Training Among the English Classroom

摘 要： 此文以英語初學者為對象，從如何進行聽，說，讀，寫的訓練談到如何進行課堂教學，布置作業，最后談到如何檢查督促學生的作業。

關鍵詞： training；sentences；questions

Ear Training. The ear is the natural organ， the first organ， and the most immediate organ of language. A child can speak only when he has already in his ear a large part of the language. In teaching a new lesson， let the class listen to you with their books closed. The students will find it difficult to pronounce badly， if they always hear good pronunciation. If a student can pronounce [kuld] surely he can pronounce [kud]. If the sound [kud] strikes his ears before the letters strike his eyes， the students should not have pronounced [kuld] for [kud]， as most Chinese students do.

Eye Training. The first use of the eye is to look at the natural and real objects. To recognize abstract symbols is a delayed development. So let the presentation of object and action precede the word or sentence. Hold a book in your hand and say， “This is a book”. Whenever you can illustrate a lesson with objects or pictures， do not fail to do it. Let the students look at the object and repeat what you say about it. When this is thoroughly done， put the word or sentence on the blackboard and ask them to read from the blackboard first； not till then let them open their books.

Mouth Training. Silent reading is too hard for beginners. Oral reading will remain little unless the lesson has been discussed. Let the class repeat after you， mimic you， so to speak. Then ask them questions and let individuals first and then the class as a whole answer in full. Do this over again several times. Then have the story read in concert. After the reading， free discussion of the subject matter of the story is very necessary. Do not limit your conversation to questions and answers between yourself and the students. Encourage them to ask questions of one another and to answer them. Make them feel they are actually discussing the real situation， instead of merely repeating the book. Never allow a student to be an idle listener， but give him a chance to express his understanding. To a junior middle school student， spoken English is fun damental， slient reading secondary. Therefore， the book is not inteneded as a mere reader， but also as a means by which to teach the student both to hear and to speak English.

Hand Training. Put a sentence on the blackboard. Let every student， if the class is not too big， writ with chalk below your model. The student should copy （with a pencil for the first term， and then with pen and ink，） every thoroughly taught lesson in his exercise book. For the second term the copying may be done at home without the teacher’s supervision.

Dictate a few sentences every day. Read clearly and slowly so that every student can understand. Try not to repeat the sentences lest they should rely on your repetition and thus lose their attention. Read a whole sentence or phrase as a unit and then allow considerable pause for their writing. Some teachers prefer oral spelling to dictation， neglecting the fact that the Chinese students have the advantage of writing from dictation Chinese characters， which can never be spelled. Daily dictation， though of a few sentences only， trains the ear， and connects the oral with the written language. Dictation helps the student write automatically the word that is heard or is in his mind.

Action. A classroom is no cathedral. The atmosphere should not be too serious. It is advisable to make it a little stage where the teacher and his class act out the stories they are studying. Whenever a lesson can be dramatized， have it dramatized. The time spent is worth while. Moreover， the direct method in language teaching cannot be carried out without action， gestures and playing. In teaching a vocabulary， for instance， we do not use translation， we connect the new words directly with ideas they express by using other words of the same language， or showing objects， pictures and action.

It is a practical and interesting exercise to ask the student or the whole class to listen carefully and then do what you say. For instance， “Stand up.” “Go to the door.” “Shut the door.” It trains their hearing and enables them to respond by action”， thus making the language living and useful.

General Suggestions for work in Class

A. Recitation. Don’t spend too much time on recitation. Make it as brief and yet as helpful as possible. Have the students go over the old lesson by：

1、Writing a paragraph from dictation.

2、Reciting or writing from memory a paragraph， or a poem assigned before.

3、Telling the story.

4、Oral reading.

5、Answering questions， taking true and 1 tests， or filling blanks.

B.Assignment. In assigning a lesson arouse the students’ interest and attention by：

1、Bringing to class all necessary objects and pictures available.

2、Telling the story to the class in words and phrases already studied.

3.Reading the story to the class so clearly， slowly， and so vividly， that the students can understand without opening their books.

4、Making the students read， first individually and then in concert.

5、Giving remarks on new words， phrases and idioms.

C. Exercises.

1、Conversation on the subject matter of the story， always in complete sentences.

2、Free discussion， encouraging.

3、Asking the students to make their own sentences with words or phrases on the blackboard， first orally and then in writing.

4、Asking the students to find grammatical rules for themselves by collecting materials in the lessons learned.

D.Special Exercises. Special exercises should done as often as possible.

1、Phrase-fiashing reading. Put a list of good and simple phrases and idioms on the blackboard. Ask the students to read as fast as you point. The exercise is a good method for teaching beginners to read fast and form better eye-movement habits.

2、Reconstructing a story. When a story has been read and reread， write the key words on the blackboard and the students to reconstruct the story by looking at the key words.

3、Drawing pictures. This is to test the students’ understanding and arouse their interest. Ask a student to draw what you say on the blackboard， for instance， “Draw a horse”； “Draw the sun half up”； “Draw a rat with your eyes shut”. If drawing is not easy for a student， do not insist upon it.

4、Phonetic Drills. Teach the students inductively some very simple and yet useful rules of pronunciation.

5、Dramatizing the story whenever possible.

6、Looking for vocabulary synonyms and opposites. This helps the students remember words by families.

7、Spelling exercises. Correct spelling is necessary， but oral spelling should not outdo dictation.

E. Supervised study.

1、Providing for the study immediately after exercises.

2、Directing the students to form regular habits of self study.

3、Discovering individual differences in capacity and giving individual aid.

4、Giving true and 1 tests ten minutes before the close of the period in order to get and hold the students’ attention.