Contents
Abstract...... ........ ........ ........
Key words...... ........ ........ ........
摘要...... ........ ........ ........
关键词...... ........ ........ ........
Introduction...... ........ ........ ........
I. The Recent Situation of English Listening Course in College.......
1. The Students' Psychological Classromm....................
2. Teachers' Role in Recent Listening Classroom.................
3. The Environment of English Listening Teaching in College......
II. The Reasons for Poor English Listening Teaching in Cololege......
1. The College Students Lack of Background Knowledge in English Listening.................................
2 The Disadvantage Brought by Traditional English Listening Teaching Environment.........................
III.Sorme Solutions to Improve English Listening in College Stadents
1. Geting College Students Understand Background Knowledge in English Listening..............
2. Some New Strategies for College Students to lmprove English Listening....
(1) Intensive listcning.........................
(2) Extensive listcning.........................
(3) Radio.........................
(4) TV.........................
(5) Internet.........................
3. Creating the Moderm English Listening Emvironmcnt..........
(1) The use of video in english listening class..............
(2) See suitable fims in cnglish listening class... ........
4. Combination of Listening and Other Aspeets of Teaching Skills to Improve English .Listeming.........................
IV.Conelusion.........................
致谢(Acknowledgemcnats) .........................
Works Cited.........................
(评析:目录规范,层次分明)
How to Improve College English Majors'Listening Ability
(评析:此题目属于建议式标题,简洁明了,一眼就能看出文章的主题或作者的写作意图,题目字数适中.)
Wang Minggu
(评析:应加上年级,班级和指导教师名字)
Abstract: This paper 1 is to explore the effective skills of improving English listecning abilitry from the perspective of college stodcnts, teaching methods and tcaching environmenlt, In onder to find out the efoctive ways which are benedficial for collkge sudcnts to improve their English listcming ability, this paper puts forward some practical suggestioes wbich attach great importance to achicve the furnthar improvermicnt of college studcnes' sbility of Engish listcning by analyring the reasons that caused poor listening ability of college students.
Key werds: College English majors; Listening ability; Teaching cnvifonmcm
(评析:属提要性摘要,适合毕业论文,简明叙述文章的内容.比较清楚,字数适当,关键词3个,所选词是论文所论述的主题密切相关的词组,规范.)
如何有效提高高职英语专业学生听力水平
摘要:本文主要是从学生的角度.从教学方法和教学环境方面来探讨如何有效提高高职英语专业学生的听力水平.为了找出更有效地提高高职学生听力的方法,本文分析了高职学生听力差的原因.并提出了一些实用性的解决方法.这对进一步提高高职英语专业学生听力水平起了非常重大的作用.
关键词:高职英语专业学生;听力水平;教学环境
(评析:论文一般要求有中英文摘整和关键词,该摘要简明,清楚,字数适当,规范.)
Introduction
As we know, the world is BOW in the 21st century. English as a global language, plays In increasingly role in the cormmanicating world. In our country, the demand for people who can sccessfully understand English is becoming more important as China is cntering WTO and is going to hold 2008 Olympic Games. Therefore, the English listening comprebscasion for college studcats is strongly advocated. English listening provides a foumdation for all aspects of languge and cogitive derclopment, and it plays a lfe-long role in the processes of leaming and commanication essential to productive participation in life.
English listening s one of the most challenging skills for college shudents to develop, so devcloping college students listening ability is becorme more and more important. Although a great may college students have passed the CET-4 or CET-6, they can't understand what forcign fricnds rally mcan, The problcm causes the phenomcnon of so-called dcaf English In onder to improve college. student in listening ability flectively, safficicnt pactice will be of considcrable help 1to study language in particulat. Just the old saying gocs "Practice makes perfeer". It will not only throw light on the mutual relations of various complex langunge phcnomenon, but also deepen our knowledge of English listening to bave a higher level and a better practice. Gencrally speaking, college stodents can't ignore the importance of English listcning.
