English Classroom Teaching Teacher-Dominant or Student-Centered

Contents Abstract (3)

摘要 (4)

1. Teachers Centered and Students C entered Theory (6)

1.1 The History of Teachers Centered (6)

1.2 The History of Students Centered (7)

2. The Two Teaching Modes (8)

3. How to Create Students Centered English Classroom Teaching (11)

3.1 The Concept of Changes in Teaching (11)

3.2 To Establish the Dominant Position and the Leading Role of Teachers (13)

3.3 To Create a Democratic and Equal Teaching Atmosphere (14)

4. Students' Self-Learning Awareness (15)

5. Arrangements for Carrying Out Interactive Teaching and Learn17 References (20)

English Classroom Teaching: Teacher-Dominant or

Student-Centered

Abstract:Along with the challenge against the traditional classroom teaching mode, teacher-centered mode of teaching is replaced by the student-centered mode of teaching. This article mainly introduces the advantages of the "student-centered" mode of teaching. Then it simply analyzes the necessity of carrying out and the relationship with teaching in the class. Finally it introduces how to carry out the "student-centered" mode of teaching and encourages the foreign language teacher to make use of the new mode of teaching.

Keywords: English Classroom Teaching, Teachers Centered, Students Centered, the Dominant Position

英语课堂教学——教师主宰还是学生中心

摘要：随着对传统的课堂教学模式的挑战，以教师为中心的教学模式逐渐被以学生为中心的教学模式所取代。本文主要介绍了“以学生为中心”的教学模式的优势。然后简单分析开展的必要性和课堂教学的关系。最后，介绍了如何开展“以学生为中心”的教学模式，鼓励外语教师使用新的教学模式。

关键词：英语课堂教学教师中心学生中心主体地位

O ver the years, how to understand the status and role of teachers and students in the teaching process has always been a vexed issue. Traditional "teachers" teaching mode of "one-way indoctrination" is commonly used by teachers to students in the classroom, students subject to the teacher, and losing the dominant position of learning can only passively accept. They lack of autonomy, initiative and creativity. The new teaching concept is agreed that the teaching activities must enable students to become active by the education. Training students' ability to learn English in the teaching situation is the inevitable requirement of the modern language teaching theory; it is also a strong guarantee to improve English teaching efficiency. Teachers can improve the learning environment for English language learners to develop awareness and motivation of students learning, and the creation of the development of classroom teaching mode. They should strengthen the training of English learning strategies to make full use of multimedia, network resources, and guide students' independent study measures gradually so that it shows the main role of the students in the English classroom. In teaching, the need to solve many problems of teaching and learning relationship is the essence of the teaching process. English classroom should be student-centered teachers and students interact actively and develop together, which is a major breakthrough in the traditional concept of "teachers teach the students". English teaching should adapt to the cause

of socialist modernization and develop students' initial application of English communicative ability, and students can obtain a certain degree of self-learning ability through class learning. English teachers should have the awareness to fully embody the role of teacher-led and student-centered in the classroom, and should create active teaching and learning environment to stimulate students' interest and ability, to train students to master and apply knowledge, to enable every student to fully develop.

1. Teachers Centered and Students Centered Theory

Teachers are the absolute authority in the traditional classroom teaching. They impart knowledge, always standing in front of the podium, tell the students "what" and "why"; students, as the absorption of knowledge always sitting on the seat, nod after they rote. Correspondence between teachers and students is static, never being the role of regulating.

1.1 The History of Teachers Centered

In fact, classroom teaching has a long history. Early in the 17th century, Czech Comenius proposed a system of class instruction in his "teaching theory", creating a teacher-centered teaching structure. For centuries, the theory of Teachers centered has gone through on the continuous development and improvement. It appears the optimization theory of Babanski, Bruner’s disciplinary structure theory, and Bloom's mastery learning theory, in the middle of the 20th century, Ausubel's

teaching theory; they all have some innovations, but teacher-centered teaching structure remains unchanged.

