An Attempt To Discuss Culture Teaching In Senior English Teaching

Through the ages, many schools of foreign language teaching appear, such as, the Grammar-Translation Method, the Direct Method, the Audio-Lingual Method, Total Physical Respond, and the Communicative Approach; each approach or method has its theoretical bases and the practical use, each serves for its aims, and all are related to development of listening, speaking, reading and writing. However, in practice, the students are lack of cross-cultural communicative competence,hence, it is necessary to introduce a cultural component into language class. As Kramsch says, culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, to the teaching of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Therefore, there are some questions which are still waiting for the solutions, such as, whether the senior English teachers are aware of importance of culture teaching in senior English teaching? How should culture teaching be done in order to enhance the students'cross—communicative competence? And is it feasible to do culture teaching in senior English teaching? etc.In the Curriculum Standards for Senior English for China issued in 2003, it puts English teaching into 5 categories, namely, language competence, language knowledge, affective aspects, learning strategy, cultural awareness, and the enhancement of cultural awareness is located in 3 aspects: cultural knowledge, cultural understanding, and cross-cultural communication.In the thesis, on the basis of the Curriculum Standards for SEFC, it attempts to design a cultural syllabus, and details culture teaching in senior English teaching into 5 parts: goals of culture teaching in senior English teaching, ways of implementing culture teaching in senior English teaching, contents of culture teaching, principles of culture teaching, and authentic materials used for culture teaching; at the same time, it made a questionnaire survey on the feasibility of implementing culture teaching in senior English teaching, and on the partial teachers and students in the Middle School Attached to Guizhou Normal University and the No.1 Middle School of Guiyang.The thesis proved on a theoretical basis and a questionnaire survey that how culture teaching should be done in senior English teaching, the feasibility of implementing culture teaching in senior English teaching.etc, and it as well offered some relevant suggestions of implementing culture teaching, such as the design of a cultural syllabus, etc. However, the issue how well culture teaching in senior English teaching can be carried out practically is still waiting for the further observation and remains in future discussion.