A Study On The Methods Of Applying Information Technology To Activate Students' Affective Elements In English Learning

The ultimate purpose of education is the education of individuals. What an educator must keep in mind is that the only correct and effective way of teaching must be students-centered, which involves not only the conveyance of knowledge and information, but also a deep concern for the future development of every individual student, the discovery of the student's potential, the cultivation of interests and abilities, the character building and the role the student will play in both the society and his or her own life.Since the school is still and may continue to be the place where most people receive various levels of education, the study of teaching and teaching methods that meet the needs of individual student is of utmost significance to teachers. Currently affective education is heavily stressed as more and more educators have become aware of the essence of education, namely, the individual development of the educated. In the light of affective education, whatever subject a teacher teaches, the emotional elements of students are to be taken into account.Now what does affect, or emotion actually mean and what does it have to do with school education? Emotional elements cover a wide range of human psychology and they have a great deal to do with teaching and learning. How students feel about themselves; what attitudes they hold towards life and the world; whether they can independently make decisions for themselves; what means they may adopt to reduce the stress they are under; the degree of confidence they have in the improvement of academic performances; whether they are considerate of others' sensitivities and make attempts to be sociable, etcetera, all of these are the areas which a teacher must delve into while teaching a certain subject. A person's emotion is also closely connected with cultural factors, the values he or she cherishes, growing background and learning surroundings. As far as affective education is concerned, language learning has its advantages over the other subjects. By practicing listening and speaking skills, it's quite possible for the teacher to insert opportunities and occasions where students express themselves and improve communicating skills. While learning a language, students get acquainted with the culture, customs, traditions and values of people who speak that language. While teaching a language, the teacher can undertake the task to convey to students what really matters in life and to impart some advice and wisdom which is of benefit to students in the way an elder guides the younger and more vulnerable generation. Thus it is probable and necessary for an English teacher to combine English teaching and affective education. The author of the dissertation ventures to make a study of how to join up English teaching and emotional education seamlessly and display her attempts in doing so in her own teaching experiences.As is known to all, to fulfill a task, the tools adopted are crucial. In this information age, information technology is indispensable in any aspect of our life and work, so is it with education. When elaborately applied, the computer, the Internet and multi-media technology can provide more direct, vivid and friendly means to carry out affective education. Examples and proofs will be given in this dissertation.Furthermore, as an ardent high school English teacher, the author also expresses her hopes and plans in combining affective education and English teaching by means of information technology in her future teaching practice.