任务型教学法在中学英语语法教学中的应用研究 65页

AcknowledgementsIamextremelygratefultomymentor,ProfessorMaZhaoqian,whohasbeenhelpingmethroughoutallthestagesofmyteaching.Hemadealotofpatientcorrectionsonmypaperandofferedmemanyvaluablesuggestionsandimprovements.Withouthisconsistentandilluminatinginstruction,thisthesiscouldnothavereacheditspresentform.Also,Iwouldliketoexpressmyheart-feltgratitudetootherprofessorsoftheFacultyofForeignLanguageSchool,HenanNormalUniversity,suchasProfessorLiWenzhong,ProfessorWangCaiqin,ProfessorZhaoWenjing,ProfessorDuanmuQingyi,ProfessorLiangXiaodong,ProfessorZhangZhiqiang,ProfessorPeiYajuan,ProfessorSunhaiyan,ProfessorChenYunxiangandsoon,whohaveinstructedandhelpedmealotduringtheprocessofmylearning.Ialsowouldliketoexpressmysincerethankstotheteachersandstudentswhoacceptedmyquestionnairesandtookpartinmyinvestigation.Theyallgivemealotofhelp.Last,mythankswouldgotomyfamily,myfriendsandmyfellowworkmateswhogivemeconfidenceandencouragementinfinishingmypaper.FanGuangfangApril,2011 摘要目前，我国的基础教育课程改革要求实施基于任务型教学的合作学习方法。众所周知，这种方法自从1980年提出以来，已经在中国英语教师和研究者中受到了很大的欢迎。此后，任务型教学法被用于中国不同地区的课堂教学中。有些人对任务型教学法做出了很大的贡献，并且对任务型教学法的有关研究也得出了一系列的结论。此外，值得注意的是,语法教学一直被许多老师和学生认为是一个棘手的问题，尤其对于中学生来说。基于前人的研究和所面临的问题，为了探索怎样把任务型教学法用于语法教学以及检验其相对于传统教学法的有效性，作者从2010年2月到2011年1月在一所农村中学——李元屯第二中学做了实验，本文就是在此实验的基础上完成的。本文在开头简要回顾了语法教学的不同方法以及当前的语法教学形式。然后，阐述了任务型教学法的起源、理论基础、特点、原则等相关问题。而且，基于任务型教学法的语法教学的策略及前人对此的观点也得到了回顾。在接下来的第三章中，为了得出此研究问题的结论，作者做了如下实验：在试验的起始阶段，为了了解师生们对任务型教学法及语法教学情况的态度，作者对该校老师和学生们进行了问卷调查和采访。该实验的对象是来自七年级的75名学生，并且该试验持续了一年的时间。首先，作者通过分析发现七年级上册期末考试时有两个班的成绩很相近，就将其作为第一次考试的成绩。然后，作者把这两个班定为实验班和对照班，通过七年级下册期末考试成绩在两个班之间进行的比较分析和八年级上册期末考试成绩在两个班之间进行的比较分析得出该实验的结果。通过比较这两次考试中实验班和对照班的平均分和方差，很容易得出任务型语法教学的效果。此外，通过对两个班的课堂观察发现，两个班的学生在课堂中的表现相差很大。实验班的学生比对照班的学生更活泼，更勇敢并且视野更开阔；他们的听说能力比对照班更强；同时，实验班的学生都具有合作精神并且更乐于助人。总之，所有这些现象都显示出：任务型语法教学能极大的提高学生的学习效率；充分调动学生学习语法的热情；同时，学生的英语水平整体上也会得到很大的提高。然而，在教学过程中，作者也发现任务型语法教学也存在一些缺点。例如，这种教学方法下的课堂秩序不太容易管理，任务的实施有时会浪费时间。因此，在课前准备阶段，老师们 应该认真的计划教学步骤以及更好的组织课堂活动。在文章的结尾，作者不仅得出了该研究的结论，指出了其局限性，同时，对进一步的研究也提出了期望。关键词：任务型教学法，语法教学，中学英语 AbstractAtpresent,thebasiceducationcurricularreforminourcountrycallsforco-operativelearningthroughTask-basedlanguageteachingapproach.Asweallknow,thisapproachhasbeenputforwardatthebeginningofthe1980’sandhaswongreatpopularityamongEnglishteachersorresearchersinChinaformanyyears.Sincethen,TBLTisimplementedindifferentareasoftheclassroomteachinginChina.SomeofthemhavemadegreatcontributionstoTBLTandarrivedataseriesofconclusionsrelatedtoTBLT.Itshouldalsobenotedthatgrammarisviewedasthetrickyproblembymanyteachersandstudentsconsistently,especiallyformiddleschoolstudents.Basedonwhattheyhavedoneandtheconfrontedproblem,thisstudywasconductedfromFebruary,2010toJanuary,2011toexplorehowtoapplyTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginLiyuantun,No.2MiddleSchoolwhichisaruralschoolandtopresentsomespecificsampleexamplesofgrammarteaching.Atthesametime,comparedwiththetraditional3Pmethod,theeffectivenessofTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginthisschoolhasalsobeenexamined.Thispaperbeginswithabriefreviewofvariousteachingapproachestogrammarteachingandthecurrentsituationofgrammarteaching.Afterthat,therelatedissuesaboutTBLTwhichincludetheorigin,theoreticalbasis,characteristicsandprinciplesofTBLTarealsobeenpresented.Furthermore,thestrategiesandpreviousviewsofgrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTarereviewedatthesametime.Andthen,theauthormakestheexperimentinordertofindtheanswertoresearchquestions.Beforetheexperiment,thequestionnairesandinterviewsbetweentheteachersandthestudentsareconductedtogettheirgeneralinformationaboutTBLTandtheirattitudestowardsgrammar.Andthesubjectsinthisexperimentare75studentsfromtwoclassesinGradeSeven,andtheexperimentlastsforoneyear.Firstly,theauthorchoosestheoriginalscoresastheresultsofthepre-testandfindsthattheexaminationresultsinthetwoclassesaresimilartoeachother.Thentheauthorviewsthetwoclassesasthecontrolclassandtheexperimentalclassrespectively.Theresultsaremainlyconcludedbyanalyzingtwotests’scoreswhichwasobtainedattheendofGradeSevenandafterthefirsttermofGradeEight.Throughthecomparisonofthemeanandstandarddeviationbetweenthecontrolclassandtheexperimentalclass,theeffectivenessofthetask-basedgrammarteachingintheimmediatepost-testanddelayedpost-testcan beseenclearly.Whatismore,throughtheclassroomobservationbetweentheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclass,itisobvioustoseethattheclassroomatmospherebetweenthetwoclassesistotallydifferent.Intheexperimentalclass,thestudentsaremoreactive,braveandopen-mindedthanthoseinthecontrolclassandthelisteningandspeakingabilitiesintheexperimentalclassaremuchhigherthanthoseintheexperimentalclass.Also,thestudentsintheexperimentalclassarefullofcooperativespiritandtendtobehelpful.Inaword,AllthesephenomenaindicatethatteachingEnglishgrammarintheframeworkofTBLTcangreatlyimprovetheteachingeffect,fullyarousestudents’enthusiasmforlearninggrammar,andasaresult,theEnglishlevelofthestudentscanbeimprovedgreatlyonthewhole.However,theauthoralsofindsthatgrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTalsohasitsdisadvantages.Forexample,itisnotsoeasilymanaged,andsometimesthetaskactivitiesmaybetime-consuming.Therefore,ithastobecarefullyplannedandorganizedbytheteachers.Intheconcludingremarks,theauthornotonlyarrivesattheconclusionofthestudy,butalsopointsoutthelimitationsofthestudyandtheprospectstothefurtherstudy.KEYWORDS:task-basedlanguageteaching(TBLT),grammarteaching,middleschoolEnglish ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS摘要ABSTRACTCHAPTERONEINTRODUCTION......................................................................................11.1Researchbackground....................................................................................................11.2Researchmotivationandobjectives..............................................................................21.3Anoverallstructureofthepaper...................................................................................4CHAPTERTWOLITERATUREREVIEW.........................................................................52.1Grammarteachinganditsrelatedissues.......................................................................52.1.1Theroleofgrammarandtheviewsofgrammarteaching..................................52.1.2Abriefreviewofgrammarteaching....................................................................72.1.3CurrentsituationofgrammarteachinginChina...............................................112.2TBLTandItsRelatedIssues........................................................................................122.2.1TheoriginanddevelopmentofTBLTathomeandabroad..............................122.2.2TheTheoreticalBasisofTBLT.........................................................................142.2.3ThecharacteristicsofTBLT..............................................................................152.2.4TheprinciplesofTBLT.....................................................................................162.3GrammarteachingandTBLT......................................................................................172.3.1StrategiesofgrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLT.............................172.3.2AbriefreviewongrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLT......................18CHAPTERTHREERESEARCHDESIGN........................................................................213.1Researchquestions......................................................................................................213.2Researchparticipants...................................................................................................213.3Researchmethodsandprocedures..............................................................................213.3.1Thematerialsandmethodsoftheexperiment...................................................213.3.2Theproceduresoftheexperiment.....................................................................223.3.3Thesamplesofteachingproceduresintheexperimentalclass.........................233.4Datacollection.............................................................................................................293.4.1Dataanalysisfromquestionnaires.....................................................................293.4.2Dataanalysisfromthepost-test........................................................................30CHAPTERFOURRESULTSANDDISCUSSION............................................................334.1Resultsanddiscussionofquestionnaires....................................................................334.2Resultsanddiscussionofinterviews...........................................................................354.3Resultsanddiscussionofclassroomobservation.......................................................354.4Resultsanddiscussionoftheexperimentation...........................................................36CHAPTERFIVECONCLUDINGREMARKS..................................................................39 5.1Majorfindings.............................................................................................................395.2Pedagogicalimplications.............................................................................................405.3Limitationsandprospects............................................................................................41BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................43APPENDIXA..........................................................................................................................47APPENDIXB..........................................................................................................................51APPENDIXC.........................................................................................................................53APPENDIXD.........................................................................................................................55独创性声明......................................................................................................................57关于论文使用授权的说明......................................................................................................57 