喻艷霞
提問是課堂教學的重要環節之一,是師生互動、交流的紐帶,是提升學生思維水平的重要方式,是有效教學的重要保障。在各學科教學中,英語課堂上的提問頻率較高,答問的頻率也較高。因此,研究初中英語閱讀教學有效提問策略意義深遠。
大多數初中英語教師習慣設計和使用“封閉式問題”進行教學。在以封閉式問題為主的英語閱讀課堂中,學生只能按照既定的方向思考問題,答案往往是教師預先設置好的,且是唯一的。面對此類問題,學生的思考角度單一,想象空間狹窄,思維參與度低,難以發散思維,限制了思維品質的發展。
教師設計的問題缺乏層次性和連貫性,雜亂無章。展示型、參閱型和評估型問題的比率嚴重失調,往往是展示型問題過多,思維參與度較高的參閱型和評估型問題較少。學生思考問題流于表面,無法深入。
教師在閱讀教學中太過注重對詞匯和句子的講解,注重文本細節并進行“肢解式”提問,缺乏宏觀意識。這導致學生主次不分,重點不明,提取到的信息支離破碎,難以形成從整體角度感知課文、理解課文的能力。
在初中英語閱讀教學過程中,教師的教學視野僅僅局限于文本表層,無法引導學生進行更深層次的閱讀,導致他們缺乏推理思維,只是淺層理解。
“質疑是創新的起點,質疑的過程實際上是一個積極思維的過程。”(付薇 2015)很多英語教師錯誤地認為,“英語作為一門外語,學生能夠讀懂文章就足夠了”。這種片面的認識導致部分教師錯失了許多能引發學生質疑的契機,且沒有充分、有效利用閱讀材料,從而影響了學生批判性思維的發展。
問題是啟發思維的重要載體,能夠引導學生的思維由低階層次向高階層次發展,從而促進其批判性思維能力的形成。初中英語閱讀課教學可以分為讀前、讀中、讀后三個階段。教師可以依據文本內容,遵循教育規律,根據閱讀教學中每個環節的具體教學目標和教學任務,設計有效問題來展開具體的課堂教學活動。在初中英語閱讀課教學中,教師可以通過讀前啟智導入、讀中釋疑解惑、讀后延伸拓展,從而實現提升學生思維能力和閱讀教學質量的目標。
良好的開端是成功的一半。優秀的課堂導入對提升初中英語閱讀教學效果能起到事半功倍的作用。
1.關注興趣,激發閱讀期待
在導入環節重點關注學生學習興趣的激發,讓學生在閱讀期待中進入閱讀情境。在這之前,教師一定要走進課文,吃透教材,準確把握文本內容,了解學情,設計具有啟發性、趣味性的問題,最大程度地激發學生的閱讀興趣。
【教學案例1】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 八年級(上)Unit 7 Section B 2b Do you think you will have your own robot?時,教師可以在幻燈片上顯示robot 這個詞,并提出以下4 個問題:
Q1:When you see the word “robot”,what do you want to know?
S1:I want to know the history of robots.
S2:I want to know how to make a robot.
S3:I want to know what they look like.
S4:I want to know what they can do.
Q2:Yes,you want to know a lot about the robot,and today we will talk about their shapes and things they can do.Can you tell me,in your opinion,what robots look like?
S1:They look like humans.
S2:They look like snakes.
S3:They look like dogs.
讓學生針對robot 一詞展開想象,說出他們自己想要知道些什么,以此預測本堂課的主要內容,并根據已有知識說出機器人的形狀和功能。通過激活學生已有的知識經驗,建立新、舊知識之間的聯系,為閱讀掃除障礙,并在閱讀過程中驗證學生的預測。
Q3:We have so many shapes of robots.What can they do?
S1:They can dance.
S2:They can play the instruments.
S3:They can shake hands.
S4:They can do the housework.
S5:They can sing.
Ss:...
T:They can not only do the same things as us,but even do better than us.Look! What are they doing?(幻燈片顯示機器人做家務的情景)
Ss:They are doing housework.
T:Do you think doing housework is interesting?
Ss:No.
T:So the robots can help with the housework and do the most unpleasant jobs.The robots are useful and helpful.Do you like them?
Ss:Yes.
Q4:Do you think you will have your own robot in the future?Now read the passage to see whether all the scientists agree with us,and try to do true or false.
