1、1The Application of Multimedia Technology in College English EducationAbstract: Network and multimedia technologies combine the graph, writing, sound, animation, phantom and so on with the course content organically, enabling the learners to use multiple sense organs. Learners of visual, auditor and
2、 kinesthetic style who prefer different sensation channels can all obtain effective information stimulation, so teaching may be adapted to learners of different cognitive styles. As our country has just started research and utilization of personalized teaching, this paper, through the research of an
3、 important individual difference- cognitive style in foreign language study, attempts to study how to aim at cognitive style for implementation of personalized foreign language teaching strategy with the aid of network and multimedia technology. Key words: english education, multimedia technology, n
4、etwork 1. Introduction Since the 1970s, overseas scholars have started exploration and research of the individual differences. US higher 2institutes have always had glorious tradition of personalized teaching. Gander, an American psychologist proposed theory of multi-dimensional intelligence, namely
5、, humanities have at least more than seven advantages, and that different people s intelligence types, learning advantages, learning needs and cognitive styles are different. When teaching respects individual differences and is conducted in an individualized way to the greatest degree, the most desi
6、red effect can be obtained (L.Y. Huo, 2003) 1. Personalized foreign language teaching, namely, one which respects the learners individual differences, such as differences in gender, age, individuality, motive, language proficiency, ability aptitude, cognitive style, learning strategy and so on, and
7、adopts teaching strategies that conform to individuality, and promote the learners harmonious development of their personalities. In other words , teaching emphasizes learning process and rules, in view of different learners individual differences, adopts matching teaching strategies as much as poss
8、ible, and conducts individualized instruction of learning method. It is a denial of stylized teaching form and abolishing of malpractice of class teaching system which takes community, neglecting individual differences. 32. Differences Cognitive Style Cognitive style is a term in cognitive psycholog
9、y. Domestic scholars X.T.Cheng, and M. Zheng (2002) define it as :the learner s way of distinguishing, processing, storing, extracting information in the cognitive process, and the learner s orientation of solving problems as well. Sometimes it is also called the study style 2. As an important const
10、ituent of difference in individuality, cognitive style is an important factor that affects foreign language learning strategy and learning result. The cognitive style has various dimensions with different division standards and types, but the common classification includes field independence and fie
11、ld interdependence type , cautious and impulse type, visual, auditory type and kinesthesia type. 2.1. Field Dependent Style and Field Independent Style H.Witkin, an American psychologist has drawn a conclusion based on research of consciousness that field dependent persons are very difficult to diff
12、erentiate the key part from its background, they tend to use external objects as reference to form a whole impression, unlikely to initiatively process external information. Field dependent persons are sensitive to 4social environment. Field independent people can easily separate the key part from t
13、he ambiguous environment, and they are insensitive to social environment, with a sound sense of space and ability of logical thinking and analysis, are less influenced by objective environment. In foreign language study, more male student are field independent, while more females are field dependent
14、. Female students are more perceptive, emphasizing the whole, therefore they are good at discovering main ideas as well as extrapolation of overall content according to the context. Unlike the females, the males ca be more precise regarding logic analysis of the specific part3. 2.2. Impulse and Caut
15、ious Style. I the teaching process, some students reply questions without hesitation, respond rapidly, but their answers are frequently inaccurate, while others favor giving surer answers after careful thought. The former are impulse learners, while the latter cautious learners. In foreign language
16、class, the male students mostly belong to the impulse, who emphasize prompt response, enthusiastic speech and fluent language, not paying too much attention to the accuracy of the expressions. The female students mostly belong to cautious learners, who first find out each possible answer in the mind
17、, give the 5surest answer after careful consideration. Their answers are more accurate linguistically. 2.3. Visual, Auditor and Kinesthetic Style According to the preference to the feeling channel to produce the best results when memorizing a material, cognitive style may be categorized into visual
18、type, auditor type and kinesthetic type. The visual type is good at the study through reading, the auditor type is good at communication of listening and speaking through conversation, discussion as well as group task and the kinesthetic holds that speaking and acting contribute to higher efficiency
19、 of study. Eisenstein draws a conclusion through observation of experiments that when learning a foreign language, the female enjoy a better sense of hearing than the males, the reason of which is that the female can understand the other part through inquiry. The male prefer learn through action, wh
20、ich is revealed in their enjoying playing games and role play in foreign language study, .Therefore they are partial to kinesthetic style. 3. Personalized Foreign Language Teaching Strategy In Network And Multimedia Environment 3.1. Network and Multimedia Technologies to Aid Personalized Teaching 61
21、) Network Multimedia Technologies Modern teaching technology is the tool and media of storing and transmitting teaching information manufactured by using modern science and technology ,mainly optic and acoustic media, text and image media, audio-visual media, synthetic media. To save teaching softwa