1.2 The History of Students Centered

In the Mid-20th century, Humanistic Psychology gradually rises in the academic community. Humanistic psychology emphasizes the innate human nature, Roger published a lot of articles about teaching on this point, and the Student Centered is one of the main ideas. Since then, the students’center theory of Chomsky's linguistic theory and cognitive instructional theory further are strengthened and improved. Chomsky proposed a transformational generative grammar that people have the gift of language acquisition device. With the language device, students can learn a foreign language. So the student should naturally be the center of the main body of teaching or learning. According to Cognitive instructional theory from Chomsky, students' language ability is the core structure of the cognitive and it advocates learning a foreign language should be based on the understanding, so that the students should practice in real life communicative situation. Cognitive instructional theory launched one of the principles of teaching that is "students centered". Constructivist learning theory holds that the "situation" and "collaboration" and "interactive" and "meaning construction of the four elements of the learning environment", and students centered pedagogy is fully affirmed. In this way, there have been two kinds of pedagogy

"teacher-centered" and "student-centered ".

2. The Two Teaching Modes

Based on these two teaching theory, there naturally exist two teaching modes: teacher-centered mode of teaching and student-centered teaching mode. Both teaching model contain the basic elements of teaching, teachers, and students, teaching content and teaching media. However, in these two teaching modes, there is a different relationship between the four elements.

Ausubel's "meaningful reception learning theory", instructional strategies of the" motive theory "and" advance organizer" is the main theoretical basis of the teacher-centered teaching structure which fully support the teacher-centered teaching model. Constructivist learning theory and teaching theory are based on the structure of the main theoretical basis for student-centered teaching. Both teaching modes have their advantages and disadvantages. The outstanding merits of constructivist theory is conducive to the cultivation of creative thinking and innovation ability of creative talent; it requires teachers in the teaching process to give full play of the initiative and enthusiasm of the students in the learning process, to stimulate students' interest in learning ,to create a relaxed harmonious learning atmosphere, so that students dare to speak, are willing to practice, to encourage students’progress timely bit by bit so that they foster self-confidence, a sense of

achievement, to respect individual differences and special needs of students, to give the necessary guidance and assistance; to help students to explore their own learning methods to understand and master the law of the memory, to develop good studying habits, and develop independent learning ability. At the same time, the role of teachers is also made specific requests, the teacher's role is to organize the class inside and outside the various activities and guide students to learn English for their selection, doubts, and help groups to develop good study habits and culture of self-learning ability, so as to maintain a high learning enthusiasm. In Ausubel's theory and constructivism, on the contrary, the teachers play a leading role, and emotional factors play an important role in the learning process too; however, it has a prominent disadvantage that forces students not to find what they need. As a result learners save placed in the passive acceptance and their learner initiative, creativity are difficult to play, and thus to suppress the students' interest in learning, and thus not conducive to innovation and the growth of talent.

English teaching practice has proved that the "teacher-centered" classroom teaching model is not conducive to students' active thinking, and development of mind and personality expansion of their horizons. Teachers confine themselves to use certain teaching theories and practices, and do easy formal language drills. When students complete one stage of learning, they only master some of the rules of grammar and vocabulary

phrases. The ability of students to use language to communicate is not nurtured. They will not be able to reach the English curriculum standards proposed as "active thinking, showing the requirements of the personality, and personality development, and expanding their horizons". Teachers should show respect for individual differences, the English curriculum standards clearly states: "the development of students is the starting point and destination of the English curriculum. English courses in goal setting, teaching process, curriculum evaluation, and teaching resources development should highlight the students' thinking. Curriculum implementation should be under the guidance of teachers, so that the students can build knowledge, improve skills, sharpen the will, and think actively to show the personality development and expand the vision of the process". This is not only the students' role understanding deeply, but also the stringent requirements of the change of the role of teachers. It asks the teachers to fully embody the characteristics of the process learners learning language from the teacher-centered transformation into a student-centered teaching process, the process of teaching English should be transformed into the process of language learning. The design of lesson plans should take into account students' cognitive psychology and learning psychology. The quality education of learner-centered also requires teachers in the teaching process to fully take into account the characteristics of individual learners, and groups of students, such as

interests, needs and thirst for knowledge, etc., so as to enable students to: "think actively, show personality, and personality development, and expand their horizons" .

