2024年1月19日发(作者：)

Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

It is not easy to learn a foreign language and it is more difficult

to teach a foreign language The teacher has not only to make her students

understand the language namely the pronunciation vocabulary grammar etc

she she is used to refer to teachers in general and he to learners must

also help develop their communicative competence so that they can use the

language they have learned correctly appropriately and expressively in

real situations So here we talk about aspects of foreign language teaching

including reasons the nature syllabus aims and objectives

Key words foreign language teaching reasons syllabus aims and

objectives

内容摘要

学习一门外语十分不容易要教好一门外语那么更不易作为英语教师不仅要让他的学生明白得英语这门语言也确实是所谓的发音辞汇语法等等同时他必需还得帮忙去提高他们的交流能力如此他们才能够正确的利用他们学习的语言在现实情境中准确无误地表达自己想要表达的内容因此在那个地址咱们探讨一下外语教学的有关方面包括缘故本质大纲安排目标

关键词 外语教学缘故大纲安排目标

19

1 INTRODUCTION

Over the last several decades linguists have put a great emphasis on

the research of Foreign Language Teaching In foreign language teaching

we have to carry out our work with four key concepts language learning

teaching and context Any particular language teaching theory can be

regarded as an expression of these four key concepts

This thesis includes three parts aspects of foreign language teaching

the syllabus and the aims Through the three parts we just want to give

a general description of foreign language teaching

This paper mainly adopts three approaches 1 language teaching

requires an understanding of the nature of language 2 language teaching

demands a view of the learners and the nature of language learning 3

language teaching occurs in a given context

By asking these questions and by attempting to answer them we can

develop refine probe and evaluate language teaching theories more

scientifically and our foreign language teaching practice can be better

guided and oriented

2 Aspects of Foreign Language Teaching

21 Reasons for Studying Foreign Language Teaching

Foreign language teachers know that knowing a language well does not

necessarily mean that you can teach the language well Teaching is an art

as well as a science If you do not understand the theories principles

methods or techniques of teaching you could as well be able to teach a

foreign language based on your experience but you cannot hope to achieve

good results nor can you give your or your colleagues teaching a rational

evaluation or a critical appraisal There are surely limitations in

teaching by drawing only on experience though experience is important The

theories youll learn from the methodology course can guide support and

conceptualize your teaching practice And the new insights youll get by

sharing ideas with other people can bring you great benefit As the old

saying goes Travel broadens the mind In the same way learning Foreign

Language Teaching Methodology will surely broaden the mind of teachers

Methodology courses exist to help prospective as well as in service

teachers develop their own teaching styles and pedagogy rather than to

indoctrinate them to the use of specific models and techniques

The Nature of Foreign Language Teaching

Foreign Language Teaching Methodology is the study of the practices

and procedures used in teaching and the principles and beliefs that

underlie them Methodology includes first the study of the nature of

language skills such as reading writing speaking and listening and

procedures for teaching them Second methodology studies the preparation

of lesson plans materials and textbooks for teaching language skills

Methodology includes the evaluation and comparison of language teaching

methods example the Audiolingual Method versus the Oral-Situational

Method and other related issues concerning effective teaching and

learning such as classroom management the use of technology the assessment

of teaching and learning outcomes and so on

Foreign language teaching is sometimes discussed in terms of three

related aspects approach method and technique It is worth discussing

briefly the differences between the three concepts

When we use the word approach we mean that an idea or theory is being

applied that whatever the teacher does in a classroom certain theoretical

principles are always borne in her mind When we talk about a technique

we mean a procedure used in the classroom Finally a method is a set of

procedures or a collection of techniques used in a systematic way which

it is hoped will result in efficient learning

A technique then is the narrowest term meaning one single procedure

A method will consist a lot of techniques probably arranged in a specific

order The word approach is much more general and has the implication that

whatever methods or techniques the teacher uses she does not feel bound

by these but only by the theory in which she believes If she can find new

and better methods or techniques which will fit in with her approach then

she will adopt them We therefore have a hierarchical system

It follows from this that different approaches may share the same

techniques and even the same methods and different methods may share the

same techniques

At the level of approach there are at least three different

theorectical views of language explicitly or implicitly underlying

currently popular language teaching methods

The structural view

Language is a system of structurally related elements for the coding

of meaning The learning of a target language is seen to be the acquisition

of the elements of this system

The functional view

Language is a vehicle for the expression of meaning This approach

emphasizes the semantic rather than the grammatical potential of language

and leads to a specification or organization of language teaching content

