A Research On Application Of Cooperative Learning In English Learning In A Junior Middle School

Cooperative learning is one of the most influential fields in contemporary educational theory.In the ongoing national new curriculum reform,cooperative learning is advocated by scholars and researchers in fundamental teaching practice.Cooperative learning promotes the interaction between the teacher and students and among students.It shifts the traditional teacher-centered teaching to student-centered learning.In cooperative learning,positive interdependence,face-to-face interaction,individual accountability and group processing can strengthen the students' accountability.The students feel more confident about themselves,and hence the English achievement is made.Language learners' strategies account for their language proficiency. There is an old saying in China:Teaching somebody to fish is better than giving him/her fish.Learning strategies are not only the means to improve students' academic achievement,but also part of the learning contents.A large number of researches have proved that learning strategies are teachable.In the present study the researcher adopted cooperative learning as the basic form of everyday teaching and penetrated learning strategies training in daily teaching activities.During the process of teaching each unit,the students mainly experienced three cooperative learning stages: setting goals,unit learning and group assessment.The heterogeneous members within each group and the homogeneous groups made learning equal for every one to approach.The members of cooperative groups learned from each other.Cooperative learning increased positive feelings toward one another.Students felt good in cooperative settings,and positive feelings toward self and others were enhanced.It was also in accordance with Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development.After a semester's cooperative learning period,the students shared the same goal and shared group accountability,thus,weak members were pushed to work harder.The learning strategies began to change for the better.As a result of this,English achievement was made,too.