A Survey Of The Application Of Group Cooperative Learning In Junior High School English Reading Teaching

The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2011 Edition)emphasizes that English courses must not only cultivate students’ basic abilities,but also promote their thoughts,inquiry and cooperation awareness.Group cooperative learning emphasizes the dominant position of students in the teaching process,and more chances are provided to students to express their views.Therefore,it has become a common teaching method adopted by schools in various regions.In terms of English teaching,especially in reading classes,students’ enthusiasm and vitality can be more effectively promoted in the environment of group cooperative learning.Although some achievements have been achieved,the ideal effect of group cooperative learning is hindered by intractable problems.With the help of research methods including questionnaire,interview and classroom observation,under the guidance of Cognitive-developmental Theory,Constructivism Learning Theory,Maslow’s Need-hierarchy Theory,and Social Interdependence Theory,this research takes 200 students of the second and third grades and three teachers of a junior high school in Yantai,Shandong Province as the research objects.The following questions are discussed in this research:(1)How is the acceptance of using cooperative learning in English reading teaching in junior high school?(2)What’s the current situation of using cooperative learning in English reading teaching in junior high school?(3)What are the problems and countermeasures when using cooperative learning in English reading teaching in junior high school?The results of the study show that group cooperative learning is accepted and used by most teachers and students to much extent.Based on the comparison between cooperative learning and traditional teacher-centered class,the former has the characteristics of bettering students’ cooperative skills,fostering cooperation awareness,and promoting their development in all aspects.The use of group cooperative learning in junior high school English reading class can provide students with a relative relaxing and pleasant learning atmosphere,encourage students to exert their collective strength,and also contribute to the formation of a better teacher-student relationship.However,problems,which result in group cooperative learning becoming a formality,exist inevitably,including teachers’ unreasonable arrangement of cooperative activities,students’ insufficient learning levels meeting the requirements of cooperative inquiry,their inactive participation in inquiry activities,and the group cooperation still being dominated by a small number of students,etc.Accordingly,suggestions are proposed,including grasping opportunities for cooperative learning,designing activities reasonably,emphasizing the main status of students,promoting their interest in learning,etc.,so group cooperative learning can play a greater role and improve students’ learning effects.