A Study On The Application Of Problem-based Learning In English Reading Teaching In Senior High School

Teaching of English reading is an important part of English classroom in senior high schools.The requirements of National English Curriculum Standards for Senior High Schools in teaching of English reading are getting higher.However,from present situation,it is easy to find that many students have attended numerous reading classes and they have done a great deal of reading exercises,their reading skills and abilities still need to be improved.The problem-based learning(PBL)belongs to a problem-oriented learning method which is student-centered and teacher-guided.PBL focuses on arousing students' enthusiasm and initiative so as to cultivate students' learning interest through exploring problems in real situations.At the same time,it also advocates that teachers should help students improve their comprehensive language skills by means of instructing students to apply their own knowledge to analyze and solve problems.Based on the constructivism theory and discovery learning theory,this research aims to discuss the application of problem-based learning in teaching of English reading in senior high school by the methods of experiment,questionnaires,test and interview.In the process of research,the following three questions are solved:(1)Does PBL effectively arouse students' interest in English reading?(2)Does PBL improve students' grades of English reading in senior high school?(3)Does PBL cultivate students' autonomous learning ability?In order to finish this research efficiently,sixteen-week teaching experiment in Tianshui No.1 Senior High School is conducted,which takes 114 high school students from two classes in Grade One of Tianshui No.1 Senior High School as research subjects.Class one is experimental class(EC)while class two is control class(CC).PBL is adopted to teaching of English reading in the experimental class while the control class still uses traditional teaching approach in reading.The research indicatesthat PBL can effectively stimulate students' interest in English reading and improve students' English reading grades.In addition,it can also develop students' autonomous learning ability.Applying problem-based learning to English reading teaching in senior high schools is a process of combination of theory and practice.This study puts forward the following suggestions.Teachers should change their minds and renew ideas under the guidance of PBL,learn theoretical knowledge and improve their teaching skills constantly.Put students in the center of the whole class,focus on students' learning,and cultivate students' comprehensive ability.The designing of questions should be related to students' real life and the content of teaching materials.Teachers should exchange ideas with students extensively,collect students' feedback and learning suggestions in many ways,so as to promote teaching better.