3.How to Create Students Centered English Classroom Teaching

3.1 The Concept of Changes in Teaching

First, teachers should foster a sense of service for students. Teachers adhere to play a leading role in English teaching. The "student-centered" is actually the embodiment of the sense of service for students.

Second, teachers should pay attention to the teaching and also follow with interest in the design activities. There is no activity, there is no communication; and there is no communication, the knowledge cannot be well absorbed, and the transformation of knowledge to the skills cannot be realized. The quality of teachers' lesson plans preparation has a direct impact on the students' learning, mastering and applying language skills, even including the students' enthusiasm and interest in learning. Therefore, teachers should completely change the habits of the past, only which they impart knowledge of the language to get rid of the "chalk and talk" approach. The choices of teaching materials and object should be closely combined with classroom teaching program designed by the "student-centered" English classroom teaching practice, so that they can effectively complete the task of teaching.

To create student-centered English classroom teaching, it requires

students to change the old habit of learning in the learning process, to overcome the thought of the passive acceptance, and gradually establish students' sense of self-learning. They prepare consciously before class and learn to ask questions. Once the students become active learners in class, they will have new requirements from the teachers according to their needs. From the previous teaching experience, the students' learning initiative is poor, less than one-third of the students are able to do review after class. Due to the particularity of English learning, students worried most about the vocabulary, and this has led them be accustomed to reciting vocabulary, but with little success, meanwhile it easily harms the interest of their learning. To change this situation they should explore students' learning habits from the point of students, and a new learning method should be established on this basis. First, in classroom instruction, teachers should get every student involved and encourage them to put forward some of the problems related to the content of the text, such as vocabulary, grammar, writing style, and writing skills to change the habit of passive acceptance; on the other hand according to the contents of the design, teachers should do some interesting games and the topics to students to improve their interest in participating in order to consolidate the knowledge.

3.2 To Establish the Dominant Position and the Leading Role of Teachers

From "teacher-centered" to "student-centered" teaching mode, it will lead to the adjustment of the role of teachers and students in the classroom. But in the "student-centered" English classroom, teachers’duties are not weakened but strengthened .Teachers are still the leading of classroom teaching, it shows that: to decide the student what to do, when to do, and how to do. Teachers play a leading role in the teaching process. Before the lesson, the teacher should be focused on preparing lessons carefully according to the characteristics and levels of students. In the class, teachers should not only guarantee the completion of the teaching program, but also make sure that classroom activities in an orderly manner; it is not only necessary to complete the teaching of key and difficult, but also to make the classroom in a lively atmosphere, so that the student can participate wholly, and their initiative and creativity can be fully exploited. In these teaching activities, the teacher is not only the organizer, but also the instructor and participant, observer, evaluator, and supervisor. Also they should provide and advise for students at any time ,and guide students in the progress of reaching ，listening to find the information that they want to know . They should not give answers to students directly. Therefore, the "student-centered "teacher does not mean the teachers have nothing to do, but they just play the role of leading to

far beyond the general sense that they are the re-creators. According to learners' needs and constantly add new content, and also to teach students how to become an active learner. In the student-centered English classroom, the students as a teaching subject is no longer a passive recipient of foreign language learning, they become active participants in teaching activities. In the classroom students can be positive, active, self-consciously learning, they become a self-discipline、self-confidence、self-monitoring、self-management skills of learners: they can study by themselves ,can master their conduct ,can consciously arrange their own study time ,can make evaluations on their own learning, can be able to overcome the original study habits, take the initiative to learn, to foster self-confidence, and to summarize their own learning methods and learning strategies. With such an attitude students can acquire knowledge and develop their own interpersonal skills even in limited teaching and language activities.

