英语本科集中实践环节项目报告范文.doc

'ProjectTitle:TasksDesign&Learners"OralProficiencyImprovementInvestigatorWangYanNingxiaTVUniversitySubmittedon30thApril2005InfulfillmentofthecoursePracticalProjectDesign AbstractItisnowbelievedthatForeignLanguageTeachingintheclassroomisnotaone-wayflowofinformationbutaninteractiveprocessbetweenteachersandstudents.Oralclassesaimatfosteringstudent’sspeakingcompetence.VariouseffectiveactivitiesinOralEnglishTeachingmaketheteachingapproachdiversified.Thispaperpresentsadetailedreportofaprojectimplementedtoimprovestudents’oralproficiencythroughtask-basedlearningwiththefactualsituationsofSeniorEnglishteachinginthefirstyear.Basedontheassumptionthattasksdesigncanimprovethestudents’oralproficiency,athree-weekprogramwasadopted.Datawerecollectedthroughquestionnaires,analysisanddiscussionofwhichshowsthattask-basedlearningreallycontributestostudent’slanguageproficiencyinlanguagelearning.Methodologically,fourmethodsareused,andtheyareanalyticmethod,causeanalysis,questionnairesurvey,andbrainstormingactivation.Keywords:TaskDesignOralProficiencyClassroomActivity AcknowledgmentIammostlygratefultosupervisorProfessorYangDianyiforhiscontinuoussupporttomypracticalprojectdesign.IamalsogratefultomycolleaguesZhuMeifang,WuYunxiafortheirtimespentonbrainstormingandpaneldiscussionswithme.Noamountofthankswillbeadequateforthestudentswithoutwhosewillingparticipationintheprojectimplementationitwouldhaveremainedonpaper.Lastbutnotleast,bigthankstomymother-in-law,myhusbandandmydaughterwhohavesharedwithmemyworries,frustrations,andhopefullymyultimatehappinessineventuallyfinishingthisproject. MainHeadingsoftheProjectReport1．Introduction2．SummaryofthePreliminaryResearch2.1Problem2.2Problemanalysis2.3Projectobjective2.4Projecthypothesis2.5Possiblesolutions3．Full-ScaledImplementationoftheSolutions3.1Designinginterestingtask-basedteaching3.2Employinginterestingclassroomactivities3.3Creatingtheatmosphereandagoodrelationship3.4Promptthemtoperform3.5Giveevaluationonthelearners’performance4．Taskdesign5．DataAnalysis5.1Students’generalimpressionoftheproject5.2CheckifthenewdesignedtasksarehelpfultothestudentsinlearningEnglish.6.ProblemsUnsolved7.ConclusionReferencesAppendixAThetimetableforproblemanalysisAppendixBPre–questionnaire,Post–questionnaireAppendixCTeachingnotesAppendixDDiariesAppendixERecordingtape 1.IntroductionIamnowteachingseniorgradeonestudents.Afteronesemester,IfoundthatmostofmystudentsdislikeexpressingtheirmindinEnglishinclass.BasedonsomeapproachesthatIhavelearnedfrom“EnglishLanguageTeachingMethodology”,andconsideringthecharacteristicsofmystudents,Idecidedtoemploynewdesignedtaskinmylessonstomotivatethelearners,andhelpthemimprovetheiroralproficiency.2.SummaryofthePreliminaryResearchThispartofmystudywasconductedduringJanuary25,2005~February2,2005.2.1ProblemTheproblemIhaveinmyteachingisthatmostofmystudentscannotspeakwhatIwantthemtoexpressinEnglishsuccessfullyinclass.2.2ProblemanalysisTeachingwhichappealstolearners’needscanfacilitatelearning.ItisnecessarytoinvestigatewhymostofmystudentscannotspeakwhatIwantthemtoexpressinEnglishsuccessfullyinclass.Mypreliminaryresearchconfirmedthattherewerethreemainreasonsthataccountedforstudents’expressingtheirmindinEnglishnotfluentlyinclass.Firstly,thosepoorlearnersreportedthat,duetotheirlackofvocabulary，cannotfollowtheteacherinclass,andmanytimescannotcompletethetasks.Secondly,somegoodstudentsfeltthattheywereabsent-mindedoccasionally,sotheyalsocannotfollowtheteacher.Thirdly,moststudentsareafraidofbeingcriticizedandthusstammerinclassroomactivities.TheProblemhadbeentroublingmeforalongtimeandnowIwasdeterminedtofindasolutiontotheproblem.Inmystudy,Iusedfourmethodsofanalysis.2.2.1AnalyticmethodThroughcarefulanalysis,Iwasledtoaseriesofquestions:Forinstance,IfoundamajorityofmystudentsalwaysseemtobeastammerwhentheyspeakEnglishinclass.IwantedtoknowwhyitshouldbethecaseandwhethertheythoughtitimportantandnecessarytopracticeoralEnglishornot?Iftheythoughtitimportantandnecessary,theproblemwasactuallycaused