An Experimental Study On Englisg Learning Proposal Based On The Strength Of Memory

The English Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education(2011 version)has proposed explicitly that “teachers should fully understand students' different learning experiences,learning levels and learning styles.And they should also respect students' individual characteristics and explore students' different potentials”(Ministry of Education,2012: 27).What's more,the Outline of the National Medium-and Long-term Program for Education Reform and Development(2010-2020)has clearly demanded that “teachers should teach students in accordance with their aptitude,lay emphasis on students' differences and personalities,and develop each student's potential strengths”(Ministry of Education,2010).Strengths-based education originated from the 21 st century,which advocates conducting the educational practice on the basis of students' strengths and claims teachers to discover and exploit each student's specific strengths.The teaching based on strengths holds “teachers should conduct their teaching on the basis of students' learning elements which they have strengths,and guide students to make learning choices upon their strengths”(Lu Ziwen,2012: 96).In order to alleviate the severely universal situation of learners' demotivation,school-weariness and passive learning,one of the domestic scholars,Lu Ziwen(2012: 95)deems “learning proposals based on students' learning strengths can improve students' academic efficiency more efficiently”.Therefore,Lu Ziwen launches the project “An Experimental Study of Learning Proposals Based on English Learning Strengths in Primary and Secondary Schools of China” and presents Chinese learners' top 10 English learning strengths that influence their English learning.According to the interviewed successful English learners in primary and secondary schools in China,the successors are unanimous that memory ability is the first factor to affect their learning.Therefore,this study chooses the strength of memory as the research point and an experimental research is conducted to probe the impacts of the learning proposal based on the strength of memory on English learning.This study intends to probe into two research questions:(1)What are the basic features shared by learners with the strength of memory?(2)What are the impacts of learning proposal based on the strength of memory on the junior high school English learners? First of all,4 students with the strength of memory are finalized through questionnaire,classroom observation and interview among 109 students in Grade 8 from Xinxiang No.1 High School.After that,the author undertakes an in-depth understanding of the learners' current English levels,learning interest,learning needs,etc.via interview and Pre-test.Based on the understanding,the author formulates reasonable learning objectives,learning tasks,evaluation criterions,etc.;offers relative learning materials;designs numerous classroom activities related to memory;and guides learners to construct their own learning proposals to facilitate their learning in the class.After the experiment,the author launches another interview and Post-test to identify their salient changes after learning.The investigation demonstrates students with obvious strength of memory resemble to some degree: generally speaking,they have both strong long-term and short-term memory competence;they can memorize words and passages quickly with making few mistakes;they can recall something they learnt one year ago or even at the beginning of their English learning;most of them adopt the similar memorizing methods,such as divide the words into several syllables to remember and when confronting with passages,they tend to memorize the passage paragraph by paragraph on the premise of understanding the main idea of the passage.The results of the experimental study manifest the learning proposal having made some positive influence on the junior high school English learners with the strength of memory:(1)students can not only have a clear recognition of their learning strengths but can fully exert and apply their strengths in the class to facilitate their learning;(2)by studying the learning proposal,students have converted their passive learning attitude.Instead,students become aware of analyzing and exploring knowledge actively and independently in the class instead of just acting as the passive knowledge receivers.Besides,students have fostered the good autonomous learning habits after the learning proposal's teaching;(3)students' learning efficiency has improved,learning interest and confidence have enhanced,which result from the establishment of their central roles and the transformation of their learning attitude in the class;(4)the variously vivid and interesting classroom activities have activated the classroom atmosphere and the colorful learning resources have offered students the opportunity to contact and acquaint with the foreign culture,through which students have expanded their horizons and improved their intercultural communication competence.