(评析:Introduction 部分引出话题;指出英语听力对高职学生的重要性,但目前高中学生的现状是;听力能力较差,部分学生不喜欢上听力课.)
丨. The Recent Situation of English Litening Course in College
1. The Students" Psychological Conditions
(1) Psychology rscarcbes show that im language cdassroom, potential dficulty of lstening is the psychological obstacle. College stdkents always feel passive or tense when they listen to English listening. Even,sometimcs, college students are not sure what they have just heard. which causc bad etfect on students" bad psycbology or vicious cirele.
(2) The quality of listening class is casy to cause psychological anxiety in college students. "Serioes anxicty occurs when students feel thery can not handle a listening task." The teacher-controlled structure often extends the state of anxiety with the feeling ofa vague fear and apprebension, While listening, college students always tend to stop when they hcar an unfamiliar word or phrase and try to undcr-stand every word they hear. When they fail, tbey might also become frightened, discouraged, tired, and develop a sense of failure.
(评析:正文第一部分从学生、教师角色、英语听力课题环境等三方面阐述当前英语听力教学和学习的现状.阐述较详细,并且切合高职学生当前的情况.)
2. Teachers' Role in Recent Listening Classroom
(1)In Chima the colle liscmning tcaching is a rclatively new concept in the English classroom. It noeds to be scriously studied and promoted. It is olbvious that a teacher's proficiceney in language and cultural background needs to be improved. One burricr lics in the inefficiency of listcning class is teachers' indequate understanding the harm of exams and the concept "Practice rmakes perfeer, They require college students do various kinds ofexercises in cach class. Students ate in a passive station and oficn feel tired and bored. Teachers only ue lisening activities to "test liscning skill, rather than developing good listcning skilr, which leads to anxicty and apprcbsemsion
(2) The phenomenon that college tcachers dominate in class is very scrious. In the teacher-dominated listening class, the teacher serves as a monitor and answer giver, The scleetion of listcning materials depcnds cntirely. on the tcacber if there are no prcscribed oees. Tbe lesson is easy to conduct and requires minimal prcparation. The disadvantage of this kind of listcning class lacks explicit communicative listening tasks. College students may feel unertain about themselves, and their lcaring abilitics.
3. The Environment of English Listening Teaching in College
in the traditiomal cevironmcnt of English lstcning tcaching, the English teacher just use the tsape to play again and again for stodents to finish the listening exercise, which could not attract the students.
II The Reasens for Poor English Listening Teaching in College
1. The College Sudents Lack of Background Knewledge in English Listening
Rescarch in cross-cultural pragmatics shows that some misunderstandings are caused by diferent cultural background, That is to say, if onc lacks background knowledge in listcning. he will become entangled is a dungerous spiral of English karning that tends to reinforce the negative effects So Kmowledge of the different cultural backgrounds is critical to English listening success
Why college major studeats can't improve English listening cfflectively? Rccent study shous the essential reason is that college studknts lack background knovwlodge in English Isstening. For instance, there are two matcrials of the sarme dificulty, oBC explains somcthing about China's Spring Festivals, and the other is about Thanksgiving Day of the westem countries. The former is easy to understand but the latter is more difficult, why? It is clcar becase the college studcnts know lintle about the later. Tberefore their unfamiliar with west culture background knowledge. which leads to low level of English listcning.
