Enhancing Young Learners Listening Ability through StorytellingWord文档格式.docx

Enhancing Young Learners Listening Ability through StorytellingWord文档格式.docx

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激发小学生对英语听力的兴趣并建立起英语的语感，训练和引导学生养成正确的听力习惯，帮助学生明确听什么和如何听，进而提高学生听的能力。

本课题假设：

故事教学比自下而上的方法更能有效地提高学生的听力。

本课题的教案包括5个故事，侧重对小学生听力技巧的训练，通过故事教学，帮助学生有目的地听并能听懂主要意思，指导学生听后做出反应，学会预测故事情节，进一步能听懂一些词汇或语法，为复述故事奠定基础。

在两个小学四年级的班级经过为期四周的分对比班的教学实验，收集了课堂观察，实验前后各组测验成绩以及实验后的问卷调查和学生访谈等数据。

这些数据有效地表明，学生的听力习惯和听的能力通过故事教学的方法得到更有效的培养和提高。

本课题研究成果，可提供给小学教师一条提高学生听力的有效途径，使不同

程度的学生在短时间内在听力方面都能有相应的提高，进而养成正确的听力习惯。

关键词：

小学英语教学；

英语听力困难；

故事教学；

听力习惯

Abstract

Listeningtasksareextremelyimportantintheprimarylanguageclassroom.Thispaperpresentsadetailedreportofaprojectwhoseobjectiveistosolvetheproblemthatyounglearnershaveinlistening.AllstudentsinthisprojectimplementationareGradeFourstudentsinaprimaryschool.Theresultsshowthatthenewwayoflisteninghashelpedthestudentsfindabetterwaytomaketheirlisteningeasierandmoreenjoyablethroughlisteningtothestories.

Theprojecthypothesisisthatstudents’listeningabilitycanbebetterenhancedthroughstorytellingpractice,becauseitisatop-downapproachwhichcanhelpthestudentstofocusonthegeneralideasfirstandthenthespecificinformationnext.Thespecificactivitylessonplan,whichisrelevanttovariousreallifetopicsandactivitiesforyounglearners,canhelpstudentsbuildtheskillsforwhattolistenandhowtolistenbecausethesestoriesmeetstudents’needsandinterests.Duringimplementation,fourresearchtoolsareused,whichincludepre-testandpost-testscores,teacher’sreflectionnotes,questionnaireandthestudentinterview.Thedataproducedarecollectedandanalysedtotestifythehypothesis.

Theresultsofdataanalysisareconsistentwiththeinitialhypothesis:

storytellingisabetterwayforyounglearnerstoenhancetheirlisteningabilityascomparedwithbottom-upmethod.

Itprovestobeapracticalwayforstudentstoimprovetheirlistening.

Keywords:

primaryschoolEnglishteaching;

listeningdifficulty;

storytelling;

listeninghabits

TableofContents

Pages

1.ProjectIntroduction

1

2.ProjectProblemIdentificationandAnalysis

2

2.1Projectproblems

2.2Problemanalysis

3

2.3Resultsofproblemanalysis

4

3.ProjectObjectiveandHypothesis

3.1Projectobjective

5

3.2Projecthypothesis

4.ProjectRationale

4.1Researchabouttop-downprocessing

4.2Researchaboutcomprehensibleinput

4.3Advantagesofstorytelling

6

5.ProjectDesign

7

5.1TargetGroupandControlGroup

5.2Teachingmaterials

5.3Storytellingdesign

5.4Researchingtools

10

6.ProjectImplementation

11

6.1Backgroundinformation

6.2Timetableofprojectimplementation

12

6.3SampleGrouping

13

6.4Teachingmaterials

6.5Datacollection

14

7.ResultsandDiscussion

7.1Students’perceptionofthenewmethod

7.2Students’self-evaluationinthequestionnaire

15

7.3Comparisonofthepre-testandpost-test

16

7.4Findingsfromtheinterview

17

7.5FindingsfromTeachingNotes

18

7.6Unsolvedproblems

8.Conclusion

19

Bibliography

22

AppendixI.FiveStoriesUsedintheProject

23

AppendixII.StorytellingLessonPlan

26

AppendixIII.MsL’sReflectionNotes

31

AppendixIV.Pre-testPaper

37

AppendixV.Post-testPaper

40

AppendixVI.Questionnaire

43

EnhancingYoungLearners’ListeningAbility

ThroughStorytelling

1.ProjectIntroduction

Inrecentyears,theimportanceoflisteningskilliswidelyrecognizedbyEnglishlanguageteachers.Theybelievethatiftheirstudentscandeveloptheirlisteningskillstheycanbegintolearnbythemselves,whichistosay,theycanbecomeautonomousandlearninthewaymanynativespeakerslearntheirfirstlanguagethroughhearing.

Asateachertrainer,theresearcherhassomeopportunitiestoobservethelessonsofdifferentteachers.AseriousproblemsurfacedwhentheresearcherwasobservingtheprimaryschoolEnglishclassroom.Itseemedthatthebottom-uplisteningtechniquesmostyounglearnersusedinlisteningpracticewasnoteffective.Acarefulanalysisshowedthattheirproblemsinlisteningwerecausedbythelackofmotivationandbackgroundknowledge.Tosolvethisproblem,afour-weekexperiment,featuredbystory-telling,wasdesignedandcarriedoutwithtwogroupsofprimaryschoolstudents.AllstudentsinthisprojectwereGradeFourstudentsinapublicprimaryschoolinBeijing.StudentsinClass2comprisedtheTargetGroupandreceivedstorytellingtoteachlisteningandwereaskedtospend20minutestolistenandtellastoryineach40-minutelesson;

whilethestudentsinClass1servedastheControlGroupandcontinuedtousethetraditionalmethod,whichincludedonlythebottom-upmethod.

