多媒体辅助英语教学

The Application of Multi-media in Junior Middle School English TeachingPeng YijunUnder the Supervision ofZhao DianshuCollege of Foreign Language and LiteratureHexi UniversityMay 2011ContentsAbstractMultimedia Assisted Instruction (MAI) is widely applied in the classroom teaching; which especially plays a great role in junior middle schools English classroom .With the assistance of MAI, the atmosphere is more active and students ‘engagement is higher. However, there still exist some problems in its application. Most of the teachers only think that multimedia can make abstract contents more visualized and vivid mind select as many as multimedia materials as possible, but the choice is not based on the needs of students. In short, teachers do not take the cultivation of students’ learning motivation into account. Most of designs of courseware are not appropriate and scientific.At last, the process of multimedia in junior Middle English teaching: Firstly, teachers should provided students enough interactive space and discussion in pairs or in groups should be paid more attention in MAI classroom. Secondly, teachers should analyze the needs and interests of different students before designing the PPT courseware. The amount of the materials needs not too much. Thirdly, teachers should follow the principles of design of courseware; moreover, teachers should select proper media material according to their functions, because different material has different functionsThis paper is divided into four parts: Firstly, the importance of the MAI and contents of this paper; Secondly, the literature review ;Thirdly, the principles of the process of application of multimedia in junior middle school teaching English; Fourthly, the teachers choose materials according to different students.Key words: Application; MAI; English Teaching; Junior Middle School摘要多媒体辅助教学已经被广泛的运用到教学中，尤其在初中英语课堂中扮演着很重要的角色，由于多媒体的辅助，课堂气氛变得越来越活跃，学生的参与积极性越来越高。

