Ecological Model Of English Language Learning

Traditionally, English teaching either paid attention to the learner, who is the subject of learning, emphasizing too much on autonomy, consciousness, and motility, or the language, which is object of leaning, paying too much on objection and passivity, or learning environment, which is the external causes, but ignoring emergence of language and dynamics of learners. So it seldom included all of the elements of English teaching and learning. Based on the principles of holistic and dynamic of ecology of philosophy, educational ecology and eco-linguistics, the research reflected the evolution of teaching model of English teaching to establish a new English learning model:ecological model of English learning. Ecological model of English learning includes the four ecological elements of student, teacher, language and learning environment in balance. In the ecological model, students are the subject of learning, the teacher is the subject of teaching, the language is the learning resources and the environment is the key external factors to affect language learning. The ecological model of English teaching sees language as emergent, not rule-governed, nor even modeled, while the ecological model of language learning borrows affordance to explain that language learning is a relational process between agent and learning environment and the process of language learning is a state of dynamics of multiple time scales and spaces. As for evaluation, ecological model of English learning uses multi-value to test the quality of English teaching. By importing ecology into English learning, the ecological model of English learning may help to solve the problems of low efficiency with time costing of language learning in China.The dissertation can be divided into eight parts:Part â…  is the Introduction. After checking the present research of English teaching, the author finds that the phenomenon of low efficiency with time costing is one of the typical characters for English education in China. In order to change the present situation, this dissertation would like to establish a new model of English learning. Additionally, this part mentions the research aims and methodology for the whole dissertation.Part â…¡ is the connotation and characteristics of English learning. After analysizing the neibough subjects, such as applied linguistics, language teaching, second language acquisition and foreign language teaching, the author thinks that English teaching is an activity of foreign language learning by emerging with the culture acquisition and thinking training in mother cultural context. During the activity, the teacher should be a guider for the learning, and the students learned the language of their own volition. Anyhow, the language learning is an activity of dynamic, unification, harmony, equivalence and recycling process.Part â…¢ is the innovation and development of English learning models. The model of behaviorism in English learning regarded language learning as formation of habits. The behaviorism saw the learning of language as being based on stimulus-response ad reinforcement. The cognitive model of English learning respects language learning and processing similar to the learning and processing of any other complex skill. The model of constructivism emphasizes the interaction itself constitutes the learning process, which is quintessentially social rather than individual. The critical on the previous model of language learning focuses on language learning but dislodges its central modernist assumptions. The future development can follow the route of eco-linguistics and ecology.Part â…£ is the connotation and characteristics of Ecological model of English learning. The learner, teacher, language and the classroom environment are the four basic elements of ecological model of English learning. The ecological model of English learning which is established in this dissertation has four typical characteristics as integrity and dynamics, multiples and harmony, openness and interactivity as well as differentiation and standardization.Part â…¤ is the theories of ecological model of English learning. Philosophy of ecology is the basic theory for the model. Holism and dynamics theory is very important for English learning. Educational ecology emphasizes that educational system should be regarded as whole system with teacher, students, teaching material and learning environment such as classroom, students' psychology. Eco linguistics emerged in the1990's as a new paradigm of linguistic research which took into account not only the social context in which language is embedded, but also the ecological context in which societies are embedded. The field of ecolinguistics has developed considerably, a recent development being the application of ecolinguistics to Education for Sustainability by the Language&Ecology Research Forum.Part VI is the process of ecological model of English learning. The first step is to choose English language educational purposes. The second step is to select learning material. The third step focuses on the methods selection for the learning. And the last step is the evolution of the learning.Part VII is support conditions of ecological model of English leaning. English learning is a process of complex eco-system. Borrowing the main ideas of Four-factor of eco-class, the dissertation thinks that it is possible for the model to consider the students as a learning subject, teacher as a teaching subject, English language as learning resources and classroom and learning environment. Only does the model balance the weight of these four ecological elements in the language learning, it is possible to solve the problems of low efficiency with time costing in English learning in China.Part VIII is the conclusion. The phenomenon of low efficiency with time wasting of English learning in China is the presentation of the eco-crisis of language education. In order to solve the problems of English learning in China, the dissertation would like to import the ecological value of language education. Ecologically, English learning should balance the placement of students, teacher, language and learning environment in the ecology system. Ecological model of English learning can bring hope for English learning in China by multiplying the methods of teaching, changing the teaching ideas and influencing the learning environment.The creation of the dissertation:Firstly, the origination of the research field. Traditionally, English learning was focused from the perspective of linguistics, pedagogy or psychology. The dissertation tries to do some research from the perspective of ecology.Secondly, the creation of the methodology. Philosophy can provide a new approach for researchers to make research. The dissertation tries to establish a new model of English learning by importing ecological method. Thirdly, new view of the learning model. The dissertation should be regarded as one of the first papers which take English learning as interactive activities by emerging students, teacher, English language and learning environment such as classroom into one model.