An Analysis Of Senior High School Students' English Homework Based On Bloom's Taxonomy

As the conception of Key Competence was officially put forward in the latest National English Curriculum Standards,more and more attention is drawn on the development of the thinking quality of students.It is also generally acknowledged that homework plays an important part in extending learning beyond the classroom,which should contribute to the realization of purposes of English education so it has the potential to develop the thinking quality of students.Teachers play a crucial role in selecting and assigning homework.This study sheds light on the thinking levels in a senior high school students' English homework as well as teachers' considerations when assigning English homework.Besides,this study also explored English teachers' attitudes towards developing higher order thinking by homework as well as the problems English teachers have in assigning higher order thinking level English homework.The study took a key high school located in Hangzhou for example and evaluated the senior one students' English homework in one semester based on the Bloom's taxonomy.After the evaluation,a questionnaire and individual interviews with teachers were conducted.The results reveal that the thinking levels of the English homework are relatively low and are lack of higher order thinking level exercises.There is a consensus among teachers that English homework serves as a means for consolidation and reinforcement,while developing thinking ability is usually not taken into consideration.Teachers' opinions on developing higher order thinking by homework vary.A small number of teachers approve of the idea and a majority disapprove of it due to a plenty of obstacles.