在閱讀期間,第一遍,學生通過錄音機跟讀并回答對錯題;第二遍,在輕音樂的伴奏下,學生自己閱讀并找出信息:課文中提到了哪些種類的機器人?它們能做什么?通過這種方式提高學生閱讀和捕捉信息的能力。
以上4 個問題激發了學生對文章的閱讀興趣。學生期待在文章中找到相關問題的答案,這種閱讀期待能更好地幫助他們進入有效閱讀。學生在閱讀完后紛紛舉手回答教師提出的問題,課堂氣氛活躍,閱讀能力和口語表達能力也得到了提升。
2.關注懸念,建立閱讀期待
除了趣味性問題之外,教師還可以提出一些高難度問題,以激發學生的閱讀期待和閱讀興趣,從而引導其更好地走進文本,探尋問題的答案。
【教學案例2】
標題是文本的重要組成部分,是一篇文章的點睛之筆。讀者在開始真正閱讀文本之前,都會先關注標題。標題的內容往往與文章的內容密切相連,對文本標題的探究和預測能有效體現評判性閱讀策略的運用。
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 七年級(下)Unit 3 Section B 2b Crossing the River to School 時,教師可以先讓學生閱讀標題和文章中的插圖,然后提問。在學生回答問題的過程中,教師應鼓勵他們對閱讀材料展開大膽猜測,從而對即將閱讀的內容充滿期待。
(先對文章中的插圖進行提問)
T:Look at this picture.Can you imagine how the students get to school?
Ss:They go on a ropeway to cross the river to school.
(再對文章標題Crossing the River to School 進行提問)
T:Please look at the title.Can you imagine why the students go to school like this?
S1:Because there is a very big river between their school and the village.
S2:Because there is no bridge and the river runs too quickly for boats.
學生在問題的引領下展開聯想,帶著自己預測的答案閱讀文本。標題的預測與探究非常有利于閱讀策略的訓練,也有利于評判性閱讀教學的開展。在這樣的閱讀課堂中,學生參與的積極性較高,不僅提升了對標題的理解和分析能力,而且提升了審題、判斷、質疑、推理和創新等能力。
3.關注關聯,開啟閱讀聯想
在導入環節中,教師可以借助事物之間的聯系設計問題,即通過事物之間縱向的聯系或橫向的聯系,新、舊知識之間的聯系來設計問題,然后提出問題并讓學生回答,以激活他們頭腦中已有的知識,促使其聯想新知,達到激活思維并啟發閱讀聯想的目的。
【教學案例3】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 七年級(下)Unit 10 Section B 2b Birthday Food Around the World 時,教師可以通過設計問題導入新課,使學生在積極思考、解決問題的同時開始新的閱讀與探索。例如:
T:Good morning,boys and girls.How are you today?
Ss:We are fine.How are you?
T:I am fine,too.Tomorrow is my birthday.I like celebrating my birthday.On my birthday I like asking some of my friends to my house and have a big dinner and a big birthday cake.Do you like celebrating your birthday,S1?
S1:Yes,I do.
T:What would you like to eat on your birthday?
S1:I would like to eat delicious food and a big birthday cake.
S2:I would like to ask some of my friends to eat seafood in a big restaurant.
T:When is your father’s birthday?
S3:My father’s birthday is on December tenth.
T:How does your family celebrate your father’s birthday?
S4:My mother cooks a big dinner.We sit by the table and enjoy the delicious food.Then we have a big cake.
T:When is your grandfather’s birthday?
S5:My grandfather’s birthday is on November ninth.
T:What food would your grandfather like to eat?(縱向聯系)
S6:He would like some noodles with eggs.
T:Different people like different food on their birthday in China.What food would people like to eat on their birthday in the UK?(橫向聯系)
S7:I think they like birthday cakes with candles.
T:Yes.You are right.So this class we will learn Birthday Food Around the World.Let’s find out what food people in China and in the UK would like to eat on their birthday?(啟發閱讀聯想)
閱讀主要靠學生完成。教師可以采用問題化策略組織教學,并結合上下文分析文本,幫助學生解答疑惑,促使他們完成閱讀任務,提高閱讀效率。
1.關注重點,梳理文本思路
教師應抓住文本的重點信息,根據文本內容設計問題,指導學生梳理文本思路,從而深入理解文本內容。另外,在梳理文本的過程中,教師應該遵循學生的認知規律和接受能力,依據文本的邏輯發展設計問題,并關注設問的連貫性、序列性及層次性,讓學生在一種積極探究的氛圍中參與閱讀體驗。
【教學案例4】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 七年級(下)Unit 12 Section B 2b Reading A Weekend to Remember 時,教師可以設計以下問題,幫助學生把握文章重點。
Q1:How was Lisa’s last weekend?