ChapterOneIntroduction1.1ResearchbackgroundNowadays,withtherapiddevelopmentofscience,technologyandeconomicglobalization,ourworldisbecomingsmallerandsmallerandEnglishisgettingmoreandmoreimportant.Therefore,itisnecessaryforstudentstohaveagoodcommandofit,especiallyafterourcountryenteredWTO.Then,howtoteachandlearnEnglishwell?WhatshouldparentsdoinordertohelptheirchildrentolearnEnglishwell?ThesequestionshavebeentalkedaboutbyEnglishteachersandresearchersformanyyears.Also,differentmethodshavebeentakeninEnglishteaching.Nowadays,formanymiddleschoolstudentsinourcountry,grammarisstillthemostdifficultproblemforthem.Iftheirgrammarispoor,theycan’tgetahighmarkintheexaminations.Evenworse,theymayfeelupsetwhentheycannotcatchupwithotherstudents.Inaddition,withoutlearninggrammar,thestudents’languagemaybecomechaos.Sotheroleofgrammarisreallyimportantformiddleschoolstudents.Sternclaimsthat“teachersshouldreexaminegrammarinthelanguageclass”(Stern,1992:143).Swainholdsthat“studiesoflearnersinimmersionclassroomshaveshownevenafterampleexposuretothetargetlanguage,learnerscontinuetomakealotofgrammaticalerrors”(Swain,1985).Krashenproposesthat“Learners‘acquire’grammarnaturallyisnotentirelycorrect”(Krashen,1982).Fromwhattheysay,wecaneasilyknowthatgrammarteachingisofhighnecessityandsignificance.GrammarteachingplaysaveryimportantroleinEnglishteachingofourcountry,especiallyformiddleschoolstudents.Thenwhatmeasuresshouldwetakeingrammarteaching?ThisisanindispensableandpuzzlingproblemthatremainstobesettledbyEnglishteachersandscholars.Inthepasttwentyyears,grammarteachingwasalwaysviewedboringandinactive.EventhoughEnglishteacherspaidmuchattentiontoteachstudentsgrammarandtheyspentmuchtimeandenergyonexplainingthegrammar,moststudentsonlydidnote-takingsinclass,andreciteditbeforeexams.Theymaystilldobadlyintheexaminationunconsciously.InthebookofTheContextofLanguageTeaching,Richards(1985)alsoholdstheviewthat“Grammarhastraditionallytaughtviaproductionpractice,i.e.studentshavebeenrequiredtotrytouseagrammaticalstructureincontrolledandfreeexercises,because1 teachersarenotusedtocommunicativelanguageteachingandfinallyreturntotraditionalwayswiththecharacteristicsofteacher-centered,examination-oriented,andgrammarandvocabulary-basedteachingmethod.Suchlearnersaresuccessfulbuttheyaregrammaticallyinaccuratecommunicators”(Richards,1985:152).Also,sometimeseveniftheymakefewmistakesinthepaper,whentheycommunicatewithothersorforeigners,theymayfeelhardtosayanywordsandtheycan’tachievethechancetoexpressthemselvesfreely.Soitisurgenttochangethetraditionalgrammarteaching.1.2ResearchmotivationandobjectivesAsweallknow,NewEnglishCurriculumSyllabuswhichwasdraftedin2001bySECC(theStateEducationCommissionofChina)callsforcomprehensivestudents.Thedisadvantagesofteachinggrammarundertheframeworkofthetraditional3Pshavebeengraduallyappearedand3Pscan’tmeettheneedsoftherapidlydevelopedsociety.JustasEllis(1993)pointsoutthatthetraditionalPPPapproachwhichinvolvesPresentation,PracticeandProductiontolanguageteachingisineffectiveinattainingthegoalofproducingthetargetlanguage.Whatismore,thetopicofgrammarteachinghasbeentalkedaboutrepeatedly.ButitisstillatrickyproblemformanyteachersinEnglishteaching.Soitisurgenttodealwithit,andimportanttofindtheeffectivewaytoteachit.Then,couldweputsomenewteachingmethodsintogrammarteaching?Inrecentyears,manytheoreticalandempiricalresearchersathomeandabroadhavefocusedtheirattentionontheseissues,suchashowgrammarteachingispresentedinmiddleschools?Whyisitlikethat?Howtoteachgrammarinabetterway?AndsomenewmethodssuchasCLTandTBLTarealsobeenusedinEnglishclassroomteaching.UndertheprincipleofnewEnglishcurricularreform,weadvocatetoimprovestudents’comprehensiveability(listening,speaking,readingandwritingability).Also,previousstudiesonTBLThaveoftenbeentargetedonpassageteaching,buttherearefewabouttheeffectivenessofTBLTongrammarteachinginmiddleschools,especiallyinruralmiddleschools.Inaddition,thereformofNewEnglishCurricularStandardsputsforwardthattheultimategoalofforeignlanguageteachingistodeveloplearners’integratedlanguageusingcompetenceincludingcommunicativecompetence,socialculturalawareness,andemotionexpressionabilityandsoon.Italsohighlightstheimportanceofpromotinglearners’interestinEnglishlearningandeducatingtheiroveralllanguageusingabilities.Ontheonehand,asanewlydevelopedteachingmethod,theTask-basedLanguage2 TeachingmethodfitstheacquirementoftheStandardofNewEnglishCurricularReformandithasbeenadoptedwidelybyteachersintheirclassroomandhasgainedgreatpopularityforalongtime.Ontheotherhand,grammarhasbeenviewedasthemostdifficultpointforlearnersespeciallyinmiddleschoolsandgrammarteachinghasbeenthefocusofEnglishteachingformanyyears.Fromtheaboveanalysis,theauthorwouldliketoapplyTask-basedLanguageTeachingmethodtoEnglishgrammarteachinginmiddleschoolsandfindouttheeffectivenessofTask-basedgrammarteaching.InordertomakethispaperreallyvaluableandhelpfultoEnglishgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschools,theauthormanagestodothisstudyonatheoreticalandempiricalbasis.ThisstudyismainlybasedontheanalysisoftheexperimentwhichwascarriedoutfromFebruary2010toJanuary2011inNO.2MiddleSchoolofLiyuantun,Weihui,HenanProvince,anditlastedforoneyear.Theauthormainlyarrivesattheconclusionbycomparingtwodifferentresultsinthefinalexaminationanddifferentclassroomperformancesbetweenthecontrolclassandtheexperimentalclass.Asfortheobjectivesoftheexperiment,mainlytherearethreeobjectives.OneistoinvestigatewhatkindofteachingandlearningmethodstheteachersandstudentspreferandhowwelltheyknowaboutTBLT.ThesecondobjectiveistofindouthowthegrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTinruralmiddleschoolsisappliedandpresentsomeexamplesonhowtoapplyTBLTinaproperway.ThethirdpurposeistoexaminetheeffectsandpossibilitiesoftheapproachonEnglishgrammarteachingandlearninginruralmiddleschools,whichincludemanyaspects,forexample,isitfeasibleforthestudentsoflowlevelinaclass?Willitaffectstudents’scoresintheexamination?Whatproblemsmayhappenintheimplementation?Atlast,theexperimentaimsatprovingthattheapplicationofTBLTonEnglishgrammarteachingandlearningismoreeffectivethantraditionalgrammarteachingmethodinruralmiddleschools.ItispossibletoapplyTBLTinruralmiddleschools.Throughthisexperiment,theauthorhopesthatitcanprovidesomehelpfortheteacherstoEnglishgrammarteachinginmiddleschools.Aftertheexperiment,thestudyprovesthatteachinggrammarintheframeworkofTBLTismoreeffectivethanthatintraditionalways.Also,theauthorsetssomeexamplesabouthowtoapplyTBLTinmiddleschoolsinthestudy.Inthisway,theotherteacherscanapplyittogrammarteachingeasilyandthestudentsmayconsidergrammarasaninterestingpartoflearningEnglish.Inaddition,itcanalsoimprove3 students’comprehensiveabilityandtheycantalkwithpeoplefreelyandbravely.Inaword,comparedwithtraditionalgrammar,theadvantagesofapplyingTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginmiddleschoolsaremoreobvious.1.3AnoverallstructureofthepaperThispaperisdividedintofivemajorchapters.Chapteroneisanintroductiontothewholethesis,whichincludesresearchbackground,researchmotivationandthestructureofthethesis.ChaptertwoisatheoreticalpartthatcoversthemesrangingfrompreviousgrammarteachingmethodsandthetheoreticalbasisofTBLTtotherelativeissuesofTBLT.Chapterthreeisapracticalpartinwhichtheauthormakesaresearchdesignwhichincludesresearchquestions,subjects,materials,methodsandsoon.Whatismore,theauthoralsoinvestigatestheideasandattitudesoftheteachersandstudentstowardsTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginmiddleschools.Chapterfouristheresultsanddiscussionofthestudy.Firstly,theauthoranalyzestheresultsofthequestionnaires,investigationandclassroomobservation.Thentheauthorclaimstheresultsoftheexperiment.Chapterfiveistheconclusivepart.Itmainlytalksaboutthemajorfindingsofthestudy,discussesthepedagogicalimplicationsandlimitationsofthestudyaswellasprospectsforfurtherresearches.4 ChapterTwoLiteratureReview2.1Grammarteachinganditsrelatedissues2.1.1TheroleofgrammarandtheviewsofgrammarteachingWhatisgrammar?Somepeopleclaimthatgrammarisasystemofrulesgoverningthearrangementandrelationshipofwordsinasentence.Itisnotatacticlanguagepoint,butaprocessofapplyinglanguage.Somepeoplebelievethatgrammaticalcompetenceisapartoflinguisticcompetence.Othersholdthatgrammarreferstothemeaningofthelanguageusedinacertainsituation.Itisanindispensablepartoflanguageandit’stheimportantanddifficultpointforlanguagelearnersatthesametime.ForChinesestudents,theyarelackofthelearningenvironmenttoapplyEnglishanditishardtogetenoughstimulusofEnglishlanguagepoint.Therefore,acquiringEnglishnaturallybecomesareallydifficultthingforthem,especiallyintheaspectofgrammarlearning.Forcenturies,grammarhasbeenviewedasthecoreoftheEnglishclassroomteachingnomatterwhatapproachwasorisdominantinclass.Manylinguistsevenmakestatementsonthisquestionfromdifferentaspects.Richardsproposesthat“grammaticalcompetenceistheknowledgeunderlyingourabilitytoproduceandunderstandsentencesinalanguage”(Richards,1985).Brownadmits“noonedoubtstheprominenceofgrammarasanorganizationalframeworkwithinwhichcommunicationoperates”(Brown,1994:348).Wilkinsviewsthat“thegrammaristhemeansthroughwhichlinguisticcreativityisultimatelyachievedandaninadequateknowledgeofthegrammarwouldleadtoseriouslimitationsonthecapacityforcommunication”(Wilkins,1972:66).Asforgrammarteaching,differentscholarsorteachershavedifferentopinions.Asweallknow,anyteachingmethodcannotbeperfect.NomatterthetraditionalmethodorignoregrammarmethodcanleadtonegativeeffectonEnglishlearning.Therefore,inthecurrentcircumstances,howtoteachandlearngrammarhasbecomeaheatedtopic.Forexample,ScottThornburyproposestwoprincipleswhendesigninggrammaractivities.5 1.Thegreaterthedistance,themoregrammar.(Thatistosay,wherethereisaknowledgegaporasocialgap,wordsalonewillbeinsufficienttobringthatgap.)2.Thefewertheprocessingdemands,themoregrammar.(Thatistosay,wherethereisareducedpressureandmoreplanningtime,thereisagreaterlikelihoodof‘grammaring’asopposedto‘wording’.)