From the beginning of the influence of communicative approach on English teaching in China, some teachers believe that according to the "stimulus-response" theory of behaviorism, as long as there is enough language stimulation in actual communication, students will naturally acquire language forms and grammar knowledge in communication. They think that as long as both sides can communicate, it doesn't matter whether the language form and grammar are right or wrong. Today, with the implementation of the new curriculum reform, some teachers unilaterally emphasize the cultivation of students' communicative competence, and mistakenly believe that the teaching of basic language knowledge, especially grammar, is no longer important in middle school English teaching. Some teachers even simply think that the implementation of the new curriculum standard is to dilute grammar teaching, that is to say, we don't have to pay attention to it. As a result, many young teachers do not pay attention to the basic grammar of middle school English, let alone study the teaching ideas and methods of middle school English grammar teaching. They only read the grammar part of the textbook word for word at most. In this way, the necessary and effective grammar teaching in middle school English teaching becomes insignificant. Therefore, many students can't express themselves in accurate and decent standard English, and they can't write a few complete English sentences without any grammatical errors, because they have a poor grasp of basic language knowledge and structure.
The English Curriculum Standard clearly points out that "the focus of this curriculum reform is to change the tendency of overemphasizing grammar and vocabulary knowledge and neglecting students' actual language ability ..." Obviously, "changing the tendency of overemphasizing grammar explanation and teaching" only requires changing the previous grammar teaching methods, not giving up grammar teaching. Because it is impossible for China students to learn English in the same learning environment as native English speakers, and it is impossible to get enough English language stimulation and internalize its language rules in peacetime and after class, so as to acquire English naturally. China students learn English mainly through conscious learning. Learning to master basic English grammar rules can help learners to master language forms quickly. What is "grammar"? "Grammar-the rules for combining words and sentences. "(Oxford Advanced English-Chinese Dictionary) It is precisely because grammar reveals the rules of word shape change and sentence making that learning grammar helps to cultivate students' ability to understand English correctly and use English accurately, so that China students can avoid detours in the process of learning English. For learners who learn English as a foreign language, it can be called "grammar".
Grammar teaching advocated by the new English curriculum standards is very different from the traditional grammar translation method in both teaching objectives and teaching methods. The new curriculum standard requires teachers to clarify the purpose of grammar teaching in middle schools and change the way of grammar teaching. Teaching grammar by teachers is not the ultimate goal, but an effective means to achieve it. The ultimate goal is not simply to let students remember some language rules, but to organically combine the form of language with its meaning and communicative function, and internalize language rules in actual language use, so as to achieve the goal that students can use language accurately and communicate effectively. In terms of teaching methods, we should completely abandon the old teaching mode of giving priority to explanation teaching, memorizing grammar provisions and mechanically applying basic sentence patterns, and adopt a brand-new three-dimensional grammar teaching method based on three different dimensions of form, meaning and use, that is, integrate grammar teaching with the cultivation of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, and combine it with discourse understanding and language practical application.
In addition to following the reasonable and effective parts of traditional grammar teaching in China, grammar teaching must also be adjusted, improved and innovated, and must reflect the new curriculum standards and the target requirements of grammar teaching in its new teaching concept. For example, the goal of grammar teaching in the eighth grade of the new curriculum standard is: "1. Further master the expression of describing time, place and orientation; 2. Further understand and master the expressions of comparing people, things and things; 3. Use appropriate language forms to describe and express opinions, attitudes and emotions; 4. Learn and master the basic structure and logical relationship of common discourse forms. " 1 and 2 require learners to master some language expressions, which are completely consistent with the requirements of traditional grammar teaching. The third and fourth items are a step forward in the traditional grammar teaching goal, requiring learners to do things in the language form they have learned. This emphasis on the application of language knowledge in practical communication and the cultivation of language application ability is the essence of the new curriculum standard grammar teaching goal. In addition, grammar teaching in the implementation of the new curriculum reform must embody the new concepts of new curriculum standards such as "discovery and inquiry, practical application, task-based activities, autonomous learning and cooperative learning".
Second, the implementation of the new curriculum in grammar teaching mode
Grammar teaching in middle schools should adopt different teaching modes according to different teaching tasks, different teaching objectives and different teaching periods.