bymyself,notbymystudents.ProbablythetaskIassignedmystudentstodowaspoorlyorganized.2.2.1CauseanalysisInthissituation,Iaskedmyselfaseriesofquestionsandtriedtoprovidesomeanswerstothem.WhydidmostofmystudentsnotaccomplishsuccessfullywhatIassignedthemtopracticeinclass?Inordertoknowmoreaboutthisissue,Idesignedacauseexplorationprocedurelikethis.QuestionsAnswersIsitbecausetheydonotlikeEnglish?Maybe.Isitbecausetheoraltasksarepoorlydesigned?Maybe.Isitbecausetheyarenotmotivated?Possiblyyes.Isitbecausemyinstructionsarenotclear?Maybe.IsitbecausetheydonotthinkoraltasksareimportantMaybe.andnecessary?IsitbecausetheyhavesomedifficultiesunsolvedbyMaybe.themselves?Isitbecausetheyareafraidthatotherswouldlaughatthem?Maybe.Isitbecausetheyarenotfamiliarwiththetopic?Maybe.IsitbecauseIamnotlisteningtothemorisnottheretoMaybe.directthem.2.2.2QuestionnairesurveyImadeapilotinvestigationinthisrespecttoknowmoreaboutthesituation.Forthispurpose,Idesignedaresearchprocedurelikethefollowing.Onemorning,duetothinkthatstudentsknowalotaboutsportsfromeverydaylifeandmedia,Iarrangesuchadiscussion(groupof4) atwarmingupstage.Thetopicwas“Whatdoyouknowaboutsports?”After5minutes,Igotthefollowingresponse:OnlythreestudentstalkedaboutthesportsinEnglishsuccessfully.Twothirdsofthetotalstudentswouldbeastammer.Therestkeptsilence.IwanttofindoutwhymostofmystudentsdidnotexpresstheirmindinEnglishsuccessfully,IdesignedadraftquestionnaireandtryitoutwithfourstudentswhowereofdifferentEnglishlevelsfirstbeforeIdistributeitwidely.InthiswayIgotridofsome“bugs”andsomefaults.Inordertofindoutmystudents’genuinereasonofbadoralproficiency,Irevisedversionofthequestionnaire(SeeAppendixB)andgavemypre-questionnairetomystudents.AfterthatIaskedthemtofinishitathomeandreturnedtheirquestionnaireswhichwereleftanonymousnextday.Whenallthesedatacamein,Imadesomestatisticalevaluation.Theresultsshowedthatover82%ofthestudentsthoughtregularlyEnglishwasverynecessaryfortheirfutureandthatabout80%ofthemthoughtoralpracticecouldimprovetheirlanguageproficiency.ThereforeIthoughtthestudentswereclearabouttheimportanceandnecessityoforalpractice.Buttheymightrunupagainstdifficultiesthattheycouldnotovercome,sotheylosttheirconfidenceandinterest.2.2.1BrainstormingactivationWhenIwasengagedintheproblemanalysis,IconsultedmythesissupervisorMr.YangDianyiandoftentalkedtomyclassmatesaboutalltheproblemsImet.TheygavemealotofadviceandhelpsothatIthoughttheproblemmoredeeplyandcarefully.2.3ProjectobjectiveMyresearchobjectiveistodevelopmystudents’oralproficiency.2.4Projecthypothesis Itishypothesizedthatlearners’oralproficiencyisincreasedbyimplementingbetterdesignedtasks.2.2PossiblesolutionsWiththesereasonsinmind,Ihavecorrespondinglyprovidedsomepossiblesolutionswhichareasfollows.2.5.1.Designinginterestingtask-basedteaching.2.5.2Employinginterestingclassroomactivities.2.5.3Creatingatmosphereandagoodrelationship.2.5.4Promptthemtoperform.2.5.5Giveevaluationonthelearners’performance.3.Full-ScaledImplementationoftheSolutions.ThispartofmystudywasconductedduringFebruary3,2005~April10,2005.3.1Designinginterestingtask-basedteaching.Designingoftaskisconcernedasausefulstageinlanguageteaching.Thestudentsaremoreeasilyattractedbythenewthings.Theyareexcitedandexpectant.Theylookforwardtohavinginterestinglessons.Forthelevelsofbasiclanguageknowledgearewidelydifferent.Ishoulddesigntaskssuitforthem.Idecidetoletthemlearnfromthetaskswhicharerelatingtothepracticallifeclosely.3.1.1ThedesigningofguessingtasksAlthoughstudentsneednottospendmuchtimeonthetask,Ithinkthestudents’languageusingcapacitycanbefullydevelopedandwelladvanced.Andthiskindoftaskissuitforeverystepofteachingandlearning.Forexample,whenteacherpresentsomenewwords,theaimistoidentifyobjects.Inordertoavoidtheunrealinclinationof“askingwhileknowingtheanswer”,soIadoptsomeguessingtaskstohelpstudentsunderstandandgraspthesewords.lCoveringtheobjects,theobjectwhichneedstobeidentifiediscoveredbyclothbeforethestudentsareaskedtotouchandguess.Afteransweringthequestion“What’sthisin