| "All is for the development of every student" is the core concept of the new curriculum reform. One of the goals of the curriculum reform is to change the emphasis on the tendency of teachers’lecturing into the emphasis on forming an autonomous learning attitude. Previous education emphasized receptive learning, rote learning and mechanical training. In the new period, however, education advocates the active participation of students, being ready to explore, diligent to get to work and the cultivation of students’information collecting and processing abilities, the ability to acquire new knowledge, the ability to analyze and solve problem, as well as communication and cooperation ability,"Learning determines teaching". In this context, learners are not passive bystanders, but independent participants. Learning is not simply to copy and print information, but to interpret information actively and construct the meaning of knowledge. English is a flexible discipline. Autonomous learning should be advocated in particular. Whether a student can study actively and creatively is an important symbol of his/her diathesis.After many years of teaching practice, the author finds note-taking a very good self-study method. Firstly, it can enhance students’understanding and internalization of knowledge. Secondly, through reviewing notes, students can have deeper impression to find the relevance between language points and the similarity between exam questions.However, as an important subject, domestic studies on the behaviors of English learners to taking notes in class are very rare. The research into students’note-taking behaviors and strategies are still under exploration. There is no uniformed standard.Hence, the author gave a questionnaire among40students in Grade Two in Xi’an Gaoxin No.1Middle School, The Middle School Attached To Northwestern Polytechni-cal University, Yucai Middle School, The Middle School Attached to Northwest University, The Middle School Attached to XI’AN electronic technology university. The result indicated that:(1) Most students have a positive attitude towards note-taking.70%believe that note-taking is good for studies.40.4%students take notes to help memorize.30.8%take notes for future checkup. It shows that most students have realized the importance of notes for memory and review.60%students believe note-taking can help get high marks.63.3%students believe it will help understand materials.(2)70%students choose key points to take notes.60%often take notes. The details of notes mainly depend on its importance (56.7%). The contents of notes are mainly outline and conclusion. When there are large notes, most students will copy their classmates or grasp the main points.(3)31.7%students take notes according to their own understandings.41.7%students use color pens, underlining or selecting index to highlight key points. When students are asked to assess their notes, the scores are big in the middle and small at both ends. Most students don’t have a fixed format, or they just follow their teachers’ format. Students often retain notes for a long time until they don’t need them.(4) Only31.3%students often review notes.46.7%students sort notes entirely and keep it clean and tidy. However, only3.3%students proofread the notes. This may lead to mistakes in notes and misunderstanding of language points. Only26.7%student review notes regularly after class. The methods of notes review mainly include reviewing important and difficult points, or using notes as reference.(5) The greatest difficulty for students to take notes is how to distinguish important and difficult points. Other difficulties are speed, concentration, clarity, articulation and understanding.To clarify relationship between English achievements and note-taking, the author uses One-way ANOVA, to confirm that there is positive correlation between English achievements and getting high marks, understanding materials. Good and medium students don’t have a fixed format for note-taking. Good students tend to record all key points and then distinguish important and difficult points, while medium and poor students tend to grasp the main points.There is correlation between English achievements and notes’scores, too. After a one-month note-taking training, students’notes’scores improve, so do their test scores. Comparing four groups of students who take different note-taking strategies, chip notes group make greatest progress, followed by outlining, mapping and Cornell System. Therefore, Chip Notes is the most effective note-taking method. It can help students take down key points quickly and accurately and improve their English achievements. The innovation of this paper is to adopt3common and one self-created note-taking method, to train students in groups and then compare their test scores before and after training, to conclude the note-taking method most closely related to English achievements and propose corresponding measures, namely, to help students realize the importance of note-taking for English studies, participate classroom teaching, encourage students to take notes regularly and train students to take better notes. Through a series of measures, helping students switch from note-taking to note-making and improving their autonomous learning, this is the embodiment of the essence of new curriculum reform. |
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