A Study On English Education Of Some Foreign Language Schools

With the development of China's reform and opening-up to the outside world and the increasing international exchanges in the political, economic and cultural fields, English, a foreign language, means too much to us Chinese and is more important than at any other time in Chinese history, especially after China's accession into the World Trade Organization and the successful bid to stage the 2008 Olympic Games. Although we have attained outstanding achievements in the past decades, English education in China is, unfortunately, still faced with many problems, such as "dumb English", "deaf English", "low efficiency with much time consuming", "overemphasis on the explanation of grammar and ignorance of the cultivation of language communication proficiency" etc.. Nevertheless, there is a common phenomenon, which lacks systematic and deep research, that is, the phenomenon of foreign language schools. The fruitful outcome of English education of foreign language schools in China is obvious to all. Moreover, their "success secrets" are not only importantly significant to the English education of China, but also can be used for the reference of most middle schools.What is a real foreign language school? What are its teaching objectives? What secret weapons on earth are they armed with to guarantee their success? etc.. With these questions, this thesis attempts to discover and summarize the features of English education of foreign language schools in the hope of benefiting as many people as possible. Meanwhile the success of English education of foreign language schools has evidently proven that their English educational mode is feasible in actual English education as well, whichaccidentally and primarily accords with the expectations on the English education of middle schools of China in the English Curriculum Standards issued by the State Ministry of Education in 2001.This thesis attempts to account for the success of foreign language schools from several important variables that primarily influence the outcome of language education in the frame of social constructionism and interactionism. These variables include the English teachers, the students, the English textbooks, the teaching methods, the learning environment and the evaluation system. At the same time, in the course of analyzing the reasons for the success of foreign language schools, this paper has summed up lots of concrete activities, measures and even teaching procedures that have been proven to be feasible and effective in the actual English education of foreign language schools in China.Finally, I put forward some suggestions for the English language education that might be referred to by our colleagues and provide some successful experience for the implementation of the English Curriculum Standards in China. Meanwhile, problems perplexing foreign languages schools are also brought about with corresponding solutions for the reference of some concerned educational departments.