Textbooks From Abroad To See The Reform Of Secondary School English Teaching Since 1978

Although English teaching and learning in China's Secondary School has a short history of only 25 years , it has made a lot of achievements. These achievements include multiple goals in English course, renewed ideas, focus on the student's ability to use language, theories on methods of English teaching and learning, the use of modern teaching equipment, e. g. language lab and multimedia teaching , reforms on test and assessment, e.g. from diagnostic assessment to progressive assessment. In this article, the author will study the history of English teaching and learning in China's Secondary School since 1978 from teaching method, syllabus, to teaching material with a special point of view, which is imported teaching material of English. These materials have a lot of advantages such as interesting, lively, imaginative, illustrated, high starting point, capacious, informative, rational lay out, authentic language and they focus on using language rather than knowing language and pay more attention to the student's ability to problem solve by means of language tools.From these materials English teachers and learners have changed their ideas on the method of English teaching and learning from grammar-translation method, which focuses on grammar and vocabulary, to audio-lingual method, which focuses on listening and speaking, to communicative method, which focuses on setting, society, sexual distinction and psychology, writing style, stress and intonation, grammar and vocabulary.The syllabus of English teaching and learning in China's Secondary School has changed a lot too. Due to the changes of the theory on English teaching, the syllabus must adapt itself to the new condition. The syllabus has made some alterations on the goal, the nature, the teaching principle, the curriculum content and the assessment. It tends to focus on the student rather than on the teacher, pay more attention to the use of language for communication rather than understanding about the language.These imported teaching materials of English also have some impacts on the English material designed by Chinese. The old English materials compiled by Chinese usually had a guideline of structure approach, while the new one had a guideline of structure-function approach.These materials have some impact on the teacher who improve their teaching method and renew their ideas, the teaching equipment and the assessment.The imported teaching material of English plays an important role in China's English teaching of Secondary School and has an irreplaceable place in English teaching in China.