The Study of Students—centered English Teaching at Colleges

王雪竹

【Abstract】The lack of communicative efficiency among students is still an important problem in Chinas English teaching circle.Learner-centered language teaching and learning approach proposed by Nunan and Breenin 1980s is the best one to solve the problem.This paper briefly presents the approach and mainly talks about how to apply the approach in the authentic teaching and learning situation.The adoption of this method will definitely promote the English teaching reform in China.

【Key Words】Chinese EFL learners； Use； Teaching

I.Research Background

In recent years，traditional approaches in ETT classrooms at colleges are challenged and modified.However，English teaching is dominated to a great degree by the teacher-centered.Text-oriented.Grammar- translation method.There is little student initiative and student-student and teacher- student interaction.Little attention is paid to the training of the students' active competence.As a result，the students might have memorized thousands of English words，recited lots of articles，learnt much grammar and even got high marks when they finish English course，yet they remain at a loss when they meet English natives.

II.The Application of Learner-Centered Approach

1.Teachers and Students Roles

In learner-centered teaching，how do teacher and learner act and in what ways can the approach be applied？

Learner- centered teaching add a numbers of responsibilities not normally found in traditional approaches to teachers and learners and causes a major change in the roles assigned to them.

In terms of learner，they are no longer the passive receiver，for the approach assumes a more active and participatory role to them than is usual in traditional approaches and more opportunities are given to them.

And also，learner must take responsibility for their own learning，developing autonomy and skills in learning haw.

Learners learn a language effectively when they are provided with opportunities to participate in communicative use of the target language in a wide range of activities.The more learners try to use the target language，the more rapidly they will master it.Learner- centered approach allows the learner not only as a language learner but also as a language user.This awareness will enable him or her to transfer the knowledge and skills developed within the classroom to real- life situations，and to continue learning.This is the major factor that distinguishes learn-centered approach from the traditional ones.

Logically，however，learner roles cannot be redefined without a parallel redefinition of teachers' roles.

The increase in learner-centered activity and collaborative work in the classroom does not mean that the teacher becomes less authoritative.He or she still has to contrive the required enabling conditions for learning，and also still has to monitor and guide the process of learning.1n other words，teachers' traditional roles of knower and activity organizer will persist in a learner- centered approach in order to ensure teaching and learning to happen.

However，in learner-centered approach，teacher needs to assume a further role of learning counselor.In this sense，teacher will need to understand and help the students in their courses of learning，especially help the students develop awareness as language user，awareness of learning goal and language awareness.This is a crucial part of the teachers role in a learning- centered approach.

In fact，the roles of teachers and students are，in many ways，complementary.Giving the learners a different role requires the teacher to adopt a different role.In learner-centered approach，teachers have to accept that learners have a right to have views incorporated into the selection of content and learning experiences，and need to provide learners with the appropriate opportunities for them to make choices.Learners，for their part，need to develop a range of skills related not only to language，but also to learning and learning haw to learn.

2.Group work

Comparing to the traditional approach in which teacher is handing down the input all the time，group work is the best way to practice the output and to create a learner- centered classroom.

Not only because group work can provide a lot of opportunities for the students to practice the target language，but also because it can promote a positive effective classroom climate and motivate learners to study more.

In the planning stage，it is important for teacher to select appropriate materials.One basic step for selection of materials is that materials should be chosen to illustrate the different ways that language is used in real life，and presented in a manner which relates as far as possible to the way that a sort of purpose is dealt with in real life.

When the group is working，the teacher should monitor the progress and give help needed.Namely，the teacher should be adaptable and ensure the effective learning to take place，and providing feedback.

Now，one thing worth being mentioned is the group cohesiveness，because groups are most effective when they are cohesive，in other words，closely knit，purposive and well organized.In a cohesive group，the students have high moral and positive feelings toward the group，for they know where they stand，what they are supposed to be doing and are doing it.They produce，in short，a cohesive group together.

The teacher can build group cohesiveness by creating a diffusely structured group classroom in which student participation and involvement are encouraged.Try to create cohesiveness by fostering an atmosphere of liking in which students have many opportunities to become involved with each other by keeping classes student-centered and by involving students in planning and evaluating their class activities.

Up to now，a lot of thins have been contributed to the learner- centered approach，but it needs to be evaluated as many other teaching approaches in order to make teaching more efficient.Evaluation plays an important part in the development of the learner- centered approach，since it gives both the teacher and the student the feedback they need.It helps the teacher to understand the student's ability and needs.Evaluation can judge what the teacher achieved，and it is also the basis for determining what comes next or where we can go.Teacher must not neglect this crucial step in the learner- centered teaching.

3.Significance of Learner- Centered Approach in China

Learner- centered approach with its evident advantages has been accepted by more and more people in the field of language teaching and learning.The adoption of it will bring a great change in English teaching and learning in China.

In recent years，the scholars in China have made some attempts to teach English as a tool of communication by using the new textbook in secondary school.Yet，they havent found a suitable approach to language teaching .Learner-centered approach is just the one that suits them best.

Generally speaking，the Chinese students are more conservative than the western students.This is largely due to the Chinese teachers strict restriction that kills students' creativity and imagination.On the contrary，the learner-centered approach takes students' needs at every step of teaching and encourages them to learn how to learn.More opportunities are provided for them to behave naturally which is vital to the development of their creativity and imagination.1n addition，this approach is very helpful to those shy students.

Once the students can communicate self- confidences as language users grow .In the learner- centered approach，there their position in the group，their is very full participation for the students in all stages of the process.This may help them to foam the consciousness of participation.All these qualities are important for the students not only as language learners and users，but also as qualified social worker in their future career.

On the other hand，the learner- centered approach is demanding.It has been suggested that the teacher who wants to adopt a learn-centered approach should think carefully of the implications of this choice in terms of the extra works and responsibilities it entails.Therefore in order to conduct the approach effectively，the teacher must upgrade their qualities.

The effectiveness of the learn-centered approach derived a great deal from the way it developed and then rapidly put to use the targeted language tokens in a variety of unified contexts，and from the way skills were naturally integrated into the overall project .In the approach，students were working with and putting to use their language as“a developing and negotiating dynamic system.And not a static one based on the alien knowledge of the textbook or teachers.”（13rumfit，1985） In these senses the students became autonomous users of the language they had acquired.The concept has just met the needs of the English students in modern China.Although this approach is much more demanding than the traditional ones，it's worth the effort to put it into practice in the language classroom in China.

References：

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[2]Brindley.G.Needs Analysis and Objective Setting in the Adult Minrant Education proram.Sydeny （1984）.

[3]Jeremy Hamer.The Practice of English Language Teaching， Longman Inc， New York， （1983）.

[4]Long， M.Verbal Interaction in Lockstep and Small Group Classroom Situation.In Fanselow and Crymes.Eds，（1976）.

[5]Nunan， D.Desinninn Tasks for the Communicative Classroom.（1989）.Combridne： Combridge Cniversitv Press.