Improving The Learners' Autonomous Learning Capacity On The Basis Of Three-dimensional Teaching & Learning Model Of College English

The information era, characterized by the multiplication of the multimedia and Internet technology, has changed people's way of life fundamentally. Along with the increasing application of the internet in EFL teaching, traditional teaching approach is faced with great challenge. The knowledge obtained in school will soon become obsolete due to the rapid development of technology. Hence, only autonomous life-long learners can survive in the new era.Internet provides the EFL learners with extensively authentic materials, meanwhile, it demands an even higher standard of English proficiency. Thus, the EFL teachers are obliged to implement Web-based computers into their teaching curriculum, and to involve learner autonomy as an end in EFL teaching. Obviously, the traditional"teacher-centered""classroom-confined"instruction model certainly cannot fit in with such demands. Higher demand of education is bound to help develop a new three-dimensional teaching approach.The three-dimensional teaching approach of FLT is put forward by Prof. Zhang Zhengdong, which focuses on overall teaching involving three factors in the stereo system of FLT, on the basis of the current situation in China. The system is an entirety of cube which interacts with its environments through system functions more than that of the sum of the factors, i.e.1+1+1> 3.This approach still shares the viewpoints: English is mainly learned while acquisition just plays a minor role; FLT is a systematic teaching process, particular teaching activities should conform to the integrity of language teaching; economic development and cultural awareness are also elements of the whole system. It puts emphasis on developing learners'learning autonomy, and stresses the importance of the specific environment of teaching English.Its focal points have been tested and proved in the following five respects: language teaching theories domestic and abroad, tendency of education development, theories of related subjects, integrity principles, and practice of FLT. Recently, it has become one of the major schools of FLT in China, indicating that its presence meets the demand of foreign language teaching.Experiments on the three-dimensional approach of FLT is tried out and conducted mostly in primary and secondary schools. At the same time, in the field of college English teaching, the study of three-dimensional approach of FLT is somewhat confined to theory and skill analysis, few researchers promoted practical teaching and learning models in a thorough way. It's necessary to explore a new learner-centered and computer-assisted teaching and learning model, this present thesis is just an attempt to do that.On the basis of the previous studies on CALL and SALL as well as the three-dimensional approach of FLT as theoretical guidance, the author of this thesis designed a new model, termed as Three-dimensional Teaching & Learning model of college English. Within this model, the learners are put at the center of learning; each learner constructs his own knowledge through exploration on the basis of his previous knowledge and with the collaboration and assistance of the teacher and the peers. The teacher is no longer a unique source of language input. The multidimensional resources consisting of CD-ROMs, magazines, books from the library and a vast amount of information in English on the Websites constitute an optimal authentic environment for the learners to acquire and use English automatically. Class activities are not dominated by the teacher's monotonous lectures but by interactions between the teacher and the learners, or among learners face-to-face within the same classroom. Web-based computers enable the learners to preview the text with CD-ROMs autonomously out of class and communicate with other learners, the teacher, or even native speakers of English on-line. The teacher's role is shifted from an authoritative knowledge transmitter to a more approachable assistant, facilitator, consultant, assessor and manager, whose duty centers on task design, motivating and assisting learners to learn effectively and offering evaluation as well as assessment.However, in her teaching practice with the new model, the researcher meets with many difficulties: the inaccessibility of Web-based computers for each learner, the easy breakdown of computers, the learners'low motivation due to the poor proficiency and the knowledge-based, textbook-confined summative test system, the unfamiliarity of autonomous learning of both the learners and the teacher, and the difficulties in handling and evaluating autonomous learning.Nevertheless, after half a year's training, the learners'performance has improved in the mid-term examination, especially in the pragmatic skills such as listening and reading. Besides, most learners welcome independent learning via CALL; they learn more actively; their reading amount and variety increase dramatically; and the interaction in classroom is improved.The practice highlights the following points: Firstly, the successful implementation of CALL into curriculum depends much on the learner's self-access learning. However, the learners cannot become autonomous overnight, they need a process to habituate themselves to autonomous learning. Instant scaffolding and monitoring is necessary and crucial especially at the initial stage. Secondly, the summative test, assessing learning outcomes cannot reflect learner's progress, may frustrate the learner's motivation and enthusiasm to make further progress. Consequently, frequent formative test, which can identify and assess a process and progress, should be included in the curriculum. But the downright solution to such problems relies on the shift of the whole examination system, especially the dominant ones like CET-4 and CET-6, from the overemphasizing of linguistic knowledge to pragmatic competence in cross-cultural communication. Thirdly, the teacher's function in the new model should not be despised. The teacher's ability to scheme out courseware, design tasks, organize class, create harmonious atmosphere, identify the learners'needs and wants, and evaluate their performance will contribute a lot to the success of such a course. Therefore, the EFL teachers are obliged to possess the updated linguistic knowledge, cultural knowledge, as well as knowledge about computer and psychology. It is not an easy job to meet such challenges. Last but not least, without the support of the administration, this kind of practice cannot be totally successful. The administration should take more responsibility in the supply and maintenance of the equipments, in offering more flexibility in syllabus design and examination design.To implement CALL and SALL into practical curriculum is the call of the new digital age. The present thesis is just an exploration and practice on this issue. It is expected by the researcher that the effect of the suggested model on fostering learner's autonomy and pragmatic competence in cross-cultural communication will be proved in the future research and trial, and the result of the present exploration may become helpful to other EFL practitioners.