References 12

1. Introduction

1.1 The Background Information 

1.1.1 The Current Situation of English Teaching in Our Primary School

As technology develops, English has become an international language, and we need it more than ever. And we can see that the population of learning English is bigger than ever, people start to learn English from a very young age, and this has caused our attention.

English as a practical tool for communication, it not only demands the knowledge about this subject, but also about how to use English in real life. So, if we only teach the students knowledge on the book, it will not satisfy the students’ needs for future developments. And influenced by the traditional concept, some teachers still think the class should serve for the test, and that will lead to the consequence that the English class is dull and bored, and lack inpiduality. Even some teachers are aware of the urgency to change the traditional class, others are still believe the test-oriented model. If we continue the test-oriented class, the students will in a position where they are passive and don’t have enough opportunities for practice, eventually they will lack confidence and interests towards English. Primary English class is the foundation for students to get close to English. And if they can’t build confidence in this period, it will affects their enthusiasm about learning English in the future.

The traditional English teaching model, its relevant teaching method, and the curriculum design concept, which focus only on knowledge impartation and language skills training, are criticized constantly. And here in China, influence by the test-oriented concept, we usually teach the students knowledge which will be tested, and in the way to recite the knowledge, we emphasis on the students’ reception, but not their own thinking and their ideas. But according to the New National English Curriculum Standard, we emphasize on the all round development of the students, the goals and objectives of English language teaching during primary school should be as listed:

1) The basic purpose of primary school English is to acquire happiness from English class.

2) The focus of English class is to stimulate and cultivate students’ interests and build their confidence in learning English.

3) Enable students to master basic English knowledge and skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing so that they can form sufficient competence in using the language.

4) Enlarge their vision, cultivate their ability to observe, to memorize, to think, to image and to create, lay a good basis for their life-long learning.

5) Increase their awareness of cultural differences between the East and the West.

So here we can see, the urgency to change the traditional class has been seen by more people, and the trend that teaching through playing will become more popular in the future.