(Thornbury,2001).However,uptonow,thereexitsometeacherswhoseteachingopinionsstillhavenotchangeddefinitelyintheprocessofEnglishteachingreform.Someofthemcannotmakealessonplanfromthestudent-orientedview.Theyjusttakethetraditionalmeasures,ignorethepracticeofthelanguagecompetenceandconfusetherelationshipbetweengrammarteachingandlanguagecompetence.Therefore,theypaymoreattentionandspendtoomuchmoretimeongrammarteaching.JustasLittlewood(1981)proposesthatthefirstfunctionofeducationistoteachexistingknowledge.Whenapplyingtheexistingknowledgetoforeignlanguageteaching,theteachersshouldteachthestudentsgrammar.Onlybythiswaycantheysavemuchtimeinactualreadingcomprehension.However,Krashen(1982)putsforwardtheideathat“grammarcanbeacquirednaturallyfrommeaninginputandopportunitiestointeractintheclassroom”.Perhapsforthisreason,inthe1980s,theanti-grammarmovementappeared.Fromthenon,themainstreamofEnglishteachinghaschangedalot.Thepedagogicalmethodsstressontheuseandinfluenceoflanguageandignoretheaccuracyoflanguage.Atthesametime,Swain(1995)alsoattachesimportancetopracticeandproductionofthetargetlanguagewhenstudentslearngrammar.Whenaskedthereason,sheexplainsitas“PracticeMakesPerfect”.Inthesesituations,astrikingproblemappears:shouldweteachgrammaronearthifweemphasizecommunication?Andthestudentsarealsoputintodilemma.Ontheonehand,inlearningsecondlanguagegrammar,theyneedtoknowtherulesinordertogethighmarksintheexamination.Ontheotherhand,theyareexpectedtocommunicatewithforeignersinfluentEnglish.Thus,weneedtoteachgrammarandtocombineformandmeaninginteachingforeignlanguage.Fromtheaboveanalysis,wecanknowthatgrammarreallyplaysanimportantroleinEnglishlearning.Throughgrammar,studentscanmasterlanguagerulesandimprovetheirlistening,speaking,readingandwritingabilities.Atthesametime,someresearchersalsosupporttheideathatgrammarteachingisnecessaryforlearners.Forexample,Stern6 maintainsthatgrammarteachingcanhelplearnersbecomeskilledinrecognizing,analyzingandeventuallymasteringtheseelusivestructuralfeatureswhichareessentialaspectsofproficiency(Stern,1992:144).Cook(1996:35-37)alsobelievesthatgrammarshouldbeconsciousrulesandtheconsciousrulesshouldbecomepartofunconsciousabilityinordertouselanguagefreely.Althoughgrammarteachingisonlyanapproachlearningforeignlanguage,butitisnotthetargetofthelanguage,itisanintegralpartofEnglishteaching.ItshouldnotbeavoidedinEnglishteaching.Thekeypointhereisthattheteachersshouldteachgrammarrulesincontextsorcertaincircumstances,notteachgrammarforthesakeofgrammar.2.1.2AbriefreviewofgrammarteachingDuringthelonghistoryofEnglishteaching,thereusedtobemanyteachingapproachesormethods,suchasGrammar-translationmethod,Directmethod,Audio-lingualmethodandsoon.ThefirstthreemethodsareoftencalledTraditionalMethods,andtheyhavebeenappliedwidelyinChinaformanyyears.Lateron,thereoccurredCognitiveCodeApproach,CommunicativeLanguageTeachingApproachandsoon.AlltheseteachingmethodsplayanimportantroleinthecertainperiodsofEnglishteaching.Generallyspeaking,thepositionofgrammarteachingchangesfromdominationtoauxiliary.Inthefollowingpaper,theauthorwouldliketoviewthetraditionalmethodsonebyone.(1)Grammar-translationmethodAmongalltheteachingmethods,grammar-translationmethodhasdominatedChinaforalongtime.Untilthenineteenthcentury,ithadbeenconsideredtobethestandardwayofteachingforeignlanguageinmiddleschools.Eventoday,therearestillalotofteachersapplythisapproachtotheirclassroomteaching.Grammar-translationmethodisawayofteachingaforeignlanguagethroughdetailedexplanationandillustrationofthegrammarrules.Ingeneral,thegrammarrulesareoftenexplainedorillustratedwithseveralexamples,andthenfollowedbyanapplicationoftherulestoataskoftranslatingsentenceortexts.Usually,alistofvocabularyispresentedwiththeircorrespondingtranslations,andtranslationexercisesareprescribed.ThecharacteristicsofGrammar-translationmethodarelistedasfollows:a.Instructionisgiveninthenativelanguageofthestudents.b.Thereislittleuseofthetargetlanguage.7 c.Focusisongrammaticalparsing,i.e.theformandinflectionofwords.d.Thereisearlyreadingofdifferentclassicaltexts.e.Atypicalexerciseistotranslatesentencesfromthetargetlanguagetothemothertongue.f.Theresultofthismethodisusuallyaninabilityonthepartofthestudentstousethelanguageforcommunication.g.Theteacherdoesnothavetobeabletospeakthetargetlanguage.(Howatt,1984)Tobefrank,grammar-translationmethodhasbothitsadvantagesanddisadvantages.Fortheaspectsofadvantages,Howatt(1999)proposesthateachgrammarruleisillustratedwithappropriateexamplesandespeciallytheconcretesentencesareeasierforstudentstounderstand.Sothismethodcoincideswithpeople’scognitiveprocess,fromeasytodifficult,fromconcretetoabstract,fromjuniortosenior.However,italsohasmanydisadvantages:itover-stressesthecompletenessandaccuracyoflanguage,itneglectsthelisteningandspeakingpracticeoflanguage,andevenworse,thestudents’creativeabilityoflanguagemaybedeeplylostifteachersusethismethodoften.Thisreallyopposestothefinalaimoflearningaforeign,i.e.tocommunicatewithothers.RichardsandRodgersalsopointoutthatontheonehand,itisremarkablethatthismethodhasbeensodeep-rootedamongmanycompetingmodels.Itcannotenhancethestudents’communicativeability.Ontheotherhand,itisrememberedwithdistastebythousandsofschoollearners,forwhomforeignlanguagelearningmeantatediousexperienceofmemorizingendlesslistsofunusablegrammarrulesandvocabularyandattemptingtoproduceperfectsentences(RichardsandRodgers,1986:4).Theyalsopointoutthatitisamethodwhichthereisnotheoryandthereisnoliteraturethatoffersarationalorjustificationforitorthatattemptstorelateittoissuesinlinguistics,psychology,oreducationaltheory(RichardsandRodgers,1986:5).Whatismore,themonotonousteachingapproachislikelytomakestudentslosetheirinterestintheprocessoflearningforeignlanguage.Ingeneral,accordingtotheaboveanalysis,althoughgrammarteachingisthecoreofEnglishteachingandgrammarrulesarepresentedsystematicallyandclearly,whenstudentsareputintorealsituation,theycannotmakesentencesfreely,properlyandcorrectly.Inotherwords,evenifthestudentsarequitefamiliarwiththegrammarrules,theymaybenotabletoapplythemtocommunicatewithpeople.Allthelearnedgrammarrulesareonlystayinthetheorylevel,andtheyarenotputintopracticeproperly.Forexample,8 evenifthestudentsknowthepresentcontinuoustenseperfectly,theymayproducesentencelikethis:Hehavingsuppernow.Theparentsisworkinginthehospital.Sothisdrawbackofgrammar-translationmethodappearsobviously.Afterall,thismethodcannotmeetthepresetneedsofthenewcurriculumreformandlearningaforeignlanguage.(2)DirectmethodAsareactiontothegrammar-translationmethod,directmethodisawayofdirectlearningandteachingforeignlanguageandaimsatafreeuseofitforcommunication.Also,itisawayofstudyinglanguagethroughdrillpracticeandlanguagehabitformation.Directmethodhadbeenwellappliedfromthemiddlenineteenthcenturytothetwentiethandithadgottenconsiderablepopularity.However,itiscriticizedforitsweaktheoreticalfoundation.AccordingtoH.D.Brown(2007),thebasicpremiseoftheDirectMethodisthatsecondlanguagelearningshouldbemorelikefirstlanguagelearning:lotsofactiveoralinteraction,spontaneoususeofthelanguage,notranslationbetweenfirstandsecondlanguage,andlittleornoanalysisofgrammaticalrules.ThecharacteristicsoftheDirectMethodcanbelistedasfollows:a.Nouseofthemothertongueispermitted(i.e.teacherdoesnotneedtoknowthestudents’nativelanguage).b.Lessonbeginswithdialoguesandanecdotesinmodernconversationalstyle.c.Actionsandpicturesareusedtomakemeaningclear.d.Grammarislearnedinductively.e.Literarytextsarereadforpleasureandaren’tanalyzedgrammatically.f.Targetculturesalsotaughtinductively.g.Theteachermustbeanativespeakerorhavenativelikeproficiencyinthetargetlanguage.(Howatt,1984)Thismethodmainlystressesonteachingspokenlanguageandlaysemphasisonperfectpronunciation.Italwaysbeginsfromteachinglisteningandspeakingandthentoreadingandwriting,whichisjustthenaturalorderoflearningalanguage.Longago,itisamethodthatwidelyacceptedinprivatelanguageschools,wherestudentsarefilledwithmotivationandteachersaremostlynativespeakers.InH.D.Brown(2007)’sview,DirectmethodisverydifferentfromGrammar-TranslationMethodwhichmainlyfocusesongrammarrulesandissentence-oriented.Also,thismethodiscriticizedforitslackoftheoreticalfoundation,9 anditcannotbeusedforcommunication,either.Becauselanguagelearningandlanguageusingaretotallytwodifferentthings.Althoughstudentscanuselanguagefluentlyandfreelyinrealsituation,theycannotcommunicatewithotherscorrectlyandproperly.Tosumup,directmethodasalanguageteachingandlearningmethodisalsonotsoperfectinsomesituations.(3)Audio-lingualismAudiolingualismusedtobecalled‘ArmyMethod’.In1950s,the‘ArmyMethod’becameknownasthe‘Audio-LingualMethod’.ItismainlybasedonlinguisticandpsychologicaltheoryandcameintobeingduringtheWorldWarⅡ.Atthattime,theUnitedStateswascircledintoaworldwideconflict.BecausetheAmericanshaveakeenneedtobecomeorallyfluentinthelanguageforboththeiralliesandenemies,theU.S.providedplentyoffundingtoopenspecial,intensivelanguagecoursesthatemphasizetheauralandoralskills.Thesecoursesstressonpronunciationandconversationpractice.However,theytotallyignoregrammarandtranslation.BesidesmanyformsoftheDirectMethod,italsopossessesfeaturesofstructurallinguisticsandbehavioralpsychology.Inthefollowing,thecharacteristicsofAudiolingualismarelisted:a.Lessonsbeginwithdialogues.b.Mimicryandmemorizationareused,basedontheassumptionthatlanguageishabitformation.c.Grammaticalstructuresaresequencedandrulesaretaughtinductively.d.Skillsaresequenced;Listening,speaking-readingandwritingpostponed.e.Pronunciationisstressedfromthebeginning.f.Vocabularyisseverelylimitedininitialstages.g.Agreateffortismadetopreventlearner’serrors.h.Languageisoftenmanipulatedwithoutregardtomeaningorcontext.i.Theteachermustbeproficientonlyinthestructures,vocabulary,etc.(Howatt,1984)AccordingtothecharacteristicsofAudiolingualism,althoughitconcentratesonlinguisticforms,andstructuralpatterns,andmaterialsinstudents’bookaremorescientificallyselectedandsystematicallyarranged.Thedisadvantagescanalsobeseenobviously.Itneglectsthelanguagesituationsorlanguagecontext,sostudentsarealwayslackofflexibilityandcannotbeabletoapplylearnedmaterialproperlywhentheyareconfrontedwithsituationswhichtheyhavenotseenintheirbooks.Also,theymayfeelthat10 theprocessoflearningaforeignlanguageisdullandpainful,becausestudentsmustmemorizelotsofdrillsandpatternsmechanically.Nomatterhowhardthestudentswork,errorsarenotnecessarilyavoided.