A Study On The Application Of Mind Mapping In English Teaching In Lower Grades Of Primary Schools

In the context of curriculum reform,teachers are required to have more diversified teaching methods.Mind mapping,a graphical way to outline ideas and concepts,is widely used in English teaching.Nevertheless,mind mapping is rarely used in English teaching in primary schools,especially in lower grades.Against this background,this research studies how to apply mind mapping in English teaching in lower grades and whether mind mapping could arouse young students’ interest in learning English.An experiment was conducted in a class of Grade Two in a primary school in Shanghai.The content,principles and procedures of applying mind mapping were discussed in detail with a class demonstration.During the experiment which lasted for one semester(from September to December),the researcher observed and recorded students’ classroom performance with an evaluation form.After the experiment,the researcher interviewed the students to know their opinions on the application of mind mapping.The results of two tests before and after the experiment were also compared to see the degree of students’ improvement in English learning.The research finds that the use of mind mapping in English teaching in the lower grade of primary school is conducive to the enhancement of students’ interest in learning English.First,the evaluation form shows that the number of students who get A according to their classroom performance is twice that before the experiment.More students answer questions actively,and the students respect teachers more and listen more carefully than before the experiment.What’s more,all the students can finish the exercises in class with higher accuracy and neater handwriting.Such performanceshows that the students’ interest in English learning has been enhanced by the application of mind mapping.Second,interview with the students suggests that the students’ interest in English learning has been significantly improved.All the 15 students who were interviewed affirmed the advantages of mind mapping and expressed their favor of mind mapping in the interview.Third,the comparison between the two tests before and after the experiment shows an increase in the average score in the post-test,indicating that the students’ learning performance has improved.Although test results are not regarded as the only criterion to assess young students’ achievement in the primary school,the great increase in the score,to some degree,indicates students’ stronger interest in learning English.The research results have some implications for the application of mind mapping in teaching English to lower grade students.