A Survey On The Use Of Context In Grammar Teaching In Senior One

Context is a powerful tool to grasp language which provides an authentic environment for language learning.All the application and communication of language are limited to certain context,which means messages that language conveys in different contexts have different meanings.To improve the quality of grammar teaching,New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School puts forward that English teachers in Senior High School should integrate form,meaning and function into an organic whole from the perspective of applied pragmatic linguistics,leading students to comprehend and grasp the expressive function of grammar in the context.This survey aims to investigate the current situation of the use of context in English grammar teaching in Senior One to solve the following questions:1.What is the current situation of teachers' attitude towards teaching grammar in context?2.What methods do teachers often use to create context in grammar teaching?3.What effects do those methods have on teaching results?The author selects 276 students from 6 classes at random and 10 English teachers of senior one in Ji Yang Senior High School in Zhangjiagang as the subjects for the questionnaire investigation.In addition,the author picked 3 teachers according to their years of teaching experience as the subjects of classroom observation and another 3 teachers are interviewed as a supplement of questionnaire and classroom observation.The data analysis generates the following finings:1.The importance of teaching grammar in context has been acknowledged by English teachers in senior one but the use of context is affected by current system of university entrance exam.2.Every teacher does teach grammar by creating context more or less.The use of co-text,pictures,English poems and English songs are frequently used in grammar teaching;role play and games sometimes are also adopted to consolidate grammar usage.3.In certain context,students are more cooperative with teachers and more active in teaching activities.They perceive and comprehend grammatical rules through various contexts and put what they've learned into practiceflexibly.Among those contexts,co-text,English poems and role play are the most effective for grammar teaching.Based on the findings above,some pedagogical implications are achieved.1.“Never stop learning” is necessary for teachers.Teachers should enlarge their knowledge on context constantly and deepen the comprehension on context to provide a profound basis for teaching practice and enrich their methods of creating context.2.Context shouldn't be created just in forms.Interaction with students and integrated skills should be strengthened through the use of context.3.Teachers should connect context with grammar efficiently and control the degree of using context in grammar teaching,making sure that students won't get lost in context and neglect grammar learning.