3.3 To Create a Democratic and Equal Teaching Atmosphere

The teaching process is not simply a teacher "teaching" and a student "learning", but also the feelings of both teachers and students through exchange. A democratic and equal teaching atmosphere makes each student be respected, and have equal status with others. Differences and the uniqueness between students can be recognized and respected, which is good for shaping students' character. A democratic and equal teaching

atmosphere make students have a sense of freedom, the free expression of the students in the teaching is involved in the main body of the teaching activities. The students have free time to arrange the learning activities, to select the learning content, and to explore ways of thinking. This democratization of the learning process make students learning objects into the main of learning, this is a concrete manifestation of the "student-centered" classroom teaching, it is necessary to establish a democratic, equal and harmonious relationship between teachers and students so that they can create a relaxed and harmonious educational environment, and it can mobilize the enthusiasm of students' learning, induce students' creative thinking so that students take the initiative in the classroom teaching exploration and think positively. At the same time the teachers can offer the manner which is friendly, encouragement, trust, and respectful. That can help student not be afraid of error and dare to develop their good learning habit, prompt students to participate fully in active development. They can feel relaxed and free to innovate in the active learning process and burst out the sparks of innovative thinking.

4. Students' Self-Learning Awareness

In student-centered English teaching process, the guiding principles of teaching for teachers, teaching methods should be to foster students' sense of learning centers. It should be to change students' dependency and stress the importance of independent learning, and then tell them to

develop this capability in foreign language learning. Autonomic learning process is the main process for students to acquire knowledge. Teachers should find ways to guide students to master the general process of learning English, so that students can enjoy learning and love to learn, eager to learn, also they can try to teach students the learning ,such as knowledge in memory, abstract epitome or study through the network and so on. And it can take some means learning form a system: preview in advance ,find difficult questions、take notes、be good at thinking、review in time and do homework by themselves. In my opinion, it’s important to let them love study and wander to learn in order to create students' thinking. Then they will be interested in reading leisure book or checking on network and finding what they want. I think it's true to realize the self-correction. It has been the golden key to open the door to knowledge after students master these learning methods, they can be able to master the basic learning process, and then consciously take the initiative to seek out new knowledge. Teachers not only have a flexible approach, the most important thing is to use tolerance attitude towards students' each fault and appreciate the attention of interested students with a bright spot; enjoy their little success, to praise the students' enthusiasm which is bound to enhance students' active learning.

5. Arrangements for Carrying Out Interactive Teaching and Learning

In "student-centered" classroom teaching, we must stick out the central role of the learner. Before conducting interactive activities, teachers should arrange and organize the group. In Chinese school, we often have large classes and the basis of students' learning, the level of intelligence and the ability to understand are different. Therefore, we should divide them into several groups based on a comprehensive understanding of the situation. It's beneficial for the students in such different characteristics and different levels to optimize the combination, mutual promotion, so that all students can participate in classroom activities. Teachers cannot stand alone on the podium, they should be circulated among the various groups, and provide help and guidance in some groups when necessary. Sometimes teachers also participate in their activities. The teacher should prompt-based, and should not be distracting in the participation and discussion. They should inspire students to do some opening drills and urge the students to speak. It can show the results of their discussions after the end of the panel discussion, the teachers discuss activities to make an assessment. And give the praise to sure its good side so that the students can have a sense of accomplishment after participating in the interactive activities. Group interactive activities can

develop students' skills, for example socials skills、presentation skills and collaboration skills . It will help students to stimulate the interest and encourage them to express their own ideas and needs in English. They are willing to show their ideas in the group interaction activities than show them in front of all the class and teachers, so as to achieve the purpose of drilling.

In summary, only by giving full play to the role of "subject" of teachers and students, the subjectivity education can be truly realized through the mutual interaction. "Students-centered" classroom is not determined by the default rules and the magic secret, but it requires students to participate in the teaching process. In teaching model of student-centered foreign language classroom, students have become the subject and the center of the classroom learning. Teachers need to help students "introspection", some of their own concept of wake-up from the unconscious to the conscious state, then achieve the self-directed learning; teachers need to act as a team leader to mobilize the team vitality, and tap the potential of students, creating a positive classroom emotional atmosphere; teachers need to develop autonomy, and train students to guide students to create the most effective self-learning methods appropriate to themselves, and finally achieve the purpose of student-centered teaching. It is worth recalling that the foreign language teachers should be flexible and appropriate to use a variety of scientific

teaching methods according to their own teaching practice. And then the "students-centered" teaching methods can make progress in the moderate, suitable pace.

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