The Matrix Of English Teaching Integrated With CAI Coursewares

Different from the teaching of other subjects, English teaching should more emphasize the situated context because it aims at not only imparting English language, but also at developing students' communicative competence. However, teachers have difficulty in simulating satisfactory teaching context with traditional media. Fortunately, with the development of educational technology, more and more CAI coursewares can be used to simulate authentic context in classroom teaching in our country.CAI coursewares do have advantages over the traditional media, yet simple addition to practical teaching is not adequate to bring their advantages into play. The integration of coursewares with teaching involves many factors such as learning theory, coursewares, teachers, students and teaching methods and so on. These factors weave a network through interaction with each other; hence "Matrix" is used to describe this structure. From the angle of the whole teaching process, teachers should emphatically comprehend the fixed positions of some important factors and their interactive relationship. At the same time, they need to constantly promote their teaching proficiency so that they can make their teaching more and more effective. This thesis is not prescription that offers teachers predetermined models to follow. It aims at examining the matrix of English teaching with CAI coursewares in order to help teachers improve their efficiency of English teaching integrated with coursewares.The thesis analyzes in three chapters three factors respectively from the "teaching" standpoint: theory, coursewares and teachers.Chapter 1 analyzes constructivism from two aspects. On the one hand, as a learning theory, constructivism emphasizes that learning is a process of meaning-constructing rather than simple impartation of knowledge. Students are the center of learning and active meaning-constructors. The construction in the authentic or situated context is meaningful and significant. Learning is both individual and social, which needs communication and cooperation. Under constructivism, "learning" is given prominence while teachers designing and applying coursewares. On the other hand, as a grounded theory, because of its philosophical quality, constructivism is permeated throughout the whole teaching process. That is, the core hypothesis of constructivism should be insisted on in order to keep the teaching consistent. In the process, not only do students construct their meanings, but also teachers constantly construct and develop their teaching ideologies and teaching abilities.Chapter 2 focuses on the essential characteristics of coursewares. It expounds mainly the three aspects: advantages of coursewares, suggestions of courseware design and qualities of constructivist learning environment. And it points out that, as one of teaching assisting media, coursewares must be instructional rather than a simple tool to provide a large amount of information. This chapter aims at helping teachers understand better coursewares' position in teaching, comprehend important aspects of their design, and construct and assess their ownteaching with coursewares.Chapter 3 centers on the position of teachers in the matrix. Teachers are the center of "teaching". In the constructivist environment, teachers are no longer traditional knowledge givers. They are constructing-helpers who facilitate students' meaning construction. At the same time, they themselves are also constructors who constantly construct their own teaching world in their minds. There are many ways of constructing, but the most important one is self-observing or self-monitoring. Through this way, teachers can check whether the coursewares have reached the expected goal and can improve the coursewares. Right by means of construction, teachers will promote their comprehension of constructivism and coursewares so that they can stimulate students' initiative in learning.Chapter 4 in the thesis analyzes the interactions among constructivism, teachers, coursewares and students with a figu...