An Investigation Into The Holistic Teaching Of English Units Based On Big Ideas In Haikou Junior High Schools

The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2022 Edition)states that the implementation of holistic teaching of units should be strengthened and promoted.The unifying role of the Big Ideas provides a new perspective for the development of students’ disciplinary key competence and new ideas for teaching.The holistic teaching is goal-oriented and it effectively links the texts and sections within the unit.It helps students construct and generate deep cognitive,attitudinal and value judgments around the unit themes and promote their key competence.This study is based on Gestalt psychology,a holistic language teaching and constructive theory of teaching and learning.In this study,99 junior high school English teachers in Haikou city are involved to investigate the awareness and implementation of the holistic teaching of the units based on Big Ideas by using the questionnaire,interview and classroom observation.It aims to find out the teachers’ awareness and implementation of holistic teaching of units based on Big Ideas,as well as the problems in teaching practice.And by analyzing the causes,it provides corresponding suggestions for front-line English teachers in the theoretical and practical aspects.The following research questions are to be answered:(1)What are the teachers’ awareness and attitude towards the holistic teaching of units based on Big Ideas?(2)How do teachers implement the holistic teaching of units based on Big Ideas?(3)What are the problems in the practice of holistic teaching of units based on Big Ideas?The study shows that:(1)Most teachers agree with the concept of holistic teaching of units based on Big Ideas but their understanding of its connotation is not deep enough.(2)In the implementation process,teachers can consciously use the holistic teaching of units;analyze the teaching material around the unit theme and set unit goals;the teaching design is based on the key and difficult points of the teaching material;create context in teaching and use the teaching evaluation to assess students’ learning.(3)The problems encountered by teachers in implementing the holistic teaching of the units based on Big Ideas include: lack of attention to the analysis of students’ learning situations;the refinement of the unit’s theme ideas is not accurate;lack of logical relationship between Big Ideas and sub ideas;lack of interpreting the content of textbooks;insufficient professional training for teachers and heavy teaching loads;insufficient time to prepare.The thesis concludes with feasible suggestions: improve teachers’ ability to design and implement the holistic teaching of the unit;strengthen teachers’ teamwork;provide in-service training in schools.