An Action Study On The Implementation Of Project-Based Learning Model In A Senior English Reading Classroom

The English Curriculum Standards for Ordinary Senior High Schools(2017)advocate the concept of English learning activities that points to the development of core competencies.Under the guidance of thematic meaning,students can acquire,interpret and judge the meaning of discourse in the process of analyzing and solving problems,express their personal views,intentions and emotional attitudes,develop critical thinking and improve their English learning ability and application ability based on their existing knowledge and relying on different types of discourse through a series of English learning activities that embody the characteristics of comprehensiveness,relevance and practicality.For example,learning and understanding,application practice and transfer innovation.Project-based learning model conforms to the demands of The English Curriculum Standards for Ordinary Senior High Schools(2017).It provides a feasible way for the study of language knowledge and the cultivation of thinking capacity.Project-based learning is based on constructivist and multiple intelligences theory,and uses group cooperation and exploration as a means to complete the reading task by jointly completing the project and displaying the final product.This paper aims to apply project-based learning to senior high school English reading classroom through action research,interview and questionnaire to measure the effectiveness of this teaching model in senior high school English reading classroom.The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of project-based learning model on English reading scores and critical thinking of senior one students and to ask two questions:(1)What is the impact of the implementation of project-based learning model on English reading scores of senior high school students?(2)What effect does the implementation of project-based learning model have on the development of senior high school students’ critical thinking?Based on senior high school English reading teaching,this study selected 30 students of Grade one in Yining No.8 Middle School to adopt PBL model.Data were collected through English reading tests,interviews and the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory(CCTDI)scales before and after the two rounds of action research,and the changes of students’ English reading scores and critical thinking tendency were analyzed.The findings have indicated that students’ reading scores have been improved after two rounds of PBL model action research.The students scored higher on the CCTDI scales showing positive dispositions.The increasing range in these three dimensions is the most obvious:Open-mindedness,Cognitive maturity and Truth seeking.(1)The Project-based learning model helps to improve students’ reading performance.After the first round of action,students’ reading scores are significantly different from those before,and after the second round of action research,students’ reading scores are significantly different from those after the first round of action research.(2)After each round of action research,students show significant difference in seven dimensions: Truth-seeking,Open-mindedness,Self-confidence,Inquisitiveness,Maturity,Analyticity and Systematicity.The project-based learning model has a positive impact on cultivating students’ critical thinking.The results show that the PBL model has an active role in facilitating the reading scores and critical thinking of senior one English learners.Hierarchical project activities especially highlight the significance and implementation ways of cultivating critical thinking.Teachers need to optimize the design of reading activities and guide students to explore the deep information of the discourse,including the author’s views,intentions and value orientation.It suggests that teachers should combine reading comprehension with the development of critical thinking to design pragmatic English reading activities.Trough these activities,students can express their personal views on specific issues.Teachers should pay attention to putting forward more evaluative questions without standard answers to discriminate and judge the value of various point of views and thoughts.The results of this study have certain enlightenment and reference value for the application of the PBL model and the cultivation of critical thinking in senior high school students.