The Application of English Songs in English Teaching 英文歌曲在英语教学中的应用 9页

TheApplicationofEnglishSongsinEnglishTeaching英文歌曲在英语教学中的应用1.IntroductionInrecentyears,thevalueofEnglishsongsinmotivatingstudentstolearnEnglishandenhancingtheirinvolvementiswidelyacknowledgedbymoreandmoreEnglishForeignLanguagePractitioners.Intheirlanguageclasses,manyForeignLanguageteachershaveadoptedrichlymeaningfulEnglishsongs,whichtakeupthewholeclassperiodinsteadofonlybeingusedaswarm-upactivitiesgamesandsoon.Englishsongsareseenasauniqueteachingtool,vitalincommunicativelanguageteaching,providinglanguageteacherswithrichandvariedresources.Theycanbeusednotonlyforpurposefullanguagepractice,butalsotomotivatestudentstolearnEnglishandenhancetheirinvolvementinEnglishforeignlanguagelearning.2.ThecurrentsituationofEnglishteachingAsChinajointsWTO,theinternationalcommunicationbetweenChinaandtherestoftheworldhasbecomemoreandmorefrequent.Asaninternationallanguage,EnglishisusedwidelyinChina.Therefore,moreandmorepeopleattachimportanttolearnEnglish.ButthetraditionalEnglishteachinghasmanydisadvantages,andcouldnotmeettheneedsofourmodernsociety.Thus,newEnglishteachingreformmustbecarriedout.InnewEnglishteachingsystem,thestudentscancommunicatewithothersinrealcontext.2.1ThedisadvantageoftraditionalEnglishteachingInthetraditionalEnglishteaching,thewholeschoolcentersontheexaminationandthemanagementobjectivesarequiteobviouslyandcommon—highmarks.Themaincriteriaofevaluatingoftheteachingqualityarescoresandtheproportionofstudentsenteringhigherschool.Inordertoletstudentsgethighmarksintheexamination,manyteachersonlyteachstudentsmanywords,grammarandfixedsentenceswhileignorestudents’comprehensiveabilitiessuchas,listeningability,speakingability.Forexample,whentheteachersasksomequestionsinEnglishintheclassanddemandstudentstoanswerthem,thestudentscouldnotunderstandwhattheteacherssaidatall,nottomentionhowtoexpressthemselves.Whathavelearnedisonlyusedinexamination,thusstudentslacktheabilityoflisteningandspeaking.Ontheotherhand,inordertogethighmarks,studentsalwaysstudymechanically.TheyneverhaveinterestinlearningEnglish.Althoughtheyhavehighscoresinthevariousexaminations,theyarequiteweakinlistening,speakingandcommunication.Itisunfavorableforcultivatingandenrichingstudents’personality.Thusinthefuture’scompetition,thesestudentswillbeeliminated.SothetraditionalEnglish teachingmustbeabolished.WemustcarryoutthenewEnglishteachingsystemtocultivatethetalenttomeetthedemandsofoursociety.2.2ThenecessityofEnglishteachingreformEnglishteachingisveryessentialtosocialdevelopment.Inordertoenhancethelevelofmodernization,improveChina’scomprehensivenationalstrength,andnarrowthegapbetweendevelopedanddevelopingcountries,theChinesegovernmentputforwardthestrategyofdevelopingourcountrybyscienceandeducation.Inordertoachievethistarget,theChinesegovernmentdoesnotonlyrelyonthenationalpeople’shardwork,butalsoshouldcontinuetoadheretothepolicyofopeningandreform,promoteinternationalinteraction,constantlystudyothercountries’advancedexperiences.Duringtheprocessofcommunicationandlearning,languagemustbeused.Astheworld’smostdevelopedcountriesuseEnglishlanguage,Englishhasbecometoday’smostwidelyusedlanguage,especially,aftertheChineseeconomyinvolveintotheworldeconomy.Withtheimprovementofthemodernization’sdegree,China’sdemandstotalentwillundergotremendouschanges.Thischangewillmostprominentlymanifestinthedemandfortalentstandards.Thefutureworldwillnolongerneedasingletypeofspecializedtalent,butthepeoplewiththeintegratedabilities.TheneedwillforcetheEnglishteachingreformtobecarriedout.Atthesametime,EnglishteachingreformisalsotheEnglishcurriculum’srequirements.EnglishcurriculumreformrequireteacherstotrainstudentstocommunicatewithothersbyusingverbalandwrittenEnglish,andalsofocusonreadingproficiencyandenablestudentstoreceivesomeself-learningability.ItwilllayagoodfoundationforstudentscontinuingtolearnanduseEnglish,enablingstudentstoachievemoraleducationsincharacter,patriotism,socialismandotheraspectsofeducation.Inordertoachievetherequirementofteachingsyllabus,wemustreformEnglishteachingsystemthoroughly.3.ThetheoreticalprinciplesandreasonsofusingEnglishsongs3.1ThetheoreticalprinciplesofusingEnglishsongsTheapplicationofEnglishsongsinEnglishteachingconformstostudents’psychologicalcharacteristicsofage,psychologicalprincipleandtheaestheticprinciple.Thejuniorstudentsarelivelyandactive.IfweletthemmemorizeEnglishwordsdully,theywouldfeellikebeingtiedup.TheywillgraduallylosetheinterestinlearningEnglish.IfweletthemlistentoEnglishsongsandfollowwiththeminEnglishteaching,itcancreatealivelyatmosphereoflearninginclass.Atthesametime,italsoarousesthestudentslearninginterestandmakestheirbrainsbefullofvigorandviability.Whenstudentslistentoandsingthesongs,theycanestablishthepsychologicaltendencytomotivatetheirhighmotivationinlearning,stimulatestudents’learningneedsandexcited.Itwilllaythepsychologicalfoundationfor studentstolearnEnglishhappyandrelaxed.WhilestudentsappreciatetheseEnglishsongs,theycaninvolveintothisbeautifulmusic,theirsoulswillbepurified,andtheirmindswillbemolded.Theknowledgelearnfromthemusicwillberememberedfirmlyandefficiently.Thisisthecharmifartandconformtotheaestheticprinciplecompletely.3.2ThereasonsofusingEnglishsongs3.2.1EmotionfactorIntheearly20thcentury,psychologistsmadelotsofresearchonhumanbeings’intellectual,andthentheyobtainedmanyvaluableconclusions.Thesepsychologiststhoughtthatintelligencedoesnotchangetoomuchinwholelife.Throughtheintelligenceinfourages,personscanpredicttheintelligenceofeighteenages;however,intellecthardlychangesaftereighteenage.TheEnglishlearningissimilartohumanbeings’intelligence.Incertainconditions,students’non-intelligentialfactorsplayanimportantroleinEnglishlearning.Interestisthebestteacher.Howtostimulatestudents’interestanddeveloptheprincipalroleofstudentsisthekeyofimprovingteachingeffectandenhancingachievements.Therefore,teachersshouldtrytheirbesttocreatealivelyatmosphereforstudentstolearnEnglish,arousestudents’positives,andactivenessinlearning.Inotherwords,teachersmustmakestudentsstudyhappily.Therefore,theapplicationofEnglishsongsconformstothecharacteristicsofstudents’interest.Intheprocessofstudying,studentscangeneratejoyfulemotionalexperience,constructlooseclassatmosphere,andmotivatestudents’creativitiesandimaginative.3.2.2LanguagefactorInfact,languagelearnerswillcomeacrossmanyinformallanguagesinreallife.Therefore,itisverynecessarytoletstudentsgetinwiththepopularspokenEnglish.However,thereislotsofslanginEnglishsongs.Forexample,inthesong,“MyWasNeverGoodEnough”,“Everydoghashisday”,“Everycouldhasasliverlinging”,bothofthemarethebestexamplesofEnglishslang.Foranotherinstance,Jambalayaisalife-spokensong.