An Action Research On Hierarchical English Homework Design For Senior High School Students

Doing homework is an important way to cultivate student’s core competence,a key measure to improve the quality and efficiency of classroom teaching and a necessary link between classroom teaching and after-school learning.Relevant researches reveal that the phenomenon of rote memorization and mechanical practice is common in middle school English teaching,and low-quality homework is also widespread.Therefore,it is of practical significance and application value to emphasize ability training based on deep learning and the research of individualized English teaching design in the form of hierarchical homework.Based on the theory of Zone of Proximal Development and Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives,this research conducts an action research on the hierarchical English homework design.It focuses on setting homework corresponding to low-level,intermediate-level and high-level language learning activities by combining unit themes and teaching contents.The purpose of this research is to explore the methods,approaches and effects of homework design that can effectively drive students to apply,speculate and practise.The specific research questions are as follows.(1)How can the design and implementation of hierarchical English homework be conducted?(2)What are the effects of the hierarchical English homework ?To answer those research questions,the researcher conducted two rounds of action research on hierarchical English homework design in a high school in Yueyang city.The whole procedure lasts for 9 weeks.Qualitative data were collected through observation,hierarchical English homework design texts,student homework and interviews,and quantitative data were collected through questionnaires,test scores and homework scores.Quantitative data were analyzed by Excel and SPSS 23.0.In the process of designing and implementing hierarchical homework,the researcher has formed the English hierarchical homework design and the implementation process after constantly reflecting and improving.The research results are as follows.(1)Factors like the homework concept,teaching objectives,learning content,the homework type,time,etc.are needed to be considered in designing hierarchical homework.And various levels of homework are need to be set corresponding to memory and understanding,application and analysis,evaluation and innovation.Before the implementation of hierarchical homework,it is necessary to consider the guarantee of implementation.Teachers need to explain the purpose of hierarchical homework and provide scaffolding for the implementation of hierarchical homework.During the implementation,it is necessary to continuously improve the homework design according to the feedback of students.After the implementation,teachers should write down reflections.(2)The action results show that the hierarchical English homework has achieved good results.Students’ cognition of homework has changed after action research,and they believed that homework was helpful for reviewing,practicing and extending their English knowledge.At the same time,students considered that the quality of homework design has been improved,which is mainly reflected in the increase of selective homework,the obvious difference in the difficulty of homework,and the variety of forms.The scores of the students in three tests have gradually increased,the number of polarized students has gradually decreased,and there were significant differences in the scores before and after the action research.The results show that the hierarchical design and implementation of English homework in senior high school can promote the development of students’ ability and improve the effectiveness of English learning.