蔣春榮

學生在英語口語高考中表現出的問題值得思考,尤其是第三部分故事復述環節,學生難以完整地復述故事要點。不少學生有輔音發音太重、元音發音不飽滿、通篇語調是降調、不按意群停頓、吞掉尾音/t/ /d/ /s/ /z/等問題。在平時的口語模擬訓練中,學生的能力亟待提高,主要存在語音語調、意群停頓、錯用疑問詞和助動詞、不會概括等不足。如何在課堂教學中針對存在的不足進行實效訓練,是當前高中英語教學重要環節之一。我對課堂教學進行了觀察和反思,發現高中英語口語教學主要存在以下問題:(1)對語音教學不夠重視,高中語音教學要求學生能夠結合人物、情景、場合文化等各方面的因素去理解語音語調,包括節奏、重音的各種變化及其所表示的隱含的意圖和態度,并且能運用這些變化手段進行內容比較豐富的有效表達。(2)教師對英語口語教學策略的思路框架不了解,所以他們對口語語篇特征的關注意識較弱,對口語微技能目標意識不足,對學生表達的難度預測不足,教學步驟安排不太合理。(朱曉燕 2011)(3)課堂上口語輸入不夠,不能巧妙地給學生搭建腳手架,以至于在課堂交際中,學生進行口語表達時會出現各種消極的情感態度,如焦慮、緊張、害羞等,不敢主動用英語交流。
一、加強語音教學
高一新生入學后第一個月的英語課堂都是學習我校英語教師共同編寫的銜接教材,夯實基本功,特別是對語音語調的訓練。如學生元音發音往往不飽滿、不到位,所以在復習音標/u:/時,可以編寫以下繞口令讓學生練習:At noon,I took a book,and sat by the pool in the wood and put my foot in the pool. Oh,how cool. 由于方言的影響,廣東學生往往會吞掉尾音/t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ 等。針對尾音/t/,我讓學生結對子練習下面的句子,相互糾正吞音現象:Tom's got a lot of dots on his pocket. If he wants to wash off the dots,he will use a pot of hot water./l/位于詞尾時,學生的發音常常不到位,我建議他們反復練習:girl,little,moral,cattle,noodle,well,cool,settle,grateful. Better to do well than to say well.還通過對哲理性諺語的反復誦讀改善語音語調和意群停頓,如:A friend in need is a friend indeed. Lost time is never found again. Beauty is truth,truth is beauty. Well begun is half done. No pains,no gains. East or west,home is best.
二、巧用英語口語教學策略的思路框架
教學人教版高中英語Module 2 Unit 1 workbook,speaking task時,我運用該思路框架對四個分解要素逐一進行了剖析。
Speaking task: Think of your hometown and discuss the following questions with your partner.(1)Is there any cultural relic worth protecting in your hometown?What is it?Write it down and give a reason.(2)What do you think you can do to protect it?(3)Here are some suggestions. Discuss them in pairs and add your own idea.
要素1:關注口語材料的語言特征。課本中的口語任務是根據練習中的三個問題,兩人一組口頭表達個人意見,然后通過討論和協商,找出雙方都認可的自己家鄉的cultural relics,再討論其是否值得保護,該如何保護。這個活動提供了交流和協商的理由和目的,是一個符合口語特征意義的活動,它并非為交談而交談,也不是缺乏目的和理由的純粹控制性活動。為了讓學生更了解cultural relics的知識,我為學生作了適當鋪墊。
Guessing game: Guess what is being described according to the given 3 clues. You can get 5 points if you can guess it out with the help of only 1 clue. 3 points for 2 clues and 1 points for 3 clues. If you fail to guess it out,youll get no points.
TASK 1:
Clue 1. It is made in China and also called china.
Clue 2. It appeared in Yuan Dynasty and was popular in Ming & Qing Dynasty.
Clue 3. It is known to almost everyone because of the same name song written by Jay Chou.
通過播放學生喜愛的歌星周杰倫的歌曲,學生很開心的猜出了這種cultural relic是青花瓷,瞬間點燃了學習熱情。
要素2:明示口語微技能教學目標。告知學生該項口語任務訓練的微技能目標是訓練兩人交談時如何“引出話題、維持交談請求和澄清意思”這些口語對話中常見的“asking for opinions and giving opinions ”的口語微技能。
要素3:預測口語學習難度。
要素4:設計口語教學活動。
T: Lets have a guessing game about the cultural relics. Guess what is being described according to the given 3 clues. You can get 5 points if you can guess it out with the help of only 1 clue. 3 points for 2 clues and 1 points for 3 clues. If you fail to guess it out,youll get no points.
Ss: Oh,great!
T: TASK 1:
Clue 1. It is one of the most famous four gardens in Guangdong Province.
Clue 2. It was built by Zhang Jinxiu in Qing Dynasty.
Clue 3. It lies in Wanjiang District,Dongguan city.
TASK 2:
Clue 1. It is a place where Chinese soldiers used to fight against British Ships.
Clue 2. It was built at the entrance of the Pearl River.
Clue 3. The war there is recorded in Chinese history textbook.
TASK 3:
Clue 1. It is the symbol of China and its culture.
Clue 2. It is one of the World Seven Wonders.
Clue 3. It is as long as 6,000 kilometers and had been built since 475 B.C.
Task 4與Guessing Game相同。
三、創設和諧互動氛圍,緩解焦慮心理
1. 發現學生優點,激發說英語的自信。人教版Module 2 Unit 2 speaking task的第一環節,口語任務是基于52頁的閱讀任務教學之后對文中的三個故事進行評論,說出自己最喜歡的故事及理由。在學生已經充分掌握了文章的篇章結構、故事內容、重點詞匯句型,又給與足夠時間討論之后,我提問了班里英語成績不錯但平時比較沉默的學生來闡述自己的意見,可是該學生并沒有如我預期的那樣流利順暢地表達自己的觀點,反而因為緊張吞吞吐吐地說不出幾個單詞。我在學生練習時留意到該生與同伴一直在用英語交談,所以應該不是無話可說,只是不夠自信。聯想到上星期該生在校藝術節中街舞的精彩表演,于是鼓勵他:“Take it easy. Well,I remember you dance very well and you gave us an amazing performance in our school art festival last week. Can you dance for us now?”在同學們熱情的掌聲中,這位學生隨著音樂跳起了歡快的舞蹈,看著他自信的臉龐,我啟發他:“How can you dance so well?Who help you practice dancing?”學生在真實的語境中流利地表達了自己的觀點,而且對文中問題的回答有自己的思考和獨到的見解。
2. 及時評價,正面反饋。課堂寬松、和諧氛圍的營造不是光靠表揚學生就可以獲得的,班上總會有一些調皮搗蛋的學生擾亂課堂秩序,這就需要老師適時、適度、適當、合理的批評。如果教師能把批評的方式方法科學化、藝術化到心靈對話層面,那么在教師循循善誘的同時,也是在進行著師生的情感交流,在成就學生的同時,也是在陶冶教師自己,這才是教育的和諧。
3. 激發學生積極思維,營造探究氛圍。課堂教學是理性的認知過程,課堂活動的實質是思維的活動,如果課堂教學過程中沒有和諧而活躍的氣氛,課堂死氣沉沉,學生就會停止積極思維,這樣的課堂很難達到口語交流的目的。所以教師必須采取各種有效的辦法,不斷創設情境,激發學生積極思維,主動探究,突出學生的主體作用。
責任編輯 魏文琦