An Empirical Study Of PAD Class Model In English Teaching In Higher Vocational College

In view of a series of problems existing in the current college classroom,such as the unitary classroom model,students’ lack of active participation in the classroom and the dull classroom atmosphere,Professor Zhang Xuexin,department of psychology of Fudan University,combined with the advantages of traditional imparting teaching method and discussion teaching method,proposed a new teaching model suitable for China’s educational conditions:PAD Class model.The core idea of PAD Class model is to divide the class time into two parts,one part for teachers’presentation and the other part for students’ discussion,separating the time of presentation and discussion,so that the students could have time to learn and assimilate independently.The corresponding assessment method emphasizes the process evaluation and pays attention to the different learning needs of different students.Since it was promoted in September 2014,the PAD Class teaching model has received widespread attention from scholars and teachers in China.This research uses empirical methods,combined with the quantitative and qualitative research methods,to explore the following questions:1)Is the PAD Class model conducive to the improvement of English learning performance of students in higher vocational college?Is it beneficial to improve students’ ability to cooperate?2)Have students’ interest and initiative in English learning improved adopting the PAD Class model?3)Will the role of teachers and students change in the PAD Class model?The subjects of this study are 99 students from Class 10 and Class 11,grade 1 in a higher vocational college in Nanchang(there are 50 students in class 10 and 49 students in class 11),they have similar ages and educational backgrounds,and they all have elementary English skills of listening,speaking,reading and writing.Class 10 is experimental class,which adopts the PAD Class teaching model,and Class 11 is control class,which uses the traditional English teaching model.The students in the two classes are taught by the same English teacher,and the study lasts a semester(from Sept.2019 to Jan.2020).On the whole,this study employs the empirical research method,that is,comparing the English test results of students in experimental and control class at the beginning,the middle and the end of the experiment,to investigate the impact of the PAD Class teaching model on English learners’ academic performance in higher vocational college and explore whether the PAD Class teaching model is suitable for English teaching in higher vocational colleges.This research uses quantitative research methods,including questionnaires and tests,meanwhile,qualitative research methods consisting of interviews and classroom observations,are the supplement to data.The research results revealed that:(1)At the beginning of the experiment,the English level of the students in the experimental class and the control class was similar,and there was no significant difference between the two classes.In the middle of the experiment,there was also no obvious difference in the English performance of the students in the two classes.However,with the continuous adaptation of the students in the experimental class to the new teaching model,at the end of the experiment,the English scores of the students in experimental class showed a significant improvement compared with that of the students in control class.(2)Through the questionnaires and classroom observation before and after the experiment,it can be found that in terms of the PAD Class model,students in the experimental class generally increased their interest and initiative in learning English,students with above average English level would take the initiative to participate in class discussions and other activities,while students with poor English scores were less confident and less active in this teaching model.(3)Through classroom observation and personal experience,it is found that in the PAD Class model,students become the main body of classroom activities,changing from the "receiver" of knowledge to the "discoverer" and "communicator"of knowledge.And the teachers change their roles according to the tasks of teaching and learning in different teaching stages,and become not only instructor but also director,helper as well.In general,the experiment shows that the implementation of the PAD Class model in English teaching in higher vocational college is an effective way to improve the English learners’ performance and cultivate their interest and initiative in learning,autonomous learning ability and cooperation ability.In the process of implementing the PAD Class teaching model,teachers should pay attention to the needs of all students,especially to give more help and guidance to the students with poor English foundation.