然而，在所媒体应用的过程中仍然有一些问题存在，大部分老师仅仅使用多媒体课件，并不关注学生的互动与否。

大部分老师仅仅想着多媒体仅仅能把抽象的内容转化更生动，形象，并且尽可能收集多媒体材料。

简而言之，老师并没有把开发学生学习动机考虑在内，大部分多媒体课件是不合理和不科学的。

最后，在多媒体辅助初中英语课堂的教学中：第一，老生应该给学生提供更多的互动空间，在多媒体教室中，学生分组活动应该多多被考虑。

第二，老师应该在设计多媒体课件之前，分析不同学生的需要和兴趣。

更多的多媒体材料收集被考虑。

第三，教师应该遵循多媒体课件设计的原则。

第四，教师应该根据不同的多媒体功能选择不同的材料。

本文分四个部分:一、引言，简要介绍多媒体在教学中应用重要的地位，提出多媒体的重要性并简述本论文的主要内容。

二、利用文学常识介绍什么是多媒体，多媒体辅助和多媒体的功能。

三、使用多媒体中所产生的问题和一些创新想法。

四、结论关键词: 应用，多媒体辅助，英语教学，初中1. IntroductionMultimedia Assisted Instruction (MAI) refers to a rational structure of the teaching process that is formed by means of participation of a variety of media, through the instructional design, rational choice and use of modern teaching media and organic combination of traditional teaching the past, teacher is a piece of chalk, a book, a lesson planning the classroom, the limited capacity of this teaching, teachers in the classroom if you want to add some extra knowledge is very difficult to do. Because only dictated by teachers and students thinking hard to keep up with the other, as often subject to time constraints, teacher writing on the blackboard design is also very limited. Since the introduction of multimedia technology, after English class, this phenomenon has been greatly improved, teachers can use in the classroom courseware and teaching goals to add a lot of relevant content, using the content analysis to fully understand the textbook knowledge. Big screen to search through historical events in the text and give the summary, important points of this lesson, so that the text content of more simplistic, a glance, students have easy access to knowledge points. English is the language of a very practical subject, students must pass between the number of students and students communicate in English to students of English communicative competence. We can no computer multimedia, but not without teachers. Whether computer multimedia should be used depends on the needs of English teaching. Undeniably, the traditional teaching methods can also be reflected to some extent, the main body of students, but proved that it did not like the computer-aided teaching of multimedia significant effect. Therefore, we can say that use of multimedia assisted teaching, the teaching process is conducive to strengthening democracy and openness, so that teachers learn while atthe pleasure, the pleasure of the students of knowledge, and strive to enable students to learn active, lively and solid. But this does not mean that computer multimedia instruction can replace all other media. Other media and means of teaching many of the features of computer multimedia can not be replaced, such as in-kind, stick figure and other functions in the classroom can not be ignored. Therefore, we should be according to the teaching content, features, style, and need to select the appropriate media and means of rational use of multimedia and conventional media and means to play their respective strengths in order to achieve maximum effectiveness of teaching. At the same time teaching must be “people-oriented”, give full play to the subjectivity of students. In the use of multimedia-assisted teaching of English, be good at guiding students to think through multimedia courseware, discussion, answer questions, instead of restricting student’s thinking, passive recipients of teacher instruction and computer and information provided. Teachers enter information to students, but also should be more room for creative thinking for students, allow students to actively participate in teaching activities to achieve the interaction between teachers and students. In short, to follow the teaching of multimedia is just “assistance” of the facilities, teaching students to highlight the dominant position, maximize student initiative and creativity.Computers educators of USA, Bork predicts in 1978 that, to the beginning of the 21st century, learning interactively buy use of the computers will become the main studying methods of almost all types of school and all kinds of subjects.. In the 21st century, Bork’prediction has turned into reality. MAI has great functions because of the powerful functions of multimedia. Firstly, MAI gives learners the power to explore and manipulate informationand enables individuals to contract their own knowledge base by integrating the written text, sound, drawings, diagrams, animated drawings or diagrams, still photographs, other images and video dips which will help to develop learner’s language ability and cultivate capacity by means of multisensory stimulation. Secondly, MAI can constrict a real and favorable English communicative context to promote language learning for send or foreign language learners. In the classroom of MAI, abstract contexts will become lively and active, dig their potential ability, and then attain excellent results. In such a situation, constructed by multimedia, learners will have high interest and fascination to the English instruction and then instruction will strengthen target language’s factor. In addition, MAI can offer learners much more information concerning the subject matter. What’s more, MAI can stimulate learner’s motivation and control learners’ attention by multimode sensory stimuli. Furthermore, MAI can promote interaction and instruct an active and positive teaching atmosphere.Recently, MAI is widely used in the classroom teaching, especially in English classroom teaching in almost all the schools in China. However, in the process of the application of the MAI in English classroom, there emerge some problems when MAI becomes more and more widespread in the English instruction. For example, the multimedia becomes the only assisted tool in English classroom and the teacher ignores other important assisted tools such as real things. In some classroom, the multimedia courseware is full of kinds of sound, animation, photos, which make learner’s attention away from the subject content. Classroom turns into Information Ocean, but teachers ignore students’ reflection. Teachers ignore the essence of language of teaching, and only emphasize the information giving and offer little chance to communicate with each other.At the beginning of this essay, the importance of multimedia in English teaching and significance of the study are consequently stated. Later on, it goes to the following parts which conclude roles of the application of multimedia in the aspect of junior middle school English class. With my survey on multimedia-aided English teaching, the advantages and negative effects reflected by the teachers and students and the solutions will be includes in the following paragraphs. The conclusion of my study is arranged in the end.2. Literature ReviewWhat Is Multimedia?Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology. Multimedia really just two media sound and pictures, or in today’s term, audio and video. Multimedia itself has its binary aspects. As with all modern technologies, it is made from a mix of hardware and software, machine and ideas. More importantly, you can conceptually divide technology and function of multimedia into control systems and information. The enabling force behind multimedia is digital technology. Multimedia represents the convergence of digital control and digital media---the PC as the d igital control system and the digital media being today’s most advanced form of audio and video storage and transmission. In fact, some people see multimedia simply as the marriage of PCs and video. PC power has reached a level close to that needed for procession television and sound data streams in real time, multimedia was born. Multimedia PC needs to be more powerful than mainstream computer---at least the multimedia PC defines the mainstream.The generic term “multimedia” refers to he sequential or simultaneous use of variety of media formats in a given presentation or self-study program (Sharon E. Smaldino et, al 2005. 14). He Guoda (2006) believes that multimedia refers to the system based in the computer which has interactive feature and is made from all kinds of media information (for example written words, data, graph, and so on) through computer synthesis processes and any of media format can establish a logical link to another. Teacher can carry on a lively classroom instruction by using the multimedia, stimulate students’ learning enthusiasm well, and make students’ imagination and creativity displayed, and finally achieve a teaching effect of nature and superior.The term “multimedia” is now firmly associated with computer-based delivery, usually over the internet and accompanied and supported by interaction provided via some form of computer-mediated communication (Sanjaya Mishra and Ramesh C. Sharma, 2005, 2) Multimedia stems may consist of traditional media in combination or they may incorporate the computer as a display device for text, pictures, sound and video, but it involves more than simply integrating these formats into a guideline program in which each element complements the others so that the whole is greater than the sum of parts.Multimedia usually tends to feature several media types including text, images, sound, and video. Current language-learning programs classified by their vendors as multimedia generally fall into this broad definition. The multimedia synthesizes the advantages of text, audio, video graphs and other kinds of information as a whole. Because of the characteristics of multimodality, it can cause stimulation of multiple sense organs of students. Besides, it canactivate students’interest and increase the opportunity for language practice. Multimedia enriches language materials and enhance the authenticity of language situation Moreover, multimedia is useful in constructing the fellowship of interaction between teachers and students in a virtual language instruction environment. In short, multimedia means multiple information formats, and it can apply some knowledge information in a text to help students comprehend the text. Because different learners carry different culture-specific background information, teachers can design warming-up task to enlarge students’topic-relates background knowledge and then restructure rich background knowledge in order to avoid causing understanding puzzles.In English classroom teaching, the reason why multimedia has so powerful functions is mainly that multimedia can show multiple modality. Multimodality combines graphics, text and audio output with speech, and text to deliver a dramatic experience. When compared to single-mode of interface in which teacher can only use either voice or visual modes, multimodal application gives students multiple options for inputting and receiving information. Multimodality has real potential to improve the quality of daily instruction. Students who participate in the classroom of multimodality can envision a wide range of benefits from the language learning. In the survey, PPT courseware inserts multimedia information, and it makes the classroom active and students engage in the instruction positively because the multisensory stimuli of the multimedia. Take the music and video as example, Music (R. Barton & T. Haydn, 2006) on its own, especially classical, can also be useful in the classroom. In general, the music insets in the PPT courseware can function as setting the mood at the start of the lesson and giving teachers something to talk about with students at the starts ofthe lesson. In addition, music can be used while students work on dull exercise, and can be used to set the scene while student do a particular task to help students feel relaxed. Moreover, music can be used as the key is to ask the students and to take your cue from them. What’s more, the video focuses on assisting students to listen and understand better, in many cases, it is used to teach grammar or function.What’s MAI?MAI refers to a rational