(评析:结合自身所经历的听力课堂和听力练习的经验,分析高职学院中英语听力教学效果不明显的原因.如果在分小点分析具体原因前.有一个概括性的总说来引出下面的分析,逻辑性会更强)
2. The Disadvantage Brought by Traditienal English Listening Teaching Environment
As we all know, before college students cnter the college, they have already had six years' experience of English stadying. However, they have becn studying hard jus for preparing for entrance of bigher cducation institutcs. So most of them attach the grcat importance to mcmorizing new words and expressions and pay much attention to grammar points and laguage strsctures. They normally don't think that English lstcning is as important s they expect, They think that it is uneessary for them to learn English listening celealtly,
What's more, in the currcnt situation of listcning study. the college stuodents just use the ready-made materials in upe recorder to listcn to the contcnt of stuody. Some tape matcrials are ahways suitable for particular subjeets or disciplines. Some are often spoken at an arificially slow pace, in prestige dialects that are Bot typical of ordinary speech. Even some are quite often oral reading of written material spolken by an sctor and recorded in a studsio (he or she maybe not a native spaker). That is to say that college students haven't find appropriate materials of mcthods to lcam English listcning flectively. They doa't make good use of the moden tcachiog material, For example: lisee to VOA or BBC in the radio, listcn to CCTV-9 in the TV, and sce some native flms. Appropriate methods will atract college stuodents' interests and build up tbeir confidence in listening.
In traditional English listcning teaching cnvironment, it is common that the listening classroom is more or less dominant by the teacher use the invisible tape to play it again and agaim for various kinds of English listening tests, there is no warm or positive listcning cnvironment, which in turn may greatly hinder the college stadents from participating in the teaching and lcarming, To some extent, in these boring tcacbing cnvirommcnot, not only Englisb teacber have no effective mcthods that tcach csscntial knowledge to their students, but also college stodent can't execute a more active role and can't be kept motivated, interested and confident, which lead to Englisth listening teaching failore eventally.
III. Some Solutions to Improve English Listening in College Sudents
1. Getting College Students Understand Background Knonledge in Englih Listening
The Cross-Cultural Speech Act Reaism Project (CCSARP) has pointcd out that the English listening lcarners should have appropriate social and cultural knonwledge and skills that have appropriste back. ground knowledge. That means college students should understand what they bcar according to their purpose of listening and their background knovledge. Gencrally spcaking. there cxists great lack of communication or liniks among diferent culural background and some efforts sbould be made to fll in the gap There are four componcnts for forcign cultures; cultural product, cultural practice, culural idcntity/ social variation and cultural institution. Therefore, this indicates that college English tcacher should choose o0 of these patterms of everyday life in wecstcrm country at last on one hand, college English teachers should give brief background information in English listcning class to college students. On the other hand, college English teachers sbould devise two lessons based on the westem background knowlcdge, and alfter that tceachers sbould justify the appropriate content, topic, materials, activities, mctbodology and gencral approach according to whecther college students undcrstand the background knowlcdge of not. Those simple and convcenicnt strategies will stimulate college studcnts' intercsts and improve thcir English listcming ability elcctively.
As to the collage students, if they don't snderstand westerm culture, history, gcography, socicty and custom, they can't lear English well.
The language is a carrier of culture, where the listening conversation involves the westerm background knowledge. Maybe it is difficult for college students to rcalize it. Thurs, it is more important to cencoarage them to read relevant boolks about western gograplhy, history, culture, stories and s0 on, which can broadcn their hortizons, in their spare time. Of course, to improve Englisth listcning of collge students in Englistb listening classes is a combination comtent in which the listening ability should continsously be inmproved. Therefore, those ways may help college students kearn English listening flectively and understand all sorts of relative English knowledge casily,
2. Some New Strategies for College Students to Improve English Listening
(1)Intensive listening
Listen to soveral tapes preciscly. The best mctbod is to follow the prescribed order, and then step by step to catch the speed Ar the beginning. our collkge students had better select several high quality reconds and modcrate speed tapes, their recording speed is gencrally 120 wornds one minute. In order to lay a good foundation, students should hear cach section of this part of recording repeatedly, dozens of times. They cam do some notes or d the dictation by themselves. When students finish one sentence, press the paase buttom, and then write it out. After having the whole esay dictated, they should check it with transcript. The contcnts of this section for cach time should be proper, a dialogue or an essay is cnough. For the beginners, it is particularly important, because it i the foundation for all English learmcrs, If college studcnts keep on listcning the standard tape every day, our progress is obvious and great. To sclect the precise rcording, college students should pay atention to the follow ing four respocts: 1) the recording is moderate speed (120 wonds per minute), 2) The recording is of high quality, clear, and genuinc. 3) It should include two diffcrent acccnts at kcast 4) It contains Amcrican acccnt and British spcent, when students feel that they acquire of good ability in this phase, plcase listen more speed tape.