“Megottago”(=Ihavetogo),“Sonofgun”(=fellow).Therefore,Englishsongscansupplystudents’spokenvocabularyandmakesreadyforstudentstofacereallanguagecontextinfuture.3.2.3CulturefactorLinguiststhinkthattheabilityoflanguagecommunitiesshouldcontaintwoaspects:languageabilityandinteractionability.Theinteractionabilityisthecompetenceofusers’socialculture.Inordertohavetheinteractionability,teachersshouldintroducecultureinEnglishteaching.Inotherwords,letstudentsknowsomeculturalbackgroundknowledge.Therearemanywaystointroduceculture;however,singing Englishsongsistheoneofmostinterestingandreceivableway.Forinstance,“AmericantheBeautiful,RedRiverValley,ChickGoTheShear,TheBlueBellofScotland”andsoon.ThesesongsdisplaythedifferentfolkcustomaboutAmerican,Canada,AustraliaandEngland.Foranotherinstance,“AllthePrettyLittleHorses”describesthesufferablelifeofslavers.“HomeontheRange,”narratestheexplorationofwesternAmericanandpastureswereswallowed.TheChristmassong“JingleBelles”cangodeepintoknowingthewesterncountries’magnificentday.4.TheadvantagesofusingEnglishsongsinEnglishteachingEnglishsongsallowpeopletoexpressfeelings,suchasanger,pleasure,andsorrowandsoon.Agoodsongcanletpersonsexpressthemselveswidely,producebeautifulfeelingsandbefullofexcitingintheirlife.EvenmanyEnglishsongsareanexcellentmediumforemotionalcommunication.ManyEnglishsongsaresimpleandbeautiful,andtheyhaveastrongorsweetrhythm.Moststudentsenjoysinging,andsongsareoftenawelcomechangefromtheroutineofclassroomactivityinlearningalanguage.Pleasureforitsownsakeisanimportantpartoflanguagelearning,afactwhichisoftenoverlookedbythecoursedesignerfocusingonpresentationorastudents-centeredandenjoyableone.Yettheaccessibilityofsongsshouldnotencourageustobeindiscriminateinouruseofthem,fortheymayhelporhinderthelearnerinanumberofdifferentways.Learningtakesplacenotmerelythroughgoodpresentation,butthroughmeaningful,spacedrepetitionofthelearningitems.Sincemanycoursebooksdonotprovidesufficientmeaningfulrepetitionofteachingpoints,thecarefulteacherisconstantlylookingforoccasionstousewordsandsentencesfrompreviouslessons,beforetheyfadefromthelearner’smemory.Nevertheless,repetitioninducesboredom.Theteacher’staskistoseethatrepetitionismeaningful,andsongsprovidedofincreasingtheamountofrepetitionpossiblewithoutthelearner’sinterest.Thus,songscanhelptheteacherbyconsolidatinghisteaching.Therefore,theteachersaddthesongstotheEnglishclassthatcanreleasestudentsfromatenseatmosphereandmakethestudentsfocusonthelessonagain.TherearemanyadvantagesofusingEnglishsongsinEnglishteaching.Itnotonlycanstimulatethestudents’interestinlearning,butalsoincreasevocabulary,phrases,grammarandsoon.4.1MotivatelearninginterestInterestisthebestteacher.Generally,itmakestheclasslivelyandfunny.Anothereducator,Tolstoy,said,“Whatsuccessfulteachingisn’tdonebyforce,butisdonebystimulatingthestudent’sinterest”.①Asuccessfulteachercanstimulatethestudentslongforstudy.Englishsongsareveryusefultogiverisetointerest.SomeEnglishsongshavevividcontents,sweetrhythmandevenincludealovestory.ThesethingsmakestudentsfeelthatstudyingEnglishisveryinteresting. Aboveall,songsaremostwelcomedbystudents,theycanhelpencouragestudentstosustaintheirinterestinEnglish,helptocreatecontestsinwhichthelanguageisusefulandmeaningful,addvarietyandenjoymenttothelanguagelearning,providelisteningcomprehensionpractice,enrichcultureunderstandingandprovidenewinsights.OnlyifstudentsareinterestedinEnglish,theyarewillingtolearnit.4.2Enlargevocabulary,phrasesInEnglishsongs,thestudentscomeacrosssomenewwords.However,songscanstimulatestudent’semotionalimagination,andthentheyareeagertoknowthesenewwords.Duringsingingsongs,theycanlearnnewwordsnaturally.Forexample,whenteachingMonday,Tuesday,Wednesday…Sunday,theteacherscanteachthesong“ThereareSevenDays”②aheadoflesson.Thenafterclass,theteacherscanpreparesomecardsrepresentingdifferentdays,letstudentssingandactittogether.Inthisway,thestudentswillhaveastrongconnectionwiththem.Theywillfindnewwordsbecomingeasy.Themoretheyfeeleasy,themoretheylearnquickly.Englishsongsareanopportunityforvocabularyreview,ifitusesthevocabularyoftheschoolcourse.Somesongsofferapleasantwayofgivingrepetitiontowordsofparticularcentreofinterestorsituation.Head,Shoulders,KneesandToesareusefulforreviewingthenamesofpartsofthebody,andisaccompaniedbyaction.Forexample:“Head,shoulders,kneesandtoes,kneesandtoes,Head,shoulders,kneesandtoes,KneesandtoesandeyesandearsandmouthandnoseHead,shoulders,kneesandtoes,kneesandtoes.”Throughthisway,studentscanstrengthentheirvocabularies.Phrasesarejustlikewords,iftheteachersmakegooduseofEnglishsongs,thestudentswillremembermoreandmorequicklyandsetupagoodfoundationforlongtimememory,andthentheycanusethephrasesinrealcommunications.Forexample“InWinterIgetUpatNight”③Thelyricsare‘InwinterIgetupatnight,anddressbyyellowcandlenight.Insummer,quitetheotherway,Ihavetogotobedbyday’Thephrasesbetweenmarks“___”areoftenused.Atthesametime,ifthestudentslearnthissong,theyalsolearnthesenewphrasesanduseitproperly.4.3LearntousegrammarItisverydifficultandimportantforstudentstolearngrammarwell.Manystudentsgetpoorgradebecauseofbadgrammar,sogrammarbecomesaseriousproblem.Althoughsometeacherstrytofindoutmanywaystosolveit,itisnotobvioustoimprovestudents’gradeingrammar.Thenthroughsomeexperiments,Englishsongsareregardedasagoodmethodtostrengthengrammar.Firstofall,throughlearningEnglishsongs,studentsdonotonlyrelaxtheirnervesinEnglishclassbutalsohelpthemlearnandcomprehendsomegrammarknowledge,suchas“HereIcome,HereIgo”canhelpstudentstolearninversioneasily.ItistheimportantpointintheEnglishgrammar.Lyricsareasfollows,“HereIcome,andhereIgo.Rideonmylittletricyclearoundtheworld,aroundtheworld.Meandmylittletricycle,mylittletricycle”④Generallyspeaking,thesentencebegins“here”,itneeds inversion.‘HereIcome,hereIgo’becausethesubject“I”ispronoun,itneedn’tinversion.Therefore,thesubject“I”mustbeputbeforepredicate“come”.Forexample,Hereshecomes.Butwhenthesubjectisnoun,itneedscompletelyinversion.Foranotherexample,Herecomesthebus!Inthissentence,“bus”isnoun,soitusescompletelyinversion.Thepredicate“come”needputbeforethesubject“bus”.Because“bus”isthethirdpersonal,“come”shouldbecome“comes”.Inaddition,inthissong,thestudentsmaylearnsomenewphrasesaroundtheworld,rideon...Inshort,thestudentsfeeleasytolearnsomeknowledge,andtheyfeelrelaxed.4.4ImproveEnglishpronunciationPronunciationisanimportantaspectofEnglishteaching.Whenthestudentslearnsongs,theycancomeacrosstheplosive,semi-vowels,soundinglinking,incompleteplosiveandsoon.Theseaspectsareveryimportantbetweenphonetics.Forexample,thesong‘LemonTree’.Partsoflyricsare“I’msittinghereinaboringroom;It’sjustanotherrainySundayafternoon.I’mwastingmytime,Igotnothingtodo.I’mhangingaround,I’mwaitingforyou.Butnothingeverhappens,andIwonder.I’mdrivingaroundinmycar,I’mdrivingtoofast,andI’mdrivingtoofar”.