本科毕业论文--探究式学习在中学英语语法教学中的应用 22页

本科毕业论文探究式学习在中学英语语法教学中的应用学院外国语学院专业英语年级级学号222006310011085姓名指导教师肖丹成绩二○一○年四月 ApplicationofInquiryLearningtoGrammarTeachinginChineseMiddleSchoolsSupervisorXiaoDanAThesisSubmittedinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofB.A.inEnglishSCHOOLOFFOREIGNLANGUAGESSOUTHWEST-CHINAUNIVERSITYApril,2010 AcknowledgementsFirstly,IwouldliketoshowmydeepgratitudeandrespecttomysupervisorXiaoDanforhercarefulguidanceandhardwork.Herexperiencedsuggestionsandcontinualencouragementhaveguidedmethroughallmywritingprocessofthispaper.Withoutherguidanceandassistance,thecompletionofthisthesiswouldhavebeenimpossible.Secondly,IwanttoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudetotheprofessorsandteachersofSchoolsofForeignLanguageswhoinstructedandhelpedmealotinthepasthalfandthreeyears.Finally,Iwishtothankmyparentsandfriends,whosespiritualandpracticalsupportensuresmycourageinfaceofdifficulties. ContentsAbstract...........................................................i内容摘要..........................................................ii1.Introduction......................................................12.ThetraditionalPPPapproachandproblemsingrammarteaching...........22.1StagesofPPPapproachongrammarteaching..........................22.2ProblemsofPPPapproachundercurrentsituation......................33.LiteratureReviewofInquirylearning.................................43.1Definition.......................................................43.2Reasonsofapplyinginquirylearningtogrammarteaching................53.3Characteristicsofinquirylearning....................................73.4Proceduresofinquirylearning......................................84.Applicationofinquirylearningtogrammarteachinginrealclass............94.1Typesofinquirylearningmethods...................................94.2Specificcasesoftheapplicationofinquirylearningongrammarteaching....105.Conclusion......................................................13Reference..........................................................14 AbstractGrammarteachingisanimportantpartinEnglishlearninginChinesemiddleschools.Traditionally,grammaristaughtbyPPPapproach,inwhichteacherfirstteachessomegrammaticalandthenstudentstrytoremembertheserulesthroughdrills.However,EnglishnewcoursestandardpointsoutclearlythatEnglishcourseshouldstressthefurtherdevelopmentofintegratedskills,andimprovethestudents"abilitiesofachievinginformation,dealingwithinformation,analyzingproblems,andsolvingproblemsinEnglish.Teachersshouldencouragethemtoexplorenatureactivelyandobtainknowledgeindifferentmethods.Itmeansthetraditionalmethodofteachinggrammarisnotsoadmissible.Englishteachersmustexplorewhateverteachingmethodscanbeusedingrammarteachingunderthenewcircumstanceswherestudentsshouldbethecenterofclasses.Finally,itprobesanefficientway,inquirylearning,whichissupposedtobeaneffectivemethod.Inthisthesis,thereasonsandfeasibilityoftheapplicationofinquirylearningtogrammarteachingarediscussed.AccordingtoaclearcontrastbetweenPPPapproachandtheinquirylearning,thispaperillustratestheadvantagesofthelatter.Itcreatesanenvironmentforthestudentstocombinethelanguagepointswiththereallifesothatthesehands-onexperiencesincreasetheirinterestandhelpthemtoapplywhattheyhavelearnedinthenaturalworld,whichisoneoftheimportantaimstolearnEnglish.Furthermore,itintroducesthetypicalfeaturesofinquirylearningandalsoshowsthatinquirylearningisaflexibleandactiveprocessoflearning.Inthispaper,avarietyofexamplesoftheapplicationoftheinquirylearningintherealclassisvividlypresented.Therefore,comparedwithtraditionalgrammarteachingwhichisalwaysregardedasbeingtediousandboring,inquirylearningcanmakeitbothinterestingandeffective.Aimingtoprovidesometeachingsuggestions,hopefully,thispaperwillbeofanyhelptogrammarteachinginmiddleschools.Keywords:grammarteaching;PPPapproach;inquirylearning16 内容摘要在中国，语法教学是英语教学的一个重要组成部分。