(2) Extensive listcning
When college students have a foundation of intcasive listening. they can choose some interesting sorics to listen. These matcrials can make them familiar with the pronunciation and broaden their knowledge. In this phase, don't let tape stop: studcnts can just catch its gencral idea of the reconding. If students can't understand what the speaker has said, please go back, and then listcn again. In case students still doa't catch the meaning, check the langmage points then continue to listcn. lo the course of listening. college students may meet some new words they don't undcrstand, if the words don't influcnce the whole conteets, studcots should leave them aside and coacentrate on their listcning All those principlcs are helpful for college studcnts.
(3) Radio
Listen to the radio, especially VOA and BBC. News reports are idcal practice materials because they are casily accessible and there is a real rcason for studcats to listen: college studcnts want to know what's happening in the world. They could wake u five minutes earlier and listen to the mews in English. Make it a goal to learn several ncw words cach timc. Try 1o imitate the annoumcer and talk along with him.
(4)TV
TV is an ecellent resource for listcning to English. The pictures help sudcnts understand what is being said. Especially watch CCTV-9, which is the English Channel Try to watch the mews in English instead of in Chinese. If collge students dose not have aceess to a TV, they may be able to watch movies on the Internet Listening to others' talk is a good preparation for talking yourself.
(5) lnternct
it is now mach casicr to listen to the English language on the Interact. Tbe tcacher will need to bawe special software called "players" isalled 00 multi-computcr. Most sites work with two players, the Real player from Real Networks and the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. Both these packages are free and the teacher may already have them installed on mutti-computer. Search for English matcrial on the net, Instead of chatting in Chinese on the nect, try to chat in English! Check out web sites o0 the Intermet that have been designed for college students and teachers. Some world-wide wchsites have recently come on line and are jointing Sino British language learming project with support from the British Council, China Central Radio and Television University and the BBC. Two sectioms of this free wcbsite will interest college students to lcam Englisb consciously.
(评析:对学生如何更有效地进行听力练习提出了一些新的方法,对高职学生提高听力有一定的帮助.)
3. Creating the Modern English Listening Eavironment
With the start of a mew millennium we have centered a mew information age. modcm environmcnt of English listcning atlaches great importance to achieve the improvement of English listening More modem icaching systemns ane thus nseded to help collkage studkats become thoughtful prticipants in a socialy-tich cavironment for learning Englisb listening and that feature collge students" use of English langage. To fll this p. English teachers sbould introdace ollege students those features of comsiderable teaching cnvironment multimedis.
(1) The use of video in English liscning class
College studcents today have a strong visual oricntation becase of their contact with tclevision, movies and vidcos. It is a part of their lives, if msed carefally, it can be employed to the college stuadents' and English teacbers' leaming and teaching. Video, for cxample, has many uses in classroom. This medium makes explanations clearer, grabs the studcnts' intcrests, and is very adaptable to all level of studcnts and many different lessons for the material of listening.
(2) See suitable films in English listening class
Nowadays, the forcign fms have gainod immense popularity in Chinese market, so the number of EFL teachers cencourage college studcnts to see some suitable films is incrcasing rapidly im English listening class. The first thing teachers have to do is to choose a film, or teachers can give students the free right to list films they want to see, since not all films are suitable, tcacher should judge what type of film woald be appropriate to the students, but there are a few hits to be conmsidered: (a) Choose fims with clearly drawn main charascters. (b) Avoid films that assume detailed background knowledge of a subjeet or culture, which studcnts do no have.