(4)SummaryFromtheaboveanalysis,wecanconcludethattheGrammarTranslationMethodlaysemphasisongrammarteaching.Throughthismethod,thestudentscangrasptheformofalanguageandcanapplyittomakesentencesfreely.However,justasHarmerholdsthattheremightbetwoproblemsinthisteachingandlearningmethod:firstly,manystudentsmayfindgrammaticalconceptshardtoremember.Secondly,itwillonlybepossibleinamonolingualgroupatlowerlevelsiftheteachermakestheexplanationinthestudents’mothertongue(Harmer.J,1987).Thedirectmethodemphasizesontheexplanationofgrammarrulesbyreasoning,anditoftenmovesfromexampletogeneralizationratherthanfromthememorizationofprinciplestotheapplication,buttheAudio-LingualMethodfocusesonpronunciationwhichisveryimportantfortheEnglishlearners.Inaword,allthethreetraditionalmethodshavetheiradvantagesanddisadvantages,especiallyingrammarteaching.2.1.3CurrentsituationofgrammarteachinginChinaNowadays,inordertogethighmarksinallkindsofexamination,studentspaymoreattentiononthegrammarlearningwhichisconsideredtobethemostdifficultpointintheprocessofEnglishlearning.Also,teacherstrytheirbesttoteachthestudentsgrammarasclearlyaspossible,andmostofthemusetraditionalmethodstoteachgrammar.Whatismore,manymiddleschoolteachersintheruralareasofChinaconsidergrammarasthekeyofEnglishteaching.Therefore,intheEnglishclassroomteachingofChina,mostofthetimeisspentonteachers’explanationwhichwastesalotoftime,whilelittletimeisgivenstudentstopracticeEnglish.Accordingtothestatistics,manymiddleschoolstudents,especiallythoseinthecountryside,aretaughtbytheGrammar-TranslationMethodandcrammedwithknowledgeaboutEnglish.However,theyhavefewchancestopracticelisteningandspeaking(ChangFengyan,1996).Inthisway,studentsareonlygladtobepassivereceiversofknowledgeandunabletoviewEnglishasaneffectivecommunicativetool,letaloneuseEnglishtoengageincommunicationfrequentlyinrealsituations.ItisinvestigatedbyFuZhonghanthatstudentsintheEnglishdepartmentonlyspendlessthan50hoursreallyspeakingEnglishonaveragefrommiddleschooltocollege,whilespendingmorethan500hourson11 grammar.Therefore,thestudentsinChinamaygetgoodscoresbutcommunicativelyincompetent.Asweallknow,theStandardsofNewNationalEnglishCurriculumestablishedbytheStateEducationMinistryin2006pointsoutthattheobjectsofEnglishteachingduringtheelementaryeducationstagearemainlytodevelopstudents’languageskills,languagecompetence,learningstrategy,emotionalattitudeandculturalconsciousnessandtodeveloptheirabilitiesofall-roundapplicationoflanguage.ThisisatotallyreformforEnglishteaching,areformofteachingorientationfromknowledgetolanguageuse,areformofteachingmethodsfromtraditiontomodern.Recently,itisobviousthattheapproachofTBLTcanfittherequirementsstipulatedbytheStandardsofNewNationalEnglishCurriculum,canachievetheaimofputtingthetheoryknowledgeintopracticeandcanarousethestudents’interestcompletely.DuetothefactthatTBLTagreeswiththeurgentneedofthecurrentsituationofEnglishteachinginChina,thewriterwillstudytheEnglishgrammarteachinginmiddleschoolsundertheframeworkofTBLT.2.2TBLTandItsRelatedIssues2.2.1TheoriginanddevelopmentofTBLTathomeandabroadTask-BasedLanguageTeachinghasgraduallydevelopedsincethe1980s.Ithaswidelyacceptedbylinguisticsandforeignteachingresearchers.Also,itistheteachingmethodthatisrecommendedandadvocatedbytheStateEducationDepartment.TBLTstressesonlearningbydoing,itisateachingmethodthatappearsafterCLTandPrabhuisthefirstpersontoputforwardTBLTduringtheteachingpractice.In1979,PrabhuputshistheoreticalhypothesisintoteachingexperimentatthattimeinBangalore,SouthofIndia.Heclaimsthatwhentheirmindsfocusonthetaskratherthanonthelanguagetheyareusing,thestudentsmightlearnthelanguagemoreeffectively(Prabhu1987;1992).Therefore,PrabhuisregardedasthefounderofTBLT.Lateron,manylinguistsorscholarsholddifferentopinionstotaskorTBLT.Candlin(1987)proposesthetasksinTBLTareaseriesofactivitieswithdifferentiationandgrading.Thereisacommunicativeprobleminsuchanactivity,whichcausestheteacherandstudentstoexploretheschemestosolvetheproblemthroughcognitiveandcommunicativeprocessesandusepre-knowledgeandnewknowledgetorealizetheactivitygoalsinthecontextcreatedthroughactivities.DavidNunan,aseminentauthoritywhohastaughtEnglisharoundtheworldformorethanthirtyyears,proposes“settingspecifictasksforstudents12 sothattheyactasiftheywereusingthelanguageinreallife.Thisispartoftheessenceoftask-basedteaching”(Nunan,1989).AccordingtoNunan(1989),languageisbetterachievedinaninductiveway,i.e.teachersshouldletstudentsobserveandconcludehowthelanguageiscomposedofinsteadofgivingstudentstherulesandexamples.Studentslearntherulesfrommeaningfulandpracticalcontextortasks.Also,inNunan(1989)’sopinion,thetraditionalteachingapproachofbreakingdownthedifferentpartsofaforeignlanguageandthenteachingthemseparatelystepbystepdoesnothelpstudentsgeneratemeaningfullanguage,i.e.solveproblemintherealworld.Long(1981,1992)andCrookes(1992)believethatataskisanactivityorapieceofworkwhichisdesignedtohelptoachieveaparticulargoal.Willis(1996)definestasksasactivitieswherethetargetlanguageisusedbythelearnerforacommunicativepurpose(goal)inordertoachieveanoutcome.Willis(1998)alsosuggeststhatthetask-basedlearningactivitiesshouldemphasisonmeaninganduseintheprocessoflanguagelearning.Theformsoftaskscanbealist,guessingthepuzzle,playingagame,makingashortinterview,exchangingopinionorexperienceeachother,evenagrammaticalexercisesetc.Skehan(1996a)viewsTBLTasactivitieswhichhavemeaningastheirprimaryfocus.Atask-basedapproachseesthelearningprocessasoflearningthroughdoing.Itisbyprimarilyengagedinmeaningthatthestudents’systemisencouragedtodevelop,hedefinesthetaskasaseriesofgradedactivitiesthatrequirestudentstoworkwiththetargetlanguage,withthepurposeofpreparingstudentstomeetthechallengesofreal-worldfunction.Healsoarguesthatalanguagetaskinwhichacommunicationproblemistobesolvedbearssomerelationshiptoreal-worldactivitiesandthetaskshouldmirrorreal-lifesituationsanddecision-makingasfaraspossible.Fromtheabovedefinitionoranalysis,wecanconcludethatataskisanyactivitythatlearnersengageintofurthertheprocessoflanguagelearning(William&Burden,2000:168).TBLTisakindofteachingmethodthatputmanydifferentkindsoftasksintolanguageteaching.SincetheappearanceofTBLT,ithasbecomeahottopicinthefieldofpedagogyinChina.WuXudong(1997)makessystematicalresearchesonthedifficultyanddifferentsituationsoftasks.ChengKela(2000)fromZhanjiangNormalCollegepublishesanarticletitled“AnalysisonProductSyllabusandProcessSyllabus”.AftertheconceptofTBLTwasproposedbyNewEnglishCurriculumSyllabusin2001,TBLTemergedinChinatochallengethetraditionalmethod,manyscholarsorlanguageteachersattempttoincorporateTBLTintotheclassroomteachingandmakegreatcontributionstoTBLT.LiaoXiaoqing(2001)13 introducestheliteraturereviewofTBLT,definitionofatask,structureofataskandteachingprocedureoftasks.NiWensaiproposesseveralprinciplesoftask-drivenEnglishteachingmodelinprimaryschool.LuoShaoxi(2002)putsforwardsixstepsinevaluatingthetasksinTBLT.DingWen(2002)alsoputsseventasksintoJuniorEnglishclass,whichareJigsaw,informationgap,comparison,opiniongap,problemsolving,decisionandcreation.Uptonow,undertheguidelineofNewEnglishCurriculum，thetask-basedlanguageteachingapproachiswidelyrecommendedinEnglishteachingespeciallyinmiddleschools.2.2.2TheTheoreticalBasisofTBLT(1)TheInputHypothesisofKrashenOnetheoreticalbasisthattasksarebasedonistheInputHypothesis.Krashendistinguishedtwoconceptsoflanguagelearning.Hebelievesthatthecomprehensiveinputistheconditionoflanguageacquisition.AccordingtoKrashen(1982),languagelearningdoesnotleadtolanguageacquisition,andhealsodistinguisheslanguagelearningfromlanguageacquisition.Justas(Richards&Rodgers,1986:72)says“Languageacquisitionistheunconsciousincorporationofthetargetlanguagesystemthroughitsuseincommunication”.ThecomprehensibleinputreferstolanguageisacquiredwhenthelearnerisexposedtoL2languagehe/sheunderstands,butwhichisalittlemoreadvancedthanhis/hercurrentlevelofcompetence.“Theprocessisdescribedbytheformulai+1”(Krashen,1982:21).Krashenconsidersthatalearnerimprovesandmakesprogressalonganaturalorderwhenreceivinginputthatisonestepbeyondthelearners’currentstageoflinguisticcompetence,andheclaimsthatcomprehensibleinputwasnotonlynecessarybutalsosufficientifthesuccessfulsecondlanguageacquisitionistotakeplace(Yip,1994:124).Heproposesthatwhendesigningasyllable,theteachershouldgiveallthelearnerssomei+1input.Healsosuggeststhatwhencertainconditionsweremet,explicitgrammarteachingcouldhavemorebenefits.Nowadays,itshouldbenotedthatKrashen’sviewshavehadgreatinfluenceonsecondlanguagelearningandhavehadconsiderableimpactontheTBLTapproach.(2)TheInteractionHypothesisAnothertheoreticalbasisthattasksarebasedonistheInteractionHypothesis.Initsearlyform,theInteractionHypothesisclaimsthatacquisitionisfacilitatedwhenlearnersobtaincomprehensibleinputasa14 resultoftheopportunitytonegotiatemeaningwhencommunicationbreakdownoccurs(Long,1985).Whatisimportantforacquisitionistheopportunityforlearnerstoengageinmeaningnegotiation.Meaningnegotiationservesasthemeansbywhichlearners’‘dataneeds’canbeeffectivelymet(Pica,1996).Asweallknow,inputandoutputaretwoprocessofinteraction.AccordingtoSwain(1985;1995),theoutputservestohelplearnerstonoticegapsintheirlinguisticknowledgeandthustriggersbothanalysisofinputandoftheirownexistinginternalresource.InadditionitprovidesameansbywhichlearnerscantesthypothesesabouttheL2andreflectontheirownandtheinterlocutors’useoflanguage.SinceoutputplaysanimportantroleinL2acquisition,Long(1996)hasincorporatedintohislaterformofInteractionHypothesis,i.e.thetheoryhasbeenextendedtotheviewthatmeaningnegotiationcancontributetoL2acquisition,namelythroughthefeedbackthatthelearnersreceiveontheirownproductionswhentheyattempttocommunicateandthroughthemodifiedoutputthatariseswhenlearnersarepushedtoreformulatetheirproductionsinordertomakethemcomprehensible.Fromtheaboveanalysis,wesummarizethatmodifiedinteractionpromotesacquisition.Foreignlanguageteachinginclassroommustcontainallkindsofactivitieswiththemodifiedinteractionwhichisthetask,andthenthelanguageacquisitioncanoccur.2.2.3ThecharacteristicsofTBLTAsforthecharacteristicsofTBLT,manylinguists,suchasDavidNunan,MichaelLong,RodEllishaveproposedtheirownopinions.Forexample,DavidNunan(1991)givesasummaryasfollowing:1.Anemphasisonlearningtocommunicatethroughinteractioninthetargetlanguage.2.Theintroductionofauthentictextsintothelearningsituation.3.Provisionofopportunitiesforlearnerstofocusnotonlyonlanguagebutalsoonthelearningprocessitself.4.Anenhancementofthelearners’ownpersonalexperiencesasimportantcontributingelementstoclassroomlanguagelearningwithlanguageactivationoutsidetheclassroom.5.Anattempttolinkclassroomlanguagelearningwithlanguageactivationoutsidetheclassroom.Inaddition,theiropinionsaboutthecharacteristicsofTBLThavesomethingincommon.First,TheyallbelievethatTBLTshouldbelearner-centered:a“learner-centerededucationalphilosophy”(Ellis,2003b),15 inotherwords，‘anenhancementofthelearners’ownpersonalexperiencesasimportantcontributingelementstoclassroomlearning(Nunan,1991)anda“learner-needs-drivensyllabusandmethodology”(Long,1998).Second,thetasksareviewedascommunicativetasksandtheconceptof“communication”isstressed.JustasNunan(1991)pointoutthatanemphasisonlearningtocommunicatethroughinteractioninthetargetlanguage.Long(1998)introduces“groupactivities”:cooperativelearning,collaborativesmallgroupswork(two-wayasks).Ellis(2003b)proposesthatTBLTofferstheopportunityfor“naturallearning”insidetheclassroom.Third,thelearningformsoflanguageshouldalsobeemphasized.Nunan(1991)putstheauthentictextsintothelearningsituationandasksthelearnersnotonlytofocusonlanguage,butalsoonthelearningprocessitself.Long(1998)holdsworkingonpedagogicaltasksplusafocusonform.Ellis(2003b)alsoclaimsthatTBLTemphasizesmeaningoverformbutcanalsocaterforlearningform.Inaword,themaincharacteristicsofTBLTarefocusonmeaningfultaskandlearner-centered,andthemeaningfultasksshouldbeauthenticandclosetostudents’interest.Also,theclassactivityisforproducingfluentEnglishandforthepurposeofcommunication.2.2.4TheprinciplesofTBLTAsfortheprinciplesofTBLT,mainlytherearefourprinciples.Inthefollowingpaper,theauthorwouldliketolisttheprinciplesonebyone.