Ways to motivate students’ subjcet role in language teaching

中图分类号:H319文献标识码:A文章编号:1673-0992(2009)12-215-02

Abstract:This essay mainly deals with the effectual ways to motivate students in

their English learning. The author does hope,through this kind of studying, more and more English teachers come to realize the importance of motivation and do some research to improve students' Englishl evel.

Key words:motivate,envionment, relationship, initiative study

一、introduction

Which is the best way to learn a language?We should remember how we all learnt our own language when we were children. If we could learn a second language in the same way,it would not seem so difficult.When people have to use a second language constantly,they would learn it quickly. “Language is an art,an accomplishment practiced more by unconscious processes than by conscious.”(H,B Graybill) So learning a language is not a matter of acquiring a set of rules and building up a large vocabulary. The students’mastery of a language is ultimately measured by how well he can use it,not by how much he knows about it.

What Language Teaching Is

It is the students who learn English in an English class. A language can only be learned to grasp it,not be lectured. A teacher can at any time be quite sure that he is teaching,but it is not at all easy for him to make sure that learning does take place. Learning helps one acquire knowledge and skills. Learning can not be obtained by lecturing. Only when the students are involved can they learn;and only when they are using it in a communicative context to interpret,negotiate or express meaning are they learning the language.SO teaching must be a joint - effort of the teacher’s guidance and the students’studying and practice. The students are the centre of the class. The teacher is only the director,guide,organizer or monitor,even sometimes an actor;while the students are trainees,readers, knowledge seekers,activists or actors / actresses. The teacher must realize that his overtaking is a waste of the students valuable time for practice. The most successful class is one where the students,not the teacher,do the greater part of the work.What is taught is what is to be used to express ideas. One wants to learn a language because he wants to use it. All the words and expressions,even grammatical items,they all serve for the functions. Listening and speaking are the first two main means of communication.Reading and writing develops from them. So they are very important,especially for the beginners. The improvement of listening and speaking will be benefited from an English environment,which can help the students understand English directly or even think directly in English. As a teacher,you must try to create an Englih environment in your class to enable them acquire English more directly.

二、ways to motivate students’ subject role in language learning are the following:

1.create an English environment to raise students’ interest.The language should be taught the same way it is used. So all the teaching activities are expected to be communicative ones in the imaginary situation. The teacher may present new items,organize activities,model pronunciation,etc,in English,not in Chinese.,Teaching objects can help the students understand what the teacher says. While teaching objects are used,vision is added to their listening and speaking. Through practice,a fixed connection between the objects and the language is easily formed in the learner’s mind . The students may think directly in English,so that the language is converted into a vivid memory. With the development of science and economy,many modern wonders are employed in teaching activities;English classes have become more vivid than before. That isAudio - visual Media.

2.Enhance the students’self concept as a learner.A student’s concept of himself as a learner may have a powerful effect on his engagement in a learning task.Most people expect to feel important and respected.Teacher should try to plan and assign work so that every student can experience a certain amount of success. Repeated failure will in time kill the desire to try while anticipation of success will enhance the motivation to explore and learn. So a teacher should provide opportunities for each student to see his strong points. No matter how little progress a student has made,give appreciation or reward immediately by recognizing and praising him in order to reinforce the student’s confidence in making further progress.In one class there are always some passive and slow students who are hesitant about their response to a question or some learning tasks. There are also some students who are shy or reserved and will not participate until they are 100 per cent sure of themselves. These groups of students are usually quite sensitive or self - conscious. If they are neglected ,it suggests the loss of quite a number of supporters or participants in learning activities. Teaching in that sense is not likely to be successful. So one of the duties of a teacher is to help these students to overcome their obstacles ,get them involved in learning and build up their confidence to achieve and win.

3.Establishing a good relationship with the students.A good relationship between teacher and students can create a cooperative and positive classroom atmosphere which contributes to the success in teaching and learning. A successful teacher is one that not only concerns about passing knowledge to the students,but also the full development of his students. If the students sense the love from the teacher,get the help when in need and the reward when they achieve or the encouragement when in difficulty,they will return all this to their hearts’content . Consequently such a class is motivated to learn and achieve most .It is said that the distance,if there is any,between teacher and students may narrow down when the two sides can treat each other like friends. It is more important that the teacher take the initiative,for in most cases students are apt to keep a certain distance from the teacher out of respect or fear sometimes. So nothing can be lost if the teacher takes off the disguise and look more real and natural.To establish a good relationship the teacher may try the following ways. First,use the students’language. Even in class the teacher may try from time to time to explain his points that way . This will draw the students close to the teacher and make the communication between them smooth and effective. Second, try to act the way students do. This does’t mean there is no distinction between teacher and students,but that the teacher may sometimes tell a joke familiar to the students,sing a song which may interest them,make a gesture common to the young,cite an example close to their life. Third,participate in students’activities to get to know them better. This includes time spent both in and out of class. In those activities the teacher and students share many happy moments together and a subtle change in their relationship takes place.

4.Train learners’ ability to have initiative study.“learner―oriented” theory calls on learning responsibility.St udents’ initiative in study is a k ind of strenuous sychology showed by a student who maintains the state of excitement in course of study.The level of student's initiative in study is determined by effectiveness and expected value of student’s study target.In order to arouse student’s initiative in study, excitation strategy should be researched from student’s requirement level,study target,effectiveness and expected value,etc Train learners’ ability is training their strategies of initiative study. The processes are presentation, modeling strategies, training, evaluation, expansion.

In conclusion, Motivation is regarded as the greatest single factor contributing to academic success.Students may vary in ability. in experience and in reaction to learning. but their quality of performance will depend on how much they are motivated to perform. Some will study or practice for hours. While others devote less time and possibly accept a lower level of performance. The key to successful learning and teaching is to help students develop their interest in learning with the introduction of new and modern teaching methods and the exciting and dynamic teaching aids. Therefore a teacher should be sensitive to every new concept and device to make the teaching process more efficient and effective.

Bibiography:

[1] Guy R. Lefrancois,Psychology for Teaching. Belmont Wadsworth Publishing Company,1988 .

[2]Mary Ann christion,Cooperative Learning in the EFL classroom. English Teaching Forum,1990 .

[3]David hunan,Language Teaching Methodology. Prentice Hall International(UK)Ltd,1991 .