A Study on the Application of Lead—in Techniquesin Junior Middle School English Teaching

【Abstract】： Lead-in， which is the first and most basic teaching procedure， plays an important part in English classroom teaching. Nowadays， most English teachers in junior middle schools have realized the importance of lead-in and are trying to employ lead-in techniques in English classroom teaching. However， there exist many problems when they adopt lead-in techniques into real use. This paper attempts to know about the current situation of lead-in at junior middle schools， find out the main problems and solve them by employing effective measures.

【Key Words】： lead-in; English classroom teaching; junior middle school; effective teaching; motivation

A Study on the Application of Lead-in Techniques

in Junior Middle School English Teaching

1. Introduction

Lead-in， the first and most basic procedure of the classroom teaching， is regarded by scholars as one of the most important part in classroom activities. However， in real classroom teaching， most English teachers in junior middle schools are busy in explaining language points due to the pressure of exam-oriented education. They ignore the design of lead-in. Therefore， the effect of lead-in is weakened and the classroom efficiency is unsatisfactory. Based on the current situation of lead-in in junior middle school English teaching， this paper aims find out the existent problems and finally solve them.

2. Present Situation of Lead-in in English Teaching in Junior Middle Schools

2.1 Common Lead-in Methods

To sum up， there are several Lead-in techniques， like lead-in through multi-media， lead-in by reviewing， lead-in with questions， lead-in by games and free-talk lead-in etc. It is proved that leading-in methods can arouse the enthusiasm of the students and instruct students' learning activities. However， in real teaching classroom， the use of lead-in methods have some problems.

2.2 Problems with Current Lead-in Techniques

2.2.1 The teachers’ lack of enough attention to lead-in techniques

On one hand， many teachers did not highlight the function when designing lead-in activities. On the other hand， teachers and students don’t "have a clear answer to the question of the frequency of lead-in adopted in the classroom. In summary， teachers lack in attention on lead-in techniques and do not want to spend too much energy on it.

2.2.2 No expected results through lead-in usage

Some teachers and students think that lead-in can create an active atmosphere. They think lead-in can inspire learning motivation， and stimulate students' interest. It is clear that teachers and students have realized the importance of lead-in. However， some students are not pleased with the design of lead-in.In other words， the present lead-in methods are oriented towards teacher-centered instead of student-centered.

2.2.3 Ignoring students’ needs and interest

Teachers agree that it is important to analyze the students' real needs and interests， but seldom put it into practice. Only do teachers improve their theoretical knowledge and teaching skills continually could their teaching efficiency be improved constantly.

3. Implications for Lead-in in English Classroom Teaching

In order to deal with these problems and use lead-in more effectively， here are some implications for teachers.

3.1 Stimulating students’ interest

As the key factor for individual talent， interest is intrinsically motivated to active learning， positive thinking and exploration to students. Numerous ways are adopted to stimulate students' interests. According to the characteristics of junior middle school students， methods such as visualized lead-in， game lead-in， music or song lead-in are used to guide students into the new lesson vividly.

3.2 Utilizing life experiences flexibly

It is preferred that English teaching should be aimed on student-centered， with full respect and attention to students' life. As a result， English course is required to bring students into teaching， and then， to life. Consequently， lead-in should be focused on students' life experience and stimulate their interest in learning.

3.3 Promoting students’ creative thinking

As we all know， a dramatic reform of the present English curriculum in junior middle schools has been carried out. The cultivation of students' ability to use language and learning strategies is emphasized ever-increasingly in task-based language teaching model. Creative lead-in methods are close to the actual teaching and attract students to participate in classroom activities energetically. It also plays an important role in completing the task of teaching and improving the teaching quality.

3.4 Exerting students’ subjectivity

There is no doubt that students are the subject of learning. In the process of teaching， teachers should motivate their initiative and enthusiasm maximally， which contribute the student to be the mastery of learning. Under this circumstance， the teacher can adopt lead-in methods such as speech before class， minutes-show before the class， drama performance or free talk， into new courses.

4. Conclusion

To sum up， lead-in is not to kill time or a simple teaching method; instead， it is a teaching style based on a correct teaching concept. Currently， lead-in techniques used in junior middle schools have certain problems. What we should do is to solve those them and make English learning more effective under the influence of proper lead-in.

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