在传统课堂上，语法教学采用呈现、操练、产出三个步骤的形式。教师讲授一项语法知识，学生通过机械练习强记这些知识。然而，《英语课程标准》明确指出:“英语课程应强调在进一步发展学生综合语言运用能力的基础上，着重提高学生用英语获取信息、处理信息、分析问题和解决问题的能力。”因此，在英语教学中，教师应鼓励学生积极探究，用多种方法来获取知识，这也就意味着传统的英语语法教学模式无法达到现行的教学目标。在以学生为课堂中心的新形势下，教师必须探索新的有效的语法教学模式。针对这种情况，探究式学习被认为是一种行之有效的教学模式。通过与传统的3p教学法的比较，本文论述了探究式学习模式的可行性及其在语法教学上的应用，展示出探究式学习的优点。它把现实生活和语法知识点紧密联系起来以激发学生学习兴趣，创造出一个自然轻松的学习环境，同时也有利于达到使学生把所学知识应用到实际生活中的英语教学目标。此外，本文通过对探究式学习的特征的介绍以及文中所举的大量应用探究式学习的教学实例展示出探究式学习是一种可行的积极的学习模式，与传统的枯燥乏味的语法教学模式相比较，探究式学习法的应用使得语法教学既有趣又有效。本文还针对语法教学现状提出一些教学建议，希望能对中学英语语法教学的推进有所帮助。关键词：语法教学；3p教学法；探究式教学16 ApplicationofInquiryLearningtoGrammarTeachinginChineseMiddleSchools1.IntroductionGrammar,asanindispensablepartinlanguagelearning,hasbeendefinedindifferentways.Brown(1994)thinksgrammaras"asystemofrulesgoverningtheconventionalarrangementandrelationshipofwordsinasentence",LongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglish(Longman,1995)statesthatgrammaris(thestudyandthepracticeof)therulesbywhichwordschangetheirformsandarecombinedintosentences.Whateverkindofdefinition,justasWiddowson(1990)saying,grammarisclearlycentraltotheworkingoflanguage.Itisthebasisofreadingandwriting.InChina,Englishistaughtandlearnedasaforeignlanguage.Therefore,oncethestudentsleavetheEnglishclassroom,itishighlyunlikelyforthemtoacquirethegrammarknowledgesincetheyhaverelativelyfewopportunitiestoreceivecomprehensibleinputinEnglishandparticipateininteractionwithothersinEnglish.SoEnglishgrammarteachinghasalwaysbeenacentralbutalsodifficultaspectinChina.Traditionally,inChina,grammarisoftentaughtbyPPPmethodology(presentation,practice,andproduction),inwhichtheteacherfirstexplainssomegrammaticalrules,andthenstudentstrytoremembertheserulesaccordingtosomemechanicaltraining.However,theteachingactivitiesthataredesignedtobeteacher-centeredarerelativelydullandstaticandthereislittleinteractionbetweentheteacherandstudents.Thisapproachprovestobeineffectiveandgivesbothteachersandstudentsmuchstress,foralthoughthestudentscanproducecorrectformsonexercisesandtests,theyconsistentlymakeerrorswhentheytrytousethelanguageincontextorrealconversations.Inthisway,thestudentsarejustpassivelearnersandarelackofinterestandmotivation.JustasJohnsonandMorrow(1981:1)state,studentsbecamealmost"structurallycompetentbutcommunicativelyincompetent".16 Thiskindofteachingmethodcannotmeettheneedsofourcountryforthehighqualitytalents.Furthermore,underthesituationthatNationalMinistryofEducationinChinaiscarryingonthecurriculumreformandemphasizesthatitproceedsfromthestudents"interestsofstudying,experienceoflifeandcognitivelevel;advocateslearningmethodsofexperience,practice,participation,cooperationandexchangingandthetask-basedteachingway;developsstudents"abilitiesofusingthelanguagesyntheticallytomakethecourseofthelanguagelearningbecometheoneinwhichstudentscanformthepositiveemotionattitude,theinitiativethinkingandboldpracticeandraisecross-culturalconsciousnessesandformtheabilityofstudyingoftheirown,Englishteachersfacenewchallengeofhowtoteachgrammarmoreeffectively.Nowthatthenewcourseencouragesstudentstoparticipateintheclassandexploreknowledgeactivelyandimprovethestudents"abilitiesofachievinginformation,collectinginformation,dealingwithinformation,analyzingproblems,solvingproblemsinEnglishandalsotheabilityofcooperation,inquirylearningnaturallybecomesanefficientapproachingrammarteaching.Inthispaperthefeasiblemodehasbeendiscussedanddescribedtheoreticallyandpractically,rangingfromthecharacteristicsofittotheapplicationofitintherealclass.2.ThetraditionalPPPapproachandproblemsingrammarteachingPPPistheproductofcommunicativelanguageteachingwhichisformedin1970s.PPPstandsforPresentation,PracticeandProduction.IthasbeenatraditionalmodelforEnglishgrammarteachinginChina,anditisalsoprobablythemostinfluentialandcommonapproachascanbeevidencedinmanyEnglishasforeignLanguagegrammarcoursebooks.AtypicalPPPlessonwouldstartbytheteacherintroducinganewlanguageiteminacontextfollowedbysomecontrolledpractice,suchasdrilling,repetition,dialoguereading,etc.studentsthenmoveontoproducethelanguageinamoremeaningfulway,suchasaroleplay,adrama,aninterview,etc.2.1StagesofPPPapproachongrammarteachingPresentationstage16 Thepurposeofthepresentationstageisto‘helpthelearneracquirenewlinguisticknowledgeortorestructureknowledgethathasbeenwronglyrepresented’(Ellis,1988:21).Inthisstage,teachersalwayspresentgrammarrulesinthewrittenortheoralformdirectly.Itmayincludeexamplesentencesgivenbytheteacherortheoreticalexplanationaccordingtothegrammarbooksorpreparedgrammarmaterials.Soafterthisstage,studentshaveaclearcognitionandunderstandofnewlanguagepoints.Then,insubsequentlessons,newknowledgewillbuildonthetopofwhatwastaughtpreviously,orasSkehan(1996:17)says,“Thereisabeliefthatlearnerswilllearnwhatistaughtintheorderinwhichitistaught.”PracticestageThepracticestageistypicallydividedintotwosections,controlledandfreer.Thisstageaimstodevelopstudents’imitationandcreativity.Incontrolledpractice,thestudentsproducemechanically,suchassimplyrepeatingthetargetstructures.Infreerpractice,theassumptionisthatthelearnersunderstandtheformsofthetargetlanguage,butneedpracticetointernalizethestructure.Therefore,studentsarerequiredtomanipulatethenewstructurehere.Thisisabehavioristviewoflearning:practicemakesperfect.ProductionstageTheproductionstageiswhentheteachersassurethatstudentsareabletodecideifandwhentousethestructurethathasbeenlearnt.Inthisstage,teachersdonotcontrolstudentsstrictly.Onthecontrary,studentsindependentlyapplythestructureonactivitiessuchasroleplay(JaneWillis＆DaveWillis,1996）.Inotherwords,studentsareexpectedtoproducesentencesinafreewayusingthegrammaritemstheyhavelearned,togetherwiththeirpreviousgrammarknowledgeintheproductionstage.2.2ProblemsofPPPapproachundercurrentsituationAsamostwidelyusedmethodofgrammarteachinginChinesemiddleschools,PPPapproachcertainlyhasitsownadvantages.Forexample,1)itisthemosteasilylearntteachingapproachandthemosteffectiveatmanaginglargeclassesinparticularforthenewteachers;2)itprovidesaconvenienttemplateontowhichanylessoncan16 