The Research On The Compilation And Application Of English Textbooks’ Illustration By Taking "Go For It" As An Example

The researche on the function of illustrations being uncovered and the arrival of the "map reading age", people are paying more and more attention on the compilation and the application of the textbooks’illustrations. As a new content of the resources development and utilization of the textbooks, the studies of textbook illustrations not only help the edition of textbooks and help to change the structure of teachers’ teaching, but also help to realize the effective teaching. The research on English textbooks’ illustration by comparing its compilation with its application is of great significance for the design of junior middle school English textbooks and English teaching practice. In addition, because of the influence of the new requirements about junior middle school English teaching from the English course standard of compulsory education "(2011), the compilation and the application of the textbooks’ illustrations become an important content of English education.From the point of the edition of illustrations, the article summarizes their main functions used in English teaching through text analysis, as well as the corresponding teaching strategies put forward by the authors of the textbooks’ illustrations. The results of text analysis about the "Go for it" edited by PEP show that, firstly, based on the value of illustration in teaching, the classification of illustrations of this version of English textbook are main-topic-map, meaning-map, drilling-map, case-map, context-map, knowledge-structure-map, and decorating-map. Secondly, from the statistical view of the situation of all kinds of illustrations in the textbooks, the English textbooks of this version exists the following features:rich illustrations’type, the big number of illustrations, and the fixed locations; what’s more, some kinds of illustrations are used frequently. Finally, combined with the teachers’ teaching book, the editors’ literatural researches and the useful guiding teaching materials resources provided by PEP, it also analyes and summarizes the main teacbing targets of English textbooks’illustrations and the teaching strategies for teaching English with pictures. And the main teacbing targets of English textbooks’ illustrations are divided into:the introduction of new teaching content to stimulate students’ learning interest, reducing the difficulty of learning to secondary students’ understand, creating learning situations to increase the opportunities for using the target language and provide the practice examples to enhance imitative learning etc. In addition, according to the illustrations’teaching function, the writer has given the English teachers some suggestions for teaching Englsih with pictures, such us:observation, recognition, pointing, shown, and guessing etc. The design of illustrations of junior high school English textbook is being stable.In addition, from the point of the teaching application of illustration, it also summarizes the situation of English teaching with illustrations through classroom observation, interviewing and questionnaire survey. First of all, in vocabulary teaching, the meaning-map becomes the main object used by teachers. Among that, dynamic illustrations can effectively arouse the enthusiasm of students; the strategies that teachers use are also more abundant. Secondly, in teaching listening and speaking, teachers pay more attention to the use of context-map to creat the situation for using the target language. Comparing with vocabulary teaching, the use of illustrations quantity is less, and the teacher can pay attention to content analysis and expression of the characters in the illustrations. Thirdly, in the reading teaching, illustrations are more widely used in pre-reading and after-reading. Before class, illustration is used to import new content to reduce reading obstacles, such us unfamiliar words and phrases; after class, illustrations are used for the summarize and practice the language knowledge to consolidate the text’s content. During reading, teachers pay more attention to students’ understanding of the text, they use fewer illustrations. Fourthly, in the writing teaching, illustrations are used to cultivate students’ ability of reading and stimulate students’ learning interest. Through illustrations prepared in advance, they can make up simple teaching strategy with illustration in teaching. Finally, in the grammar teaching, although illustrations are the least frequently used, the use of illustrations, especially dynamic illustrations and the continuous illustrations, is also brought to the attention of teachers. They give learners the interpretation and induction of target language:and they more easily attract the attention of students than explaining with the words. Overall, the functhions of illustrations are much accounted by English teachers, but teaching strategies with illustration are relatively onefoldly.And through the comparison, the relationship between the design and application of textbooks’ illustrations show the following four characteristics:one is that the illustrations’ teaching target is fidelity-orientation. The understanding of the value functions of illustrations of the editors of English textbooks and English teachers are more consistent, focusing on the different types of illustrations in English teaching. Two is that the ways of the selection of orientation are generation-orientation illustrations are generating. Based on the concept that "teaching with textbooks", the features of the selection of illustrations by teachers are diversified; three is that the teaching strategies with illustrations are solidified. Although the features of the selection of illustrations by teachers are diversified, the teaching strategies with illustration are relatively onefoldly. The four is that the teaching effect is showing non understanding. The acceptance-teaching still occupies a dominant position in the English teaching by English teachers, teachers and students hold different value of illustrations.Summarizing through the text analysis of Go for It and teachers’teaching cases, the thesis draw the following conclusions, first of all, the types of illustration are diverse. The number is abundant. And the distribution is fixed. All these leave English teachers space for selecting illustration resource. Secondly, in the design of the English textbook compiling, it should provide the chance for teachers and students to propound their ideas for the illustrations’compilation, promoting the efficiency of illustrations in teaching. Third, the teachers, who hold traditional goal-directed illustration function values reject the use of illustrations or use the illustration simply because of their prejudice and insufficient knowledge. Fourth, the researchs of the theory and strategy of illustration teaching are relatively fewer, and the research metliod is relatively simple, which make the use of the illuatration teaching strategies for the teachers relatively insufficient, and the teaching effect is inefficient. Recommendations from the following two aspects to carry out research and work:on the one hand, from the point of view of textbook compiling design, do a good job in illustrations’compilation in appropriate quantity and quality; in the process of textbooks’compilation, it support multiple participation for the textbook’s compilation. On the other hand, from the point of the teaching application, teachers should actively cite the teaching strategies and innovate the teaching method, and strengthen the teacher training for the use of teaching materials in order to promote the effective application of illustrations in textbooks design reasonably and the efficiency of the use of illustration in classroom by fetching in strategies and innovate the teaching method, and strengthening the teacher training for the use of teaching materials.