structure of the teaching process that is formed by means of participation of a variety of media, through the instructional design, rational choice and use of modern teaching media and the organic combination of traditional teaching methods, according to the teaching media and the characteristics of the object, which optimizes the effectiveness of teaching (Ren Gaoda&Fan Jiaolian, 2004) Multimedia technologies can change the media formats of the written words, the graph, audio, video and animation image into a comprehensive multimedia information shape through computer synthesis processing at the same time, which has static and dynamic status, image, and the sound. Zhuang Zhixiang (2007) sates that the multimedia assisted foreign language teaching is a kind of teaching methods, which makes use of computers and computer technology to integrate the text, image, audio, video, and others into a unified signal and then to provide teachers and learners to use through the same terminal.The Function of MultimediaA typical multimedia works can be text, pictures, computer graphics and animations,sound, video the combination of any several. This article purport multimedia applied to teaching field, it is the present domestic just beginning field, is also a promising field, the school the teacher through multimedia can very image intuitive tells clear in the past it’s difficult to describe the course content, and students can be more image to understand and master the corresponding teaching content. Students can also teach themselves through multimedia, take an examination of oneself, etc. Teaching is the most suitable to use multi-media aided teaching. Multimedia aided and participation will make teaching produce a qualitative revolution. Multimedia and teaching together, not only in enhancing the students’ comprehensive ability, also improve teaching efficiency, be helpful for teachers and students to interact. (Ian Hall &Steve Higgins, etc, 2005). Teachers need to have the learners do specific activities that rely on their ability to use multimedia. Lastly, it is the evolution and revision. Teachers should consider how materials that rely on multimedia help students to interpret the teaching contents.Student-centered Pedagogical Theories Relevant to MAIThe paper is mainly about the application of student-centered MAI. Student-centered instruction emphasizes the interaction and the cultivation of learning motivation, and thereby the theories of interaction and the cultivation of language learning motivation are two of the most important theories relevant to the research.2. 4. 1The Interaction TheoryInteractive teaching is supported by the theory of constructivism and cognitive learningtheory, and it emphasizes the student-centered. Social-constructivism theory represented by Vygotsky (1978) emphasizes interaction and engagement with target language in a social context based on the concept of “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD) and scaffolding (Wang, 2006: 6). Interactive technique emphasizes the interaction between teacher and students or between students and students in class so it advocates students to communicate with others in target language. A. B. M Tsui (1995: 95) notes the opportunity for language learning through group work interaction. She argues that group work provides the opportunity to practice a much wider ran of speech functions. In China, students have little opportunity to develop conversational skill. So teachers should provide enough opportunities to improve the conversational competence in the classroom. Because language acquisition is mainly obtained in the classroom, the key problems for the teachers is how to make full use of instruction time and create meaningful language learning atmosphere so that students can learn and acquire foreign language in a more real natural situation. The carryout of the interactive activities in class can help create conditions for good language environment. As well as fitting the needs and interests of students, contents should be interesting and can foster a friendly, relaxed atmosphere: content selection should provide a wide exposure to vocabulary that may be useful to basic personal communication (Krashen 1983). Hu Zhuang lin (1998) states that language is the product of society and is the tool of man’s communication. Therefore, the classroom should be like a community that is made up of students and teachers, where teachers and learners or learners and learners should communicate with each other freely in the target language and so teachers in the community need to provide the learners with communicative activities.2. 4. 2 The Motivation Theory“Language are unlike any other subject taught in a classroom in that they involve the acquisition of skills and behavior patterns which are characteristic of another community ”(Gardener, 1985). When students consider English as a crucial means of for communication in daily life, and have great interest in learning and communicating in and outside the classroom, it can be said that English classroom teaching is successful and students’motivation has been motivated by means of some pedagogical method such as interactive teaching analyzed above. When it comes to the motivation, what is motivation?R. Gardner defines motivation as referring to a combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes towards learning language. In a simple word in language learning, motivation is a kind of orientation associated with a desire to learn the foreign language, and its component is made of the desire to learn the foreign language. Motivation is one of the main factors in foreign learning and it plays an important role in predicting the success of target language acquisition in general.3. The Solution to the Problems and the New IdeasNowadays, in the classroom, multimedia plays a great role in creating a proper and interesting context, and MAI becomes