Making Use of CLT in English Class of High School

Qin+Jianmei++Zhou+Yuzhong

【Abstract】The CLT English class is a student-centered class where students are proposed to acquire knowledge in a discovery way. Based on the features of high school students in China， the paper points out that CLT can benefits students in three aspects. To adopt CLT in high school， both teachers and students should change their roles. Meanwhile， teachers should make full preparations to ensure a successful discovery learning.

【Key words】CLT； High School students； English class； role.

Ⅰ. Introduction

1.1 About CLT

CLT refers to communicative language teaching. It is a student-centered approach， which means activities in class should meet students needs. The goal of CLT class is to facilitate lifelong language learning among students and not just with the immediate classroom task（Brown， 2013， p. 46）.

1.2 The teaching context

High school students are the intended audience of CLT English class. Most high schools in China use the text book published by the Peoples Education Press. The book has five compulsory and selective units per term. Each unit includes five sections， with daily-life topics and interesting activities. Besides， most high schools usually have large class capacity which is hard for teachers to manage class and difficult for students to conduct activities.

Ⅱ. Rationale for CLT

The CLT can benefit students in the following three aspects.

First， it saves students from heavy loads. CLT connects students existing with new knowledge， which help transfer new ones into long-term memory. Besides， since CLT class focuses on the development of the language techniques（Brown， 2013）， the language learning skills will also do them good. Second. CLT class can develop students independent learning ability. According to Brown （2013）， learners ability to participate and study beyond the class and teachers determine language learning. Third， CLT can enhance students language proficiency. Brown （2013） notes that essences of language learning is to apply the class learning in real life. In such contexts， students are given more chances to communicate in English. The more they do， the better they become.

Ⅲ. The CLT Application

3.1 work before class

Before every class， teachers have to make full preparations for the class and have a clear mind of the content and the process of the class.

3.1.1 Make a term plan

A well-designed term plan gives teachers a whole map of teaching objectives which include the organizational and pragmatic aspects of language learning. Based on the objectives， teachers choose suitable book for students. Besides， teachers should create a proper course syllabus with goals and sequences of language points （Wang， 2001）. With a well-planned one， teachers can adjust and assess teaching.endprint

3.1.2 Make a lesson plan

A good lesson plan contains objectives， teaching materials， procedures， assessment， and extra activities if necessary. Making a lesson plan， teachers adopt a reversed way of lesson planning and give priority to specific objectives of the class（Wang， 2001）. Teachers choose authentic materials can keep students concentrated.

3.1.3 Design learning activities

Learning activities designed at medium level activities， with manageable load， students can be motivated to make progress.

However， given the large class capacity， three interaction models can serve the CLT class： group work， pair work and individual work. Group work will be effective in collecting proofs and finding language rules. When making a dialogue， pair work is better. The individual work， a more concentrated communicative work， which is the process of leaning， should not be neglected（Wang， 2004）.

3.2 Roles during class

3.2.1 Teachers role

Teachers in CLT class have three roles： organizer， guider， and facilitator（Wang， 2004）. To be a good organizer， a teacher should create an easy atmosphere where students can relax and effectively conduct activities. Teachers should have a big picture of activities and give clear directions to students.

To be a good guide， a teacher should know students ability and goals in class. In CLT class， students take a leading role and engaged in learning process. However， it does not mean that teachers can do their own business. Instead， they should monitor activities and give necessary help.

Besides， teachers should be an assessor to the performance of students. In CLT class， students grades in exam is not mere standard， but performance in class count.

3.2.2 Students role

As CLT class is a learner-centered class， students are given the following roles： a participant， a team member. Students are responsible for their own learning in CLT class， different from the traditional one.

3.3 Post-class work

3.3.1 Teachers part

Teachers have two tasks after class. The first is to reflect the class， and the other is to make adaptations to the next. Teachers should check whether the objectives are reached.

Besides， teachers should take regular CLT training course. Though the approach has been advocated for decades， high school teachers were taught in a traditional way， it is hard to get rid of their own education education （Yu， 2010）. Therefore， a systematic training for teachers is needed.endprint

3.3.2 Students part

Homework is necessary for students， but it can vary in forms. It can be a group or individual one. The contents of the homework also change， such as prepare a presentation， deliver a speech， or create a video， etc.

Ⅳ. Conclusion

In short， the CLT class benefit high school students in many aspects， such as， save students from heavy workload， cultivate ability of self learning and communication.

To apply the approach， adaptations should be made at three stages. Before class， teachers needs choose teaching materials based on teaching objectives and then make a term plan， lesson plans， and design activities. Allowing students to take the lead and conduct learning activities in class. While students are engaged in activities， teachers will monitor and help. Lastly， students are given more choices to do homework.

References：

[1]Brown，D.H.（2013）.An Teaching Interactive approach to language pedagogy（3rd ed.）.Pearson Education&Tsinghua University Press.

[2]Qiao，X.R.（2007）.Application of communicative approach in high school english teaching.Read and Write Periodical， 4（11），115-117.

[3]Wang，L.P.（2004）.How to teach in communicative classroom.Foreign Languages and Their Teaching，4，22-25.

[4]Wang，Z.H.（2001）.Students-oriented teaching and communicative competence.Foreign Languages and Their Teaching，4，36-38.

[5]Yu，T.（2010）.A reflection on senior high school English teaching under new curriculum reform.Contemporary Education and Culture，2（5），74-80.endprint