1. Regular teaching mode of "observation-discovery-discussion-induction-consolidation-application"
In normal teaching, we should not and cannot delve into a new grammar project and spend a lot of time explaining and practicing. We should make use of this induction and make a special breakthrough in the key grammar items of each unit in a period of time according to the arrangement intention of the textbook writers. For example, the third unit NSE FC SB/KLOC-0 compiled by People's Education Publishing House takes the present continuous tense: indicating immaturity as the focus of grammar learning in this unit. Textbook writers consciously and repeatedly present this grammatical structure in the language materials of warm-up, reading, language learning and language use, that is, the four main parts of the whole unit. Teachers can guide students to carefully observe all these language forms in the teaching materials at the stage of language learning (or choose other opportunities) (teachers should add some typical examples and texts containing these language forms), so that students can discover the form and significance of this language structure themselves, and then summarize the structural characteristics and usage rules of this grammar item through discussions and even "arguments" among students, teachers and students. Generally speaking, induction is suggested to be used more in grammar teaching in middle schools, because compared with deduction, induction can promote students' active participation, cultivate students' observation, thinking, analysis and comprehensive ability, and improve students' inquiry learning and autonomous learning ability.
It is worth emphasizing that according to the requirements of the new curriculum standard, grammar teaching must not let students just discover and summarize language forms and laws, but teachers must take two steps forward, that is, carefully design teaching activities to consolidate drills and practical applications. Only through practice can we deepen our understanding of any language form, and only through practical application, especially in actual communication or imitation of actual communication activities, can we internalize its laws and truly master it.
2. Grammar summary review mode of "centralized presentation-comparative analysis-special combing-consolidated application"
When reviewing this module, the teacher can combine the grammar content involved in this module with the related content learned in the previous module, and sort it out by comparison and induction to consolidate the application. For example, after studying the object clause, predicative clause, subject clause and appositive clause respectively, we can compare the nominal clause with the following set of sentences:
We don't know when Tom will come back.
The question is when Tom will come back.
When Tom will come back is unknown.
We don't know when Tom will come back.
Then, the word order characteristics of noun clauses and the four types of conjunctions used: that, if/where, wh- and the relative pronoun what are compared, summarized and summarized. Let students know the whole picture of noun clauses, and then achieve the purpose of using noun clauses correctly.
In addition, in the preparation review stage of the senior high school entrance examination and the college entrance examination, grammar should also be systematically reviewed. Teachers can arrange relatively concentrated time, or synchronize wITh other teaching contents, and sort out the grammar system into nouns, pronouns, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs, articles, notional verbs, modal verbs, non-predicate verbs, simple sentences and complex sentences, complex sentences, and the usage of it (as well as inversion and subjunctive mood in high school). It should be noted that the grammar review at this time should not ramble and take up too much time. Grammar review must have three dimensions, form+meaning+use, with emphasis on meaning and application.
Third, the implementation of the new curriculum grammar teaching methods
According to the teaching practice of some excellent teachers observed at ordinary times, the author puts forward the following specific grammar teaching methods for your reference.
1. Comprehensive training grammar learning method
The practice and consolidation activities of traditional grammar teaching are mostly teacher-centered, with sentence pattern application and translation of Chinese and English example sentences as the main training means. Although we can still practice grammar by applying some sentence patterns and translating Chinese and English examples, on the whole, this method is boring, monotonous, outdated and unsatisfactory. At present, teachers should be strongly encouraged to create situational grammar projects according to the communicative function of grammar projects, combine grammar teaching with listening, speaking, reading and writing activities, and combine grammar knowledge learning with comprehensive skills training. Let's take Unit 3 of NSEFC SB 1 compiled by PEP as an example. In order to let students master the grammar project of expressing the future in the present continuous tense, teachers must master that the most important communicative function of grammar project is "expressing a completely definite future plan". Teachers should create a new context for using grammar items around "planning" and design listening, speaking, reading and writing activities by using language forms, so that students can be familiar with, consolidate and master grammar knowledge through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities according to the context.
The following is an example of activity design:
Let the students listen to the following short dialogue as a reference model to let them know the requirements of the activity.
What are you going to do tomorrow?
B: I will see my sister off at the airport in the morning. She will go to new york and stay there for three days. ..
So, do you have any special plans for tomorrow afternoon?
No. I stayed at home.
But I want to play tennis with Tom. I want to see him at half past three. Will you join us?
B: Great!
Then, ask the students to create a short dialogue in the form of double activities, which must contain more than five sentences expressing the planned state of affairs in the present continuous tense; Step 2: four or six people take turns to perform their little dialogues; Step 3: Choose the best duo in each group, help them modify and enrich their dialogue, and prepare to show it to the class. Step 4: The teacher invites representatives in pairs (who can be selected by lot) to perform their dialogues in the class, and asks each group to record the sentences they hear in the present continuous tense to indicate the planned state of the upcoming events; Step 5: See which group of recorded sentences is the most accurate and can be repeated quickly, and then the representatives of their group will present their dialogue (in fact, this will be an interesting activity in gallants). Finally, teachers should take the group as the evaluation unit and give comments and encouragement (formative evaluation can be included in the form of giving points).
