On How To Create A Teaching And Learning Environment Full Of Humanistic Spirit At The University Level To Improve Students' Speaking Ability

This paper, based on recent research findings overseas and at home and the author's own teaching experience, discusses the possible scientific design of oral English performance at the tertiary level, and presents some careful reflections on how to further develop college students' oral English from a novel perspective. With communicative language pedagogy and humanistic psychology as the main foundation, it gives a detailed analysis of students' psychological need and characteristics, teachers' role, students' role, design and effect of the learner-centered as well as learning-centered oral course. The author, in this paper, mainly argues the following points: 1. Having made a relatively careful study of the appropriate relationship between accuracy and fluency in speaking teaching at the tertiary level, the author argues that teachers might tolerate students' errors, especially their linguistic errors in practising speaking.2. The author contends that teachers' full understanding of students' psychology plays a crucial role in improving students' speaking ability. Inhibition, the main possible factor hindering the development of students' speaking ability at the tertiary level, is fully analyzed. The author believes that second language learning often means second culture learning. Hence cultural competence is an integral part of3. communicative competence. In order that students can speak not only grammatically correct but also pragmatically appropriate English, they are required to have cultural competence besides the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. 4. The author stresses the necessity of cultivating students' autonomy to improve their speaking ability.