(1)TheauthenticlanguageandsituationprincipleTheprinciplereferstothefactthattheusedmaterialsinthetaskshouldbederivedfromreallifeduringtaskdesigning.Atthesametime,thesituationsandactivitiesinwhichthetaskisperformedshouldbeclosetoreallifeasmuchaspossible.Itisnecessaryfortheteacherstoprovideclearandauthenticlanguageinformationwhendesigningtasks.Inaddition,thelanguagesituationandlanguageformshouldconformtothereallanguagefunctionsandrules,sothatthestudentscanacquirelanguageintheauthenticorvirtualauthenticsituations.(2)Theform-functionprincipleBasedontheauthenticprinciple,theform-functionprinciplemakestherelationshipbetweenthelanguageformandfunctionmoreclear.Besidesgraspinglanguageform,thestudentsshouldlearntocultivatetheabilityofgraspinglanguagefunction.Thedesignedtasksshouldbebasedonlanguageform,16 andlanguagefunctioncanbeunderstoodthroughaseriesoftasks.Atlast,thetasksareappliedtocommunicativeactivities.(3)Thetask-dependencyandthetask-chainprincipleItholdsthatthedesignedtasksshouldbearrangedintheascendingorderintermsofdifficulty.Intheaspectoflanguageskill,theteachersshouldmaketheteachingpresentintheformoftask-chain.(4)LearningbydoingprincipleLearningbydoingprinciplemotivatesstudentstofulfilltheirpotential.Thestudentsacquirelanguagewhileperformingconcretetasks.Byfinishingthecertaintask,thestudentscanacquireandcommutaterelativelearningexperiences.Theycanenjoythesuccess.Andtheirlearninginterestandmotivationscanalsobeimproved.Itshouldbenotedthatalltheaboveprinciplesarerelatedandindispensabletoeachother.Duringtheusage,theteachersshouldfirstlypayattentiontothecloserelationshipamongthemandthentopromotethedevelopmentofstudents’cognitiveability,languageabilityandcommunicativeabilityinacoordinatedway.2.3GrammarteachingandTBLT2.3.1StrategiesofgrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLT(1)TeachingstrategyofcreatingsituationWhenmentioninggrammar,theteachingmethodshouldnotimpartthelearningmaterialstothestudentsbyrote.Butunderthedesignedrealisticorauthenticsituations,studentscanlearnlanguagenaturallyandinducegrammarrulesbythemselves.Thentheycanusegrammarrulestoguidetheirlearningandtoenhancetheircommunicativeability.Withthedeepgoingofthecurricularcontent,thereappearalotofgrammaticalrulesbeforestudents,suchastenseormodelofverb.TheEnglishgrammarplaysadirectimpactontheirEnglishcommunication.Therefore,itisnecessarytoguidestudentstopracticeinsomesituations.Forexample,ifteacherscanputgrammarphenomenonandtheconcretelifetogetherwhenteaching“Heislisteningtomusic”“Heoftenlistenstomusic”and“Hewilllistentomusic”,studentscanlearnfastandaccurately,andtheirinterestanddesiretostudyoutsidetheclassroomcanalsobearoused17 greatly.Thisstrategycanhelpstudentsunderstandthegrammarandtheycantouch,understandandpracticetheusageofgrammarthroughthecreatedenvironments.(2)TeachingstrategyofcarryingoutinterestingactivitiesTheinterestingactivitiescanstimulatestudents’learninginterestandmakethedullgrammarlivelyandinteresting.Therearedifferentkindsofinterestingactivities,suchasriddle-guessing,listeningtomusic,tellingstories,painting,playinggamesandsoon.Forexample,thetelling-storiesmethodcanbeusedinthetenseteaching.Theteachermayusesomepicturesoroffersomewordstoletstudentsmakeastory.Duringtheprocessofmakingstories,thetenseusageofthewordscanbelearnedquickly.Therefore,whenthismethodisputintogrammarteaching,thestudentscannotonlygrasptherelativegrammarknowledgebutalsocanapplytheknowledgecorrespondingly.Sointhisway,thestudentsfeelinterestedratherthandullandbored.(3)Teachingstrategyofincorporatinglistening,speaking,readingandwritingItshouldbenotedthatgrammarisnotisolated,andthatthepurposeofgrammarteachingistolearnfourskillsbetter.Asweallknow,theteachingpurposeistoletstudentsacquiretheabilityofusingEnglish,notofmakingresearchingrammar.Teachersshouldcombinegrammarteachingandstudents’listening,speaking,readingandwritingskillstogether,createteachingactivitiesinrealenvironments.Therefore,duringtheprocessofclassroomteaching,teachersshouldtrytheirbesttoencouragestudentstoreadtextoftenandpaymoreattentiontothegrammarknowledgeinthetext.Learninggrammarcanhelpstudentsunderstandthetextbetter,andthegrammarknowledgecanalsobeconsolidatedatthesametimewhenthestudentsreadtexts.Inthisway,thestudentscannotonlygraspgrammarknowledgebutalsotheirspeakingabilitiesandtheirabilitiesofreadingandcomprehensioncanbeimprovedgreatly.2.3.2AbriefreviewongrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTGrammarteachinghasbeenthecenterofEnglishteachingforalongtime.However,thepresentpopulartrendseemstoputemphasisnotongrammarteachingbutonmeaningfultasks.Littlewood(1999)assertsthatoneofthefeaturesofTBLTthatworriesteachersisthatitseemstopaylessattentiontogrammarteaching.Isitright?DoestheusingofTBLTmeanabandoninggrammarteaching?Actually,accordingtoLittlewood,TBLTdoesnotmean“forgetthegrammar”,andtask-basedlearningdoesnot18 preludetheteachingofgrammar(i.e.languageitemsandforms).Also,Long(1991),Willis(1996),Nunan(1999),andEllis(2003)allarguethatlearnerscouldfocusonformineveryphraseofthetasksimplementation,andtheanti-grammarteachingwasthemisunderstandingofthecommunicativeapproach.InordertotestifytheeffectivenessofTBLTinforeignlanguagegrammarteaching,inthefollowingpaper,thewriterwillreviewtherelatedresearchesongrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTbriefly.AccordingtothecharacteristicsofTBLT,formandfunctionareequallyimportant.Plentyofexperimentshaveshownthat,eitherthegrammar-orientedapproachorotherapproachesignoringgrammarcannotenablethelearnerstogetahigherleveloflinguisticaccuracyorknowledge.FotosandEllis(1991)concludethattheform-focusedtaskcouldreplacetraditionalgrammarteachingwithanattempttoimprovegrammaticalknowledgeandbetterthestudents’languageusage.Atthesametime,itcanalsoprovideachanceformeaningfulcommunicationsandcultivatethecommunicativeabilities.Fotos(1994)proposesthatgrammarteachingandcommunicativelanguageusecanbeintegratedthroughgrammarconsciousness-raisingtasks.WuWudong(1994),aChinesescholarshowsthatwhenlearnersengageincommunicativetasksinwhichthetargetstructureswereactivated,itispossibleforthemtoacquirethesestructures.Andheconcludesthatformalinstructionaswellasopportunitiestoactivateknowledgethroughoutputactivitieswasasignificantfactorinacquisition.WenWeijuan(2001),whohasafive-week’experimentongrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLT,atlastheconcludesthatTBLTismoreeffectivethanthetraditionalgrammarteachingmethodincollegeEnglishclasses.Spada(2002:144)provesthatinstructionwhichfocusesprimarilyonmeaning(communication-based),butallowsforafocusonformwithinmeaningfulcontextsatthesametime,theeffectisbest.Nowadays,itisobviousthatTBLTingrammarclasshasexertedprofoundinfluenceontheteachingofgrammar.However,manyprofessorsandteachersarestillworriedaboutwhethergrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTissuitabletothecurrentsituationofEnglishteachingintheperiodoffundamentaleducation.Fromtheaboveformerresearches,wecanconcludethatwhenthetask-basedlanguageteachingapproachiswelldesignedwithasystematicapproachtogrammarteachingandappliedflexiblyratherthanisusedmechanically,theoutcomemustbesatisfactoryandcanmeettheneedsofallthelearnersandcurrentcurricularreform.Onthebasisoftheirresearch,theauthorhavemadeanexperimenttoillustratewhethergrammarteachingbasedontheapproachofTBLTinmiddleschoolsismoreeffectiveornotinthe19 ruralareasofChina.Innextchapter,thethesiswillfocusontheapplicationofTask-basedLanguageTeachingtoEnglishgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschools.20 ChapterThreeResearchDesign3.1ResearchquestionsThestudyistoanswerthefollowingquestions:1)WhatisthepresentsituationofTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschools?2)IsTask-basedGrammarTeachingmethodmoreeffectivethantraditionalgrammarteachingmethodinruralmiddleschools?3.2ResearchparticipantsTheresearchsubjectsinthisstudyarethestudentsinLiYuantunNo.2MiddleSchool,Xinxiang,HenanProvince.Thereare75studentsintotal.Thestudentsaredividedintotwoclasses.Oneisthecontrolclass;theotheristheexperimentalclass.Amongallthesubjects,37studentsarefromcontrolclassand38arefromexperimentalclass.Theyarealmostthirteenyearsold,activeandfullofenergy.Throughthestudyofthefirstterm,theyknowaboutalittleEnglish.What’smore,severalteachersareinvestigatedinthisstudytoknowwhatmethodtheyoftenuse,andhowmuchtheyknowaboutTBLT.3.3Researchmethodsandprocedures3.3.1ThematerialsandmethodsoftheexperimentTheresearchmaterialstheauthorusedarethesameteachingmaterialsandthreetests(pre-,immediatepost-anddelayedpost-).ThegrammarmaterialsareallcollectedfromProjectEnglishwhichispublishedbyBeijingRen’aiEducationPress,thenewspaperandworkbookarebothcorrespondingtothetextbook.Therewillbeanewkindofgrammarappearsineachtopic.Thegrammarinthetextbookischosenasthecontentoftheexperiment.Besides,thesameexaminationpapersaredesignedbytheeducationdepartmenttotestthelearners’degreeofmasteringgrammarpoints.Ineachperiodofclass,theteachinglasts45minutes.Theexperimentconsistsofpre-test,immediatepost-testanddelayedpost-test.Inordertoidentifythedifferencebetweenthecontrolclassandthe21 