Application Of Cooperative Learning In Junior Middle School English Teaching

Today English is becoming more and more important in our life. It is learned notonly as a subject but also as a means of communication. In the past, English teacherspaid more attention to students’ listening, reading, and grammar. Students were askedto improve their marks instead of communicative skills in English. They had fewerchances to communicate in English during the classes.The goal of learning a language is to use the language. New English CurriculumStandards (2001) demands clearly that Middle School English courses emphasize thetask-based language teaching method and the development of the students’ integratedlanguage competence aiming at students’ life experience, interests, participation,cooperation and communication. Cooperative learning which is introduced by thiscurriculum follows the traits of children’s psychological development and the basicprinciples and the demands of English teaching. Cooperative learning is conducted insmall groups, students in the same group share the same learning task, and all thegroup members have to work together in order to accomplish the task. During theperiod of cooperation, the target language is practiced and understood by the learners.Many researches clearly indicate that cooperation results in greater productivity, moresupportive and cooperative, social competence and self-esteem.The definition, the background and the theories of cooperative learning areintroduced in the thesis. It also states the necessity and importance of cooperativelearning according to the analysis of the Middle School English teaching. The thesisexplains through some examples how cooperative learning is applied in teachingvocabulary, grammar, reading and writing. The conclusion of the thesis shows thatcooperative learning is helpful to students’ language learning, and in the meantime,the problems are pointed out. This thesis gives me a chance to have a better understanding of cooperativelearning, but it is not enough. I will still keep a watch on cooperative learning in myfollow-up teaching. It is hoped that both teachers and students can get more benefitsfrom cooperative learning.