⑤Whenteachersteachthissong,theyshouldnotonlypaymoreattentiontothesoundlinkingbutalsoplosiveandincompleteplosive.Theteachersmaymakeuseofthissongtoclarifythephoneticsystem.Thestudentsshouldknowthissongrhythm.SongscanhelpestablishafeelingfortherhythmandstressingspokenEnglish.GirlsandBoysComeOutandPlaygivesausefullessoninEnglishrhythmandstressing,suchas,“Girlsandboyscomeoutandplay,Thesunaboveisbrighttoday,Leaveyourworkandleaveyoursleep,Comeandjointusinthestreet,Comewithashoutandbringyourcall,Comewithasmileandbringyourball,Downthestepsandupthepath,Allthefunwillmakeyoulaugh.”Itmakesclassfunnyandlively.Generallyspeaking,thebestwaytostudyEnglishwellistolistenandspeakmore.IfyouonlylearnEnglishbylearningwordsandgrammar,youareeasytoforget.Studyingforalongperiodwillmakestudentsbored,butEnglishsongscansolvethisproblem.Itmakesstudentsrelax,happyandlearnnaturally.4.5PromotetheabilityofcommunicationYouwanttolearnEnglishverywell,listening,speaking,reading,writingandtranslatingcan’tbeseparated.Peopleoftensay“Firstlisteningandspeaking,thenreadingandwriting”.ButIthinkspokenEnglishisthemostimportantinallaspects,becauseitaffectsstraightlywriting,reading,listeningandtranslating.IfthestudentsspeakEnglishasfluentaspossible,theyhavemuchmoreopportunitiestocommunicatewithotherpeople.ThenEnglishsongsarethemostusefultoolstoimproveyourEnglishcompetence.StudentscandeveloptheabilityofspokenEnglishbysingingasonginEnglish.Thegenerally,studentsaremerewillingtoacceptit.UsingsimpleEnglishsongsforlow-gradestudents,itwillbenotonlyenablestudentstoquicklygraspthetechnologyofsentences,suchas:“Hello,Hello,Howareyou?”“Canyouspell…?”“Thisisapen,thisisabook.”butalsothroughimitation. Forhighschoolstudents,leaningtosingEnglishsongscangreatlysimulatetheirenthusiasmforlearningEnglish.Whencommunicatewithothers,weoftenusesomespecialwords,suchas,“who,when,where,why,whatandhow.”Weareoftenuse“who,when,where,why,whatandhow”duringcommunication.ThenintheEnglishsongs,thesewordsoftenappear.Forexample,“Whatareyoudoing?WhereisMickeyMouse?Andsoon”.LearntheseEnglishsongs,thesequestionwordscanbeproperlyemployedduringcommunication.5.TipsonchoosingEnglishsongsEnglishsongscanproviderichandvariedresourcesinEnglishlearningclassrooms;however,thesong-basedlessonsarenoteasilygowell.Thus,selectionsuitablematerialseemsveryimportantforteachers.AppropriateEnglishsongscanpromoteEnglishteaching;otherwise,itwillhinderEnglishteaching.IfteachersdonotselectEnglishsongsaccordingtothepurposeofteaching,evenstudentslearnsomeknowledge;itcannotreachtheidealresults.ChoosingEnglishsongsmustmeetthefollowingcriteria.5.1ChooseappropriateEnglishsongsWhenteacherschooseEnglishsongs,theymustfollowsomerules.Themelodiesshouldbesimpleandbeautifultobeexcellentdevicesformotivatingstudents.Thestyleofmusicshouldbemeetstudents’taste,takingintoaccountthesocialandculturalnormsofChinesesociety.Themassageofthesongsshouldbeeasytofollow.Thelyricofthesongshouldbesoclearthatthesongcanbeusedexercisesorthestudentscangraspatleastcertainrepeatedwordsandphrases.Thecontentofthesongsshouldmeetlearnerslevel,andforspecificteachingpurpose.Atthesametime,itmustabidebythepurposeoflanguagetrainingrequirements.Becausethestudents’agesaredifferent,theirunderstandingsarequitedifferent.Thus,choosingEnglishsongsshouldbebasedonthestudents’ages.Famouseducator,JeremyHarmer,pointedout“Speakingistheskillthatthestudentswillbejudgedonmostinreallifesituation.It’sanimportantpartofeverybodyinteractionandmostoftenthefirstimpressionofapersonisbasedonhisorherabilitytospeakfluentlyandcomprehension”.Therefore,choosingthesuitableEnglishsongstendstobeimportantfortheteachers.Forexample,RowYourBoatthissongissuitableforteachingpupils.Someeasywords,livelyrhythmandsweetcontentscanmotivatethepupil’sinterest.However,someEnglishsongsmaybesungbycollegestudents.Itlooksverycomplex.Lyricsislong,contentbecomecomplex,suchas“YesterdayOnceMore”.Differentsongsaresuitablefordifferentperson.Butthesesongshaveacommonpoint—theycanbeappliedinteaching.TheycanalsocreateahappyandrelaxedEnglishteachingenvironment. 