An Investigational Study On Learning Plan-Guided English Grammar Teaching For Tibetan Students In Hinterland Classes

Grammar teaching plays a significant role in English teaching. In China, traditional grammar teaching focused on translation, neglecting the enhancement of students’ communicating skills. As a result, the teacher lacked flexibility in teaching while the students lacked creativity. This traditional grammar teaching method lasted for decades until the issue of the New Curriculum Standard. Under the guidance of the New Curriculum Standard, grammar teaching focuses on developing students’ communicating abilities while neglecting the systematic learning of grammatical knowledge. Accordingly, students only have a vague impression of grammatical forms and rules, which leads to a sharp decline of students’ accuracy in using the English language.With the New Curriculum Standard carried out, it goes without saying that it is of great importance to combine form, meaning and function in grammar teaching. Over the years, a relatively new teaching pattern called "learning plan-guided teaching" has been put forward. Learning plan is students’ learning program carefully designed by teachers to guide students’ self-study, which is correspondent with teachers’ teaching plan. Learning plan-guided teaching centers around students’ participation with teachers playing leading roles, i.e. students first learn what is to be taught before teachers teach it followed by teachers and students involved in completing tasks together. The author of the essay deals with the following aspects:the definition of learning plan-guided teaching pattern, the theories it is based on, the design of the learning plan concerned with grammar teaching as well as sample analysis. In addition, the essay also explores the practical strengths and weaknesses of learning plan-guided grammar teaching. This study conducts experiments on students in Hinterland Tibetan Classes of the school where the author is teaching and explores how learning plan-guided grammar teaching influences students’ self-study awareness and advances grammar teaching. The study shows that in spite of some problems, learning plan-guided grammar teaching not only changes the way students acquire the English language and the way teachers teach the English language, but also greatly improves students’ interest and motivation in English grammar learning. It also improves students’ awareness of self-study and cooperation, which plays a positive role in grammar teaching. What’s more, learning plan-guided grammar teaching enhances students’ school performances as well as overall English teaching.