Exploring Life Meanings In Language Classroom In The Exploratory Practice Of RICH

In the past decade numerous curricular innovations have been witnessed at various levels throughout China; researchers have explored the classroom from different perspectives. This thesis aims to explore the classroom life underlying RICH, a curricular innovation program lasting over 10 years for English majors in a Chinese university. Specifically, it attempts to explore:1) how to reveal life meanings in language classroom in RICH; 2) what life meanings are embedded in classroom in RICH practice.This is a narrative inquiry of the course of Comprehensive English for freshmen, involving Helen, a leading member of RICH, and a class joining the program. To increase authenticity and credibility of the study, authentic data had been obtained through a variety of sources, including class records, CD ROMs, learners'portfolios, teacher's artifacts, students'journals, class blog, observation notes, and transcribed interviews. These were collected over a period of a semester. The result was an accumulation of four stories named "Life Experience Stories".The study employs as its philosophical foundation phenomenology, existentialism and hermeneutics, and is based upon frameworks of Heidegger's understanding and lifeworld, Habermas's communicative action theory, Dewey's "education of life" and Tao's "life of education". The study attempts to investigate revelations of classroom life and reflections of life meanings in the RICH practice. In the first place, it is argued that classroom life is a necessary and coherent part of teacher and students'life rather than an isolated one. Besides, four revealing ways of classroom life in RICH are identified:1) Feeling life meanings:caring about each other to win mutual respect; 2) Realizing life meanings:interaction, contact and dialogue for mutual understanding; 3) Examining life meanings:imagination and creation with view to mutual growth.4) Reflecting life meanings:back to lifeworld and Being. In such ways, language classroom is rendered the place where teacher-student and student-student live and contact together. Life consciousness is thus realized and developed in classroom life, connection and communication of individual life happen in classroom life, expanding and transcending of life itself appear in classroom life. Finally, the paper concludes that, in classroom in RICH, values and life meanings are revealed, emphasized, and transcended.This study provides an alternative way of understanding classroom life meanings underlying various curricular innovations in foreign languages education in current China. It also serves to call for more attention on issues of life and Being.