A Preliminary Research On Research-Based Co-Operative Learning Model In Junior Middle School English Teaching For The Small-Sized Class

Research-based learning expands the students'academic knowledge and improves their thinking ability, helps students discover problems in practice and solve them, and develops students'ability of analyzing and solving problems. The learning psychology, cognitive learning theory and humanistic learning theory researches have laid the foundation of research-based learning theory. The research-based learning which is carried out in junior middle school's English teaching meets the needs of education reform. The implementation of it is important for the reform of the English teaching and learning methods.The objective of this study is to do some research on the research-based learning of English in Junior Middle School under the condition of co-operative learning in small class. According to the theory of research-based learning, small class teaching theory, co-operative learning theory, as well as the requirements of "Shanghai Elementary and Middle Schools'English Curriculum Standard", this study tries to find some teaching principles, teaching strategies and the assessment criteria for the research-based learning by carrying out a teaching experiment in junior middle school in Shanghai. Thus the educational model of research-based learning of English teaching in Junior Middle School will be constructed.This study is composed of six parts. The introduction part introduces the significance, the purpose and background of the study. Chapter one is a general study of theories on research-based learning. Chapter two is composed of three parts:1) co-operative learning in small class and the English teaching in junior middle school; 2) research-based learning and the English teaching in junior middle school; 3) connections between research-based learning and co-operative learning. Here the discussion explores the significance, the characteristic,.the content and forms of research-based learning carried out in the English teaching in junior middle school. Chapter three discusses the implementation of research-based learning, its objectives, principles and the evaluation criteria and teaching models. Chapter four is on the objectives, contents, schemes, processes of this experimental study. In chapter five the effectiveness of the study is analyzed in three aspects; Chapter six is the conclusion.This study adopts the experimental methods of the questionnaire survey, individual interviews, and tests of students' comprehensive English language proficiency. The experiment lasts two years. Based on the experiment we draw a conclusion that the research-based learning of English in Junior Middle School is able to stimulate student's study interest effectively, to enhance student's language skill and communicative competence. What's more, it promotes Students' culture consciousness, and raises their team spirit and the sense of participation.