the mainstream way of assisted in teaching, especially in English classroom teaching. After the analysis of the interview and classroom observation, it is confirmed that the MAI has influence on the classroom.However, it also reveals that the application of cultivation of the MAI in Englishclassroom in junior high schools causes some problems that have been identified above. Regarding to the problems, an issue comes out-how do English teachers optimize the application of the MAI in English classroom of junior high schools?Integrating the Interaction into the MAI ClassroomMost of the teachers like to use the PPT courseware, and are not concerned about whether the classroom should be interactive or not. Therefore, teachers should integrate the interaction into the MAI classroom, and provide enough opportunities to make the MAI classroom interactive.Firstly, teachers should consider this factor in the process of the design of MAI classroom, and provide enough interactive space for the students in order to offer them the chance of thinking in English. The classroom interaction can be realized in many ways, and the MAI may be one of the easiest and most important ways, because the multimedia can establish a relaxed context and evoke students’ strong curiosity and the imagination for the classroom instruction, particularly for English instruction. The English instruction needs a linguistic environment with the foreign-culture background knowledge. Therefore, during the application of the MAI in English classroom of junior high schools, teachers should try to integrate the interaction theory with the MAI, because the MAI will make students feel interested in English classroom teaching where there are multimodality-demonstration ways of the course contents. Secondly, discussion in group or in pairs should be paid more attention in MAI classroom. In such classroom, the students centralize their attention and cause a great interest by means of diverse picture in PPT courseware. The students grasp the sentencepattern quickly and highly effectively and learn to ponder the question positively just like Tsui argues in 1995:”group work provides the opportunity to practice a much wider rang of speech functions” (Tsui, 1995)Cultivating the Learning Motivation in MAI ClassroomThe paper reveals that all most of the PPT courseware contains plentiful and multisensory content, but the writer find out the students do not have high motivation to participate, and even many of them feel terrible. It is not given more concern that the multimedia information can hold the attention or distract the attention. They only think that multimedia will make abstract contents more visualized, but not take students’ learning motivation into account. The motivation is on the basis of the need of a person, and the need is an active dynamics that will stimulates the person to carry on each kind of activities. Motivation is a vital element that has a profound influence on the foreign language learning, especially for Chinese students. Therefore, integrating the motivation theory into the classroom instruction of MAI with purpose will active the students’ motivation in a silent way, motivation will maintain positive status of language learning. Analyze the needs and interests of different students before designing the PPT courseware. In general, the PPT is vivid, but it is lack of individualized feature. In the junior high schools that are investigated for research, the PPT courseware of the teacher’s is allowed to be copied by learners after class, and it will be a kind of useful reference material foe reviewing the knowledge.Optimizing the Design of the MAI CoursewareUsing multimedia technology assistance junior middle school English classroom teaching in class, we can simulate vivid, colorful real-life scenarios for students create good learning language atmosphere. Take the student as the main body in the English classroom activities in Chinese language teaching, which not only meets the middle-school students curious, active psychological and subconscious in the subject of developing the students’ awareness of learning and innovation consciousness, strengthening the students’ learn ing confidence. The design of courseware slides should be given more concern. It covers the aspects of the font choice, the design of the background and transition, template choice and inserting multimodality information. Teachers should select proper media materials according to their functions. Different materials have different functions. Song on tape, video in the classroom are often used a “filler” activity to change the mood or pace of a lesson. Many authentic songs are good classroom materials, and if they are reasonably up-to date, go down especially well with younger students.The New IdeasEstablishment of a “Modern Education Teaching Center” to Promote the Modernization of Educational Technology in SchoolsMultimedia English teachers should realize own role transformation, can’t always stay in the traditional education ideas and teaching modes. Fully embody modern education theory and teaching idea of multimedia teaching English to students focus moved, attaching importance to the student’s enthusiasm and subjectivity, stressed, claims that the study of various efforts of humanism. In the teaching process, the teacher can give full play to itsleading role, from the original knowledge for students who, instilling change initiative significance construction helper, promoters. Besides should possess the ideological quality and professional quality outside, they still need to continually optimize teaching for students to create the good, the language learning env ironment, stimulate the students’ learning interest and initiative, always perceived and the difference of the individual students need, to the lack of confidence in the student wants timely encouragement and help explore the effective way to learn。