Q2:What place did Lisa’s parents take them to for a special gift last weekend?
Q3:What did Lisa and her family do in a small village in India?
Q4:How did Lisa and her family get to a lake in the countryside?
Q5:What did Lisa and her family do after they got to the lake?
Q6:What did they do on the first night?
Q7:What did Lisa and her sister see when they looked out of their tent?
Q8:How did Lisa feel?
Q9:What did Lisa and her sister do to let their parents know about the danger?
Q10:What did her father do?
Q11:What lesson did Lisa learn from the weekend?
S1:It was interesting but scary.
S2:Lisa’s parents took them to India for a special gift.
S3:They went camping.
S4:They took a long bus ride to a lake in the countryside.
S5:They put up their tents and made a fire to keep them warm and cook food on.
S6:They just sat under the moon and told each other stories.
S7:They saw a big snake when they looked out of their tents.
S8:She was so scared that she couldn’t move.
S9:They shouted to their parents to let them know about the danger.
S10:Her father started to jump up and down in their tent.
S11:Don’t go near snakes.
學生在初步理解文意的基礎上,帶著問題閱讀文章。通過二次閱讀,學生積極回答教師提出的問題,增強了對文本的理解,加深了對文本的印象和感受。學生快速捕捉信息、整合內容和解決實際問題的能力得到了提高,從而達到了有效閱讀的目的。在這一環節中,學生的閱讀技巧得到了鍛煉,閱讀能力得到了提高,而且他們更好地抓住了文本重點,強化了對文章內涵的理解。
2.關注難點,加深閱讀體悟
學生閱讀理解的難點在于對文章主旨的把握、難句的理解和閱讀技巧的運用。教師可以在學生掌握文章主要內容的基礎上,結合文章內涵及其延伸意義設計問題。在難點問題的設計上,教師應圍繞中心句設疑,注重提問策略,從而幫助學生突破難點,加深對文本內容和主旨的理解。
【教學案例5】
把握文本主題,圍繞主題展開的閱讀活動是有效課堂的關鍵所在。教師可以結合文本的體裁結構、作者的創作意圖及標題等定位和把握文章主題,并設計問題。
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 八年級(下)Unit 9 Section B 2b Reading Singapore—A Place You Will Never Forget!時,教師可以設計以下問題:
T:Can you tell me why Singapore is a place you will never forget?
S1:Singapore is a place I will never forget because I will find a lot of food from China,India,western countries and Japan in it.
S2:Singapore is a place I will never forget because it has a Night Safari.
S3:Singapore is a place I will never forget because the temperature is almost the same all year round.
T:Why can you speak Putonghua a lot of time in Singapore?
S4:I can speak Putonghua a lot of time in Singapore because more than three quarters of the population are Chinese.
T:Why is the best time to watch some animals at night?
S5:A lot of animals only wake up at night so it is the best time to watch them at night.
T:Why is the temperature almost the same all year round?
S6:It is because the island is so close to the equator.
另外,許多文本的主題不一定很明顯地體現在文本內容中,教師可以結合作者意圖或文章標題設問,以引導學生把握文本主題。
3.關注亮點,理解閱讀主題
閱讀的亮點往往就是文章的精髓所在。亮點有鮮明的主旨信號,但有時與文章的重點或難點重疊。教師可以對亮點處進行提問,從而引導學生挖掘文章的內涵,深入理解文章的含義,實現閱讀的價值。
【教學案例6】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 八年級(上)Unit 7 Section 2b Reading Do you think you will have your own robot?時,教師可以設計以下問題,以達到深化閱讀主題的目的。
T:What year will it be in 22 years?
Ss:It will be 2035.
T:Can you imagine the life in 2035? Now let’s see a movie about life in 2035.
在學生觀看短片后,教師再次發問:
T:Do you like the life in 2035? Do you think you will have your own robot in 2035?
If you say yes,that will be yes.If you say no,that will be no.Today,I bring a time capsule.Let’s imagine,and write down your predictions on the paper.Then I will put it into the time capsule.When the year is 2035,I will open this time capsule and show my students what you have written on the paper to see whether it becomes true or not.
Do you want to know my opinion in the year of 2035?
Ss:Yes.
T:I hope that in the year of 2035,there will be no wars in the world.
No blood,no wounds,no death,no hate,only love and responsibility.