22、re of various medias in the form of data base in Internet s server using modern teaching approach, then use computer technology, process comprehensively multiple information in forms of text, graph, image, sound, video, animation and so on, transfer fully functions such as network information servic
23、e, resources sharing and exchange of information and so on, this is the so- called network multimedia technologies. 2) Network and Multimedia Technologies Applied to Personalized Teaching To respect the students differences in cognitive style, the teacher needs to provide diverse study modes to matc
24、h the teaching activity. Traditional foreign language class is unable to satisfy this need, but the network and multimedia technologies may be the key to break this bottleneck. D. Frey , and M. Simonson (1993) discovered that multimedia is not only an education tool, but an effective cognitive tool,
25、 7which suits learners of different cognitive style4. R. Abraham (1985) discovered that computer assistance deductive teaching (present language rules directly) improved field dependent learners study condition distinctively, the computer assisted inductive teaching (only give example sentences, req
26、uest students to induce language rules) improved field independent students induction ability greatly5. In the multimedia self-service language learning center, cautious and impulse learners may adjust the learning pace and advancement voluntarily according to their learning conditions and response
27、time. On the Internet there are massive English teaching websites and study websites, on which learners may enjoy the rich top- quality teaching resources and obtain experts and famous teachers instructions, and may chat using the email and video frequency, and improve their English proficiency by i
28、nteracting with native English speakers in real, natural language communication environment. Current events are integrated into teaching content. Course content is no longer limited to certain textbook, instead rich online resources can be taken advantage of The teacher arranges, plans and designs t
29、he course content according to the program of instruction in view of teaching requirements and needs, 8preferences of the different cognitive style, ha which enjoys great flexibility, and may be replaced at any moment if necessary. Communication can be done through network, while the teachers ad stu
30、dents may communicate face to face, they can communicate through e-messages, online forums and so on. The teacher may also use the independent study system to group the students, he may exchange with all the students or a certain student diachronically . Simultaneously the teacher may also track eac
31、h students learning progress and performance, and makes prompt feedback and appraisal. 3.2. Respecting Cognitive Style Differences and Conducting Foreign Language Teaching Accordingly Cognitive style itself does not have division of ft and unfit quality, only when completing different tasks certain
32、cognitive styles get more advantages. Students of different cognitive styles, do not necessarily have differences in academic records . In view of the students different cognitive styles, the teacher may adopt methods which allow nature to take its course, in view of different learning tasks, the st
33、udents of different cognitive styles may display their respective strong points in different learning situations. The teacher should learn about students cognitive styles and the 9gender differences, and respect the differences. Only in this way can the students academic records be better. 1) Strate
34、gies for Field Independent and Field Dependent Learners Field dependent foreign language learners, as a result of their better communication aptitude, enjoy certain superiority in the initial stage of foreign language study, but with the increase of difficulty in study tasks, their foreign language
35、learning is inferior to the field independent learners. Field dependent learners are easily influenced by the environment, so when there exists exterior incentive, they study well. They are easily influenced positively by other s, especially those they admire or worship. So more humanities examples
36、should be given, group cooperative study should be organized, criticism of them should be avoided in public. When they encounter setbacks, the teacher must give psychological unblocking promptly, which may possibly produce Pygmalion Effect. Field dependent learners lack independent minds and autonom
37、ous study strategy, tend to rely on the teacher s explanation, and are likely to be influenced by appraisal of the teacher and other people of their study effect, therefore the teacher should aim at the key points, giving instruction, simultaneously, point out their 10shortcomings encouragingly. Cer
38、tainly the more important is to make up for their weak points, train their consciousness of autonomous learning and develop their independent study strategies. For field independent learners , with their merit of being good at independent thinking and strong ability in abstract logical thinking, the
39、ir defects lie in clumsiness in communication and cooperation, so the author creates the opportunity and encourages them to talk with their classmates, teachers ad native speakers and participate such activities as English Comer, speech contests and so on. In class they are encouraged to participate
40、 in listening and speaking training. In the task-oriented study group, opportunities are given for them to show themselves, and they are instructed to make up for their defects in induction through reading, story retelling, language skill training. Field independent learners use usually their own in
41、terior reference, not easily influenced by external interference, and are sometimes stubborn. They should be given the freedom to draw up their own study plan, with independent studies as the primary form, the teacher s instruction for auxiliary form. They shouldnt be imposed on the teachers thinking mode. 2) Strategies for Cautious and Impulse learners
