An Experimental Study Of Inquiry Learning In High-School English Classroom

Inquiry learning, as a modern learning approach, places great emphasis on the process of acquiring knowledge and the ability of inquiring knowledge. Thus it transforms learning from passively accepting knowledge to actively inquiring knowledge. Therefore, It is of great significance to teach English through inquiry leaning in High-School English Classroom.Inquiry learning is defined as a process in which the students, under the guidance of a teacher, select and determine their inquiring projects (tasks) about nature, society or life, then do research on them, and finally find the solution to the tasks. It is during the process of the inquiry that the students acquire the knowledge actively and apply the relevant knowledge to the practice. By taking part in the inquiries actively, they can develop the habit of learning independently, cooperatively and creatively. According to the theory of inquiry learning and the goals of the National New English Curriculum Standard, this paper tries to do some research on the inquire learning in the high school English classroom in Shaoxing, aiming to find some teaching principles of inquiry learning as well as its teaching strategies and assessments. Thus, some models of inquiry learning in high school English classroom will be constructed. The present study is based on the five-dimensional teaching aims, that is, language knowledge and language abilities, the emotion and values, studying strategies and cultural consciousness. The research adopts experimental designs with two questionnaires, one-year teaching practice and several English tests. By comparing the results of the experimental and control groups, we can draw the conclusions that inquiry learning helps students to improve their English competence effectively and makes them more interested in English learning.