On the Innovation of Integrated English Teaching in Higher Vocational College

School of English,Xi’an Fanyi University,Xi’an,China E-mail:421318846@qq.com

[Abstract]As a professional basic course for English majors,Integrated English focuses on the cultivation of students’basic knowledge of English language and the application of language skills.This paper mainly discusses the problems existing in the current Integrated English Teaching in higher vocational colleges,and puts forward how to innovate the Integrated English teaching in class.

[Keywords]Integrated English;class teaching;Higher Vocational College

Introduction

Integrated English is a basic course for English majors.This course is characterized by the integration of the learning of the basic knowledge of English language and the training of the application of language skills.Higher vocational education is to cultivate professional,skilled,practical and applied talents,which determines that the training objectives and the teaching modes of Higher Vocational English talents are different from those of ordinary undergraduate English majors.The contents of class teaching should aim at students’future job requirements.Class teaching should not only emphasize the training and cultivation of language ability,but also follow the principles of practicality,laying a good language foundation for students and strengthening students’ability,so as to integrate the comprehensive English knowledge teaching into the practice of the language skills of a large number of students with professional characteristics.

The problems of classroom teaching of Integrated English in Higher Vocational College

Students’English foundation and learning initiative are weak

With the development of education reform,the admission score line of vocational college is falling.Through comprehensive evaluation,students who have come from independent enrollment do not need to take part in the college entrance examination,which leads to the general weakness of English foundation,lack of self-study habits,and lack of clear and firm learning objectives.It brings many challenges to English teaching in higher vocational colleges.These challenges make the reform of classroom English teaching extremely urgent.

Teaching materials are relatively difficult

Textbooks are also an important factor affecting classroom teaching.Difficult teaching materials directly affects the effect of students’learning and the realization of teachers’teaching objectives.Difficult teaching material will frustrate students’learning enthusiasm and lead to the students’rejection psychology.On the contrary,if the textbooks are too simple,students will not be able to acquire language knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the society.Therefore,in the selection of teaching materials,we should not only consider the students’English foundation,but also the society’s requirements for the knowledge and skills of English Majors in higher vocational colleges.At present,the textbooks of Integrated English for English Majors in higher vocational colleges don’t have distinctive difference from those for English majors in the common undergraduate universities.There are many problems in the use of these textbooks.Although they also cover the basic aspects of language learning,such as listening,speaking,reading,writing and translation,they are not uniform in terms of difficulty,content and hierarchical structure,so they shouldn’t be used as standard teaching materials for cultivating qualified talents of Applied English major in higher vocational colleges.

Teachers’teaching mode is not diverse enough

The teaching mode of Integrated English in higher vocational colleges is changing from the traditional teacher dominated to the student dominated,but it is still not free from the influence of traditional language teaching.For example:the teaching mode of Integrated English in higher vocational colleges is still the traditional way of vocabulary,grammar,text translation and after-school exercises.Although there are also classroom questions,they are not practical and exploratory,but confirmatory and repetitive retelling.This kind of teaching mode cannot really focus on the students.On the contrary,it ignores the language skills which are close to students’life and their future career needs,which makes the classroom teaching monotonous,rigid,and lack of flexibility and practice.Therefore,in the process of teaching,teachers should add open task-based activities and inquiry learning content,so as to cultivate students’innovative spirit and practical ability.

The Ways to Innovate Classroom Teaching of Integrated English

Stimulate students’interest and activate class atmosphere

From the perspective of psychology,interest is the tendency of giving priority to some things and engaging in certain activities.According to the needs,interest can be divided into direct interest and indirect interest.Interest in things or activities themselves is direct interest;interest in the results of things or activities is indirect interest.These two kinds of interests are both necessary for students’English learning.If students lack direct interest in English class,learning will become a heavy burden for them; if there is no indirect interest,students will lose their goal and perseverance in English learning.Therefore,the combination of direct interest and indirect interest is an important condition to complete the teaching task of Integrated English and improve students’comprehensive English skills.

For the teaching of higher vocational colleges,arousing students’interest in learning is crucial for the success of teaching.Vocational College Students’English foundation is relatively weak,learning methods are improper,and they are lack of self-confidence,so teachers should strengthen the interest of classroom teaching,teach in fun.Educational psychology tells us that only when students are in a positive and happy state of mind,can they actively use their brains,seriously think and effectively acquire knowledge.Lively,relaxed and harmonious class atmosphere can make students’cerebral cortex in an excited state,so students can happily accept new knowledge and skills.This kind of atmosphere requires teachers to adopt flexible and diverse teaching methods and means to achieve.Interesting class activities,such as theme speech,telling English stories,guessing English riddles,learning to sing English songs,etc.can be used to activate the classroom atmosphere and arouse students’interest in learning.When the teaching content is out of line with students’interest and future needs,teachers should pay attention to the selection of teaching materials combining with reality,in order to promote the integration of classroom knowledge and students’interests and needs.(Jiang,2019,pp.205-206)

Innovate teaching mode

Adopt student-centered teaching mode

Higher vocational colleges aim to train professional,skilled,practical and applied talents.Teaching contents should be based on the practical skills of students in the future.Therefore,the student-centered teaching mode can be applied to the teaching of Integrated English course in higher vocational colleges.