English?”,thestudentsshouldremovethecloth,andletalltheclassknowthenameofobject.lAppearingpartsoftheobject.Thestudentsguessthenamethroughseeingsomepartsoftheobject.Forexample,Whileidentifying“banana”,thestudentcannotseethewholebanana,onlyseeapartofitfromalittlemouthoftheboxwhichhavingthebananain.lUsingtherealobjects.Icanchoosesomerealobjectsinthelifewhichdon’thaveconventionalshapes,suchasacakewhichismadeasashapeofananimal,andapencilwhichhasacartoonmodel.lGuessingimaginatively.Seeingthepictureofapartofarealobject,andthenstudentscanguesswhatitisinEnglishusingtheirimaginary.OrIcandrawsomegeometricalgraphsandgetstudentsguessmorethingsimaginatively.Ialsocangetsomestudentsdrawwhattheyliketoletotherstudentsguess.lGuessinginmanyways.Thisisanoriginalmethodwhichtestingandstudyingimaginationsofchildrenbypsychologists.Themainstepsare:⑴drawageometricfigure,whichcanbecontinueddrawinganotherfigureofobjectAorB;⑵thenaddsomeotherfiguresandrequirestudentstoguess.Themethodattractsstudentstoaskandanswer.Thustheclassroomatmosphereseemedquiteactive.Morestudentscanstudywellandreceivehappinessandsuccessfulfeelingintheguessingprocess.3.1.2.ThedesigningofimaginativetasksInordertocausetherealcommunication,Iwouldnotrequirestudentstorecitethedialoguesinthetextbook;insteadofthatisdividingstudentsintogroupsandgettingthemmakedialoguesbythemselvesbasedonthecontentsofthebookandwatchingTVandsomeotherlifeexperiences.Moreover,studentsmakedialoguesalsoaccordingtotheirclassification.Iwoulddevelopthecapacityofmyself,andgivethetasksbasedonthefactuallevelofstudentandsociallife,combinethecontentsoflessonsandreal-life.Studentscanlearnfromthepracticallifeandexpresstheirownideasmorethanbefore.3.2Employinginterestingclassroomactivities 3.2.1GivethepurposeofthetaskInordertocreatemanysituationsofthediscussionorthetopicinarealcondition,makespeakingbeginswiththeintentionofthespeaker,inthisway,thespeakercontrolbytheirselectionsoflexicalandsyntacticitems.Theoralexpressionintheclassroomismoresimplifiedorelaborated.3.2.2ProvidematerialsInordertoprovidefortheneedsofaspecialclass,orsimplyforthesakeofvariety,Imustpreparethelessonabundantlyandcarefully.Evenwithanexcellentcoursebookandawidevarietyofothermaterialsavailable,therecomesapointatwhichmanyteachersfindtheyhavetomaketheirownoccasionalmaterialssuchasworkcards,pictures,slidesandCD.Imakematerialsthataresuitableandpersonalized,answeringtheneedsofthestudents.Ininteractiveoralexercise,thesepreparedmaterialstakemoreeffortandtimetoproduce,buttheyarealsomoreattractivetolookatandworkon,andmoreclosetoreal-life.Ifoundthatitwasnecessarytopresentthesematerialstothestudentsinclassroom,whichtheatmospherewouldbeactiveandconcentrated.3.2.3IntroducethetopicInordertomakethetaskrequirementsclear,Iintroducethetopicthroughforegroundingform.ThenIaskthestudentsdoasimilartask.Ifoundmorestudentswereactivatedandtheyengageinactivitiesthateitherhelpsthemtorecallwordsandphrasesthatwouldbeusefulduringtheperformanceofthemaintaskortolearnnewwordsandphrasesthatareessentialtothetask.3.3Creatingtheatmosphereandagoodrelationship.Inordertoinvolvethestudentsinclassroomactivities,Imighttrytoconstructarelaxing,variousandharmoniousclassroomatmosphere.Itistheteacher’sjobtoprovidethestudentswiththislearningenvironment.Inthelanguageclass,theclassroommustbea“performance”room,“talking”room,“debate”roomor“interview”room.Whateverpromotesstudentparticipationinarelaxedandenthusiasticatmospherestimulatestheinteractionthatisessentialtosuccessfullanguagelearning.Intheseinformalatmospheres,studentswillbeinvolvedinpracticingtheiroralEnglishwithoutmuchpressure.Iwouldbeaco-operatorwith