by categories of function rather than by categories of form

The interactional view

Language is a vehicle for the realization of interpersonal relations

and for the performance of social transactions between individuals

Interactional theories focus on the pattern of moves acts and exchanges

in communication Language teaching content may be specified or organized

by patterns of exchange or may be left unspecifiedto be shaped by the

inclination of the learner as interactor

But these theories of language are in themselves incomplete and need

to be complemented by theories of language learning eg the linking of

structuralisma language theory to behaviorisma learning theory produces

audiolingualism The cognitive proponents have attempted to link

structuralism to a more mentalistic and less behavioristic brand of

learning theory We may think that studying a language is primarily

learning a set of physical habits of that it is the produce of a special

language acquisition device peculiar to the human species that students

are motivated principally by a desire to get the right answer or by a desire

to enhance their own self-esteem etc

In other words an approach provides principles to decide what kind

of content and what sort of procedures are appropriate The philosophical

principles provided by an approach have something to do with the nature

of studying And the social-political educational principles have to do

with the purpose of education

Method is a set of procedures or a collection of techniques in a

systematic way which will result in efficient learning A method is based

on systemstic principles and procedures ie it is an application of views

on how a language is best taught and learned Different methods may result

from different views of

1 the nature of language

2 the nature of language learning

3aims and objectives in teaching

4 the type of syllabus to use

5 the role of teachers and instructional materials and

6 the techniques and procedures to use

The method used has usualy been said to be the cause of success or

failure in language learning for ultimately it is the what and the how

of language instruction At the other extreme is the view that methods are

of little importance wherever there is a will to learn the quality of the

learning is what counts There is also the view that the teacher is the

only important element methods are only as good as the teacher who uses

themthey are simply instruments in the hands of the teacher

Technique is simply something we do showing a picture to our students

and talking about it with them in a certain way having the class repeat

sentences in chorus drills dialogues role-plays sentence completion etc

They are the tricks in classroom teaching

Another concept in foreign language teaching is methodology

Methodology is the principles and techniques of teaching with no necessary

reference to linguistics It is the implementation or practice of the

approach It is procedural selection of language presentation concerned

with how to teach in class It studies the practices and procedures used

in teaching and the principles and beliefs that underlie them Methodology

includes

1the study of the nature of language skills eg reading writing

speaking listening and procedures for teaching them

2 the study of the preparation of lessons plans materials and

textbooks for teaching language skills

3 the evaluation and comparison of language teaching methods eg the

Audiolingual Method versus the Oral-Situational Method

4 such practices procedures principles and beliefs themselves

Richards et al 1985 177

In short different theories about the nature of language and how

languages are learnt the approach imply different ways of teaching

language the method and different methods make use of different kinds

of classroom activities the technique

23 Disciplines Contributing to Foreign Language Teaching FLT

In order to know the theory and skills in teaching we should deal with

some basic principles derived from the interaction of aspects of those

fields of study which contribute to the theory and practice of foreign

language teaching

Language teaching involves three main disciplines linguistics

psychology and pedagogy Linguistics provides information about language

in general and about the specific language being taught psychology

describes how learning takes place and pedagogy blends the information

from linguistics and psychology into a compatible method of presentation

in the classroom

Linguistics is the study of language as a system of human

communication It covers a wide field with different approaches and

different areas of investigation such as sound system sentence structure

and meaning system Linguistics has drawn on ideas from sociology to

establish the place and role of language in the sociology of human behavior

and from psychology to investigate among other things how language is

learned The result is two new disciplines sociolinguistics and

psycholinguistics which together with linguistics proper form the central

area of applied linguistics

Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to social

factors that is social class educational level and type of education age

sex ethic origin etc Linguists differ as to what they include under

sociolinguistics Many would include the detailed study of interpersonal

communication and also those investigations which relate variations in

the language use by a group of people to social factors

Psycholinguistics is the study of mental processes that a person

undergoes in producing and understanding language and how humans learn

language Psycholinguistics includes the study of speech perception the

role of memory concepts and other processes in language use and how social

and psychological factors affect the use of language