5.2ChooseEnglishsongstoimprovethecomprehensiveabilityIfyouwanttolearnEnglishwell,listening,speaking,readingandwritingcannotbeseparated.Similarly,someteachersshouldnottrainstudents’singleabilityinusingEnglishsongs.IntheprocessofapplyingEnglishsongstoEnglishteaching,teachersshouldimprovestudents’integratedcomprehensiveability.WhenEnglishsongsusedintheclasses,teachersconductedthemascohesivewhole,consistingofseveralrelatedtask:listening,reading,storytelling,freetalkandwriting.Forinstance,“listentothesongandfillinblanks”totrainlistening.“Readloudlyandlearntosing”toimprovespokenEnglish,andmanyothereffectivewaystoimprovestudents’comprehensiveability.Soteachersmustavoidisolatedthefourskills,buttocultivatetheirintegratedcomprehensiveability.5.3PutattentiononqualitybutnotquantityinchoosingEnglishsongsThequantitymustmeetcertainrequirements.Thenumberofsongsusedinclassshouldn’tbetoomuch.Thistypeofclassshouldbeemployedoccasionallybytogetherwithothertypesoflanguageclasses,aimingatmakingclassesvaried.OverusingEnglishsongsinclassmayweakenstudents’interests;andabatetheirabsorbingofsystematicknowledge,otherwisetheclasschangesintomusicclass.TeacherscanuseEnglishsongsonceaweekortwiceaweekbutnottoomuch.Itvariesfrompersontoperson,soteachersshouldusethenumberofEnglishsongsproperly.6.ConclusionMusiccanenhancestudents’interestinEnglishlearning.Songsisnotonlyaformofmusic,butalsoaveryimportantformofeducation.IfEnglishsongsandEnglishteachingintegratedcloselytogether,itcanstimulatethestudents’interestinlearningEnglishandimprovecomprehensiveability.Beautiful,harmonious,fastpaced,anddistinctiveEnglishsongsarethegoodhelperforstudents.BecauseEnglishsongsaresimpleandremarkable,itcaneffectivelyinspirestudentstolearnEnglishandcanbeacceptedbystudentseasily.Ofcourse,teachersshouldpayattentiontochooseEnglishsongsscientificallyandavoidabusing.Onlythroughthisway,itcanachievethefinalpurpose—improvestudents’interestandEnglishteaching.Inshort,Englishsongscanstimulatetheirinterestinlearning,enablethemtomasterknowledgeinenjoyableatmosphereandunderstanddifficultpointsproperlyandfirmly.Musicisuniversalanditcanstimulatepeople’sunlimitedpotential.AlsoEnglishisknownas“bridgetotheworld”.Ifthetwoaspectscombineorganically,itcanmakeEnglishteachingmethodscolorfully.ThestudentswillbehappytosailintheEnglishworld. Notes:①McDonough,J.etal.ResearchMethodsforEnglishLanguageTeachers[M].Beijing:ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000.②DennisJamesLeBoeuf.最好的儿童英文歌曲[M].北京：开明文教音像出版社.2005.③程慕胜.清华少儿英语[M].北京：清华大学出版社.2005.④程慕胜.清华英语[M].北京：清华大学出版社.2005.⑤左小玉、张建军.英文歌曲欣赏[M].上海：南海出版公司.2006.References[1]McDonough,Jetal.ResearchMethodsforEnglishLanguageTeacher[M].Beijing:ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000[2]程慕胜.清华英语[M].北京：清华大学出版社.2005.[3]汪文珍.英语语音[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社.2003.[4]薄冰.薄冰语法[M].北京:开明出版社.2005.[5]董操.英语教育学[M].北京：教育科学出版社.1998.[6]吴道存.怎样教好英语[M].北京:人民教育出版社.1991.[7]梅德明.新世纪英语教学理论与实践[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社.2002.