experimentalclass,theauthorusedthescoresattheendofthefirsttermastheresultsofthepre-test.Halfayearlater,theimmediatepost-testwasadministratedtoseewhetherthereareanydifferencesbetweenthetwoclasses.Then,afterhalfayear,thedelayedpost-testwasconductedbetweenthetwoclassestogettheconclusion.Asforthemethodsofthestudy,questionnaireswillbemadeonteachersandstudentstogettherelativeinformationrelatedtotheresearch,andfacetofaceinterviewsonteacherswillalsobeconductedtogetamorecomprehensiveunderstanding.Inaddition,aconcreteanddetailedexperimentwillalsobeconductedtofindtheanswer.3.3.2TheproceduresoftheexperimentAttheendoftheFebruary2010,theauthoranalyzedthefinalexamscoresofthefirstsemesterinGradeSevenanduseditastheresultsofthepre-test.AswecanseefromAppendixCandAppendixD,theresultsofthepre-testaresimilar,whichmeansthestudents’Englishlevelarecloser.Thentheexperimentisdividedintotwoperiodswitheachonebeingasemester,i.e.thesecondsemesterofGradeSevenasthefirstperiodandthefirstsemesterofGradeEightasthesecondperiod.Beforetheexperiment,thequestionnairesandinterviewsbetweenteachersandstudentsareinvestigatedtogetthegeneralinformationaboutTBLTandtheirattitudestowardspreviousteachingandlearningmethodarealsoknown.Afterthat,differentteachingmethodsareappliedintheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclass.Task-basedLanguageTeachingmethodisappliedtogrammarteachingintheexperimentalclassandthe3Pmethodtogrammarteachingisusedinthecontrolclass.Finally,attheendofthefirstperiodandthesecondperiod,theimmediate-testandthedelayedpost-testaregiventochecktheeffectivenessoftwodifferentteachingmethods.Theteachingscheduleisdescribedasthefollowing.Table3-1thestagesoftheexperimentStagesDateArrangementPeriod1February,2010---July,2010Theimmediatepost-testPeriod2September,2010---January,2011Thedelayedpost-test22 3.3.3ThesamplesofteachingproceduresintheexperimentalclassJaneWillis(1996)suggeststhattherearethreestepsforTask-basedLanguageTeachingapproach:1.Pre-task-----teacherleading-inthetask2.Taskcycle:1)task-----studentsimplementthetask2)planning-----eachgroupprepareforthereportabouthowtofinishthetask3)reporting-----studentsreportthetaskfinished3.Post-task:1)analysis-----studentsanalysisothergroup’stask2)practice-----studentspracticelanguagepointsguidedbytheteacherInthefollowingpaper,theauthorwillfollowJaneWillis’sthreestepsofTask-basedLanguageTeachingapproachtodesigndifferenttasksforgrammarteaching.Andthetasksinthispaperarealsodesignedinthreephrases:pre-task,task-cycle,post-task.Sample1:theSimplePresentTenseJustasLittlewood(2004)pointsoutthatlanguageteachingshouldbetreatedasacontinuuminwhichtheexercisesareontheonehandandthetasksontheother.Therefore,thepre-taskphrasecanbedesignedlikethis:Step1Pre-task:1.[Warmingup]T:Whatgradeareyouin?Ss:IaminGradeSeven.T:Howmanyclassmates/friendsdoyouhave?Ss:Ihave…/Thereare…classmatesinmyclass/Thereare…friends.T:Whatarethehobbiesofyourfriends/classmates?Now,trytothinkaboutmorewords.(Theteachercanusegesturewhenspeaking)2.[Brainstorming]Throughbrainstorming,somerelatedwordsorphrasescanbereviewed.Theteachercanaskstudentstothinkoutsomewordsorphrasesandthenarrangethemintocategories.Inthisphrase,theteachermay23 reviewsomeusefulwordsorphrases,butheorshewouldnotpre-teachnewstructures.Forexample,T:Ok,pleasespeakoutmorephrasesofactivities.Ss:Goshopping,watchTV,playbasketball,gotothetheater,visitfriends,stayathome…3.[Leading-in]Thestudentsarerequiredtomakeasurveyintheclassroom.Theteachermayaskthemthefollowingquestionsfirstlyandthenletthemfinishthetableingroups.a.Doyouknowyourclassmates/friendswell?b.Whatdotheyusuallydoonweekends?NamesActivitiesyourguessActivitieshe/shedoesTomGoshoppingStayathome…Step2TaskcycleThestudentsaregivenseveralminutestotalkabout.Afterfinishingtheactivity,thestudentsarerequiredtoprepareforreportingtothewholeclass.Inordertohaveagoodjobintheclass,thestudentshadbetterdraftwhattheywillsaycorrectly.Atthesametime,theteachergoesaroundtoadvisestudentsonlanguageforms.Afterthat,thestudentsareaskedtoreportinpublic.Inthisway,thelanguageaccuracyisrealized.Inthislesson,everystudentisgivenachancetoaskandanswerquestions.Afterseveralminutes,theteacherchoosesonestudentfromeachgrouptomakeareport.Thechosenstudentsshouldreporttheresultsoftheinvestigationonebyoneandthentheteachercanletthewholeclassspeakoutwhoisthehappieststudentatweekend.Afterthat,theteacherwillaskstudentstogeneralizetherulesoftheSimplePresentTenseandthenexplainthestructure.Step3Post-task(1)PracticeInordertoconsolidatetheknowledgebasedontaskcycle,itisnecessarytodosomeclassexercises24 whichincludegrammaticalexercisesandoptionaltasks.Theyareasfollows:1.Katealways____abustoschool.2.____doyouusuallygotothepostoffice?---Bybike.3.周先生乘飞机去上海。Mr.Zhou_____toShanghai_______4.我很少步行去学校。Iseldom____toschool5.她大约九点四十五上床睡觉。_________________________.6.放学后他们经常去游泳。________________________________.7.Have,SunMei,inthemorning,fourclasses（组句子）_______________________________.8.Shopping,my,go,often,weekend,in,the,uncle(组句子)__________________________________.9.come,usually,I,to,on,school,foot(组句子)_____________________________________.(2)OptionaltasksWriteacompositionaboutAmy’sdailyactivities.Accordingthefollowinginformationandthebeginninghasbeengiven.活动GetupGotoschoolHaveTakeacarearlyOnfootBybusBybikebreakfastatseven频度AmyisfromtheUSA.SheisinClass2,Grade7.She____________________________25 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sample2:Teachingcontent:ThepresentcontinuoustenseStep1Pre-task:Theteachershowssomepicturestotheclassandasksthemsomequestions.Thisclasscanbeginlikethis:T:Lookatthepicture,whoishe?Ss:HeisYaoMing.T:What’shedoing?Ss:Heisplayingbasketball.(Theteacherhelpsstudentstoanswer)Then,theteacherchoosesoneormorestudentstoperformactioninthefrontoftheclassroomandasksquestions:Whatisshe/hedoing?Orwhataretheydoing?Afterthis,letallthestudentsthinkoverthisquestion:whatareyourfamiliesdoing?Step2Task-cycle:Then,thestudentsarerequiredtodiscussitandfinishthetaskingroupsoffour,usingthefollowingsentences:Forexample,whatisyoursister/brotherdoing?Isshe/hereading?Theyarereadinginsunandsoon.Duringtheperiod,theteacherhadbetterwritesomeexamplesontheblackboardandhavethestudentsimplementthetaskintheformofaskingandanswering.Severalminuteslater,theteacherchoosesonestudentfromeachgrouptomakeareportintheclass.Duringthisperiod,theotherstudentsshouldlistentothereportercarefullyandcomparewiththeirownopinions.Thentheteachercommentsonthestudents’performanceandsumsupthestructureofpresentcontinuoustense:be(am,is,are)+V.ingwiththestudentstogether.Step3Post-task:Inthisphrase,studentscanbeaskedtodosomeexercisesincludingfillingintheblanks,translation,sentencecompletion,sentencereconstructionandsoon.Furthermore,othertaskslikewritingcompositionormakingasurveycanalsobeusedtoconsolidatethestudents’newlanguagepoint.Theexercisesareas26 follows:1.Look,she____astorybookintheschoollibrary.A.islookingB.isreadingC.lookingD.reading2.---Ican’tfindLucyandLily.Wherearetheynow?----They______inthegym.A.playingsoccerB.playsoccerC.areplayingsoccerD.isplayingsoccer3---____thestudents____anEnglishclassatthemoment?---Yes,theyare.A.Are;havingB.Do;haveC.Are;havingD.Are;have4.Tomis____ispen,buthecan’tfinditeverywhere.Let’shelphim.A.find;lookforB.lookingfor;findC,lookfor;findD.finding;lookfor5.Kangkangisplayingfootballwithhisfriends.（对划线部分提问）____________________________________?6.HereadsEnglishafterclass.(用now改写afterclass改换时态)____________________________________.7.Workingroupsandmakearole-playaboutwhatthefamiliesaredoingaftersupper.Thenwriteapassageaccordingtotherole-play.Sample3:ComparativeandsuperlativeofadjectivesandadverbsStep1Pre-task:TheteacherchoosesthreestudentsA,BandCtohaveadictationontheblackboard.Thedictationcontentsmaylikethese:Whichsportsdoyouprefer,cyclingorrowing?Whatwouldyouwanttobewhenyougrowup?Thenstudentsareaskedthreequestions:Whowritesfaster,AorB?Whomakefewermistakes,AorC?Whosehandwritingisbetter,BorC?Afterthat,thestudentsarerequiredtoanswerthequestionswithcomparativeorsuperlativewiththeteacher’shelp.Theteachercorrectswhatthestudentssayandwritestherightsentencesontheblackboard,andthenshewillexplaindifferentrulesofcomparativeandsuperlative.Step2Task-cycle:27 Thestudentsaredividedintoseveralgroupsandareaskedtotalkaboutthecharacteristicsoftheirclassmates.Afterthat,theteacherasksthemtomakealist,usingcomparativeorsuperlativeofadjectiveoradverbs.Later,thestudentsarerequiredtospeakouttheirownopinionsinpublic.Finally,theteachercommentsonstudents’workobjectivelyandthenexplainsthelanguagepoints.Step3Post-cycle:Inordertoconsolidatewhathavebeenlearnedintaskcycle,inthisphrase,someexercisessuchasroleplayastory,makeareport,sentencecompletionandsoonarealsoneededforthestudentstostrengthentheirlanguageaccuracy.Thepracticeactivitiescaninclude:1.Thisis_____beautifulpicturesinChina.A.amostB.themostC.suchasD.so2.Tomplaystennisverybadly,Carlplayseven_________.A.badilerB.asmuchasC.asmanyasD.asmucha3.---_____monthdoyoulike____,April,MayorJune?---May.A.Which;bestB.What;betterC.Which;betterD.What;best4.Ilikestorybecauseit’s____easierand______.A.much;interestingB.more;moreinterestingC.much;moreinterestingD.more;interesting5.Theshoesinthisshoparemuch_____thanthoseinthatshop.A.cheaplyB.cheaperC.cheapestD.cheap6.Optionaltask.Comparethelifebetweenthecityandthecountryside,andthenwriteapassage,youmayusethefollowingkeywords:CleanbeautifulnoisygreenwidehighcheapYoumaybeginlikethis:Theriverinthecountrysideismuchcleanerthanthatinthecity.