The Application Of Cooperative Learning To English Reading Comprehension Teaching In Junior High School

With the rapid development of science and technology, reading has clearly become a necessary way for people to get and exchange the latest information. However, most of foreign language teachers are puzzled by the teaching of English reading. The traditional English reading teaching still mainly relies on the explanation and memorizing, so many students have little interest in English reading.Teachers urgently need to have a reflection on the English reading teaching. In all kinds of teaching modes, cooperative learning is one of teaching strategies with universal concern. Normally, cooperative reading teaching will have4to6people in a heterogeneous group as a unit, to carry out reading teaching activities. Under the guidance of teachers, it aims at finishing the reading task by students through cooperation, and letting the students experience the joy of reading, promoting the student to master the reading skills, as well as arousing the students’interest in English reading, so as to train students to develop good reading habits in English.The purpose of this study is to explore the application effect of cooperative learning in junior high school English reading teaching. There are75students involved in the experimental study. They are the students of Grade Eight in No.3Middle School, Feng Run District, Tangshan City of Hebei Province. The experimental class has42students, which applies the cooperative learning in the teaching of reading; the control class has a total of33students, which applies the traditional English reading teaching method. The two classes are taught by the author. This study uses different topics as reading materials. Two of students’ learning attitude questionnaires, classroom observation of the teacher, students’feelings after learning, and the written examinations are also as the tools in the experiment. Five months after the experiment, the author summarized the experimental findings in the following points:1. Experimental class students’ English reading comprehension ability and comprehensive ability in using English have been improved significantly.2. Students in the experimental class are more positively involved and more confident in classroom activities than before the experiment. 3. Most students in the experimental class began to like reading English articles, and some students gradually developed good reading habits in English.4. Through cooperative learning, students in the experimental class has improved social skills, learnt to respect others, listened to the views of others, and also have learned to solve problems through mutual support and help. Students’ learning attitude has been more positive than before.The experiment achieved expected results, but the experiment still has a certain limitation and needs further research.