An Application Of Problem-based Learning To English Reading Teaching In Junior Middle School

Junior school English has played crucial role in connection between Primary English and Senior High English.As the main way of accessing to information,reading is the core and focus of teaching.For a long time,under the influence of examination-oriented education,the importance of English has been neglected by many school teachers and parents.They still choose traditional method,teacher-centered,students passively accept the language knowledge,as the way to teach English in class.The creativity and enthusiasm of students do not achieve a great progress and study has low efficiency.Reading does not get the attention it deserves.This research targets at probing the impact of PBL approach on junior middle school students' English achievement in reading,and putting forward practical reading teaching methodology for teachers to improve teaching quality and to help students to enhance learning interests and motivation.Problem-based learning(PBL)changes the traditional teaching mode,it is an international popular teaching approach which is problem-oriented,students-centered and team-centered in nature,and the teacher is the tutor in the teaching process.PBL,built on constructivism,humanism,and multiple intelligence,focuses on the cultivation of students' competence to use knowledge for practical purposes.Students'problem-solving ability is boosted in the fashion problem process,contributing to construct the knowledge actively.Problem-based learning is more concerned with the ability of learning which covers problem finding,comprehension questions,problem analysis,and tackle problem and so on.Students get learning experience from fashioning problems and self-learning.This thesis focuses on the effects of the conduction of Problem-based Learning approach to the teaching of English reading in junior middle school.The experiment is carried out in two parallel classes(110 students in total)of Grade Eight in Hohhot Number Six Middle School of Inner Mongolia.One is the experimental class(class 1)and control class(class 2)is the other one.The traditional reading teaching approach is used in CC while the PBL reading teaching method is conducted in EC.And then the data related to this study is from the following research instruments:questionnaires,tests,interview and classroom observation.The study aims at answering the following two questions:1.With PBL approach can students' reading achievement be enhanced?2.What are the effects of employing PBL approach in English reading class?The major findings of this research are as follows:firstly,compared with the traditional approach,students' reading achievement is improved markedly with the PBL method of instruction.Secondly,the application of PBL teaching model in English reading teaching can not only improve students' interests,English scores,and reinforce students' initiative in learning English,but also can cultivate team spirit and creative thinking ability.Thirdly,PBL teaching model produces a great effect on the teaching faculty,the relationship between teachers and students and classroom atmosphere.