4.3 Excavating the cultural information in the text
The present middle school English teaching material has compiled the English-speaking country cultural context knowledge consciously. The text content elected is widespread, the literature style diverse, involving each aspect of the west social life, typically and represent. Using text related background knowledge language material, the teacher designs group of or several groups of questions inspiring the student to ponder and guiding the student to drill. “Here is a lesson from ‘America on Wheels’ including the following sentence:
But even though the majority of Americans would find it hard to imagine what life could be like without a car, some have begun to realize that the automobile is a mixed blessing.” [17](p72) According to this sentence, teacher may ask two groups of questions, let the student reply and discuss.
The first group question is (in view of the front half sentence)
(1) Would the majority of Americans find it easy or difficult to live without a car?
(2) Why do they find it difficult to live without a car?
These inspire the student using these two questions to discuss that the automobile brings each kind of advantage and is convenient for the lives of the people, work, the entertainment and so on.
The second group question is (in view of the back half sentence)
(1) What is a “blessing”?
(2) What is a “mixing blessing”?
(3) Why do some Americans find the auto-mobile a mixed blessing?
These inspire the student using these questions to relate the American society reality, and discuss automobile all sorts of questions which bring to the society, such as air pollution, traffic congestion and the traffic accident is unceasing and so on.
Through discussion the students not only drill the language, but also enriched the related background knowledge, which kills two birds with one stone. The practice proved that in English teaching unifying the present teaching material and the cultural context knowledge teaching is practical and feasible. And the effect is obvious. The teaching material covers culture course content and teaching material close relation, which are the textbook knowledge expansion and the deepening. It can increase the classroom’s instruction knowledge and interesting, transferring students’ initiative and the enthusiasm.
4.4 Using authentic materials
Obviously, the best way to learn foreign cultural background knowledge is to go to that country to stay there for a period of time. But we know that it is almost impossible to have such an opportunity, especially for our students. Therefore, it is practically necessary for the teachers to use authentic materials to teach culture. [18](p13)
Using authentic sources from the native speech community helps to engage students in authentic cultural experiences. Sources can include films, news broadcasts, and television shows; Web sites; and photographs, magazines, newspapers, restaurant menus, travel brochures, and other materials. Teachers can adapt their usage of authentic materials to suit the age and language proficiency level of the students. For example, even at the beginning students can watch and listen to video clips taken from a television show in the target language and focus on such cultural conventions as greetings. The teacher might supply students with a detailed translation or give them a chart diagram of outline to complete while they listen to a dialogue or watch a video. After the class has viewed the relevant segments, the teacher can engage the students in discussion of the cultural norms represented in the segments and what these norms might say about the values of the culture. Discussion topics might include nonverbal behaviors, for example, the physical distance between speakers, gestures, eye contact, societal roles, and how people in different social roles relate to each other. Students might describe the behaviors they observe and determine strategies for effective communication in the target language. [19](p91) Teacher can also pick up some materials pertaining to some aspects of culture revealed in newspapers or magazines and to the discussions of certain questions that might elucidate Western patterns of behavior. For example, teacher pointed out that while reading some materials we could talk about the questions like: What is worthy of this article? What are the events of concern to a reader’s life? What kind of culture include in this article?
Besides, audio-visual media materials and approaches, so different from the traditional chalk and blackboard method, are widely welcome which due to their vivid presentation of both language and cultural knowledge based on authentic circumstances. Educationists have reacted with much imagination and enthusiasm in exploiting the capabilities of modern technology. Some teachers believe that using media in the teaching of EFL/ESL in the classroom is certain to bring about a superior result. It helps to simplify the teaching / learning process and can help to perfect it. Moreover, it can ring in cultural input in a clear and realistic way as compared with traditional instruction.
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