Applied linguistics is the study of second and foreign language

learning and teaching It also studies language and linguistics in relation

to practical problems such as lexicography translation speech phonology

etc Applied linguistics uses information from sociology psychology

anthopology and information theory as well as from linguistics in order

to develop its own theoretical models of language and language use and

then uses this information and theory in practical areas such as syllabus

design speech therapy language planning stylistics etc

This last field is concerned with many language activities eg speech

pathology machine translation mother tongue acquisition literary

analysis etc But for the present purpose its chief relevance is to language

teaching See the following diagram

The conjunction of sociology and psychology with the theory and

practice of English language teaching ELT is a reminder that teaching

of any kind draws upon knowledge from these fields quite apart from

language considerations we get insights from sociology about such matters

as group interaction the status of the teacher and the school in the local

culture the social role of education as a whole from psychology we

understand facts about memory span motivation cognitive development

relating to the process of learning understanding and representing

knowledge mental process of knowing and pedagogy is concerned with class

management questioning techniques lesson planning and teaching

strategies etc Language teaching presupposes a set of operational

principles of language and this is supplied by applied linguistics

24 Factors Influencing Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning a foreign language inevitably involves

relationships between different aspects of life and teaching English

successfully is not just a question of method Other things influence

English language teaching greatly It is worth trying to examine some of

the underlying factors which can indirectly affect both the learner and

the teacher at a macro level

The study of foreign language teaching and learning reveals that it

is a complex process involving many variables More specifically or at a

micro level the following variables are related to this field of study

Foreign language education policy

The status and roles of a foreign language in society are determined

by the long-term and short-term needs of the country The making of foreign

language education policy must take into consideration the economic and

educational situations of the country With these needs and situations in

mind the government determines the place and proportion of a foreign

language education in primary secondary and tertiary education

considering things such as when the student begins to learn a foreign

language how many hours they need what foreign languages should be learned

what is the percentage of foreign language in the college entrance

examination what is the requirement of a foreign language for university

teachers or science personnel and engineers when they are sent abroad to

study or when they are to be promoted etc

The goal of foreign language education

In order to advance foreign language education more systematically

and avoid waste of money and resources we need to set a goal in foreign

language education for long-term and short-term needs Different goals are

set for different learners for example the goals for secondary education

are different from those for higher education foreign language education

goals for foreign language majors are different from those for non-majors

goals for training teachers are different from those for people who learn

a foreign language for specific purposes

Learners

Learners are an important variable in foreign language teaching The

learners motivation intelligence language aptitude educational level age

sex learning strategies individual differences etc all play a part in

foreign language teaching and influence their learning result

Teachers

There are differences in teachers which definitely influence foreign

language teaching Their attitudes towards their job language expertise

professionalism teaching experiences specialist training in foreign

language teaching flexibility in teaching age sex etc contribute to the

success or failure of their work

Syllabus

A syllabus determines teaching aims objectives contents and methods

The aims might be teaching a dead language for academic research or a

living language for communication training learners abilities of reading

and writing or their abilities of listening and speaking teaching a

foreign language for a specific purpose or for enhancing learners general

proficiency

According to the writers views of language and views of language

teaching and learning syllabus describes the contents of a language course

and the order in which they are to be taught Language teaching syllabus

may be based on grammatical items and vocabulary then it is a structural

syllabus it may be based on the language needed for different types of

situations then it is a structural-situational syllabus and if it is based

on meanings and communicative functions which the learner needs to express

in the foreign language it is a notional-functional syllabus

Teaching method

Teaching method the way of teaching a foreign language is determined

by syllabus You might use Grammar Translation Method Audiolingual Method

Cognitive-Code Learning Communicative Approach and so on according to

your views of language and language learning According to the specific

course you are teaching and your learners you may choose to use a deductive

method or an inductive method or a mixture of the two In addition method

is affected by the size of the class big or small type of class

