Application Of Cooerative Learning In English Writing Teaching

The ultimate goal of ELT(English Language Teaching) is to help learners acquire communicative competence. Yet writing as one of the most important ways of communication has been a weak point in senior school English teaching. It is expected that research on improving English writing ability through cooperative learning would provide helpful implications for ELT.This paper first describes some problems in senior school English writing and points out that cooperative learning--- a learner-centered approach--- is a way out in educational reform. Based on the theories of motivation, cognition etc., the author of the thesis advocates that cooperative learning is applicable in the area of language teaching and learning. When used in writing class, it can make students actively involved in writing activities, stimulate their writing motivation and change attitude toward writing. By providing authentic readers and in time face-to-face interaction, it can also increase the sense of audience, develop communication strategies for the purpose of successful communication.In addition, a 18-week experimental research was carried out. The 128 subjects from two classes in Grade Two of Bameng Fendou Middle School of Inner Mongolia were involved. Under the analysis of the statistics from experimental results and questionnaires, the findings showed that writing ability of the experimental group had improved significantly and cooperative writing had helped develop students'non-intellectual factors. Finally, some general implications are concluded and suggestions for further studies are put forward.