Some wel-knowm films, sach as The Aregamce cned Pegjulice, Romeo and Juliet, The Lion King, Hamle, and so on are roomcrnded. An Enghish teacher Beeds a furtbser worksheet to give out after the stadents vicwing the cntire film, Thc dicussion which it gencratcs the cnd product of the notc-aking the stadcnts have beon doing throughout the different background of the fhem and appeociate it 25 a whole,. The ollowup worksbeet should consist of: (a) Questions and tasks for discussion hased on the information the students have colleted on the film. (b) Students sbould ppraise the main themes, fEavorite sccnCS and charactes. For example, in the fihm The L.icom King, studcents can exchange their ideas about the difierenees and similarities between this film and other fims, if they know this drarma, or discuss the animal protection, erc.
(评析:就教师如何更有效地进行听力教学,创造更好的听力环境和课堂提出了一些建议和方法,阐述详细,切实可行.)
4. Combination of Listening and Other Aspeets of Teaching Skills to Impreve English Listening
English listening. speaking, reading, writing are the fowr basic skills for the college students to lear English language well. Giencrally spcaking. these four skills can't be scparated. Pcople oftcn say "First listcning and speaking, then reading and writing". That's right. But in my personal opinion, this way of reading and writing is ooly suitable for the beginning stage, for college students, listcning and speaking are more important. Bcfore tcachers anc going to have a ncw lcsson, do reading and writing first. Ask students to read the text in advance, and do some exercises comnected with the text, Listening and speaking are the major ways while teaching the new lessomn. Be sure to let the lesson go on in a forcign language situation. In English class, tcachers can ask students qucstions about the test, do some discussions, and check the students" homework, which can heclp students to understand or comprchend the sentcnces and the texl, It can alse help stadents nise their abilirty of listening and spcaking Thercfore, as stated above, wbile tcachers are training these four skills, they'd better make full use of their teaching instniment, which means to use varictics of ways to stimulate the sudcns" intcrests.
IV. Conclusion
This paper analyzes that, in current tcaching of listening conditions, teachers and college stadcnts should pay cmough atention to ffective listening skill training. which greatly affeets students' communication with others. This paper analyzcs some main factors that influence college students' listening ability, then it pets forward some practical solutions to these existing problems. With the awarcness-raising and skill-cnabling listcning cxercises, college students can have more opportunitics to effectively improve their English listening ability to a bighar level.
(评析:总结对正文分析的原因和提出的建议加以综合性的概括,听力教师和高职学生必频高度重视英语听力,采取切实可行的方法不断提高听力水平.)
致谢(Acknowledgements)
论文完成之际,我谨向我的论文指导教师胡秋枫老师表示衷心的感谢.感谢他对我论文的多次耐心而细致的指导,对论文的多次修改和给出的详细的修改意见,同时还要感谢班主任对我论文提出的一些建议.感谢我的同学和我的父母给我的支持,在他们的帮助下,我的论文得以顺利完成.
Works Cited
[1]罗斯特.听力教学与研究[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2005.
[2]Jeremy Harmer.怎样教英语[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2000.
[3]狄红秋,张莹,英语听力[M].天津:天津大学出版社,2003.
[4]何其璐,王敏,金利民,俞涓.英语昕力理论与实践[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2000.
[5]张民伦,多元文化与当代英语教学[M]北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2002.
[6]王建国,夏德良.听力应试指南[M]. 上海:上海外语教育出版社,2001.
(评析:该部分比较规范,从中能看出作者阅读的文献是具有很高的参考价值.)
总评:
从文章中可以看出,当前高职学生在英语听力方面确实存在着一些问题,包括英语听力课堂也存在着一定的缺陷,需要引起关注.
文章从高职学生英语听力的现状出发,分析了听力能力较差的原因,并分别对学生和教师提出了一些建议,对提高高职学生的听力水平有一定的现实意义.
全文思路清晰,层次分明,重点突出,结构安排比较合理.
