An Action Research On Applying Classwide Peer Tutoring To English Exercise Class

The National New Curriculum Standards spells out clearly that teachers in the junior middle school English class should encourage students to participate and explore in learning,they are to develop students' problem-solving ability,and the capability of communicating and cooperating with others,and the teachers are to create a relaxing environment for students.As one of the products actualizing the exam-oriented education,the exercise class is one of the essential means of English teaching.For a long time,English exercise class has not been taken seriously since most teachers follow the traditional model of students passively receiving what teachers implant.Students,under this circumstance,can hardly participate in learning process manipulated by someone else,thus affecting their learning efficiency.Researches at home and abroad show that peer tutoring is a valuable teaching method rooted in the social constructivism theory.As an effective peer tutoring model,the ClassWide Peer Tutoring(CWPT)can be applied in various disciplines,age groups,and teaching environments,and especially it can make up for some shortcomings in the large-class education and the traditional teaching model in China.CWPT provides a new direction for the reform of English exercise classes in junior middle school.Based on the current situation of English exercise classes in Tianshui Yi-fu Middle School and under the guidance of the social constructivism theory,this research aims to explore an effective English exercise class CWPT model which is applicable at Tianshui Yi-fu Middle School and even in the other schools in Tianshui.The methods adopted are mainly of action research.In this study,the participants selected were 134 students from two natural classes in the eighth grade,some from the experimental class and others from the control class.CWPT model was adopted in the experimental class,and the control class follows the traditional teaching model with a semester of teaching reform practice being conducted.The data,collected through questionnaires,tests,interviews and teaching diaries,were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.The data collected were centered around the following four research questions.(1)What is the current teaching situation of English exercise classes in Tianshui Yi-fu Middle School?(2)Can ClassWide Peer Tutoring promote students' mastery of the knowledge ofgrammar and structures and enhance their ability to use the knowledge of grammar and structures to work out exercises?(3)Can ClassWide Peer Tutoring arouse students' interest in English exercise classes,decrease anxiety about learning and improve self-confidence in English learning?The results of the action research and experiment suggest that the teachers still use the traditional teacher-centered teaching model in the English exercise classes at Tianshui Yi-fu Middle School.However,students hold a negative attitude towards this model.As compared with the traditional teaching model,the CWPT applied in English exercise classes can help students actively participate in learning and exploring,foster students' problem-solving ability and the ability to communicate as well as cooperate with others.The model can also be used to promote students' mastery of the knowledge of grammar and structures and improve teaching efficiency effectively.At the same time,it is helpful to arouse students' interests in English exercise classes,to enhance their self-confidence and to alleviate learning anxieties.It can be seen that the CWPT model is effective in English class exercises.Meanwhile,through two rounds of action research,the shape of the English exercise class CWPT model applicable for Tianshui Yi-fu Middle School comes into being.This research,as it is,provides one of the options for the reform of junior middle school English exercises and it identifies a new field for the application of the CWPT in English teaching.Its finding is expected to provide a theoretical reference and practical support for other junior middle schools in China.However,due to the limited and insufficient research facilities,there is still much room for further improvement.