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Social-Constructivist-Model Based Dialogic Teaching In College English Teaching

Posted on:2008-12-31Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y Z BianFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360242972054Subject:Curriculum and pedagogy
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
The development of the world communication and cooperation has raised a higher demand on college graduates' communicative competence in English. However, the current college English teaching cannot fully meet this demand. To some extent, college English teaching is still low in efficiency and effect. In order to seek a way out to the current plight, this thesis mainly focuses on exploring Dialogic teaching (DT) on the basis of Social Constructivist Model (SCM) and whether it has the feasibilities when implementing in college English classrooms.DT derives from and further develops dialogism which preaches the au pair communication and interaction. It advocates an au pair teacher-students relationship and a democratic teaching-learning process. In DT, interaction and cooperation are attached to a great importance for the mutual benefits to teachers and students. On the basis of constructivism, interactionism and humanism, SCM was brought forward, which took teachers, learners, learning tasks and contexts as its core elements. To SCM, the process of teaching and learning is the process that the four elements are mutual-influencing and facilitating, through which new understanding are engendered.Taking SCM as the framework and making the ideas of DT as the guideline, the thesis explores SCM-Based DT through integrating the features and advantages of DT and SCM. In SCM-Based DT, democracy, egalitarian and interaction are the core guidelines and impenetrate in every aspect of teaching. Moreover, the four elements: teachers, learners, learning tasks and contexts take on many features. First, teachers should shake off the traditional beliefs toward teachers' dignities and make themselves the cooperators and assistants who assist students in exploring the new terrain. They should be the guides who can provide directions to their students when necessary. Meanwhile, respect and attention are the major gifts for students from teachers. Second, students should become the active agents in the teaching and learning process. They should be aware of their values and roles as the independent individuals and have a better control of their own study. Along with the sense of self, they should have the sense and the ability to cooperate with others, to think independently and to create initiatively. In this way, they will fully develop themselves. Third, as an important way of strengthening the language ability, tasks are vital to college English teaching. In a sense, they are the interface among teachers and students. According to the characteristics of language teaching, tasks should be various, flexible, authentic and exercisable. Fourth, learning contexts will be more harmonious when an au pair teacher-students relationship comes forth. And such learning contexts should be more democratic, and mutual assistance should be one of its characters. Still, the closer they connect with the real situation of the target language, the greater significance they will have. It is evident that the four elements are not isolated from one another. They form an integrated system through their mutual influence and integration. From these perspectives, SCM-Based DT will have a great enlightenment to cope with the problems we are facing. And also, it provides an orientation for improving college English teaching. However, can SCM-Based DT be applied in the real teaching settings? An empirical study is made to answer this question.Through questionnaires on teachers, learners, learning tasks and contexts, the study finds that students have many demands on the teaching process. Meanwhile, the interviews and classroom observations have revealed many characteristics that some highly praised teachers possessed. All these further indicate that SCM-Based DT have the feasibilities to be utilized in college English teaching.On all accounts, viewing DT from teachers, learners, learning tasks and contexts and emphasizing their mutual influence will provide a great enlightenment and orientation for improving college English teaching.
Keywords/Search Tags:DT, SCM, SCM-Based DT, college English teaching
PDF Full Text Request
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