A Study Of Scaffolding Instruction Theory And Its Application To Senior English Reading Teaching

Reading is a necessary ability for language learning. It is the foundation of learning a language as well as a main tool to obtain information. The teaching of English reading is an important part in senior high schools. Improving students'reading competence is one of the objectives of English teaching. In terms of English teaching, high school is a start to train students'reading skills. The New Curriculum Standard emphasizes the importance of Reading in English teaching, but the present situation is not satisfying. So, how to teach reading is very important. In the promoted student-centered reading class, the teacher should seek a way to train students and stimulate them to be involved in reading so as to guide them to conduct an active and effective reading.As a part of foreign language teaching theories, scaffolding theory is highly valued not only for its theoretic value but also for its wide application. This paper intends to conduct a study of scaffolding theory and its application in reading classes. Scaffolding Instruction, which is based on Vygotskian theory ----the zone of proximal development, combining the cooperative learning theory and learner autonomy theory, is a new teaching model under the principles of constructivism. This constructivism teaching-learning model advocates student-centered learning under teacher's direction. In other words, it emphasizes learners'principal role during cognitive processes, which means learners construct knowledge from experience with supportive scaffolds from either the educator or a more skilled peer. A constructivism-oriented teacher designs some effective classroom activities as leading into a certain situation, making scaffolds, conducting a discussion or group evaluation to help learners complete meaning-constructing. The author designed the present SI procedures as follows: making scaffolds----leading into a situation---- exploring and discovering----cooperative learning----group evaluation. In all, the findings of the present study not only prove the value of the scaffolding instruction as an effective teaching technique in reading classroom, but also convince us that scaffolding instruction has some good effect on learner perspective on language learning. The author sincerely hopes that the above findings may provide Chinese teachers of English some guidance in teaching reading.