The Application Of Cooperative Learning To The Writing Class Of SEFC

Based on the theory of cooperative learning, this paper is an attempt to guide the students to English writing. It aims at improving students' writing competence and the effect of ELT classroom. The author of the paper has applied the theory of cooperative learning to teaching English writing in an ELT classroom of a senior high school and made satisfactory achievement. Cooperative writing emphasizes the joint participation of the teacher and students and holds that writing activity is a dynamic, developing and integrating process. Through mutual participation and cooperation, it can establish an equal, friendly relationship between the teacher and the students. This mutually respective, trustful and cooperative relationship, in turn will create a democratic, harmonious and lively atmosphere in the classroom, which can effectively help finish the teaching activities and improve the teaching effect.ELT in Chinese Secondary schools is now facing the curriculum reform. The reform centers on the transformation from the traditional emphasis on language points to emphasis on language skills at present. It also aims at building an integrated system of language using capacities, including language skills, language points, affection and attitude, learning strategies and cultural awareness. Meanwhile, the present curriculum reform advocates a democratic and cooperative teaching approach so as to change the teacher-centered, classroom-centered and book-centered situation and promote the students' creativity and practical skills. English teachers in China are now encouraged to make innovations, put theories into practice, and be ready to cooperate and communicate with the students.This paper begins with a questionnaire to explore the problems that the present curriculum reform faces. The questionnaire shows the main reasons that result in the low efficiency of most ELT classrooms in China. Whether the reform will work or not will largely depend on the English teachers, who must now understand that their role is to teach the students how to learn by themselves. And then follows a detailed explanation of the requirements raised by the English Course Criteria for the senior high school students.Chapter II of the paper gives a detailed exploration of the theory of cooperativelearning. Classroom dynamic is a prerequisite for cooperative learning; positive interdependence and individual responsibility of the group members are essential to cooperative learning. As it proves, cooperative learning environment is more helpful to the students' development than a competitive or an individual one. The theories of cognitive development and social constructivism also contribute to the foundation of cooperative learning.After that, the author analyzes the existing problems in senior students' writing and points out the disadvantages of the traditional English writing approach. To solve the problem, the writer introduces the theory of cooperative learning to the ELT class, attaching the importance to the transformation of the teacher's role. As the students become the center of the classroom, teachers should play the part of an organizer, facilitator and respondent.Chapter IV carries out the experiment of cooperative learning in the writing class of SEFC. The subjects are the students from the two classes of first year students of Hubei Qianjiang Yuanlin Senior High School. Through the comparison of the effect between cooperative teaching approach and the traditional one, we can see the advantages of cooperative learning over the traditional approach: the teacher cares more about the writing process than the product and also pays attention to students' affection during the writing process. Besides, an effective feedback and evaluation is given to their writings in time. In addition, students are greatly encouraged and awarded for the work they have done. The effect of cooperative writing is checked by the means of questionnaire, interview and writing tests.In the end, some specific suggestions on the teaching practice of cooperat...