Theprojecthypothesisisthatusingstorytelling,whichcangetthestudentstoknowthegeneralideasfirstandthespecificinformationnext,willenhancestudents’listeningcomprehension.Thefivestoriesselectedfortheprojectwerenotonlyinlinewiththeschoolcurriculumbutalsorelevanttostudents’reallifeexperiencesoasnottoarousetheirinterestwithoutinterferingwiththeirnormaldailystudy.Theelementsinthestoriesincludedanimalfables,schoollife,andsports,whichcouldbeveryattractiveandinterestingfortheyounglearnersoftheirage.Thespecificactivitiesdesignedforeachstoryintendedtoletstudentsbuildtheskillsforwhattolistenandhowtolisten.Theywerehighlypracticalforyounglearnersthantheirtraditionallisteningexercises.

Arangeofresearchmethodswereemployedintheproject,whichwerepre-testandpost-testscores,teacher’sreflectionnotes,questionnaireandthestudentinterview,sothatmoreobjectiveandcomprehensiveresearchresultcanberecordedthroughouttheimplementationperiod.

Thewholeprojectwasdesignedthebytheresearcher,butsincetheresearcherhadafull-timejobandcouldnotbefreetoteachthestudentsbyherself,sheemployedmanykindsofwaystomaintainclosecommunicationduringtheprojectimplementationwithMsL,theteacherwhocarriedoutthewholeexperimentallessonplantotheTargetGroupwhilecontinuingtoteachtheControlGroupwiththetraditionalmethod.However,theresearchermanagedtocometotheclassroomfromtimetotimetosuperviseandobservethepedagogicalactivitiesandalsotointerviewthestudentsintheTargetGroup.

Therefore,thesuccessofthisjoint-projectismeaningfulintwoways:

a）itcanprovidesomeempiricalguidancefortheprimaryschoolEnglishteachingandb）itcanserveasapracticalexampleofco-operationbetweenteachertrainersandtraineeteachers.

2.ProblemIdentificationandAnalysis

2.1Projectproblems

Asateachertrainer,theresearchernoticedsomethingwrongwiththelisteningteachingofayoungEnglishteacher（wearegoingtocallher“MsL”inthispaper）.Ms.LteachestwoclassesofGradeFourandasallhercolleagues,shetookthebottom-uptechniquewhenteachingEnglishlisteningtoherpupils.Thebottom-upmethodistoapproachthelisteningmaterialsfromthesmallestunits（individualsounds）tobiggerunits（words,phrases,sentences…）.AndersonandLynch（inNunan,2001:

201）labelthisapproach“tape-recorderviewoflistening”,“becauseitassumesthatthelistenertakesinandstoresmessagesinmuchthesamewayasatape-recorder,sequentially,onesound,word,phrase,andutteranceatatime”.Ineffect,thisbottom-upmethodwasobviouslyboringandnotreallyeffectivefortheyounglearners,asthetestresultsoftheirlisteningwereusuallyfarfromsatisfactory.

Furthermore,theresearcherfoundthatsomeofherstudentshadtheproblemsinlisteningcomprehension,suchas:

1）Can’tunderstandfast,naturalnativespeed.

2）Troublewiththesound,stressandintonation.

3）Havetounderstandeveryword.

4）Easytogettired.

Tosumup,thesestudentsseemedlackappropriatelisteningtechniques–theydidnotreallyknowhowtolistenandwhattolisten.

2.2Problemanalysis

TwomethodsareusedtoinvestigatethereasonfortheineffectivelisteningtechniquesMs.L’sstudentstake.

2.2.1Analyticmethod

Accordingtotheaboveidentification,theresearchproblemis:

someofthestudentsseemlackoflisteningability.Thephrases“someof”and“seem”intheproblemmadetheresearcherthinkoftheseissues:

1）Whysomedo,whiletheothersdon’t?

2）Isittruethatsomeofthestudentslacklisteningability?

3）Whatisthereasontocausesuchproblem?

Theresultofanalysiswas:

probablythewayofteachinglisteningMsLusedwasnotappropriateforyounglearners.

2.2.2Causeanalysis

TomakesurewhetherornotthewayofteachinglisteningMsLusedissuitableforthestudents,theresearcherthenmadethecauseanalysis.

Table1:

ProblemsandReasons

Problems

Mainreasons

Can’tunderstandfast,naturalnativespeed.

A.Theyhadlesschancetolistentothereal-lifelisteningmaterials.

B.Thelisteningmaterialswerenotattherightlevelforthem.

C.Theyreliedtoomuchonbottom-upapproach.

D.Theydidn’tknowhowtogetthemainideas.

Troublewiththesound,stressandintonation.

Havetounderstandeveryword.

A.Theyreliedtoomuchonbottom-upapproach.

B.Theydidn’tknowhowtoapproachlisteninginatop-downmanner.

Easytogett