Active Learning：The Approaches to Creating an Active Atmosphere in the College English Classroom

（武漢長江工商學院）

【Abstract】Practice makes perfect.From the teaching practices I realize that we should proceed with an active classroom atmosphere，so as to raise students’ interests in English learning，and thereby improve the efficiency of English classes and raise teaching quality.In China，we can see there are a lot of problems in the traditional classroom，i.e.the students sit with expressionless face looking at the teacher，they raise their hands to answer questions with great care，teachers and students are lack of communication.This situation is extremely negative for English teaching.Therefore，we must try our best to improve this situation in order to create active learning in the classroom.

1.Definition：What is active learning and why is it important？

Research consistently has shown that traditional lecture methods，in which professors talk and students listen，dominate college and university classrooms.It is therefore important to know the nature of active learning.In China，we can see there are a lot of problems in the traditional classroom，i.e.the students sit with expressionless face looking at the teacher，they raise their hands to answer questions with great care，teachers and students are lack of communication.This situation is extremely negative for English teaching.Therefore，we must try our best to improve this situation in order to create an active English classroom atmosphere.So it is

Educators' use of the term \"active learning\" has relied more on intuitive understanding than a common definition.So that “many faculty assert that all learning is inherently active and that students are therefore actively involved while listening to formal presentations in the classroom.In my opinion English and Chinese language learning is different from each other.For many students，English learning is more difficult and unpractical，so it’s more important for us to develop the students’ interests in learning this discipline through teaching activities.It is the main point of active learning to lead them to a sense of joy and accomplishment.Students must do more than just listen：They must read，write，discuss，or be engaged in solving problems.Most important，to be actively involved，students must engage in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis，synthesis，and evaluation.These strategies are important in the classroom because of their powerful impact upon students’ learning.it is proposed that “strategies promoting active learning be defined as instructional activities involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing”

2.How to create the excitement in the classroom ？

For a large number of students，due to so many differences between English and Chinese，English learning is more difficult and unpractical，so we should take the responsibility to develop the students’ interests in learning this subject through teaching activities，which can give them pleasure and sense of accomplishment.How to create the excitement in the classroom and how can active learning be incorporated in the classroom？ I think in our teaching，we can start from the following points：

To Establish a Harmonious relationship between teacher and students

A harmonious relationship between teacher and students carry great “affinity” in education.The teaching practices have proved that if students love a teacher，they will also love the curriculum taught by the teacher，just like the old saying goes，“Love me，love my dog”.Just as Nida，a famous Chinese educationist，once pointed out that “Respect the master，follow his doctrine”.He has suggested that emotion also has the function of migration.“The students’ emotion to their teacher can be transferred into the motivation of learning”

To create a lively classroom atmosphere

If the teacher’s personality and decent behavior patterns are the premise to attract the students’ interests in their courses，then the teacher’s exquisite teaching art and skills are the key factors for the students to become enthusiastic about the course.We should try hard to create a free learning environment，so that the children and teachers can breathe freely in the classroom.Without such a good teaching environment，any kind of teaching method will not work”.As an English teacher，it’s very important for him/her to make every class lively and interesting.The teachers should regulate the classroom atmosphere in an effective way to deepen the English teaching and improve the students’ ability of self-study.So that we can create an active atmosphere in the class through the following ways：

Doing activities in class is one of the most useful strategies promoting active learning.“You must create a supportive intellectual and emotional environment that encourages students to take risks”.Activities include singing，dancing，saying proverbs，tongue twister，skit performance，English speech and etc，which are known as the essence of language.In this way you can create a supportive intellectual and emotional environment.They play an important role in promoting the students’ rhythm of the language and fostering their interests in literature.Teachers can select some songs and idioms involved in the teaching courses according to the contents of the course.For example，when we mention the proverb “where there is a river，there is a city”，we can add two additional English idioms alike “where there is a will，there is a way”，and “where there is smoke，there is fire”.This can arise the students’ great interests.Story-telling is also a very good way.Exaggerated language and motions can stimulate students’ interest and focus their attention.

To create a favorable language environment

I often try to create an interesting language environment in the process of teaching so as to exert the students’ imagination.For example，I arrange some students to play roles in the dialogue performance with lifelike expressions and actions，and the others in the class will be attracted by their acting.From the acting，the students can improve themselves in learning English.

To Tap the students’ potentiality and foster their self-confidence

Stern，a well-known American educationist，suggested that a student with full of emotion in study will learn more easily and quickly than those who are lack of passion，pleasure and interest in study，or those who are afraid of study.Active learning process is coordinated with the development of factors of both intelligence and emotion.Take the students’ “intelligence quotient” and “emotion quotient” as an example；we can compare their “intelligence quotient” to a part breaking the surface of “water”，and their “emotion quotient” to a large portion submerging in the“water”.In view of this，we should try to tap the students’ emotion quotient so as to unite their cognition and emotion for the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of English teaching and truly improving their English.Everyone is eager to get some achievements and gain recognition and attention by others，in order to exert themselves and achieve self-value.For students，they hope that their learning results can cause the attention of teachers and students，and the feeling of success can increase their confidence，which will encourage them to do better so as to accomplish a higher goal.With this kind of psychological advantage，the students will perform more positively in class.

Application of the teaching method of audio-visual media

As our students live in a world of Chinese lacking a favorable English language environment，how can they study English well？ We can make full use of the multimedia classrooms，play English movies and songs regularly for students.“To make use of audio-visual media in our teaching can engage students’ feeling，sight and hearing”.In addition，the vivid pictures and beautiful music can create a pleasant and harmonious learning environment.The students’ interests in learning English will be stimulated with the teaching content changed from abstract to concrete.As a result，the classroom atmosphere can be activated and the teaching efficiency can be increased.

3.Conclusion

To summarize，teachers should make use of all beneficial factors to activate the classroom atmosphere and enhance the students’ interests and enthusiasm in learning English.We also need to take full advantage of the corresponding audio-teaching tools，action performance，wall charts and material objects，and establish a good language environment according to the text.Use of these techniques in the classroom is vital because of their powerful impact upon student’s learning.Thus，the students will feel they are in a world of English.This pleasant class atmosphere and colorful teaching content will enable the students to master every practical expression in an active atmosphere.As long as this，the students’ learning initiative can be mobilized and they will become the subject in learning，and then the classroom atmosphere will be truly activated.

References：

[1]Chickering，A.W.， Zelda，F(xiàn).G.（1987）.Seven principles for good practice.Oxford：Elsevier Press.

[2]Hu，Z.L.（1986）.Teaching and learning in the college classroom：A review of the research literature.Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.

[3]Liu，R.Q.（1999）.Engaging ideas：The professor’s guide to integrating writing，Critical thinking and active learning in the classroom（pp.215-220）.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research press.

[4]Lowman，J.（1984）.Mastering the techniques of teaching.San Francisco：Jossey-Bass.