bemapped;3)thehighfrequencyofmechanicaltrainingallowsstudentstoapplythetargetadeptlyandcorrectlyinpresupposedcontext.Nevertheless,thetraditionalPPPteachingmodelseemstobe“lesseffective”.SincePPPteachingspendsmuchtimeonteachers"grammarpresentationandstudents"mechanicaldrills,itcanhardlybringthestudents"enthusiasmforEnglishgrammarlearningintofullplay.Furthermore,thiskindofmethodis“teacher-centered”ratherthan“learner-centered”.Iteasilymakesstudentslosetheirsubjectiveinitiative.Soitdoesnotbenefitthecultivationofstudents"interests，norbenefitarousingtheenthusiasmofstudyandformingofindependentpersonalityconsciousness.Itisfarawayfrom“participateinonone"sowninitiative,willingtoinquiry,diligentintouching,cultivatethestudents"abilityaboutcollectinganddealingwiththeinformation,theabilityaboutobtainingnewknowledge,theabilityaboutanalyzingandsettlingtheproblemsandtheabilityaboutexchangeandcooperation”whichisadvocatedbythenewcourse.Sonowhowtochangethetraditionalteachingtomeettheneedsofnewcourseisanurgenttaskbothintheoryandpractice.Thatisthereasonwhytoproposeinquirylearningwhichinvolvesaprocessofexploringongrammarteaching.3.LiteratureReviewofInquirylearningInquirylearning,asanewapproach,isnotasfamiliarasothermethodsofgrammarteachingtoEnglishteachers.Thefollowingpartwilldiscusswhatinquirylearningis,whytoapplyittoEnglishgrammarteachingandalsoitscharacteristicsandprocedures.3.1DefinitionInthepresentscientificeducationreform“inquiry”isoneofwordsthatappearfrequently.Scientificinquiryreferstothediversewaysinwhichscientistsstudythenaturalworldandproposeexplanationsbasedontheevidencederivedfromtheirwork.Inquiryalsorefersto“theactivitiesofstudentsinwhichtheydevelopknowledgeandunderstandingofscientificideas,aswellasanunderstandingofhowscientistsstudythenaturalworld”(NationalResearchCouncil,1996:23).Inquirylearningisaflexibleandactiveprocessoflearning,characterizedbyquestions,investigations,16 explorations,applicationsandsynthesis.Itbeginswhenstudentsarepresentedwithquestionstobeanswered,problemstobesolved,orasetofobservationstobeexplained(Bateman,1990).Ifthemethodisimplementedeffectively,thestudentsshouldlearntoformulategoodquestions,identifyandcollectappropriateevidence,presentresultssystematically,analyzeandinterpretresults,formulateconclusions,andevaluatetheworthandimportanceofthoseconclusions(Lee,2004).Inquirylearninginvolvesavarietyoftechniquesthatdifferfromoneanotherinsignificantways.StaverandBay(1987)differentiatebetweenstructuredinquiry(studentsaregivenaproblemandanoutlineforhowtosolveit),guidedinquiry(studentsmustalsofigureoutthesolutionmethod)andopeninquiry(studentsmustformulatetheproblemforthemselves).Theinstructorservesasfacilitator,workingwithstudentgroupsiftheyneedhelpandaddressingclass-wideproblemswhennecessary.Someproponentsofinquirysuggestusingarelativelystructuredformofinquiryinthefirstyear,graduallyshiftingtowardmoreserf-directedlearning(includingproblemformulation)asthecurriculumprogresses,whileothersadvocatemovingimmediatelytoself-direction(Lee,2004).3.2ReasonsofapplyinginquirylearningtogrammarteachingFirstly,inquirylearningcaninspirestudents’motivationofgrammarlearning.Motivationisacrucialfactoroftheeffectivelearning,whichinvolvesthelearner"sreasonsforattemptingtoacquiretheknowledge.Becauseinquirylearningismorestudent-centered,withtheteacherasafacilitatoroflearning,thereismoreemphasison"howstudentscometoknow."Studentsaremoreengagedintheconstructionofknowledgethroughactiveengagement.Themoreinterestedandengagedstudentsarebyasubjectorprojectoratopic,theeasieritwillbeforthemtoconstructin-depthknowledgeofit.Grammarlearningbecomesalmostpainlesswhensomethingfascinatesstudentsandreflectstheirinterestsandgoals.Besides,inquiryclassroomsareopensystemswherestudentsareencouragedtosearchandmakeuseofresourcesbeyondtheclassroomandtheschool.Teacherswhouseinquirycanusetechnologytoconnectstudentsappropriatelywithlocalandworldcommunitieswhicharerichinsourcesoflearningandlearningmaterials.Thusgrammarteachingbecomesinterest16 