An Investigation Of Group Cooperative Learning In High School English Reading Class

The English Curriculum Standards for Senior High Schools(2017 Edition)accentuates the shift of students’ learning mode and endorses the student-oriented learning approach.It is clearly stated that the primary focus should be given on cultivating the spirit of independent development,participation and cooperation,practice and innovation of all students.Not only is group cooperative learning is a learning mode strongly advocated in the new curriculum reform,it is also one of the more effective learning methods for high school English teaching against the backdrop of the implementing of core competence cause.Different from traditional indoctrination teaching in the past,group cooperative learning places students at the axis of class activities and firmly encouraged their participation.Not all subject matter lends itself to group learning but reading course is undoubtedly among the most appropriate.Although there has been some research on improving the effectiveness of group cooperative learning in recent years,there are few studies on the causes of the current situation.Most of the research on group cooperative learning are studies on the effects of students’ learning interests and achievements in different regions,few of them include in-depth and detailed researches on the implementation status of group cooperative learning in a particular school.Therefore,this dissertation aims to fill the lack of in-depth analysis regarding this topic based on the learning pyramid theory,the social interdependence theory and the nearest development zone theory.368 students and 4 teachers of Grade 1 of S Middle School in Changchun who have been actively implementing the requirements of the new curriculum reform were selected as the research subjects.Classroom observation,questionnaires and interviews are made and used as research means to answer the following two questions,(1)What is the current status of cooperative group learning in high school English reading class?(2)What are the causes of the current situation of cooperative group learning in high school English reading class?This paper analyzes five dimensions of group cooperative learning in reading class: the form,process,effectiveness and the assessment methods and teachers’ and students’ attitudes of it.The current situation of implementing group cooperative learning in high school English reading classes is found: cooperative group learning is used to a certain extent in reading classes,and students have a positive attitude toward cooperative group learning.However,there are some problems in the process of implementation,such as unreasonable group construction,uneven breadth and depth of students’ participation,single form of group cooperation organized by teachers and inadequate evaluation mechanism.This thesis also proposes countermeasures at the level of students,teachers,school and society respectively after thorough investigation,such as teachers’ insufficient knowledge of cooperative group learning mode,inaccurate positioning of their roles in cooperative group,and failure to establish a sound evaluation mechanism;and students’ lack of necessary cooperative skills and sense of cooperative responsibility;limited by the examination selection system and large class teaching,etc.The author proposes countermeasures for the above problems,such as scientific establishment of cooperative learning groups,clarification of teachers’ roles,and establishment of reasonable evaluation mechanisms.In order to help teachers understand group cooperative learning correctly;improve the current learning situation of students,and finally achieve the effect of optimizing group cooperative learning in the English teaching.Benefits also include: further arouse students’ passion in English learning,enhance their English reading level,reduce the phenomenon of students performance dichotomy and promote students’ core competence development in English so that group cooperative learning can really play an advantageous role.