A Study Of Children English Situational Instruction In The Immersion Environment

With the advent of the era of globalization,it is more significant for people to learn English around the world. Nowadays, children English instruction begins to attract eyeballs in China, and the average age of children that learning English has tended to be younger. A large number of diversified forms of teaching patterns arose in English instruction. However, teachers always use inflexible teaching methods in traditional classes, and children initiative of learning English are badly hindered. In order to solve this problem, many English teachers and researchers chose to adopt situational teaching. Though it has achieved a lot of effects, the actual teaching is still unsatisfactory. In June, 1997,the China-Canada Education Cooperation Project ——Children English immersion instruction was launched in Xi’an. Children English immersion instruction aimed to provide Chinese young English learners with a pure English language environment, which has made great achievements and been proved to be an appropriate English teaching model for them.In order to enrich the knowledge of situational teaching mode in children English immersion instruction and provide effective teaching suggestions, this paper focuses on the theories and achievements of children English immersion instruction and the situational teaching at home and abroad. The research was initiated from the perspective of children English immersion instruction, especially the situational teaching mode.According to two research questions, 1) What are commonly used strategies in children English immersion situational instruction? 2) What are teachers’ attitudes towards the efficacy of the immersion situational instruction? The author took 4 English teachers and their students from kindergartens of Jinan as the research subjects. With the research instruments of observation, case analysis and interview, the paper collects and analyzes some typical children English teaching cases. Based on case discussion, this paper summarizes basic strategies of creating effective situations in children English immersion situational instruction. The strategies mainly include: role play, stories, multimedia, life situations, games, affective strategies and problem-solving tasks. Combining with these teaching cases, the thesis explores the definition, feasibility and necessity of each strategy. Based on the comprehensive organization and analysis of four English teachers’ viewpoints, the interviews successfully achieve the purpose to get first-hand material about the current situation of children English immersion situational instruction in China.By discussing cases of children English immersion situational instruction and analyzing the results of interviews, major findings were summarized as following:The situational teaching is an effective strategy in children English immersion teaching; the children English immersion teaching enriches the understanding of the situational teaching; it is necessary for kindergarten English teachers to adopt a variety of strategies to cater for the teaching and learning goals.In view of the research contents and the major findings, teaching implications are given as followings:First of all, teachers play important roles in children English immersion situational teaching. Secondly, it is necessary for teachers to make full preparation before class. Thirdly, the creation of situations should center on children, paying attention to the authenticity and serving for teaching. Finally, the situational teaching should focus on children’s all-round developments.Starting from the premise of promoting children English immersion situational instruction in China, this thesis has some practical significance to current children English teaching, which can provide certain valuable references for the theoretical development and empirical research of children English Immersion situational instruction.