Application Of Inquiry-based Teaching In Teaching English Grammar In Senior High School

As a part of Senior School’s English teaching, grammar teaching is of great importance in English teaching. The National New Curriculum Standard for Senior High School English clearly points out that the overall objective of English teaching in senior high schools is to cultivate students comprehensive language competence based on what they have learned in junior high schools.In addition, college entrance examination syllabus definitely states that the objectives of grammar teaching in senior high schools are to develop students’ ability of listening, speaking,reading and writing rather than to memorize grammatical rules without being able to use them appropriately.The core of the New Curriculum is to change the present teacher--centered teaching situation. However, the majority of teachers play a dominating role in class while students learn passively in grammar lessons.When teaching grammar, teachers tell the grammatical rules to students first and then give some explanations to illustrate the grammar rules. Finally,teachers present some exercises prepared ahead of time for students to finish so as to make students have a good command of the grammar rules. However,such a teacher-centered teaching method can neither motivate students’ interest in learning grammar, nor be ideal of the teaching efficiency. Therefore,teachers from middle schools have devoted themselves to pondering how to teach grammar more efficiently for a long time. Inquiry- based teaching mode lays stress on students raising questions based on what they are going to learn,finding answers themselves, and solving the problems unsolved themselves by cooperating with each other. Such a teaching theory not only changes the teacher-centered situation in traditional grammar class but also acts more effectively in teaching practice. Under the guidance of inquiry-based teaching mode, students’ self-confidence can be improved, and more importantly, theirabilities to come up with questions and solve them on their own can be improved, so that grammar learning efficiency can be improved.This thesis focuses on two questions, one is whether students’ interest in learning grammar can be improved through inquiry-based teaching, and the other one is whether students’ grammar knowledge level can be improved through inquiry- based teaching. Two questionnaires, two language tests and one interview were adopted in the experiment to get the data which may help to answer the two questions. The conclusion can be drawn from the analysis of the data collected from the two language tests, two questionnaires and one interview that the application of inquiry-based teaching in grammar class in senior schools can arouse students’ interest in grammar learning, thus improving their mastery of grammar.