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【Abstract】For EFL students at middle school, reading is significant to their English language learning. But there are problems in middles’ English reading teaching.This paper tries to explore the current problems in English reading in middle schools and make a reflection.
【Key words】English reading teaching; current problems; English Curriculum Standards
Reading is a significant and effective way for EFL learners to gain information and knowledge, to broaden learner horizons, to stimulate learning interests, during which process, students practice and develop their ability of analyzing, thinking and judgment, for the ultimate goal of improving students’ integrated language skills, and overall English language proficiency demanded by the new English Curriculum Standards(2001).
However, from the author’s experience as an EFL learner and her experience as an English teacher, there exist some general problems in current EFL teaching at junior high school, which prompts the author to conduct this reflection.
Firstly, there are problems in teaching. Teaching methods used in EFL reading classes are mechanical and inflexible(Huang, 2011). Many teachers focus on knowledge delivery and text interpretation. In English class, both teachers and learners pay much attention to grammar and the details of reading materials. Reading is usually done in a process of learning vocabulary, explanation of language points and grammar, listing and analyzing sentence structure, translation of the text. In such classes, it is the teacher who dominates the class, not students who should be the center of class. Students just listen to teachers, copy and take notes of what teacher asks. Students lose their opportunity of active learning and meaningful learning, because, they just passively receive; little time and few chances are allocated for them to think, speak, communicate and cooperate with their fellow classmates. As a result, students lose their initiatives and motivation in learning English. Moreover, for the stress on detailed knowledge, there is little instruction from teachers to lead students to comprehend reading texts as an organic whole, and little emphasis is put on the introduction to any effective reading methods and strategies for students’ reading inspiration and training, which lead bad effects to the development of learners’ reading ability and strategic learning(Huang, 2011).
Secondly, students’ English learning ability is weak. Because of students’ much concentration on language points and sentence structure, they ignore the importance of practicing and improving their ability of reading strategies, which makes them deal with reading in simple and inefficient ways(Wu, 2011). For example, meeting unfamiliar words, students cant’ cope with such difficulties using strategy of guessing meaning from the context while reading; their lack of textual competence makes students unable to grasp the important parts of reading and comprehend reading texts as a whole part, which greatly reduces learners’ understanding and information acquisition of reading articles. Furthur more, students’ lack of certain background knowledge is also an obstruction to learn English, because language is a representation of certain cultural phenomenon. The lack of the awareness of cultural differences may mislead learners’ understanding, if worse, may cause conflict in cross-cultural communication. In conclusion, the problems in both teacher’ teaching and students’ learning lead students’ little development of reading ability and lack of interests in learning English. This situation should be changed in order to help students to form effective reading habit and master English language successfully. Therefore, new demands were made in 2001 in order to let students achieve a more efficient learning for their life-long development. Students are expected to master basic English language knowledge and skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, so that students can have sufficient competence in using the language. Students’ abilities of observation, memorizing, thinking, imagination, creation should be cultivated, and students’ awareness of the cultural differences and patriotic spirit are be developed in order to help them form healthy views about life, for which both teachers and students need more efforts.
References：
[1]黄湘宁.中学英语课堂阅读教学的现状研究与其归因分析[J].考试周刊,2011,7:105-106.
[2]吴建华.中学生英语阅读能力现状分析与对策调查[J].江苏:江苏教师,2011,2,52.
[3]中华人民共和国教育部.英语课程标准[M].北京:北京师范大学出版社,2001.
【Key words】English reading teaching; current problems; English Curriculum Standards
Reading is a significant and effective way for EFL learners to gain information and knowledge, to broaden learner horizons, to stimulate learning interests, during which process, students practice and develop their ability of analyzing, thinking and judgment, for the ultimate goal of improving students’ integrated language skills, and overall English language proficiency demanded by the new English Curriculum Standards(2001).
However, from the author’s experience as an EFL learner and her experience as an English teacher, there exist some general problems in current EFL teaching at junior high school, which prompts the author to conduct this reflection.
Firstly, there are problems in teaching. Teaching methods used in EFL reading classes are mechanical and inflexible(Huang, 2011). Many teachers focus on knowledge delivery and text interpretation. In English class, both teachers and learners pay much attention to grammar and the details of reading materials. Reading is usually done in a process of learning vocabulary, explanation of language points and grammar, listing and analyzing sentence structure, translation of the text. In such classes, it is the teacher who dominates the class, not students who should be the center of class. Students just listen to teachers, copy and take notes of what teacher asks. Students lose their opportunity of active learning and meaningful learning, because, they just passively receive; little time and few chances are allocated for them to think, speak, communicate and cooperate with their fellow classmates. As a result, students lose their initiatives and motivation in learning English. Moreover, for the stress on detailed knowledge, there is little instruction from teachers to lead students to comprehend reading texts as an organic whole, and little emphasis is put on the introduction to any effective reading methods and strategies for students’ reading inspiration and training, which lead bad effects to the development of learners’ reading ability and strategic learning(Huang, 2011).
Secondly, students’ English learning ability is weak. Because of students’ much concentration on language points and sentence structure, they ignore the importance of practicing and improving their ability of reading strategies, which makes them deal with reading in simple and inefficient ways(Wu, 2011). For example, meeting unfamiliar words, students cant’ cope with such difficulties using strategy of guessing meaning from the context while reading; their lack of textual competence makes students unable to grasp the important parts of reading and comprehend reading texts as a whole part, which greatly reduces learners’ understanding and information acquisition of reading articles. Furthur more, students’ lack of certain background knowledge is also an obstruction to learn English, because language is a representation of certain cultural phenomenon. The lack of the awareness of cultural differences may mislead learners’ understanding, if worse, may cause conflict in cross-cultural communication. In conclusion, the problems in both teacher’ teaching and students’ learning lead students’ little development of reading ability and lack of interests in learning English. This situation should be changed in order to help students to form effective reading habit and master English language successfully. Therefore, new demands were made in 2001 in order to let students achieve a more efficient learning for their life-long development. Students are expected to master basic English language knowledge and skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, so that students can have sufficient competence in using the language. Students’ abilities of observation, memorizing, thinking, imagination, creation should be cultivated, and students’ awareness of the cultural differences and patriotic spirit are be developed in order to help them form healthy views about life, for which both teachers and students need more efforts.
References：
[1]黄湘宁.中学英语课堂阅读教学的现状研究与其归因分析[J].考试周刊,2011,7:105-106.
[2]吴建华.中学生英语阅读能力现状分析与对策调查[J].江苏:江苏教师,2011,2,52.
[3]中华人民共和国教育部.英语课程标准[M].北京:北京师范大学出版社,2001.