scores， middle school students pay more attention to doing exercises and ignore oral training. It can be said with certainty that exam-oriented education will inevitably make secondary school oral English training go begging all the year round.

3. Several Ways to Improve Oral English in Middle Schools In view of the above-mentioned restricting factors in terms of oral English， combining with the actual situation of middle school students， the author believes that the following approaches can be applied to improve middle school students oral English ability.

1） Focus on cultivating students cross-cultural awareness

In order to improve the students speaking ability， they must be exposed to the culture of English-speaking countries.

First of all， it helps students understand and use English when they are communicating. A person without knowing the social and cultural background knowledge of an English-speaking country can hardly use English correctly for cross-cultural communication.

Secondly， through properly introducing the cultural knowledge of English-speaking countries， teachers cannot only stimulate students interests in learning English， but also help deepen their understanding of English-speaking countries culture.

Third， it can improve the sensitivity and appreciating capacity towards Chinese and foreign cultural differences and enable students to have a preliminary cross-cultural communication ability. When talking with foreigners， they are often more tolerant of errors in speech and grammar； but if someone violates the rules of speech， he/she is considered impolite. It can be seen that cultural learning is of great significance to spoken English.

2） Integrate the concept of “give first place to the actual operation of language” in English classroom teaching and enhance the teaching effects.

A favorable classroom atmosphere seems to be the source of water. With a water source， there can be a turbulent river. Therefore， only by enhancing the effectiveness of classroom teaching can students increase their language accumulation. With solid accumulation， students can feel that they have something to say when they actually use English. First of all， teachers should strive to cultivate students interests in the primacy of teaching so that students can flexibly apply the knowledge they have learned， during which their sense of achievement can be aroused. Students can only experience the pleasure of language expression when they become the master of knowledge.

Secondly， during the process of teaching， teachers should focus on strengthening students oral English skills. When Students listening and speaking abilities have improved， naturally， their reading and writing skills will step into a new phase. We believe students will eventually achieve the goal of proficiency in using English to communicate since the sound oral English ability is also the underlying resilience for them to continue learning English.

Third， teachers should be good at cultivating student confidence， encouraging them to open their mouths， and create a democratic， harmonious and relaxing atmosphere in the classroom so that students can dare to speak out. Some activities such as discussion， games， competitions， and performances can also be set up to stimulate students learning motivation and participation enthusiasm. As students become more interested in English， their awareness of participation will continue to increase， and their English score will naturally improve. In the classroom， teachers should try to communicate with the students in English， taking the lead in speaking English.

Fourth， teachers should make full use of the school-based curriculum， expand students knowledge， tap students potential and cultivate their interests in oral English speaking and listening. Students should accept diversity education in order to improve comprehensive language skills.

3） Develop extracurricular activities to enrich students oral expressions.

The English teaching in junior high school under the new curriculum standard believes that allowing students to communicate in a certain language atmosphere can not only cultivate students sensitivity to language， but also enable students to perceive language communication functions. Many teaching experts also believe that carrying out rich extracurricular activities has positive effects：

（1） Enable students to become familiar with the communicative environment and facilitate their discussion；

（2） Enable students to enhance cooperation and exploration in an atmosphere of mutual communication；

（3） Facilitate students to accumulate and feel knowledge in the practical application of language， thereby improving language expression skills.

For example， in learning 7B Unite 4 The ghost in the park， the author conducted the teaching process through practical activities：

（1） Ask students to read the text to understand the general meaning；

（2）Display background information about ghosts and create a corresponding atmosphere；

（3） Read the characters dialogues in separate roles： Mille， Andy， and other characters；

（4） Recommend students to read the article emotionally with the aid of learned knowledge.

Such learning and practice activities， on the one hand， make it easier for students to enter the role of the article as well as the atmosphere of the realm， allowing students to master English knowledge； on the other hand， students emotional attitudes and aesthetic values are educated， promoting their healthy development of non-intellectual factors.

4） Using a comprehensive assessment to enhance students verbal expression initiative and motivation.

The comprehensive evaluation can help enhance the students passion and confidence in learning. In evaluating students learning effects， we must insist on positive education and give students more encouragement and less accusation. We should teach students in accordance of their aptitude. When students realize that theyve made progress in their studies， they will have full confidence and great inspirational power in learning.

For example， when learning “Go shopping”， we can lay out the classroom into a clothes shop， a fruit shop， a shoes shop， and a stationery shop. Students can be divided into four groups and sit in four shops respectively. Students can bring their own clothes， hats， scales and self-made price tags， playing various roles such as “Guidance Purchaser”， “Salesman” and “Customer”， so that students are able to learn how to use “Can I help you？/ How much is it？” sentence patterns in their activities. In the end， students can be evaluated and given a certain amount of rewards. In short， in the process of oral English teaching， under the premise of playing a leading role， teachers should encourage students to speak boldly and cultivate their oral expression habits in order to improve students language communication skills.

Conclusion

The Nine-Year Compulsory Education English Classroom Standard （Experimental Draft） states： “The cultivation of students actual language skills is the focus of this reform on English curriculum.” The English teaching in new era is to cultivate students using language to accomplish certain tasks instead of making reading and writing into students learning priority. Many students possess strong ability of reading and writing； however， they can not make simple communication in English. The teaching purpose of English teachers in primary and secondary schools is to enable students to acquire some skills in language knowledge through basic training in listening， speaking， reading and writing， and to develop their communication ability in English.

Create a remarkable oral expression atmosphere and activate the students desire to speak in English. The English teaching in senior high schools under the new curriculum standard believes that a sound teaching atmosphere has a positive effect on improving the effectiveness of classroom teaching and students basic English knowledge and skills. Creating a sound classroom atmosphere in teaching has the following effects：

（1） Making it easy for students to communicate in a relaxing and comfortable environment and enhance their desire for expression.

（2） Eliminating the tension between teachers and students brought about by traditional classroom teaching methods.

（3） Facilitating a variety of forms of learning and communicating to make students feel invigorating.

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