The Application Of Cooperative Learning In College English Teaching In Independent Colleges

With the boom of higher education, more and more students are enrolled in independent colleges, but there are few researches for the English teaching in such colleges. As an English teacher, the author tries to find an appropriate teaching and learning model for students and English teachers in independent colleges. It is widely acknowledged that cooperative learning is one of the most effective ways to improve students'language proficiency, and increase their motivation. But it is still unknown whether it is a good way for the students'in independent colleges, whose English level is comparatively low.In order to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative learning in independent colleges, the author conducted this study in two classes, with one control class and one experiment class. Data collected from questionnaires was used to qualitatively know students'view on cooperative learning. The scores of the oral test and written test after experiment were compared quantitatively.The test results indicated that cooperative learning could improve students'English competence. The results from questionnaires showed that most students prefer this teaching method. And their requirement for teacher in cooperative learning are also shown in the results. Because of a limited period of time and the author's ability, the results and analyses of this study may not be suitable for other advanced students. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher proposes some suggestions about how to implement this teaching model in independent colleges. The author hopes that this study would be a reference for future researches for college English teaching in independent colleges.