thestudents.Weshouldcollectthematerialstogether,confrontwiththedifficultiestogether.Iamalsoaparticipantinanorganizedactivitysuchasdebateorroleplay.Incommunicativeactivities,Ishouldalwaysleaveroomforthestudentstonegotiatemeaning,todiscoverwaysofthelearningprocessandimportantpracticeofcommunicativestrategiesnecessaryforreallifecommunication.EvenIshouldknowmystudents’temperament,hobby,speciality.Languagelearnersoftenhavesimilarfeelingswhentryingtocommunicateinanewlanguage.Thisisespeciallytruewhentheyhavelearnedsomestructuresandhavealimitedvocabulary.Whencalledupontospeak,allattentionisfocusedonthemasifallspotlightswereturnedintheirdirection.IthinkIamintheclassroomforthesecurityofthestudents,notthereverse.Isetuptheexercise,butthestudents’performanceisthegoal.3.4PromptthemtoperformIcreatedchancesforthestudentstoactouttheirdialoguesanddebate.Mostofstudentsarewillingtoshowtheirabilitiesbeforeothers.Andmostofstudentshopetobepraisedandencouragedbytheteacherandotherstudents.ThereforeIchallengedthemtoactouttheirownplaysinclass.Iaskedthestudentstoelectthebest“actorandactress”,thebestdebater.Theylookedveryexcitedandanxioustoact.Sometimessomestudentsweresoeagertocorrectthemistakesmadebytheplayers.Laughtercouldbeheardnowandthen,thusclassroomatmosphereseemedquiteactive.Morestudentswereveryhappyandearnesttoactoutinfrontoftheclass.3.5Giveevaluationonthelearners’performanceEvaluationonthelearners’performancemaybeappropriate.Idecidedtoprovidemorelearningopportunitiestosuitdifferenttypesoflearners.Abalanceshouldbekeptbetweenfluency,whichiswhatthetaskprovides,andaccuracy,whichisprovidedbytaskfeedback.4.TaskdesignMyhypothesisisthatlearners’oralproficiencyisimprovedbyemployingbetterdesignedtask.Moreover,mynewtaskshouldhavearealinformationvaluesothatstudentshavearealpurposetocommunicate. Idesignedfouractivitiestobetriedoutinfourweeks.Andtheseactivitiesarereportedasfollows.Week1Activity1SportsGuessingThisactivityisbasedasinSeniorEnglishforChina,Unit8.“Sports”Purpose:toencouragestudentstothinkaboutsportsandactivaterelevantvocabulary.Instruction:Afterthenewwordswerepresented,let’splayaguessinggame.Procedure:Ihadpresentedthenewwords.Afterthat,Idistributedsomesportspicturetostudents,whichIclassifiedintothreeaspects:Sportsmeet,Eventsofsports,Sportstars.AsksomeSstocomeuptothefronttotellwhattheyhavefoundwhileothersguesswhatitisinEnglishusingtheirimaginary.Ialsoprovidedmodelperform(foregrounding)andgivethemfiveminutestodiscusshowtoclearlyexpresswhattheyhavefound.AtlastIarrangedthemtoperform.Mostofthestudentsliftedtheirhand,thusInominatedthespokesmanofeachgroupcametothefronttotellwhattheyhavefound.Forstudents:Thestudentshadtoworkingroupoffour.Eachgrouphadtoselectonespokesman.Eachspokesmanhadtosayatleastthreesentenceswithinoneminute.Othermembersofeachgroupmustkeepsecretwhentheirspokesmanisspeaking.Week2Activity2DiscussiononsportsThisactivityisbasedasinSeniorEnglishforChinese,Unit8.