A Survey On Web-based English Teaching And Learning And The Pedagogical Suggestions

Nowadays we have entered the highly developed information age. The Internetprovides us with abundant information resources and various service tools. As the netoriginates in English-speaking countries, most online information resources andinformation platforms are in English. As a result, English learners are provided by the Webwith fast, abundant and authentic materials. Besides, the features in hypertext structure,multimedia capabilities and online communication have a great influence on education,especially on second and foreign language education. Thus how to make use of the Web tofacilitate English teaching and learning has become a central issue for both learners andinstructors.At present a great deal of research on Web-based English teaching and learning hasbeen carried out home and abroad. Many teachers and scholars have made various attemptsto use the Web to supplement English teaching and learning. The results show that the Webcan really provide a student-centered learning environment and promote English learningand teaching to some extent. However, we may find that problems and challenges still existamong students and teachers in using the Web to enhance English teaching and learning.What are the learning results that can be obtained by using the Web in FLT? What are theadvantages and disadvantages of WBET (Web-based English teaching and learning) incomparison with the traditional language classroom? How do students and teachers makeuse of the Web? Accordingly, it is necessary to conduct a systematic and complete surveyin order to investigate the current use of the net among teachers and students. Only whenwe understand the current situations, the problems, challenges and the actual results ofapplying the Web in language teaching can we make more effective use of the Web.On the basis of the former relevant studies on Web-based English teaching andlearning home and abroad, we did a small scale survey on the teachers and students fromGuangxi Normal University, Guangxi Normal College and Guilin University of ElectronicTechnology. The instruments employed in this survey include a written questionnaire forstudents and group interview for teachers. The participants are selected randomly. Thefindings of the survey reveal that the Web has greatly influenced the traditional foreignlanguage teaching; both teachers and students have affirmative attitudes towards WBET;students are highly motivated by the net; the use of the Internet may promote learners'language skills and other numerous skills to some extent. However, the findings also showthat problems and challenges still exist among students and teachers and the current use ofthe Web still needs improvement. As for students, the problems include uncertain onlinelearning goals, improper learning methods, irregular learning time and deficient onlinelearning skills. As for teachers, there exists a lack of understanding of WBET and onlinelearning skills. The necessary communication between teachers and students is virtuallyabsent. As for applications in language classroom, the key factors including interaction, iiilearning needs, learning styles, etc. are not taken into consideration seriously.By analyzing the investigation and on the basis of the constructivism theory, otherpedagogical rationale and the empirical studies, we put forward some suggestions on howto use the Web to facilitate language teaching and learning effectively. Students shouldestablish learning goals and adopt the self-construction learning method and cooperativelearning mode. Both students and teachers should develop online learning skills. To designan effective Web-based course, teachers may take the three models proposed byBrandl(2002) as reference, analyze students' needs and clarify their characteristics, set theirlearning objectives and choose the suitable Internet resources as teaching materials. Thesuccessful Web-based courses should be based on a clear pedagogical rationale andint...