Research Of The Application Of Cooperative Learning To Junior High School English Teaching And Learning

The new English curriculum standards of junior middle school points out the basic task of teaching are students' development. It advocates the new learning model: cooperative learning, Independent learning, and inquiry learning. So application of cooperative learning in English teaching in junior middle school is a way to meet the standards of new curriculum as well as for the trend of the times.The author of the thesis made a preliminary study of the application of cooperative learning in junior middle school, taking NO. 64 middle school in Qingdao as a case study. The author made the experiment by applying cooperative learning English in Grade Eight for one year. Class five was chosen as the experiment class while class six as the control class. The purpose is to find out whether the cooperative learning plays an important role in improving students' academic achievement, learning interest and learning strategies. Based on the three main theories: Cooperative Learning Theory,Motivation Theory, Constructivist Theory, and Development Theory, This thesis used different methods including the theoretical research, questionnaires, classroom observation and experiments in classroom. It systematically put cooperative learning theory in all kinds of aspects of English teaching in junior middle school like formatting heterogeneous groups,cultivating spirit of cooperation, applying cooperative learning models before class, in class and after class. The Thesis is supposed to give some inspirations to the English teachers in junior middle schools.Except the introduction and conclusion, the author divided the thesis into five chapters. The introduction mainly talks about the background and significance of the research. In Chapter One the author reviews the research about cooperative learning theory at home and abroad. Chapter Two is the theoretical basis of this research. It includes two parts: The first part explains the definition of cooperating learning and its main elements and models. The second part introduces the theoretical basis of cooperative learning. In Chapter Three talks about the research methods and design. It mainly explains the goals, object, process, methods as well as tools. In Chapter Four, it talks about the process of the research, data collection and analysis. It is the main part of the thesis. It puts the cooperative learning into teaching practice, divide the whole class into new groups, cultivate students' team spirit, and use cooperative learning models before class, in class and after class. With the help of questionnaire survey and testing before and after the experiment, the author gets efficient data to analysis. Chapter Five is the findings of the research and enlightenment. It suggests that if we use cooperative learning method to guide junior middle school English teaching, it can improve students' academic achievements and interest in learning English as well as optimizing their learning strategies. It also requires teachers to promote their teaching method, update their educational concept and cultivate their spirit of creativity. The conclusion gives a summary about the research, and points out the limitation of the thesis.