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Fromtheabovesamples,theprinciplesoflearningbydoingandlearningbyusingaresupported.In28 theTask-basedgrammarteachingclass,thestudentsarenotonlyactivebutalsocanexchangedifferentinformationorimprovetheircommunicationskillsthroughgroupdiscussion.Furthermore,differenttasksinwhichstudentstakepartmakethemfeelin“real”world.Therefore,studentsareencouragedtospeakEnglishonlyforfinishingtasks.Themostimportantpointisthatifsomeonehasdifficultiesintheprocessoftaskcompleting,theycangethelpfromeachotherpromptly.Inthisway,thestudents’cooperativespiritisstrengthenedgreatly.3.4Datacollection3.4.1DataanalysisfromquestionnairesBeforetheexperiment,thequestionnairesaregiventoalltheteachersandthechosenstudentsinLiyuantunNo.2MiddleSchool,Weihui,Xinxiang,Henanprovince.Theresultsofinvestigationareasfollows:Accordingtostudents’questionnaireinvestigation,60studentsbelievethatgrammaristhemostimportantpartinEnglishlearningand52studentsholdthatgrammarhelpstoproducefluentEnglish.58%ofthestudentsthinkthatlanguagepointscanbegraspedaslongastheyunderstandthegrammarrulestogetherwithalotofgrammarexercises.Therefore,36studentsalwaystrytolearntheruleswell.However,38studentsarenotsatisfiedwiththecurrentteachingmethod.Theythinkthatitisnotonlyboringtolearngrammarbutalsothesegrammarrulesarefilledbytheteachertotheirbrainmechanically.Althoughmoststudentsconsiderthatgrammarrulesareexplainedbytheteacherclearly,itisinevitabletomakemistakesunconsciously,especiallyintheirspokenorwrittenexercises.Therefore,someofthestudentslosetheirinterestinEnglishgradually.Inaword,itisnecessarytochangethecurrentgrammarteachingmethodintoanewone.Accordingtoteachers’questionnaireinvestigation,although63teachershaveheardofTBLT,buttheyknowonlyalittleaboutit.And9teachersarestillnotfamiliarwithTBLTatall,letaloneapplyitinclassroomteachingeffectively.70teachersspendmorethanthirtyminutesontheirclasslecturingand93%teachers’referencebookisthemaininstrumentforteaching.And45%teachersholdthattheyneedtotakepartinthetrainingactivityofTBLT.Also,accordingtotheinvestigation,49%teachersagreethatTBLTcanimprovethestudents’comprehensiveabilityoflanguageuse.However,becauseofvariousdifficulties29 theyfaced,theycannotapplyTBLTtotheirteaching.Fromquestionthirteen,weknowthatthetwobiggestdifficultiesarethetest-orientededucationsystemandthelimitedskillsaboutTBLToftheteachers.Asforthemethodofgrammarteachinginmiddleschools,38teachersareinfavorofteachinggrammarandtheyprefertoletstudentsmakeplentyofnote-takings,while35teachersmainlyteachgrammarbyaskingstudentstodoalotofgrammarpractices.Inaddition,40teachersthinkthatGrammar-TranslationMethodisadvantageoustohighmarksintheexamination.Fromtheteachers’questionnaire,itisobviousthatmanyteacherswouldliketouseTBLTtoteachgrammar,andfewteachersconsiderthatusingtraditionalmethodtodoalotofgrammarpracticesinclassisbetterthanthatusingTBLT.However,whydoteachersusetraditionalmethodratherthanTBLTintheirgrammarteaching?Accordingtoface-to-faceinterviewstotheteachers,thatisbecausetheyareafraidthattheirteachingtaskscannotbefinishedwhenTBLTisusedtogrammarteaching.AlthoughtheywanttoputTask-basedgrammarteachingmethodintoclassroomteaching,theydonotknowhowtoapplyitowingtolackoftheknowledgeofTBLT.Inviewoftheinvestigatedresults,inordertofindoutthefeasibilityandeffectivenessofTBLTtogrammarteaching,theauthorwouldliketoputTask-basedgrammarteachingintoexperimentalclassroomteachingduringtheprocessofexperiment,andthenmakeacomparisonwiththecontrolclass.Also,somesampleexamplessuppliedbytheauthorarealsousefulreferencesforotherteachers.3.4.2Dataanalysisfromthepost-testAfteraterm’experiment,atestisconductedtomeasuretheeffectofstudents’grammarlearning.Thenhalfayearlater,anothertestisheldtoexaminetheresultsofstudents’grammarleaching.ThetwotestscoresareinAppendixCandAppendixD,andthefollowingtablesprovidethemean,thestandarddeviationoftestsbetweentheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclass.Table3-4theimmediatepost-testscoresofthetwoclassesClassNMS.DExperimentalclass3875.13388.59Controlclass3770.59229.43Note:numberofsubjects(N),mean(M),standarddeviation(S.D)ofthesubjectsfortwoclassesinthe30 immediatepost-testTable3-5thedelayedpost-testscoresofthetwoclassesClassNMS.DExperimentalclass3880.26243.09Controlclass3763.7394.37Note:numberofsubjects(N),mean(M),standarddeviation(S.D)ofthesubjectsfortwoclassesinthedelayedpost-testBeforetheexperiment,thepre-testresultsinthefirsttermofGradeSevenbetweenthetwoclassesaresimilar.Themeanscoresofthetwoclassesarecloser.Aftertheexperiment,theabovetablesshowthattherearesubtledifferencesonmeanintheimmediatepost-testbetweentheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclass.AlthoughthewholeEnglishlevelofstudentshasimprovedtosomeextent,thestandarddeviationintheexperimentalclassismuchhigherthanthatinthecontrolclass.Maybesomestudentsarenotaccustomedtothenewteachingmethodandthenewteacher,whilesomeotherstudentscan.However,inthedelayedpost-test,thereisalargegapbetweenthetwoclasses.Asisseenclearly,thetwoclassesgetdifferentvaluesonmeaninthedelayedpost-test,andthestandarddeviationofthecontrolclassismuchlargerthanthatoftheexperimentalclassintwotests.Thesephenomenashowthatthegapamongstudentsintheexperimentalclassissmallerthanthatinthecontrolclass,andtheEnglishlevelsofmoststudentsintheexperimentalclassareimprovedmoreorless.Also,fromthecomparisonbetweenthecontrolclassandtheexperimentalclassinAppendixCandAppendixD,wecanconcludethat,nomatterwhetherthetraditionalmethodorTBLTisusedintogrammarteaching,allthetopstudentscangethighmarks.Andformostpartsofthestudents,grammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTismoreeffectiveinthisschool.Butforthelowlevelstudents,theeffectivenessisnotsoobvious.Furthermore,accordingtotheobservation,theclassroomatmospherebetweenthetwoclassesistotallydifferent.Thestudentsintheexperimentalclassaremoreactive,confident,andhelpfulwitheachother.TheycanspeakEnglishverywellandhavehighercommunicativeability.However,thestudentsinthecontrolclassaremoreobedient.Theytendtoobeytheclassrulesconsciouslyandpreferdoingexercisesratherthanspeaking.31 32 ChapterFourResultsandDiscussion4.1ResultsanddiscussionofquestionnairesInordertoobtaintheinformationaboutthestudentsandtheEnglishteachers’attitudestowardsEnglishgrammarteachingandlearninginruralmiddleschools.Questionnairesonteachersandstudentsarecomplementedintheinvestigation.Table3-3TeacherQuestionnaireABCDQuestion15%35%60%0%Question288%12%0%0%Question39%19%72%0%Question421%13%48%18%Question522%76%2%0%Question693%0%7%0%Question793%3%2%3%Question80%26%68%6%Question920%49%27%4%Question100%2%19%79%Question1136%25%21%18%Question120%30%42%28%Question140%11%28%61%Question159%45%35%11%Question1632%45%11%12%33 Question1734%7%58%0%Question1851%43%4%2%Question190%63%25%12%Question205%40%55%0%Theresultsoftheteachers’questionnaireindicatethatmostteachersmayknowalittleaboutTBLTforsomereasons,butbecausetheygetinformationmainlyfromteachers’referencebooks,andcannotgetintouchwiththenewinformationeasily.TheydonotknowmuchaboutTBLT,letaloneuseitintheirclassroomteachingfrequently.Asforthegrammarteaching,theypreferapplyingGrammar-TranslationMethod.Themajoritiesofteachersspendmostpartofthetimeinlecturingrepeatedlyduringtheprocessofclassroomteaching.Theyprefertoletstudentsmakenotescarefullyandthenletthemdoalotofgrammarexercises.AlthoughmostofthembelieveitisfeasibletoapplyTBLTtogrammarteachinginmiddleschools,theyseldomusethisapproach,becausetheyarenotfamiliarwiththeprinciplestofollow.Also,itishardforthemtodealwiththeteachingcontentineachunitintheframeworkofTBLT.Table3-2StudentQuestionnaireABCDQuestion125%53%22%0%Question285%5%10%0%Question348%29%12%11%Question461%28%9%2%Question568%29%3%0%Question687%13%0%0%Question754%38%8%0%Question817%31%50%2%Question958%33%9%0%34 Theresultsofthestudents’questionnaireindicatethatmanystudentsbelievethatgrammaristhemostimportantanddifficultpartofEnglishlearning.Althoughmoststudentsthinkthattheycangetgoodscoresthroughtheteacher’straditionalgrammarteachingmethod,theyarenotsatisfiedwiththerulememorizingwayinlearninggrammar.Asforthereason,theyclaimthateventhoughtheteacherhasexplainedtherulesasclearlyaspossible,theyarealsomorelikelytomakemistakeswhendoingexercise.Besides,theyfeelembarrassedwhenthesubtlemistakesarecorrectedbytheteacherinpublic.Asweallknow,theexercisescanconsolidatethelearnedrules,butonlybymakingnotesordoinglotsofexercisesingrammarteachingclass,theyfeelsleepyandtheylackmotivation.Andeveniftheydowellinthegrammarexercise,itishardforthemtoperformwellintheirspokenEnglishorwrittenEnglish.Therefore,itisnormalthatmoststudentsdonotthinkusingtraditionalmethodtolearngrammaristhebestway.Onthecontrary,theypreferteachersapplyingnewmethodsintheprocessofgrammarteaching.4.2ResultsanddiscussionofinterviewsAccordingtoface-to-faceinterviewstotheteachers,whentalkingaboutthereasonswhytheydonotapplyTBLTtoEnglishteaching,theylistmanyreasons.Firstly,theyhavenocouragetomakestudentscommunicatefreely,fearingthatthestudentsaresopoorinEnglishthattheycannotunderstandwhattheteachersays.Secondly,theyarenotsureifthestudentscangethighmarksintheexaminationwhenthisteachingmethodisapplied.Intheiropinion,aslongasstudentsperformwellintheexamination,itisacceptablenomatterwhatteachingmethodsareapplied.Thirdly,theyareafraidofthefactthattheapplicationofTBLTtogrammarteachingmaycausetheclassinamessandoutofcontrolwhichisnotpermittedbytheschoolleadersabsolutely.Inaddition,forsomeexperiencedelderteachers,whenmentionedthereason,theyclaimthattheirspokenEnglishistoolimitedtoletallstudentsspeakEnglishinclassfrequently.4.3ResultsanddiscussionofclassroomobservationTheresultsofexperimentalscoresareonlyoneaspectofassessingtheeffectivenessofTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschools.Besides,throughclassroomobservationintheprocessofexperiment,manydifferencesbetweenthecontrolclassandtheexperimentalclasscanalsobeseenclearly.35 Intheexperimentalclass,thestudentsaremoreactiveandenergetic.Theclassroomatmosphereislivelierthanthatinthecontrolclass.Whenataskisdesignedbytheteacher,thestudentsalwaystrytheirbesttoopentheirmouth.Whenastudentdoesnotknowhowtoexpresshimself,theotherstudentswillgivehelpintime.Inthisway,throughthecooperationofagroup,theycanfinishthetasksmoothlyandperfectly.Naturally,thestudents’listeningabilityisimprovedunconsciously.Naturally,inthelongrun,theirspokenEnglishisnotonlyimprovedbutalsotheircooperativespiritiscultivatedgreatly.Thestudentstendtobecomehelpfulandexcellent.Inthisclass,eventheworststudentcanspeakalittleEnglishfreelyandbecomeinterestedinlearningEnglish.Onthecontrary,inthecontrolclass,thestudentsareobedientandpreferlisteningtowhattheteachersays.Fromthepointoftheirteacher,agoodstudentmeanslisteningtotheteachercarefullyintheclassroom,finishingthehomeworkontimeandnotspeakingloudlyorfreelyintheclassroom.Mostofthestudentscanalsogetsatisfiedscore,buttheirlisteningandspeakingabilityarenotaswellasthoseintheexperimentalclass.Inaddition,somestudentswanttogiveupEnglishforlackofinterest.Nomatterwhatwaystheteacheruse,itishardforthelowerlevelstudentstogetconfidence.Therefore,fromtheaboveobservation,theseriesofdifferencesbetweenthetwoclassesisanotheraspectwhichprovestheeffectivenessofTBLTinclassroomgrammarteaching.4.4ResultsanddiscussionoftheexperimentationItiswellknownthatdifferentteachingmethodscanexertgreatinfluenceonexamresults.Throughtheexperimentation,theresultscanbeseenclearlyfromAppendixCandAppendixD.Thetotalscoreofthegrammartestis120.AppendixCpresentsallthe37students’scoresinthecontrolclass.AppendixDpresentsallthe38students’scoresintheexperimentalclass.Allofthemwerechosenasthesubjectsoftheexperimentation.Throughthecomparisonbetweentheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclassintestsscores,itiseasilytoreachthatthemeanoftheexperimentalclassintheimmediatepost-testarehigherthanthatinthecontrolclass.Thebiggergapbetweentheexperimentalclassandthecontrolclasscanbeseenclearlyinthedelayedpost-test.AlltheseprovethattheEnglishlevelofallthestudentshasimprovedinthisclass.Furthermore,thestudentsintheexperimentalclassaremoreoutstandingandhelpfulthanthoseinthecontrolclass.Theirlisteningandspeakingabilitiesarebetterthanthoseinthecontrolclass.36 