The Role Of Information Gap In Teaching English In High School

It is well-known that language is the vehicle for human communication. The aim of English teaching is to develop the learners' communicative competence. However, the current situation of English teaching in China seems to be far from this goal. Traditional teaching methods, such as grammar-translation method, audio-lingual method and PPP method (presentation, practice and production) still pay attention to teaching basic knowledge of language and emphasize practicing pattern drills and imitations mechanically. So it is boring to study English and students will lose interests and motivation. Finally, English teaching can't reach the aim of developing learners' communicative competence. Factors responsible for this situation may be multi-dimensional, but the negligence of the information-gap principle by teachers should be the main factor. It is the absence of information gap in the language teaching process that makes it non-communicative."Information gap", which is one of the most important principles in communicative language teaching, has drawn more and more attention from the English teachers. Information gaps can promote real communication, arouse learners' interest and motivation and facilitate language acquisition. In conclusion, real communication is based on information gap. Without information gap, there is no real communication.This thesis is organized in the following way.Chapter One gives a brief account of the purpose and significance of this studyand format of this thesis.Chapter Two introduces the current situation of English teaching in china and traditional teaching methods such as grammar-translation, audio-lingual and PPP (presentation, practice and production) method. It also introduce the communicative teaching method which is popular these years and reasons for inefficient ways of teaching.Chapter Three explores the rationales of information gap. It tries to find out the theoretical basis of information gap from the perspective of the nature of language and communication and second language acquisition.Chapter Four describes the functions of information gap in English teaching in four parts: promoting real communication, activating learning motivation, facilitating second language acquisition and developing communicative competence.Chapter Five concentrates on the application of information gap in high school English teaching, which is the main part of the thesis.Chapter Six comes to the conclusion that information gap principle plays an important role in teaching English communicatively. To develop students' communicative competence, teachers should pay enough attention to it.