Application Of The Scaffolding Approach To Network Based College English Listening Instruction

Teaching targets of College English Curriculum Requirements issued by the Ministry of Education in the year of 2003, attach importance to the cultivation of English comprehensive ability, especially listening and speaking. What's more, with the application of the network to the listening learning, teachers are required to adopt new teaching approach to adapt the requirements. Therefore, the author advocates a new teaching approach,scaffolding instruction,to conduct the listening class based on the network.In literature review, this thesis reviews the development and application of scaffolding approach, which derives from Vygotsky's theory of Zone of Proximal Development, and the feasibility of this new teaching approach under the mode of learning listening based on network is referred to.With the purpose of investigating the effect of the new teaching approach, questionnaires, classroom observation and tests were adopted during the experimental procedure. The experiment was carried out between two classes in North University of China during the first semester of 2009-2010. Before the experiment, the entrance exam set by foreign language department was held to test the English ability, and ensure the comparison between the two classes. Then students were asked to finish the first questionnaire to investigate students'attitudes towards listening class. During the following experiment, in the experimental class,"scaffolding"was built for the subjects to facilitate their listening process by means of activity in class. For instance, in the pre-listening stage, basic knowledge scaffolding is provided; in the while-listening stage, efficient methods are provided; in the post-listening stage, various activities are conducted to provide the product scaffolding. However, in the control class, just the traditional teaching approach was adopted in the listening class based on network. At the end of the experiment, students were asked to finish the second questionnaire to test the effect of the teaching approach.According to data analysis, it indicates that there is great significance between the experimental class and the control class, and the former is prior to the latter. In terms of classroom observation, most students in experimental class showed active performance in the listening class, and made their own learning plans. They could attempt different and efficient ways to solve their problems such as communication with the competent students or search in the web resource. However, in the control class, it was just the opposite. From the standpoint of classroom atmosphere and effect, scaffolding approach is better than the traditional approach. Therefore, it can be concluded that under the new environment, the scaffolding approach is beneficial for the improvement of students' listening ability, the change of learning beliefs and stimulation of learning interest. After the experiment, the majority of students in the experimental class was satisfied with this new approach and expected it to continue.