A Study On The Action Of Improving English Autonomous Learning Ability Of Senior Middle School Students Based On Learning Cases

One of the aims of the National Standard for Compulsory Senior English Curriculum is that "students have clearer purposes of English learning and can develop autonomous learning and cooperative learning capacities on the basis of students’English learning at the compulsory education stage". The author is doing action research to foster students’ autonomous learning ability with the help of "Learning Plan". The subjects of this action research are students from two classes of the same level in Grade One from Changzhou senior high school. The main research issues in this article are how to develop a practical and effective "Learning Plan" and in which ways "Learning Plan" can improve the ability of students’autonomous learning.The basic steps of this research are as follows:according to the definition and characteristics of autonomous learning, the author designed the first questionnaire and interviews, aiming to know the present situation of students’learning and the original autonomous learning ability. By analyzing the data from two questionnaires and the interviews, the author designed the school-based "Learning Plan" under the guidance of the curriculum standards, the theory of constructivism, humanism and the theory of the zone of proximal development theory, as well as the "Learning Plan" Designing principles. A year later, the author did a questionnaire survey on students’autonomous learning ability and "Learning Plan". By analyzing and comparing the data of the two surveys and the interviews with students, the author found that students’autonomous learning consciousness and ability are improving mainly in the following aspects:1. Students’ interest in learning English is developed, and self-confidence and self-efficacy are enhanced.2. Students can preview and review learning materials more actively.3. More students tent to remedy one’s own deficiencies in English learning.4. Students are more active in looking for suitable learning methods. However, in the process of study, students still don’t know how to set goals for their learning. The first reason for this may be that the author has not made the students pay close attention to the set goals. Secondly, Students are so heavily burdened with homework that they don’t have enough time to learn to set goals. Thirdly, the expression of the targets remains to be improved.From this action research, we have learnt that we should firstly develop students’ interest and enhance their confidence in English learning when we design and carry out the "Learning Plan". In addition, the key to "learning" is to cultivate students’learning methods and strategies. Also, we should pay more attention to process evaluation. What more, "learning plan" should be localized. Finally, Teachers can be more actively involved in action research.