Constructivism learning theory emphasizes that students are the center,which not only requires students to change from passive receivers and objects of knowledge infusion to the main body of information processing and active constructors of knowledge,but also requires teachers to change from knowledge imparts and inculcators to learners’helpers and promoters.Teachers should teach students how to learn and develop understanding,but not to accept the available knowledge and information.Teachers should learn to give the leading role to students,and make students the participants in practical activities.In class teaching,teacher’s main task is to organize and lead students to carry out language practice,highlight the practicality of language,give students enough opportunities to practice through various forms,and develop students’language ability in practice.Only through a large number of effective language input can language laws be internalized,language be formed and used creatively,so that students become the real subject in class activities.

Adopt task-based language teaching mode

Task based teaching method means that in teaching activities,teachers should design specific and operable tasks around specific communication and language projects.Students can complete the tasks through various forms of language activities such as expression,communication,negotiation,explanation and inquiry,so as to achieve the purpose of learning and mastering the language.

Task based teaching method is conducive to improving students’initiative in language learning.Language teaching is not only to make students acquire language knowledge,but also to encourage students to discover language knowledge by themselves.Based on meaningful thinking activities and driven by the need of authentic communication,students can find a language form that can stimulate language development.In the traditional teaching environment,students listen more,speak less and do less.“Cramming”teaching method makes students only passively receive and learn,rarely use the English language they have learned to communicate and interact,and thus students have great problems in listening and speaking.In class,students are lack of enthusiasm and initiative to participate in class teaching activities,which leads to the dull classroom atmosphere and lack of vitality.In task-based teaching activities,students organize and use language to complete different tasks one after another.In this process,each student is the participant and executor of the task.They are the active participants,but no longer passive receivers of the class activities.

Task based teaching method is conducive to the overall development of students.In the process of implementing task-based teaching method,students learn knowledge in activities.Students’abilities of interpersonal communication,thinking,decision-making and adaptability are improved,which is beneficial to the overall development of students.In class,students play different roles and undertake different tasks just like individuals in real society.Learning in class and learning in life are organically combined.Classroom is not only a place to learn language knowledge,but also a place to cultivate students’comprehensive ability and skills.Through the completion of various language learning tasks,students can develop the ability to cooperate with others,learn from others,and objectively evaluate their own performance.Through their own practical activities,students combine the new knowledge with the old knowledge,and transform the language skills they have learned into language practice.The opportunities for students to use the language have been greatly increased.

Increase“comprehensible input”

students must master the language through“comprehensible input”.They need to have a certain amount of new language knowledge which is beyond their current level but can be understood.After their own internalization,they can generate their own language,and finally achieve a certain amount of output.In the Integrated English class,teachers should integrate teaching resources through the analysis of English teaching,students’psychology and social needs.They should increase the input of language information.In this way,there appears a knowledge gap between teachers and students,which forces students to think,speculate and internalize into the language they can master and use.

Nowadays computer-based multimedia teaching mode occupies a dominant position;thus,the input of language knowledge can be rich and diverse.In class,teachers can use the blackboard or corresponding slides to teach; they can also use multimedia to display the teaching contents closely related to teaching materials stored in USB flash disks or mobile hard disks; they can also play some extra-curricular English learning materials and original English film clips by using the sound,image,picture and other functions of multimedia equipment; they can even download fresh and real-time information from the Internet,including current political events,emergencies,new economic and technological development,etc.This makes language teaching closely combined with real life,makes language input more vivid,which can effectively stimulate students’cerebral cortex and its internal learning mechanism,stimulate students’interest in learning,and improve the efficiency of language input.

Integrating Ideological and Political Education in English Teaching

Curriculum ideological and political education is a kind of educational concept of teaching and educating people put forward in recent years.It requires that all courses have the functions of imparting knowledge,cultivating ability and ideological and political education,and bear the role of cultivating students’correct world outlook,outlook on life and values.

Integrated English course is not only an important tool for students to become applied talents,but also an important carrier to cultivate students’professional quality.In the study of this course,students will be exposed to the listening and reading materials of traditional culture,traditional virtues and success stories.The traditional Chinese culture,the beautiful natural and cultural landscape of China,and the changes and development of China since the founding of the people’s Republic of China are to be displayed in English.While improving students’language abilities such as listening,speaking,reading and writing,teachers also need to cultivate and shape students’correct world outlook,outlook on life and values,and give full play to the educational value of English teaching.(Xu,2013,pp.119-120+137)

Conclusion

In conclusion,higher vocational personnel training is not simply the reduce of the training standards of the undergraduate personnel training,but a complex personnel training process which combines professional training and vocational training in the face of social needs and post needs.This requires that higher vocational teachers should think and innovate more to form a teaching mode with professional characteristics,which is conducive to the cultivation of higher vocational talents.