andefficient.Secondly,inquirylearningcancultivatestudents’initiativespiritandtraintheirpracticalabilitiesadvocatedbythenewcourse.Theformationofthelearners"overallqualitiesreliesonthewayandthemethodinwhichtheycomprehensivelystudyandutilizetheknowledge.Inquirylearningputsemphasisonthestudyandtheutilizationofknowledgeintherealscientificworldandthereallifethroughthewayofquestioninquiryanditssolutionandithasprovidedabiggerspaceforeachstudenttodemonstrateanddevelophisorherindividuality.Inaddition,duringthelearningprocess,inquirylearningplaysavitalroleintrainingthelearnerstoobserve,ponderandtosolvethequestiontasks.Besides,italsodevelopsthelearners’operationabilityaswellastheircreativity,communication,cooperationcompetitionandthemanagementabilities.Thusinquirylearningisadvantageoustofosterthelearners’all-roundabilitiesintheprocessoflearning.Finally,inquirylearningcanturninformationintousefulknowledge.Itstressesskilldevelopmentandnurturesthedevelopmentofgoodhabitsofmind.Information,lackingausefulcontext,oftenhaslimitedapplicationsbeyondpassingatest.Learningplansandteachingmaterialsneedtoincludearelevantcontextfornewinformationtoleadtobroaderunderstandings.Itisoftenhardforstudentstounderstandtheconnectionsbetweenactivitieswithinaparticularsubject.Furthermore,themostpowerfullearningoftenhappenswhenstudentscandiscuss,argue,compareideasandbuildunderstanding.Colburn"sreviewoftheliteratureconcludesthatinquiry-basedmethodsarelikelytobemoreeffectivethandeductivemethodsinhelpingstudents’understanding.Herecommendsfocusingactivitiesaroundquestionsthatstudentscananswerdirectlythroughinvestigation,whichhelpsassurethattheactivitiesareorientedtowardconcreteconcepts.Healsoadvisesemphasizingactivitiesthatusematerialsandsituationsfamiliartostudentsforwhichtheyhavethenecessaryprerequisiteskillsandknowledgetosucceed,butposeasufficientlevelofchallengetohelpthemdevelopbetterthinkingskills.Soitseemsappropriatethatinquirylearningismoreeffectivewhenstudentsareactivelyencouragedtodothis.Inaword,applicationofinquirylearningtogrammarteachingcreatesagood16 teachingenvironmenttoensurethatthelearners’learningiscarriedonundertheframeofexperience,inquiryandcooperationinordertoraisetheircreationspirit,theircreationandpracticeabilities.Withoutadoubt,inquirylearningnotonlymakesgrammarteachingmoreinterestingandefficientbutalsocultivatesthelearners"independentexploration,thequestionsolution,thediscoverystudy,thescientificspiritandsoon.Therefore,inquirylearningcertainlywilldevelopasanewwayfortheinnovationeducation.3.3CharacteristicsofinquirylearningInquirylearningisaprocessthatstudentsandteachersexplorenewknowledgetogether.Ithasthecharacteristicsofinitiative,process-based,opennessandinteraction.InitiativeThemostobviouschangefromthetraditionalapproachtoinquirylearningliesthatthelearnershaven"tbeenpassivecontainers;instead,theymaketheacquisitionsactively.Soduringinquiry,thelearnershavetoundertakeautomaticlearningiftheydesiretoarrangetheirownlearningprocessanddeveloptheirownabilityofindependentstudyintheirlatercareersbymakinguseofthefreedomprovidedforthem.Studentsaretheorganizersandparticipantsoftheactivities.Process-basedThisisanoutstandingfeatureofinquirylearning.Forstudents,whatmattersisnot“theonlyrightanswer”setbytheteacher.Comparedwithtraditionallanguagelearning,inquirylearningfocusesonthelearningprocessinsteadoftheresult.Itisaprocessofdiscovering,inquiringandsolvingproblems,soitaimstomakethestudentstogeneralizeormakeaconclusionafteraseriesofexperimentsoractivitiesbythemselves.OpennessItmeansthatlearnersininquirylearningenjoyplentyofopennessinthecontentinvolved,itsarrangementprocessandconclusion.Inquiry-basedlearningplacesthecontentoflearninginabroadarea.Theresearchprocessandmethodarequiteflexible.16 Itcanbeoneparticularresearchmethod,thecombinationoftwo，oreventheintegrationofseveralresearchmethods.Theindividualcangettheconclusionandresultaccordingtohisownneedsorcomprehension.Itneverpursuesuniqueness,samenessorstandardization.Itmakestheinquirylearningdifferentiatefromotherapproaches,helpingtodevelopstudents’creativity.InteractionTheprocessofinquirylearningisakindofprocessofinteraction.Itneedsinteractionwithothersduringtheprocessoffindingandsolvingtheproblem.Theconclusionaboutwhetherthisproblemisworthstudying,whatmaterialsareneededinstudyingthisproblem,otherpeople"sideasonthisproblem,etc,willbeobtainedthroughinteractionwithothers.Andtheoverallinformationaboutthewholeprocesscanbeimprovedandbetteredthroughinteractionormeaningconsultationwithothers(HaoHuizhen,2005).3.4ProceduresofinquirylearningInquirylearningisastudent-centeredteachingapproach.Itsbasicstepsarequestion,exploration,explanationandapplication.QuestionInquirylearningoftenbeginswithanengagementactivityfocusedontheconcepttobeexplored.Amainpurposeoftheactivityistointroducethethemebeinginvestigatedinaninterestinganddynamicwayinhopesofincreasingstudents"awarenessandinterest.Thisphaseendswithaquestionorseriesofquestionsthatstudentsuseasaguideinthenextstep,theexploration.ExplorationItisthemainpartofinquirylearning.Inthispart,studentscommonlyworkingroupsandcooperatetodesignanexperiment,makeobservations,andgatherandanalyzedata,guidedbythequestionorquestions.Afterstudentshavegathereddataandtriedtoanswerthequestionsposed;theysharetheirinformationwithotherstudentsandtheteachers.ExplanationAccordingtowhatthestudentssay,teachersneedtosynthesizethestudents"16 informationandformalizestheconceptslearnedbyapplyingtermstothepatternsandprocessesthatevolvedoutoftheexplorationactivity.ApplicationInthisstep,studentsapplytheconceptsinvestigatedtoadifferentcontextorcircumstance.Theseactivitiesreinforcetheconceptslearnedinhopesthatstudentswillretainthemlongerandcanapplythemtorealsituation.4.ApplicationofinquirylearningtogrammarteachinginrealclassKnowingsometheoriesofinquirylearningissurelynotenough,andthemostimportantpartforteachersistoapplyittogrammarteaching.Severaltypesofinquirylearningandspecificapplicationofithavebeendiscussedinthefollowing.4.1Typesofinquirylearningmethods1).Context-basedActivitiesIncontext-basedactivities,thegrammaticalpointsarepresentedincertaincontextbyprovidingthestudentswithmaterials—dialogues,pictures,songsandpoems,whichcanhelpthestudentstolearnthegrammaticalpointsthroughassociatingthemwiththemeaningandfunctions,andwhichcanmotivatethestudentstotakepartintheactivities.Forexample,whenteachesthepresentprogressive,teachercanshowapictureoftheactivitiesoftheWhitesandaskthestudentstodescribewhattheyaredoing:Itisasunnydayinspring.TheWhitesisbusyworkinginthegarden.Mr.Whiteisreadingnewspaper..Mrs.Whiteiswateringthebeautifulflowers.Tomispaintingthedoor.Thetwootherlittlechildrenareplayinggamesonthegrass.Theyarehavinggreatfun.Afterthisactivity,studentscanconcludewhatisthestructureofthepresentprogressiveandhowtouseitbythemselves.2).ComparisonandInductionInthismethod,grammaticalpointsarepresentedinthelistedsentences.Studentsareexpectedtocomparethesesentencesandgeneralizethegrammaticalrules.Forexample,findoutthesentenceswiththestructure“Itis+adjective+of…+(not)to16 