intensive or regular in-class teaching or out-class activity target

learners children teenagers or adults etc The coursebook you are using

also determines to a certain extent your teaching method

Teaching materials

Teaching materials or coursebooks generally agree with or reflect

teaching principles teaching aims and objectives and teaching methods

However there are specific principles in the selection and gradation of

materials the design of exercises and activities coordination of titles

and pictures layout etc

Teaching aids

Foreign language teaching is constrained or facilitated by the

economic situation of the country the community and the school Schools

with better financial support may have language laboratories video

players OHPs type recorders computers multimedia etc while schools with

narrow means may only afford pictures the blackboard and chalks Such

differences will surely lead to differences in teaching and learning

outcomes

Assessment and evaluation

The form of assessment and evaluation has great backwash effects on

foreign language teaching and learning Whether to use summative

assessment or formative assessment discrete-point test or integrative

test subjective test or objective test or a combination of both will have

great bearings on teachers and students

These nine variables are interrelated to each other and restrict and

influence each other The success or failure of foreign language teaching

is the result of the interaction of all these factors However of the nine

learners are the central factor whose importance people have already

realized Therefore the study of foreign language teaching has shifted from

how to teach to how to learn

3 Foreign Language Teaching Syllabus

31 Types of Syllabus

Lets try to identify the key principles of syllabus organization by

examining the types of contents page most often found in the materials

we use

1

2

3

4

5

The first of these obviously is organized according to a list of

grammatical structures and is one that will readily be recognized by most

English language teachers The second is based on the communicative and

interpersonal uses to which a language is put and in contrast to the formal

structural system of the first type highlights what people do through

language It is normally referred to as a functional syllabus This design

principle is often found together with another list of items in the same

box they are technically called notions a term used to describe the rather

general and abstract categories which a language is able to express such

as the concepts of time and place For convenience – and in line with common

practice – they are placed together here and the syllabus as a whole is

designated as functional-notional The fourth focuses on language skills

and is concerned with what learners do as speakers listeners readers and

writers The fifth uses topics or themes as its starting point

We can now identify five broad types of syllabus

Grammatical or structural

Functional-notional

Situational

Skill-based

Topic-based

It is unusual to find just one of these as the only organizing

principle in isolation from the others Most syllabuses are based on a

combination of two or more of the types we have illustrated Some like the

one that follows for example may have a primary and a secondary principle

Indeed many situations and topic-based syllabus are part of a broader

pattern of this kind where a grammatical point to be taught is linked to

an interesting theme or practiced in a real world setting rather than

learned mechanically and outside any context Other syllabuses are

multi-layered using several different principles which ideally are

interwoven in a systematic way

This is a somewhat extreme example but it does show how topics

functions structures skills situations and pronunciation practice can be

brought together

We also need to distinguish between the syllabus itself and a syllabus

inventory The inventory is simply a list of the contents to be covered

in the language program whether it is a list of functional or grammatical

items or of skills or of topics and situations The syllabus is the way

in which those contents are organized and broken down into a set of

teachable and learnable units and will include considerations of pacing

sequencing and grading of items methods of presentation and practice and

so on

32 A Clarification of TermsSyllabus and Curriculum

In the existing literature on language education the terms CURRICULUM

and SYLLUSBUM are sometimes used interchangeably sometimes

differentiated and sometimes misused and misunderstood Likewise the terms

syllabus design and curriculum development are causing confusion among

both researchers and practitioners There are at least two reasons for this

chaotic use of the terms One reason is that the two terms are used

differently in British English and American English The other is that the

concept of curriculum has changed in the past years Stern 1983 provides

an attempt to clarify these two terms

The term curriculum is commonly used in two related senses It refers

first to the substance of a program of studies of an educational

institution or system Thus we can speak of the school curriculum the

university curriculum the curriculum of the French Schools or the

curriculum of Soviet education In a more restricted sense it refers to

the course of study or content in a particular subject such as the

mathematics curriculum or the history curriculum It is therefore used as

a synonym of what in British universities and schools is sometimes

referred to as the syllabus for a given subject or course of studies In

recent years however the term curriculum has come to refer not only the

subject matter or content but also to the entire instructional proces