TheentirephenomenonshowsthatitisnotonlypossiblebutalsomoreeffectivetoapplyTBLTtogrammarteachinginthisruralmiddleschool.37 38 ChapterFiveConcludingRemarks5.1MajorfindingsBasedonanalysisoftheexperimentationonthetwotestscoresandthequestionnaireresultsinLiyuantunNo.2MiddleSchool,andbasedontheobservationofthestudents’performanceintheformofpairworkandgroupworkintheclassroom,therelevantconclusionscanbedrawnasfollows:First,ontheonehand,intheruralareaofmiddleschools,mostteachersstillapplytraditionalmethodsintogrammarteachingandknowlittleaboutTBLT,andtheydonotknowhowtoapplyTBLTorhowtocontroltheclasswhenputtingTBLTintotheirgrammarteaching.Inaddition,thetraditionalideaoftheschoolleaderanddifferentlevelsofthestudentsleadtothefactthatTBLThavenotcompletelybeenappliedintheseschools.Thisviolatestheneedofthebasiceducationcurriculumreformandisbadforthestudents’development.Ontheotherhand,moststudentsholdthatgrammaristhemostdifficultpartforthem.Theyfeelboringanddullwhenlearninggrammaranddonotlikegrammarclassatall.Therefore,itisofgreatimportanceforthemiddleschoolEnglishteacherstohaveaclearconceptionofTask-basedLanguageTeachingandLearning,andthentobeabletodesigndifferenttasksfordifferentgrammarknowledge.Also,inordertomakecontinuousprogress,itisimportantforteacherstoconstantlyreflectontheirteachingbeliefsandteachingpractice.Second,theapplicationofTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachingintheruralmiddleschoolisnotonlyfeasiblebutalsoeffectivethantraditionalteachingmethod.Thestudentsintheexperimentalclassareactiveandbravetoexpresstheirownopinions.Theyhavehighermotivationtoparticipateintheclassroomlearning,andtheyhavehighercooperativeconsciousnessandhigherlanguageuseability.DuringtheprocessofapplyingTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteaching,thetaskactivitiesaremainlydesignedbytheteacherfromthestudents’aspectof“learning”.Andalltheactivitieshaveclearaimandconcreteoperatingrequirements.Thestudentscannotonlygetknowledgebutalsoacquiretheabilityofapplyinglanguageintheteachingactivities,becausetheirbrainsareinagoodmoodallthetime.Withthegradualdevelopmentoflearningtask,thestudents’languageabilityisimprovedcorrespondingly,andthestudentscouldexpress39 theirownideacreatively.Allinall,inthispaper,theauthorhastalkedabouttheorigin,characteristics,principlesandtask-designingofTBLTinmiddleschools.Furthermore,differentkindsofgrammarteachingmethodshavebeencompared.Fromthispaper,wecanfirmlyconcludethattheapplicationofTBLTtoEnglishgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschoolsismoreeffectivethanthatintraditionalmethod.Asweallknow,theEnglishlevelintheruralareaofmiddleschoolsisverylow.TheBasicEducationEnglishCurriculumStandardstressesthatthemiddleschoolEnglishteachingshouldchangeitstraditionalteachingmodelgradually,andtheeducationshouldchangefromthetest-orientatededucationtothequalityeducation.Torealizethisaim,itneedsthegovernmenttosetaseriesofpolicies,anditneedsthejointeffortofteachersforalongtime.OnlyinthiswaycanthebasiceducationofChinabestrengthenedinashorttime.TheauthorhopesthispapercouldoffersomehelpforEnglishgrammarteaching,especiallyinruralmiddleschools.Inaword,althoughithasmanydifficulties,wemayeasilymaketheconclusionthatTask-basedgrammarteachingisfeasibleandmoreeffectivethantraditionalgrammarteachinginruralmiddleschools.5.2PedagogicalimplicationsInspiteofitslimitations,thestudystillhasitstheoreticalandpracticalimplications.Nowadays,testscoresandknowledgeareoverwhelminglyemphasized,somanyteachersandstudentspaymoreattentiontogrammarandvocabulary,andtheabilityoflanguageusebecomeslowercorrespondingly.Atthesametime,moreandmorepeopletendtoagreewiththeideathatthemainpurposeoflearninglanguageistocommunicate,nottoshowthatastudentcanrememberallkindsofgrammarandlanguagerules.TheapplicationofTBLTtogrammarteachinginmiddleschoolscannotonlycanhelpstudentstouseEnglishbutalsohelpsthembecomemoremotivatedtolearn.Asforthis,thestudentswillbecomemoresuccessfulinEnglish.Hence,studentscanlearngrammarintheframeworkofTBLTmainlybyusinglanguage,andtheteachershouldalsodesignproperactivitiesinclasstomaketheteachingmoreeffectiveandbetter.However,inordertoreformthetraditionalteachingsysteminChina,asanewly-developedforeignlanguageteachingmethodfromabroad,theapplicationofTBLTtogrammarteachingintheruralmiddleschoolsstillneedsjointendeavorsofscholars,teachersandlearners.Throughthisstudy,manyteachersfurtherknowaboutprinciples,characteristicsandwaysofgrammar40 teachingintheframeworkofTBLT.Theyaresuretorevise,refineandchangetheireducationaltheoriesandattitudes.Furthermore,theapplicationofTBLTtogrammarteachinginmiddleschoolswillbeenrichedthroughalotofpracticeandwillcertainlybewidelyadoptedbyruralmiddleschoolsinthefuture.5.3LimitationsandprospectsAlthoughthisteachingexperimentiscarefullydesignedandimplemented,therearestillsomeinevitablelimitationsinsomeaspects.Theauthorwilllistafewoftheminthefollowing.Firstly,theparticipantsinthestudyarenotlargeenough;especiallythenumberoftheinvestigatedteachersinthisschoolissmall.Soitcannotstandforallteachers’opinionsintheruralareaofWeihui.Inotherwords,theresultsofthequestionnairemaynotrepresentthephenomenaofruralschools.Secondly,therearealwayssomestudentswho,nomatterwhatteachingmethodtheteacheruses,cannotlearnEnglishwell.Theyarenaughtyandarepooratself-discipline.Therefore,theymaydobadlyineverysubject.EveniftheteacherapplyTBLTtogrammarteaching,theeffectivenessisnotsoobvious.Thirdly,theclassissosmallinthisstudythattheteachercancontroltheclasseasily.However,iftheclassisalargeone,maybeitishardfortheteachertocontroltheclassroomdiscipline,letaloneprovidenecessaryhelpinpropertimewhentheteachergoesaroundandsupervisesthem.Therefore,itisalsoalimitationofthisstudy.Lastly,itisnotscientifictoconcludethatthetwoclassesareofthesamelevelonlybycomparingthescoresoftheentranceexamination.Eachindividual’smotivationandpersonalitymayexertinfluenceonhisorherlearninghabitsandresultstosomeextent.Inordertoavoidtheseproblems,thefurtherresearchesshouldtrytoinvestigatemoreparticipantstomaketheresultsmoreaccurate.Asforthepoorstudents,teachersshouldhelpthembuildupself-confidenceandshouldbepatientenoughtowaitforthestudents’progress.Enoughattentionandsincerepraisearealsonecessary.Onlyinthiswaycaneventhelowlevelstudentstakeanactivepartintheclassroomactivities.Besides,furtherresearchesshouldbemadeinalargeclasstotesttheeffectivenessofgrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLT.ItisbettertochooseGradeEightormuchhigherstudents,andtheyshouldlearnEnglishgrammarunderthisteachingmethodbythesameteacherforatleastoneyear.Onlyinthiswaycanthefactorssuchasthestudents’adaptationtothe‘newteacher’,orthestudents’poor41 self-disciplinebeavoided.Lastbutnotleast,thesubjects’Englishlevelshouldbetestednotonlybytheentranceexaminationbutalsobyotherwaysoflanguagetestsincludingoraltest,writtentest,characteristicinvestigation,interviewandsoon.Duetotheabovesuggestions,furtherresearchesmustbemoreaccurateandconvincing.FurtherresearchisneededtofindoutwhethergrammarteachingintheframeworkofTBLTiseffectiveinbigclassesandtoinvestigatehowTask-basedLanguageTeachingapproachiscarriedoutforstudentsatdifferentlevels.42 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AppendixA任务型教学法及英语语法教学情况教师问卷尊敬的老师您好：为了了解目前中学英语语法教学的现状，以便进一步改进和完善英语语法教学方法，我们设计了这份教师问卷，请您协助填写。有关信息和您的评价将会成为我们评估的一个重要参考。在填写问卷的时候，如果选择其它，则清写出你的看法。性别职称学生年级上课人数填表时间1.您的学历是A大专以下B大专C本科D研究生2.您听说过“任务型教学”吗？A是B否3.您在语法教学中是否运用过“任务型教学”？A是B否C很少4.您认为下列那种为“任务型教学”模式？A复习-介绍-操练-时间-巩固B讲解-练习-运用C呈现-活动-计划-分析-操练D不知道5.您对任务型教学法了解的程度A一点也不知道B一般C非常了解D其它6.您的讲授时间所占课堂比例为A超过一半B少于一半C一半左右7.您备课资料组要来自于A教参B互联网C报刊D杂志8.在我国中学英语教学中采用任务型教学法是必要的47 A完全同意B较同意C不太同意D完全不同意9.任务型教学能提高学生的语言综合运用能力A完全同意B较同意C不太同意D完全不同意10.现在的教学资源和条件有利于任务型语言教学的实施A完全同意B较同意C不太同意D完全不同意11.您认为任务型语言教学形式适合哪些方面的教学？A复习课B新知识学习C写作练习D语法练习12.您感觉您的学生喜欢您用任务型教学法来教吗？A非常喜欢B不能肯定C不太喜欢D不喜欢13.从大的环境看，您认为实施任务型语法教学的困难在于（清排除顺序1=最困难，以此类推）A学生水平还较差B学生没有积极性C教师缺乏方法技巧D教师语言水平不够E应试教育牵制F缺乏观念转变G缺乏适当教材和大纲H缺乏领导支持I时间限制J其它14.现在的学生英语水平有利于任务型语法教学的实施A完全同意B较同意C不太同意D完全不同意15.在我国英语教学中采用任务型语言教学时完全可行的A完全同意B较同意C不太同意D完全不同意16.您觉得还需要参加对任务型语言教学模式的培训吗？A十分需要B较需要C不需要D完全不需要17.根据您的经验，语法课在整个英语教学中的形式A语法课占主导地位，英语课应以语法讲解为主B反对语法教学，应以口语为主C语法应和整个英语教学过程相结合D其它18.您在英语语法教学中主要采用的方法A教师讲授，学生做笔记B在课堂上让学生做大量的语法练习C任务型教学法D其它48 19.您认为在任务型教学法下进行语法教学A不符合国情B一般C非常好D其它20.您认为传统的语法翻译法A不符合中国国情B一般C非常好D其它49 50 AppendixB英语语法学习情况学生问卷亲爱的同学你好，为了帮助你们进一步学好英语，下面的这些题目都是用来了解你们的英语语法学习情况的。我们将对你的回答高度保密，所以你不需要有任何顾虑,请按要求选择，谢谢你的合作!1.在英语考试中你取得好成绩吗？A经常B有时C很少D不知道2.你认为语法是英语学习中最重要的部分吗？A是B不C不知道3.你总是试图努力学好英语语法的规则吗？A是B有时C很少D不知道4.你认为老师关于语法的解释清楚吗?A是B有时C不D不知道5.你认为语法有助于你流利的说英语吗？A是B不C不知道6.你讨厌在英语口语和写作中有语法错误？A是B不C不知道7.你介意你的老师纠正你英语语法中的每一个错误吗？A通常B有时C很少D不知道8.你喜欢我们现在教语法的方式吗？A总是B有时C很少D不知道9.当你理解语法规则的时候，作一些语法练习就能帮助你掌握知识点。A总是B有时C很少D不知道10.如果你不喜欢现在的语法教学，请写出你的原因。________________________________________________51 52 AppendixCThreeTests’scoresofControlClassintheexperimentNumberPre-scoreImmediateDelayedPost-scorePost-score162941002899759368961004508570553905466185817697450865845898187741050944911537053126475471363795814865537155260991652667417666376183981451948437220753839217173892258497723526892246069492591754926496046279655232841732929657278306676373157669332467962336542713449587235616255366465683781547253 AppendixDThreetests’scoresofExperimentalClassintheexperimentNumberPre-scoreImmediateDelayedPost-scorePost-score168111111261113106353105104440891035631131016419793743849586574919855697106492881186479712978986135886851442488015605279166948791750537518587075196339732079337221484873227674862396758724476675257984812640808527657270286773692958626430907653316078563279855033538949348883543555836836588176376169833860788154