This activity fully mobilized all students to participate, and combined grammar teaching with stimulating interest, formative evaluation and cultivating listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities, which better reflected the new concept of grammar teaching.
2. Task-based grammar learning method
The new curriculum standard advocates task-based teaching mode. Compared with ordinary activities, the tasks mentioned here should be closer to real life and real communication, and can also be understood as activities that require students to do things with higher requirements. In grammar teaching, teachers should try their best to design some tasks, so that students can learn to master language forms and rules through the completion of tasks. Let's take the present gradually expressing the future as an example to introduce a related task design:
Task: To receive the best scheme creative competition from visiting students and netizens.
Requirements: (1) individuals write a coherent reception plan, which contains at least 8 sentences in the present continuous tense to represent the planned events (in general, teachers can list some verbs or verb phrases that may be used by students through brainstorming activities before writing. Such as; Come, go, arrive, return, meet, leave, climb, do, start, invite, stay, take a vacation, take a boat trip, go to the theatre, eat, play tennis, show someone around ... and so on. )
(2) Students tell their own arrangements in groups of four;
(3) Select the most creative one in the group, and collectively supplement and modify it to form the results of the group;
(4) Draw a group to show the results to the whole class; At the same time, let other groups in the class extract a topic from the following four topics, and after listening to the presentation group's speech, prepare to speak in turn according to the extracted topics;
These four themes are as follows:
Whose plan sounds the most interesting? Why?
Whose plan sounds the most boring? Why?
Whose plan sounds the easiest to arrange? Why?
Whose plan sounds the most creative? Why?
(5) After the speeches of the three groups of representatives are finished, each group will make preparations according to the three schemes and the selected topics;
(6) According to the order of the four topics, let the representatives of several groups who have drawn topic ① express their opinions first, then topic ② until topic ④, so as to strive for each group to have the opportunity to speak;
(7) After a brief comment by the teacher, arrange for each group to revise and finalize their reception plan again after class, copy it and post it in the English Garden; Vote by each group, and finally the top three will be judged by the jury.
(8) Schools and classes with good foundation can also add a talk activity, that is, arrange each group of second class activities in the form of talk, take the above four topics as evaluation criteria, and then express their oral evaluation opinions according to whether they contain at least eight sentences expressing planned events in the present continuous tense, and select the best creative reception plan (you can recommend yourself). Finally, the oral statements and written reception plans of each group were comprehensively evaluated, and the top three were selected.
Evaluation method: A jury composed of representatives of the English Department and the team leader will conduct a four-person group evaluation.
3. Explore interactive grammar learning methods
The new curriculum reform advocates inquiry learning and cooperative learning. Grammar teaching in middle schools can also use this method to learn grammar. In the way of group learning, according to the content of the textbook and the guidance of the teacher, students search for information by themselves and collect, filter, analyze, process and use all kinds of information by themselves around a certain grammar project; Then through the interaction, mutual inspiration and mutual learning among students' group members, the anxiety of students as passive learners can be reduced, and students can truly learn independently and become the masters of learning. The author once observed that a teacher prepared a grammar project by turns in a group of eight people after class every semester, and prepared a computer courseware in advance. Choose two students as small teachers to show their group's understanding of grammar, and the teacher as an assistant to make up the stage. This activity is included in the usual formative evaluation. Taking students as teachers, the classroom atmosphere has a unique flavor and receives good learning results.
4. Forms and methods of memorizing aphorisms.
In traditional grammar teaching, we can still follow a good method of memorizing language forms, that is, selecting some typical sentences with a certain grammatical structure, so that students can not only remember some classic sentences, but also be familiar with using a certain grammatical form by memorizing and using these sentences, thus achieving the effect of killing two birds with one stone. For example, you can ask each student to remember what you will do tomorrow morning. This is a functional question, which can be used in spoken English to ask about the planned events in the present continuous tense. Every good sentence or proverb below contains a grammatical structure: actions speak louder than words. The more, the better. Rome was not built in a day. Never too old to learn. I'll believe that when I see it. I'll believe that when I see it. Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. No matter what I do, I will try my best. Where there is a will, there is a way. All who say good things about us are not friends. One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero. Wait a minute.
In short, different grammar teaching models and methods can be adopted according to different teaching objectives, teaching contents, teaching objects and teaching hours, but the core concept of implementing the new curriculum reform remains unchanged, namely, students' interest, students' participation, students' activities and the development of students' comprehensive language ability. Students should not only master language knowledge, but also learn the practical use of language.