| The comprehensive curriculum reform in basic English education has developed since the 21 st century. The front-line English teachers, as the daily teaching designers and conductors, are the direct force in promoting curriculum reform. Faced with the practical problems in teaching, the teacher can’ t apply a theory into solving the problem directly. Action research is one choice to solve the problem. Therefore, English teachers are encouraged to carry out action research, which involves a continuous cycle: identifying the problem, making a plan, and evaluating results. The practical problems are solved by the means of action research. The thesis is a typical example of problem solving with action research from an English teacher in the senior high school.Grammar is an indispensable part of language. Grammar teaching is the foundation of English teaching in senior high school. There are three major difficulties in English grammar teaching in senior high schools: firstly, the importance of grammar teaching is neglected; secondly, the traditional deductive grammar teaching method ignores the mutual connection between grammar and other language knowledge; thirdly, the model of student’s grammar learning is single, lacking peer cooperation and interaction. Therefore, the quality of English grammar teaching in senior high schools is low, and both teachers and students are not very satisfied with grammar teaching and learning.Based on the analysis of the present situation of English grammar teaching in senior high school, this paper selects the constructivism as the theoretical basis of the study. Constructivism learning not only focuses on the personal meaning constructing through the connection between old and new knowledge, but encourages the cooperative learning. Constructivism learning overcomes the superficial, isolated, rote and mechanical learning.The participants were composed of 45 second-year senior high school students from Liaozhong No. 2 Senior High School. Study instruments adopted included tests, interviews, learning and teaching logs and classroom observation. The action research is divided into four phases:The first phase( 1-2 weeks): Finding the causes of the problem and making the plan.The second phase( 3-5 weeks): Implementing the plan.The third phase( 6 week): Revising the plan.The fourth phase(7-10 weeks): Implementing the revised plan and evaluating the results.With the ten-week action research of teaching grammar, the author attempts to solve three problems in English grammar teaching:1) What is the students’ grammar knowledge level? Are there any problems in grammar learning and teaching? What are they and what causes them?2) Is the action research based on constructivism effective in enhancing students’ grammatical achievements in tests?3) How did students’ motivation, emotions and attitudes towards grammar learning change during the action research process?Both quantitative and qualitative methods are adopted to analyze the results of action research. The test scores were collected and analyzed to find out the difference before and after the constructivist grammar teaching. The quantitative data indicated that the level of students’ grammar has improved, including students’ grammar knowledge and the use in communication. Moreover, the results of interviews, teaching and learning logs were collected, which indicated that students kept a positive attitude towards grammar learning and felt motivated in grammar learning.The grammar teaching method based on constructivism advocated in the research provides insights for the future grammar teaching in senior high schools. Besides, the method of action research provides a blueprint for English teachers to solve problems in teaching. In the process of action research, their professional development will be accelerated. |
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