The Application Of Cooperative Learning In English Writing Classroom In Chinese Middle School

Nowadays, English writing is playing a more and more important role in international communication and cooperation. However, in China, we always do not attach much weight to English writing in our school education. Thus, many serious problems exist in the current teaching of English writing. Based on the belief that cooperative learning is more effective than traditional approaches in English writing classroom, this study was designed to adopt group writing for a further confirmation that cooperative learning is more effective in teaching English writing in Chinese middle school.This paper is composed of six parts. The first part begins with a general background of the existing situation of the teaching English writing in China, then followed by the purpose and significance of the study. Part Two first introduces the basic elements of cooperative learning, then reviews the previous research on cooperative learning as well as the use of cooperative learning in writing classroom at home and abroad. The third part first introduces the theoretical framework of this study, which consists of the four major theoretical perspectives identified by Slavin (1996): motivation theory, social cohesion theory, development theory, and cognitive elaboration theory, then represents process writing approach, and finally the teaching strategies of cooperative learning applied to writing are explained, which contain: to bring language learners into focus, giving full play to teachers who act as organizers, conductors, helpers and facilitators; to create favorable writing environments for students so as to arouse their writing fervor, to provide cooperative conditions and opportunities for students in order to develop their cooperative sense, and to give full scope to their creativity and finally to improve their writing ability. In the fourth part, the research questions are advanced, then provide some information concerning the subjects, the procedures of the experiment as well as the statistical results of pre-test, mid-test and post-test with a two-tailed t-test provided.The fifth part concerns itself with the analysis and discussion about the results of the experiment. The paper ends with the sixth part, which contains the conclusions and implications. The conclusions: (1)It is clear that cooperative learning, namely group writing in this research, is more effective than traditional approaches in improving the ESL learners' writing; (2) It relieves the students' anxiety in English writing. It is because that group writing led to consciousness-raising about the writing process; engendered the confidence, fostered the interest of English study, and aroused their study motivation. This teaching model encouraged students tomake conceited efforts, improved their cooperating skills and helped students learn to how to leam. Group writing brought out the best in students themselves, and finally improved their writing abilityThe study has also brought about some implications for the current teaching English writing: (1)The most valuable aspect of any teaching form is supposed to provide students opportunity to communicate and cooperate; (2)The teacher should devote most of his energy to teaching students how to learn, practicing them learning to write by writing instead of some rules or techniques for writing; (3)Most students have great potential in a foreign language writing. So long as an appropriate approach is used, this potential is sure to burst forth; (4)Writing activities must be authentic and practical to students, which can arouse their interest, provoke their motivation and creativity; (5)The teacher's function is also important. Students, lack of experience and planning, are always blind in carrying on their study, especially in writing. A teacher is supposed to be active in studying teaching strategies and applying them effectively to his/her teaching activities so as to get better teaching results.