“Sports”Purpose:tohaveafurtherunderstandingabouttheOlympics.Instruction:Atfirstdoapairworktodiscussthetopicswhichwerewrittenontheblackboardandyoucanchoosewhicheveryouareinterestedin.Thenmakeadebateon“HostingtheOlympicGamesisagreathonorandagreatresponsibility.Sincechinahaswonthebiddingofhostingthe2008Olympics,whatwilltheOlympicsbringtoChina,goodeffectsorbad effects?”ingroupsoffour.Finally,actoutthedebateinclass.Procedure:Iprovidedthestudentsalotofrelatedmaterial,andgivethemamodelintroduction,thenaskthestudentschoosewhichevertheyareinterestedintalkingaboutandmakeadiscussion.Aftertheyfinishedtheirtopicdiscussion,Iaskedthemhaveadebateingroupsoffour.Aheadofdebate,Icollectedtherelatedsupportswiththestudentsintextbookanddailylife,andweneatenedit.Finally,Iselectedgoodspokesmentoactasdebaters,andaskedthemtodebateinfrontoftheclass.Forstudents:Duringthisprocess,thestudentswouldexpressthemselvesinEnglishfreely.Ifnecessary,Iwillmakesomecomplements.Whenvoluntariesdebateinfrontofclass,othersmustlistencarefully,andselectthebestobverse-debaterandreverse-debater.Week3Activity3Debateon“TobaccoCompaniesShouldBeClosed.”ThisactivityisbasedasinseniorEnglishforChina,Book2A,Unit2,“NoSmoking,please!”Purpose:torevisethelanguagefocusinthisunit.Instructions:Makeadebateon“TobaccoCompaniesShouldBeClosed”inpairs.Procedure:Ihadtaughtthetext.ThenIhelpedthemtofindtheevidencefromtheirdailylife.AfterthatIneatenedtheevidenceandwroteitontheblackboard.ThenIrequirethemtodebate.LaterIletvoluntariestodebateinfrontofclass.FinallyIgivethemevaluation.Forstudents:whenvoluntariesdebateinfrontofclass,othersmustlistencarefully,andselectthebestobverse-debaterandreverse-debater.Week4Activity4AttheConferenceThisactivitybasedasinseniorEnglishforChina,Book1B,Unit25,Lesson97,“AttheConference”. ThesameasActivity2.(SeeAppendicesC,DandE)5.DataAnalysisAfterfourweeks’actionresearch,IdesignedQuestionnaireTwo(SeeAppendixB).ThesecondquestionnairewaspartlybasedonQuestionnaireOneinthepreliminaryresearchsothatcomparisonscouldbemadetoseetheimprovement.Indesigningthisnewquestionnaire,Ialsousedfeedbackinformationfrommysolutionstotheproblemsdiscussedsothattheireffectivenesscouldbereflectedbytheresults.Comparedwiththefirstquestionnaire,thesecondonehaditsownfeatures,forbynowIwasmoreconsciousoftheusefulnessoftaskdesignIsuggested.Iespeciallyhopedtoknowwhatmystudentshadgainedandwhichmethodstheypreferred.Theresultsarelistedasfollows:5.1Students’generalimpressionoftheprojectTheprojecthereconsistsofthreeaspects:degreeofinterest,practicalityandsatisfaction.Aftercomparingtheresultsofthetwoquestionnaires,Ifoundoutthatgenerallyspeaking,therehasbeensignificantimprovementaftertheimplementation.TheresultsofthetwoquestionnairesarepresentedinGraph1andTable1(Innextpage).Interest:Inbothquestionnaires,thestudentswererequestedtoanswerquestionsconcerningtheirinterestinEnglishlessons.Graph1showsthat15%ofthemwereafraidofEnglishbeforetheimplementationoftheresearch,whileonly3%ofthemhadthesameideaafterit.Wealsocansee84%ofthesubjectslikedlearningEnglish.ThenumberofthestudentswhowereinterestedinEnglishincreasedto37%.Thistoacertainextentimpliesthatnewdesignedtaskreallycontributedtostudents’motivationandconfidence.FromTable1,wecanseemoreclearlythatthestudents’feelingchangedaftertheapplicationofthenewdesignedlearningprocedures. Graph1:comparisonofstudents’interestinlearningEnglishNote:1=likealot2=like3=likealittle4=notlikeTable1:Comparisonofstudents’interestinlearningEnglishDegreeofinterestLikealotlikeLikealittleNotlikeBeforetheresearch5%42%37%15%Aftertheresearch20%64%13%3%Astheobjectiveofourresearchistoenhancemystudents’interestandeffectindoingoraltaskinclass,sucharesultisveryencouraging.Itprovesthatourimplementationofthesolutionsisfruitfulandeffective.YetIshouldnotbetoooptimistic,sincetherearestill13%ofthestudentschoosing3,thoughthenumberismuchsmallerthanthatinQuestionnaireOne.ThusIshouldfindoutsomeotherreasonstoaccountforthisfact,andtrytosolvetheproblemmorethoroughly,ascanbeseenfromthefollowinganalysis.Practicality: Comparisonbetweentheresultsofthetwoquestionnairesshowsthat100%ofthestudentsthinktheoraltasksIaskedthemtodoinclassnowaremorepracticalthanbeforeespeciallyduetomyforegroundingintroduction.Andthroughdoingtheoraltasks,theyhavemuchimprovementinthefollowingaspects.Firstly,72%ofthemsaidtheyhadlearnedsomemethodsofdescribingsomething.Secondly,76%ofthemsaidtheycouldeasilyrememberthenewwordsandphrases.Thirdly,51%ofthemreportedtheycouldexpresstheirmindinEnglishinoraltasks.Satisfaction:Ourdataalsoshowthat100%ofthestudentsaremoresatisfiedwiththeoraltasksIdesignednowthantheywerebefore.5.2CheckifthenewdesignedtasksarehelpfultothestudentsinlearningEnglish.Graph2:EffectivenessofnewdesignedtasksinoralclassFromGraph2,itcanbeseenthatthenewdesignedtaskisveryhelpfultothestudents.Thenumberofthestudentswhoreporttobeabletocompletetheiroraltaskinclasshasdistinctlyincreased,from3%and32%to8%and53%.Thisindicatestheeffectivenessofthesolution.ButIalsolearnthatabout39%ofthemreporttheycannotsuccessfullycompletetheoraltasks.Thismaybecausedbybothstudentsandme.Someofthemdidnotstudyhard;someareveryweakinEnglish,whileothersmightdislikemyoralpractices.SoIshouldtrymybesttodomyworkbetter. Ithinktheimprovementismainlyduetothesefourfactors:Firstly,providingveryeffectivemodelhelp.Secondly,collectingthematerialsfromtheirdailylifetogether.Thirdly,improvingthetaskdesign;andFourthly,promptingthemtoperform.6.ProblemsUnsolvedAfterIthoughtseriouslyandhadexchangesofviewsontheprojectwithmystudents,Ifoundoutthatalthoughatmosphereintheoraltaskshadbeenimprovedalotthroughthefull-scaledimplementation,therewasstillmuchthatwouldneedfurtherimprovement.OnlywhenImakecontinuousreflectioninmyteaching,canImakegreaterprogress.Themostfrequentlymentionedproblemscanbecategorizedintothreeaspects:Firstly,theproblemofthepresentexamsystem:Itisnotharmonywiththenewteachingmethodology.Secondly,theproblemofsomanystudentsinoneclass:Ialwaysfeelexhaustedafterdealingwithanoisyclassroomfilledwith64students.Thirdly,thewayofteaching:Ishouldprovidemoreinterestingandpracticaltopics,andmorepracticetimes.Fourthly,thewayoflearning:Somestudentsarelackinginterestinstudies.Theyhavesomewrongideasabouttheirstudies.Theymuddlewiththeirwork,andoftenabsent-mindedinclass;otherstudentsareweakinEnglish.Theycannotaccomplishtheoralworkbythemselvesquiteoften.7.ConclusionThispaperistheresultoftheactionIconductedSixweeksago,whichaimedtoincreasemystudents’oralproficiency.Firstly,Ithoughtexactlywhatitwashinderingthestudents’orallearning.Ianalyzedtheproblembyusinganalyticmethod,causeanalysis,questionnairesandbrainstorming.Afterthat,Idesignedaprojecttosolvetheproblem,butalsoimplementitinmyclassroomaswell.Fivesolutionswereimplementedduringtheactionresearch.Ihadtothinkofwaystodevelopmethods/techniques,materials/tasksthatcouldbetriedoutinorder toimprovethelearningsituationandtofindwaysoftestingtheireffectiveness.Datacollectedfromquestionnairesshowsthatdesigningtaskisservicedfortheclassteaching.Learningthroughtaskcanhelpmotivatemiddleschoollearnersinthelearningofvocabulary,dialogue,evenconcepts,whichcontributestothestudents’oralproficiencyinasmallway.OfcourseIcandonothingtosolvethelargeproblemsofteacherfatigue,thepressureofthestateexaminingsystemorpoorlyresourcededucationaldistricts.Therearesomeproblemswithit.Stillsomestudentsinmyclassthinktheydon’tlikelearningEnglish.Ishallhelpthemtoanalyzetheproblemfurtherusingthescientificmethodsanddesignsomenewtaskstosolvetheproblem.Thisactionresearchmakesmetonoticethemaneuverabilityoftask,individualdifferences,anddominantfunctionofteacher.Itenablesmetoawarethatstudentsareallthedirectbeneficiaries,andteachershouldtakethestudentasmainbody,thetaskasthefocus,activitiesasthemethod.Itisgoodformyteachingimproving.Ithelpsmeacquireunceasingprofessionaldevelopment.Fromtheactionresearch,Ihavegainedalotofbenefits.Myteachinghasbeenimprovedconsiderablywithdeeperinsightstotheteachingprofession,moreacutesensitivitytotheoraltaskdesignandmoreconfidenceinmyselfasalanguageteacher.AlthoughIhavelearnedalotandimprovedalot,actionresearchstartsmeonanothercycleofreflection,sinceIhavebasicallysolvedoneproblemandidentifiedanother.Iwillgoonwiththespiralcycleofreflectionwhichwillleadmetotheendlessprocessstrivingforperfectteaching.Thefinalreportisdrawingtoanendbutmyactionresearchisnot.Infact,I’veonlyjustbegun.Bibliography1.GuYueguo,1999,PracticalProjectDesign,ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress2.GuYueguo,1999,EnglishLanguageTeachingMethodology,ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress3.SeniorEnglishforChina–Teacher’sBook,PeopleEducationPress 