dosth.”inthetextandcomparewiththestructure“Itis+adjective+for…+(not)todosth.”whichhasbeenlearnedbefore.Thenthestudentssummarizetheirdifferenceinusing.3).CreatingasituationPracticeisthekeyofinquirylearning.Theaimoflearninggrammaristouseit.Duringpractice,studentscandiscoveryandgeneralizetherulesofgrammartoimprovetheirlanguageapplicationskills.Socreatingasituationtopracticeacertaingrammaticalpointisagoodwaytodeepenthestudents’impression.Forexample,whenthestudentslearntheSubjunctiveMood,thefollowingtopicscanbegiventodiscussandpractice.IfIcouldgotoParistomorrow...IfIweretheprincipaloftheschool...IfIwereafamouswriter/singer…4.2SpecificcasesoftheapplicationofinquirylearningongrammarteachingSample1:TheteachingmaterialisfromDiscoveringUsefulStructuresofunit4andunit5,NewSeniorEnglishforChina,Student"sBook1.ThegrammarfocusisontheAttributiveClause,whichhasbeenlearnedinjuniorbythestudentsinsenior.Theteachingprocedureisdesignedasfollows:Step1:Usingamindmapwithacentralterm-girlasshowninFigure1,thestudentsarerequiredtodescribethegirlusingtheAttributiveClause.girlFigure1ThisstephelpsstudentsrevisewhattheAttributiveClauseisandstimulatetheirpreviousgrammarknowledge,whichtheyhaveacquiredinjuniormiddleschools.16 Step2:Teachershowsapictureoffivegirlswearingdifferentclothesdoingdifferentthingsandgetstudentstodescribegirlsseparately.Thissectionleadsstudentstorealizethattheycanhardlydescribeapersonorathingjustusingawordoraphraseonoccasionandthenarousesstudents"needforfurtherlearningtheAttributiveClause.Step3:Teachergivesoutahandout-ashortpassagewhichdescribesthefivegirlsinthepicturewithmanyattributiveclauses.Askthestudentstofindoutallthewords,expressionsandclausesusedtomodifythem.Whileraisingthestudents"consciousattention,theylearntheformsoftheAttributiveClauseanditsconjunctionsaswellastheirfunctioninthesentences.Step4:Teacherasksthestudentstoworkingroupsoffourandfindoutthesimilarityanddifferenceofthesesentencesthattheyhavelisted.ThentheyneedtohelpeachothertoworkouttheirownunderstandingoftheAttributiveClause.Makealistoftherules.Atthisstep,thestudentsachievesomerulesofAttributiveClausebythewayofdetection,analysis,induction,comparisonandintegration,whichdevelopsstudents"comprehensivelyresearchingabilityandtheirnegotiatingability.Inthiscase,thestudentsarelikelytoswitchexplicitgrammarknowledgeintoimplicitknowledgewhiledetectingandrestructuringgrammarrules.Andatthisstage,studentsareeasytomakemistakes.However,anythingwhichhelpsstudentsunderstandmeaningandformisworthtrying.It"svitalfortheteacherrealizethatallstudentsmakemistakesasanaturalandusefulwayoflearning.Byworkingoutwhenandwhythingshavegonewrong,theylearnmoreaboutthelanguagetheyarestudying(HarmerJeremy,2000,p.56).Step5:Teachergetssomestudentstosharetheirfindingstotheclass.Theteacherguidesthestudentstointegratealltheinformationandaddssomenecessarysupplementto16 