We live together and love each other.There is no difference between us.And this is my dream,my greatest happiness.
練習是閱讀課的關鍵環節,是對課堂教學效果的直觀檢測。通過練習的方式,教師教的效果和學生學的效果都能得到很好的檢驗。教師以問為線,串聯各語言知識點,從而幫助學生更好地提高語言能力和閱讀技能。
1.以問促練,鞏固閱讀知識
在課堂上,教師應鼓勵學生自主提問、互問互答。在教師和學生互動的過程中,可以達到更好的課堂效果,從而更好地提高學生的語言表達能力和思維能力。
【教學案例7】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it!九年級Unit 11 Section A 3a Reading The Shirt of a Happy Man(PartⅠ)時,在復習鞏固環節,教師可以鼓勵學生提出自己的調查性問題,再鼓勵其他學生作答。如下:
T:Can you ask a question about the passage to the whole class,S1?
S1:Yes,I can.What does the writer want to tell us?
S2:Power can’t make a person happy.
S3:A lot of wealth can’t make a person happy.
S4:A person who is worried about something is not happy.
S5:Power isn’t everything.
S6:Money isn’t everything.
S7:A famous person may be unhappy.
S8:A poor person may be a happy person.
S9:A person who is in good health may be a happy person.
采用小組競賽的方式,讓學生在理解語篇的基礎上,口頭再現并升華文本信息,增強了復習與鞏固的效果。
2.以問促思,提升思維水平
在讀后環節,教師應創設新的探究性情境,通過問題引領的方式提升學生的思維能力,引導學生圍繞文章內容和主題思考、想象和探究,以拓展其思維空間,提升其思維水平。
【教學案例8】
在教學人教版新目標Go for it! 九年級Unit 7 Section B 2b Reading Should I Be Allowed to Make My Own Decisions?時,在復習鞏固環節,教師可以設計以下問題:
T:Why do Liu Yu’s parents not allow Liu Yu to practice his hobby at night?
S1:His parents believe that Liu Yu should study hard in the evenings so they don’t allow him to practice running at night.
T:Do you think Liu Yu should be allowed to practice his hobby as much as he wants?
S2:I think Liu Yu should be allowed to practice his hobby as much as he wants because if he wants to achieve his dreams he must practice running more.
T:Why or why not?
S3:I think Liu Yu shouldn’t be allowed to practice his hobby as much as he wants because if he doesn’t end up as a professional runner he needs to think about what will happen.
T:After learning this passage,what can we do to help him?(探究性問題)
Ss:We may give him some suggestions.
探究性問題的設置既與本課主題相關,又在學生已有的知識水平上進行了拓展,啟發了學生的思維,實現了真正意義上的探究性學習。
T:Good idea.Let’s write a letter to Liu Yu and tell him what he should do.
書信格式如下:
Dear Liu Yu,I’m sorry to hear that your parents don’t allow you to practice your hobby at night.
Yours,________
(After 7 minutes,ask some students to present their letters.)
引導學生利用文本提供的語言支持來解決實際問題,并進行寫作練習。這個寫作對學生來說有一定的挑戰性,需要他們積極主動地利用所學語言,獨立思考作文布局。學生要完成寫作任務,僅僅依靠掌握的語言和結構是遠遠不夠的。教師在解讀文本時還要有意識地啟發和引導學生挖掘、體驗文本中傳遞的情感態度價值觀。只有情感態度到位了,作品才會有吸引讀者、感染讀者的力量。
在初中英語閱讀教學中,教師要以“效”字為前提,同時采用具體有效的策略。教師在設計問題時,要尊重學生的個體差異,設計有針對性、層次性的問題;根據不同的內容靈活選擇多種提問形式。另外,在讀前的話題導入、讀中的文本梳理、讀后的拓展內涵等環節,教師所設計的問題都要以激發學生的思維為前提,以促進學生的思維發展為導向,引導他們對文本語言、篇章結構、文化內涵、作者觀點、寫作目的、情感態度等進行分析、綜合和評價,提高其評判性思維能力。
《義務教育英語課程標準(2011年版)》提出:“在英語教學中,教師應當堅持‘以生為本’的理念,面向全體,問字當頭,優化提問策略,提高教學效率。”(教育部 2012)在初中英語閱讀教學中,有效提問有助于學生養成良好的閱讀習慣和思維習慣,同時對提升英語教學質量有積極作用。因此,教師應以“效”字為先,策略并舉,善于提問,切實提高初中英語閱讀教學的效率和質量。