The Study Of Cooperative Learning In English Teaching In Distance Education

Cooperative learning ,as a teaching theory and strategy emerged in America in the beginning 1970s, and made great progress in mid-1970s and mid-1980s.It plays an important role in improving classroom psychology atmosphere, students'marks widely and the development of students'good characters, etc. Researches of different countries believe that it is an extraordinarily effective teaching theory. In America, many investigators appraised it very well. As America famous educational critics in the contemporary era, Ellis and Fouts pointed out,"if cooperative learning is not the most remarkable educational innovation , it is at least one of them."in Research on Educational Innovations. There are some problems in the practice of distance education in China, such as the teaching organization is not very perfect, which has a effect on students'fully development. Based on those that other people has done ,this thesis permeates the analysis of cooperative learning in English teaching in distance education from the theoretical and practical aspects, including the analysis of the principle connotation and basic structures, with the purpose of providing reasonable and effective suggestions for English teaching in distance education at the moment.The thesis consists of five parts. The first part is introduction , which introduce the reason why dose this study simply, the current situation of cooperative learning in china and foreign countries and the significance of the study.The second part mainly offers the theoretical construction of cooperative learning in English teaching in distance education ,including four parts. Firstly, it defines some fundamental conceptions, including distance education and cooperative learning. Secondly, it gives the theoretical anatomy according to the Students Central Learning Circle theories, the Adult Learning theories, the Second Language Acquiring theories, the Cognitive Elaboration theories and the Social Constructionism theories. Thirdly, it categorizes and analyzes the types and features of cooperative learning from three aspects: the research of Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R.T, the construct of groups, studying styles. Fourthly, it analyzes the factors that can influence English teaching in distance education including two aspects: (1) It analyzes the features of the students and their English studying motivations. (2) It shows not only the shortages of The Oral Approach and the Situational Language Teaching, The Audiolingual Method, Total Physical Response and The Communicative Approach ,but also the success of cooperative learning .So, cooperative learning enriches English teaching theories. As a result this part is one of important parts in this thesis.The third part puts cooperative learning theory into English teaching practice and summarizes the essential process of implementing cooperative learning : (1) The teacher decides teaching aims and assignments. (2) Students can be divided into several groups according to special rules. (3) It lists a series of elements of implementing cooperative learning . (4) The teacher evaluates the results of implementing cooperative learning. This part also makes an advanced research on cooperative learning through a true teaching case. The fourth part brings forwards some suggestions on the basis of above analyses: (1) Teachers'roles should be changed and improved. (2) the thesis calls for student-student interaction to build a new teaching style. (3) The conformity of cooperative learning , competing learning and independent learning should be emphasized in English teaching . (4) The functions of distance education college should be brought into play.The fifth part is ending. The author affirms the importance of cooperative learning in English teaching in distance education , also indicates the future of this research.