giveacleardefinitionoftheAttributiveClauseandtheusingofit.ThisstepcanhelpthestudentstounderstandtheAttributiveClauseandatthesametimedeepenthestudents’impressionofhowtousetheattributiveclause.Step6:TeacheraskssomestudentstodescribeoneoftheirclassmateswiththeAttributiveClauseandgettheresttoguesswhoisbeingdescribed.Inthisactivity,studentsarealsoguidedtonoticewhethertheymisusedthegrammar"itemandcarryoutself-correction.Thispartgivesopportunitiestotrainthestudents"abilityofspeakingandstimulatetheirinterestingrammarlearningthroughconsciousness-raising.Italsooffersstudentsameaningfulcontexttoorganizeandexpresstheirideasusinggrammarknowledgetheyhavelearned.Bythisway,Englishlearningbecomesaninterestingthingthoughwhatthestudentsfaceisboringgrammarrules.Step7:Homework:Teacherasksthestudentstowritedowntenattributiveclausestointroduceacityyoulike.Sample2:Grammaticalpoints:theSubjunctiveMoodStep1:First,teacherneedstodividetheclasstoseveralgroupsandgivethematask,whichistocooperatetofindinformationabouttheSubjunctiveMoodandthengiveareportofwhatisitandhowtouseitinthenextclass.Thisstagegivesthestudentsaproblem,whichtheyhavetosolveitbyexploringit.Itcanbroadentheirknowledgeandarousetheirinterest.Step2:Intheclass,teacheraskseverygrouptopresenttheirfindingsandexplaintheSubjunctiveMoodtotheirclassmates.Thenafterthepresentation,teacherguidesthestudentstosumuptherules.Step3:Teachergivesasituation“IfIhadonebillion…”andasksthestudentstodiscuss16 withpartners.TheyshoulduseSubjunctiveMoodtomakeadialogue.Inthisactivity,studentsarealsoguidedtonoticewhethertheymisusedthegrammar"itemandcarryoutself-correction.Fromthetwosamplesabove,itcanbefoundthatthewholeclassisexemptedofboringclassroomatmosphere.Grammarteachingachievesitsgoalsbystudents"inquirylearning.MoreoverstudentsnotonlylearnthegrammarknowledgebutalsodeveloptheircomprehensiveEnglishproficiency.5.ConclusionGrammarteachingisalwaysafocalanddifficultpointinTEFLinChinesemiddleschools.Foralongtime,EnglishteachersinChinahavealwaysutilizedPPPapproachtoteachgrammar,whichregardsteachersascenterofclasseswhichiscontrarytotheaimsofnewcourse.Therefore,tosomeextent,itisakindofdullandineffectivemethodtoteachgrammarinmiddleschools.Aimingtoexploreanewapproach,thispaperfocusesoninquirylearningapproach.Inquirylearningapproachchangesthetraditionalrolesoftheteachersandthestudents.Theteacherchangesfromtheinstructorintotheguidewhiletheroleofthestudentsshiftsfrom“passivereceiver”to“activelearner”.Teacherswhoadoptinquirylearningapproachhelpstudentsidentifyandrefinetheir"real"questionsintolearningprojectsoropportunities.Theythenguidethesubsequentresearch,inquire,andreportingprocesses.It"saparticularlygoodapproachforgivingstudentsanopportunitytolearnwithmorefreedomwhilereinforcingandimpartingbasicskills.Andtheadoptionofinquirylearningbywhichstudentscanworkcooperativelyonproblemsunderconditionsthatassurebothpositiveinterdependenceandindividualaccountability,caninitiatethestudents"learningenthusiasmforEnglishandmakethelanguageenvironmentlight,naturalandreal.Inaword,comparedwiththetraditionalPPPteachingmodel,inquirylearningismoreeffectivewhenimplementedinEnglishgrammarlessons.Itincorporatesgrammarteachingandlearningintothelargercontextofteachingstudentstousethelanguage.Anditalsocultivatestheinitiativeandcreativityofthestudents.Itinspires16 theiractiveunderstandingofwhatgrammarisandhowitworksinthelanguagetheyalreadyknow.SoinquirylearninghasitsownspecialstrongpointstoteachgrammarinChinesemiddleschools.16 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