1.SeniorEnglishforChina–Student’sBook,PeopleEducationPressAppendixA:ThetimetableoftheprojectStageWeekCalendardatesTasksI1Jan.25–Fem.2IdentifyaproblemII2-3Feb.3–18Analyzetheproblemusingscientificmethodsofinvestigationlanalyzingtheteachingsituationlanalyzingtheteachingobjectives/teacher’sroles/tasks/type/students’roles,etclanalyzingthepossiblecausesoftheidentifiedproblemIII4-5Feb.19–Mar.4Designaproblem-solvingprojectlformulatingtheprojectobjectivesandhypothesislmakingalessonplanlpreparingmaterialsandresourcesneededlproposingdatacollectionmethod:teachingjournal/questionnaire/survey/interviews/samplesofstudentsassignments,etcIV6-8Mar.5–30ImplementtheprojectlreportoftheclassroomimplementationofthelessonplanlreportofthedatacollectionV9Apr.1–8Evaluatetheprojectagainstachecklistlcriticalcommentonmyownteachingbycheckingmysubjectivecommentsagainstthecollecteddatalsuggestionsforfutureteaching VI10-12Apr.9–May.3WritetheprojectreportAppendixB:Pre–questionnaire,Post–questionnairePre–questionnaire1.DoyoulikeEnglish?A.LikealotB.LikeC.LikealittleD.Notlike2.DoyouthinkwhetherEnglishwasverynecessaryforyourfuture?A.VerynecessaryB.NecessaryC.Notnecessary3.Doyouthinkwhetheroralpracticecouldimprovetheirlanguageproficiency.A.YesB.No4．Whydon’tsomeofyoulikespeakingEnglish?A.UnfamiliarwiththewordsandphrasesB.UnfamiliarwiththeGrammarC.AdulllessonlacksinterestD.WorkinamechanicalwayE.Else5．CouldyoudigesttheEnglishlessoneffectively?A.ExcellentB.GoodC.FairD.Bad6．Whathelpdoyouwanttoacquirefromteacher?A.ProvideacomfortableclassroomatmosphereB.BerelaxedwithlearningC.Changethefixedteachingway.D.Providelearningstrategies.E.Else. Post–questionnaire1.DoyoulikeEnglishaftertheapplicationofthenewdesignedlearningprocedures?A.likealotB.likeC.likealittleD.notlike2．Doyouthinkyouroralproficiencyhavebeenimproved?A.improvealot.B.improve.C.improvealittle.D.notimprove.3．CouldyoudigesttheEnglishlessoneffectively?A.excellentB.goodC.fairD.bad4.doyouthinkwhetherthenewdesignedtasksarehelpful?A.helpalot.B.help.C.helpalittle.D.nothelpThankyouverymuchforyourcooperation! AppendixC:TeachingnotesWeek1:Date:Monday,March7,20058:00-8:45a.m.class1Today’sobjectives:toencouragestudentstothinkaboutsportsandactivaterelevantvocabulary.Teachingmethods:speakingandlisteningOrderofdoingtasks:Step1:Distributesomesportspicturetostudents,whichIclassifiedintothreeaspects:Sportsmeet,Eventsofsports,Sportstars.Sportswordscategories:schoolsportsmeettheNationalGamesSportsmeettheAsianGamestheOlympicGamestheWorldCupetc.ballgames:volleyball,basketball,football,tabletennis,tennis,,golfbadminton,bowling,baseball,Americanfootball,icehockeyetc.Eventsofsportstrackandfield:relayrace,longjump,highjump,polejump,discus,shot,javelinetc.gymnastic:rings,doublebars,highandlowbars,horse,freeexerciseswimming/shooting/skiing/icesports/diving/aquaticsportsetc. Sportstars:Beckham,MikeOwen,MichaelJordanetc.Writetheabovewordscategoriesontheblackboard.Step2:Presentthenewwords.Step3:Givethemfiveminutestodiscusshowtoclearlyexpresswhattheyhavefound,andprovidedmodelperform(foregrounding).Step4:AsksomeSstocomeuptothefronttotellwhattheyhavefoundwhileothersguesswhatitisinEnglishusingtheirimaginary.Homework:FindoutsomebackgroundinformationabouttheOlympics.Iofferthemsomewebsitesaswell:www.olympic.orgwww.specialolympics.org/www.athens.olympics.org/www.beijing-2008.orgWeek2Date:Monday,March14,20058:00-8:45a.m.class1Today’sobjectives:tohaveafurtherunderstandingabouttheOlympics.Teachingmethods:discussanddebateOrderofdoingtasks:Step1:ProvidethestudentsalotofrelatedmaterialStep2:GivethemamodelintroductionStep3:Askthestudentschoosewhichevertheyareinterestedintalkingaboutandmakeadiscussion. Writethetopicsontheblackboard.Topic1.WhatisthespiritoftheOlympicGames?Whatcanyoulearnfromit?Topic2.Doyouagreethat”faster,higher,stronger”isagoodmottonotonlyforsportsbutalsoforlifeingeneral?Why?Topic3.Isitimportanttowininasportsmatch?Whyorwhynot?Topic4.DiscussthecausesandeffectsofsomeseriousproblemsoftheOlympicsandthinkofthepossiblesolutions.Step4:Askedthemhaveadebateingroupsoffour.Aheadofdebate:1.collecttherelatedsupportswiththestudentsintextbookanddailylife.2.neatenitandwriteitontheblackboardasfollows:goodeffectsbadeffectspromotetheeconomycostingalargeamountofmoneymakechinabetterknowntotheworldcausedisordertooursocietyStep5:Selectgoodspokesmentoactasdebaters,andaskthemtodebateinfrontoftheclass.Step6:Summarizingthelesson.Homework:WriteareportbasedonthedebatecarriedoutinclassaboutthegoodeffectsandbadeffectsoftheOlympics.AndencourageSstoexpresstheirownideainthereport.Week3Date:Monday,March21,20058:00-8:45a.m.class1 Today’sobjectives:torevisethelanguagefocusinthisunit.Teachingmethods:discussinganddebatingOrderofdoingtasks:Step1:Helpthestudentstofindtheevidencefromtheirdailylife.Step2:Neatentheevidenceandwriteitontheblackboardasfollows:Positive:Tobaccocompaniesshouldbeclosed,becausetheyproducecigarettes.　　Argument1．Manypeoplediedofsmoking.　　Argument2．Smokingmakestheairdirty.　　Argument3．Smokingburns(wastes)lotsofmoney.　　Argument4．Tobaccocompaniesalwayspersuadepeople,especiallyyoungpeople,tostartsmokingcigarettes.Whentheyoungpeoplecannotgetenoughmoney,theywillstealmoney.　　Argument5．Smokingisharmfultoman"shealth.Itwillcauselungcancer.Anditwillmakemanyfamiliessad.　　Negative:Tobaccocompaniesshouldnotbeclosed.　　Argument1．Tobaccocompaniespayalargeamountoftaxestothegovernment.　　Argument2．Tobaccocompaniescanprovidemanyjobsforpeople.　　Argument3．Smokingcanhelppeoplethinkingclearly,andmanygoodideascomeintobeingduringsmoking.Step3:Requirethemtodebateingroupsoffour.Step4:Selectvoluntariestodebateinfrontofclass.Step5:Evaluationtheirperform.Homework:dosomeadditionalexercises AppendixD:DiariesWeek1Date:Monday,March7,2005Asusual,whenIsaidthatweweregoingtohaveatalkinEnglish,thestudentswerestillsilentinclass.Asiftheyweremute.Inoticedalittleboyintheback.Hefrowned.ItwasWangCheng.Heisbelowaverage.WhenweproceedwithStep3,studentsbecameactiveandrespondedwell.Aftertheyfinishedthepreparationsingroups,andselectedaspokesmanamongthem,IinvitedthespokesmancometothefronttotellwhattheyhavefoundwhileothersguesswhatitisinEnglishusingtheirimaginary.Theybecameinteractwithme.Spokesmendidagoodjob.Otherscouldguessitout.Week2Date:Monday,March14,2005I’mverygladthatmymethodattractsstudentstoaskandanswer.EspeciallywhenIaskthemtodiscussingroups,debateinpairs.TheylikewhatIhavedoneforthem.Thewholelessonwentsmoothly.IfoundWangChengbegantospeakinEnglishinclass.Hedidhisoraltaskquitewell.Iwassurprisedtoseeit.Week3Date:Monday,March21,2005Likethestepsofprecedingweek,Ihelpedthemtofindtheevidencefromtheirdailylife.AfterthatIneatenedtheevidenceandwroteitontheblackboard.ThenIrequirethemcombinethecontentsoflessonsandreal-lifetodebate.LaterIletvoluntariestodebateinfrontofclass.Tomysurprise,theyaremoreactivethanIexpected.Theycometothefront, debatewitheachother.WangChengcried:“Howtimeflies!Itissointeresting.”Thustheycanlearnfromthepracticallifeandexpresstheirownideasmorethanbefore.AppendixE:Recordingtape'