1、On improving students speaking abilityWritten by: He YunrongSupervised by: Ma ZhongxiangEnglish DepartmentCollege of Adult EducationAnhui Normal UniversityJuly 24, 20122AbstractWith the opening-up of China, English teaching has been getting more and more attention, especially since Beijing won the b
2、id to hold the 2008 Olympic Games. People are enthusiastic about learning English .As a result, English teaching and reform are coming to a turning point, which predicts a bright future in English education in China.Now, a 9-year voluntary education program is put forward in China. A Standard Englis
3、h course is being used to replace the former teaching outline. The new standard adopts the international system according to which English language education is divided into 9 levels. This has changed the old style of teaching, which attaches importance to grammar and vocabulary. Adopting the new st
4、andard helps to develop the students ability to use English in their daily life, by focusing on arousing their interest, and encouraging their participation.The new method will place less stress on “reading and writing”, in favor of “listening” and “speaking”. So now, speaking is getting more and mo
5、re important in middle school English teaching. This paper discusses how to improve students speaking ability and expound the theme through three aspects as follows: The importance of speaking. Some barriers in the process of speaking communication. Essential methods for improving students speaking
6、ability.The issue will be discussed from the perspective of a teacher of English in junior middle school and a possible conclusion will be reached with the help of some theoretical and practical support.Key words: speaking、communication、ability 、middle school 、English teaching.3摘要随着改革开放深入，英语教学越来越引起人
7、们的重视，尤其北京成功深奥。人们都热中于英语学习。所以英语教改进入一个转折点，面临着美好的未来。现在，在九年制义务教育中，标准英语课程以取代以前的教学模式。根据英语语言教育分成九个等级，新课标采用了国际体制，改变了旧的方法。新的教学方式通过引起学生的兴趣，鼓励他们参与去培养学生日常生活中运用英语的能力。新的方法重在听力和口语，因此现在口语在中学英语教学中越来越重要。本文主要讨论如何提高学生的口语能力，从下面三个大的方面阐述：1. 说的重要性。2. 口语交流过程中的一些障碍。3. 提高口语能力的基本方法。本文从初中英语教师的观点，并且从理论和实际结合中得出结论。关键词：口语 交流 能力 中学 英
8、语教学4ContentsAbstract. 摘要. Chapter 1 Introduction. 51.1 The Significance of English Speaking. 51.2 The Present Situation of English Speaking of Chineses Students. 5Chapter 2 The Factors Impacting English Speaking. 62.1 Traditional Teaching Methods. 62.2 Lacking Practice. 7 2.3 Lacking English Environ
9、ment. 72.4 The Shortage of English Language Knowledge. 7 2.4.1 Pronunciation. 7 2.4.2 Vocabulary. 8 2.4.3 Cultural Background Knowledge. 92.5 Psychological Factor. 10 Chapter 3 Strategies to Improve Students English Speaking. 11 3.1 The Strategies from the Perspective of Teachers. 11 3.1.1 Changing
10、Teaching Methods. 12 3.1.2 Developing Students Interest and Motivation. 12 3.1.3. Raising Students Cultural Awareness. 133.1.4 Improving Their Listening Ability. 153.1.5 Assigning After-Class Activities. 163.2 The Strategies from the Perspective of Learners. 18 3.2.1 Accumulating Language Knowledge.
11、 18 3.2.2 Accumulating Cultural Knowledge. 19 3.2.3 Reading English Materials Widely. 21 3.2.4 Overcoming Psychological Barrier. 22 Chapter 4 Conclusion. 23 Works Cited5Chapter 1 Introduction1.1 The Significance of English SpeakingEnglish has become an international language in various fields -espec
12、ially in the new century. As is known to us all, it is the most widely used language in the world and its getting more and more important nowadays. Recent estimates suggest that more than 400 million people speak it as their first language, with more than 1800 million people speaking it as second la
13、nguage. It is an official language in a large number of countries and is widely used in air traffic control and academic gatherings. (Kean Qiu P28). As an international language, English is an important tool to communicate with foreigners. With the globalization and more extensive communication with
14、 the outside world English oral communication appears more and more important. However, oral proficiency is the weakest among the basic four skills for most Chinese English learners, which is an urgent problem to be addressed. Chinese teachers should discard the old and traditional teaching methods
15、in English class and try to find effective ways to improve oral English teaching. Meanwhile, Chinese students also have to change their conception on learning English.“Communicative ability of spoken English is to use English thought and information transmission of communicative language ability. Th
16、eoretically speaking, oral English communication is the learner through listening and reading to acquire knowledge, including language knowledge and information, it is a language input (Input) process, after thinking for the input language and information processing (Processing), finally to meet the
17、 specific communication needs language output (Output) communicative activities. “The ability of spoken English communication for English learners is very important and very practical skill. Fluent oral English ability can promote English learning, stimulate interest, and improve the efficiency of l
18、earning. Spoken English is our weak link in the teaching of English. Either teaching or learning strategies remain to be further exploration. Exploration of fostering and 6cultivating good oral English communicative ability method and way, on the one hand, to guide the broad language teachers to bet
19、ter English teaching and achieve better teaching results; on the other hand, is helpful to guide the English learners to learn better, master the correct, efficient learning strategies of spoken English, to form a good oral communicative ability.1.2 The Present Situation of English Speaking of Chine
20、ses StudentsChinese students have to learn English in Chinese-speaking environment, in addition to the situation that there are only a limited number of English classes every week, having little opportunities to speak English in class, a listening and speaking training is also difficult to get conso
21、lidate and review in extracurricular. While only a few English lessons are enough to acquire the language knowledge (including grammar, reciting words), not to speak of the time and space to practice speaking. Because the teaching is exam-oriented, there is just monotonous exercise drilling. the cla
22、ssroom students say the lack of space, form is relatively activity. Some English classes into listening, lecture, let the students practice language, reciting sentences and text, but also in the different teaching links, teaching of different phase of convergence, the selection of teaching material
23、contents, teaching model under the influence of other factors, English classroom teaching process and the result is not ideal. Some teachers in junior middle school, compared to the oral training, students ability of listening and speaking and teaching content more consistent. But into 3, also enter
24、ed the stage of oral landslide, faced with the pressure of entering senior high school entrance examination, to increase the amount of paper pen exam practice, students oral communicative competence only stays on the same level, or even declining, formed the oral ability and teaching content from. E
25、ventually, after graduating from junior high school, English ability still remain in the greeting of the level.Chapter 2 The Factors Impacting English speaking72.1 Traditional Teaching MethodsIn traditional teaching, reading, writing training occupy large proportion. We used the method of learning E
26、nglish Learning: reading, reciting, dictation, lyrics, translation, interpretation, and oral English are not valued. Because many students learning English is the main purpose of the senior high school entrance examination, and the reading and writing accounted for a large proportion, even now spoke
27、n also joined the senior high school entrance examination item, but because the score accounted for only less than 1%, and examination contents clearly fixed, make students think one-snidely usually spend time practicing spoken English is a waste of time, before the exam training will be. In fact, E
28、nglish as a language, just can be in communication gives us a convenient tool, so the most easy to understand operation method is to follow its natural development law, listen, say, read, write after, step by step.2.2 Lacking PracticeUnder the pressure of the college entrance examination, in many sc
29、hools, the teaching focus on the language points, but to give up a lot of oral activity time. In addition, the classroom teaching dimensions slants big, students speak less opportunities, English language time courses too less class hours, the training time cannot be guaranteed, on oral English prac
30、tice effect little attention. This makes the students although to a certain extent, mastery of vocabulary and grammar, but cannot be used to effectively communicating. That is to say, the students internalize linguistic knowledge in oral communication process cannot be active. Effectively participat
31、e in oral English communication.2.3 Lacking English EnvironmentChinese students learn ten years of English, but cannot avoid the “dumb English,” “deaf English “. Some people think that the students English learning 8interest is not caused by, but not necessarily. The key lies in the lack of language
32、 environment. Students from birth to in the tongue of the environment, as the child grows, the language functions of the brain development, gradually formed the habit of using mother tongue surface word as to this habit, to learning English, it can play a positive role in migration, also have negati
33、ve interference, and our students in addition to weekly the five or six lesson and sooner or later the reading, try to listen to English and have very little time.2.4 The Shortage of English Language Knowledge2.4.1 Pronunciation“The articulator apparatus of a human being are contained in three impor
34、tant areas or cavities: the pharyngeal cavity-the throat, the oral cavity-the mouth, and the nasal cavity-the nose. The air stream coming from the lungs may be modified in these cavities in a variety of ways. It may also be modified in the larynx before it reaches any of the cavities.”(Modern Lingui
35、stics P17) Because of the point ,the learners should be required to know every part of pronunciation of humans body and can pronounce the pure English .However, for most students in the process of their learning, they are greatly influenced by their teachers, especially teachers phonetics. But at pr
36、esent in many areas, especially in the rural areas, schools are short of specialized English teachers. Some other teachers who are not familiar with the sound linking, plosive, stress, etc. are asked to teach English. Maybe they are competent in teaching English grammar and language points, but it i
37、s surely difficult for them to speak fluent and pure English. And also some schools cant afford modern machines, so the students cant imitate the pure English, So their speaking ability cant be trained favorably, when they communicate with others, they often find their pronunciations are different f
38、rom others . So they cant understand what is said to them. Therefore, their listening ability will be influenced and the confidence of communication also be influenced.92.4.2 VocabularyVocabulary is an important component of language. If the language without grammar, a lot of things cannot be expres
39、sed, but the language without words and phrases, cannot represent anything. As the building, no building materials, even if there is no longer a good foundation and the drawings are incapable of action. For English learners, vocabulary is very necessary. However, many learners in the process of lear
40、ning English feel vocabulary quantity, no systematic regularity. Vocabulary learning has encountered great difficulties. The results, many students grammar is good, but because of the lack of vocabulary or lexical usage for the master is not comprehensive enough, cant use English to communicate with
41、 others, to bring the obstacles in communication.During the speaking English, the communication often is interrupted by a word, which the students dont know. So the vocabulary is obviously important. So during the teaching English, besides letting the students remember the words theyve learned. What
42、 more important is to teach the way which how to remember more words, After learning the rule of spelling and pronunciation, the students should be encouraged to read and remember the words in their own way and master the links between the words, and then improve the effect of remembering words. The
43、 teachers also should encourage the students that when they do some reading, they should guess the words meaning according to the context. At the same time, it is also important to improve the ability to look up the words in the dictionary. If a student is rich in his vocabulary, then it must be hel
44、pful for his speaking ability. Whats more, a large vocabulary is quite good for students to summarize a text. So after teaching a text, students are often asked to retell it in their own words, for speaking communication largely depends on the quality of ones organization and summation. We can say that the words are the building materials of language. There will be no buildings if there are no materials. Whats more, the rich vocabulary al
