2.2 The Relative Studies at Home and Abroad
Everything has the process of origin and development, Therefore, Situational teaching method also develops step by step.
Situational teaching method just follows some rules of linguistics. The situational language teaching is originally called Oral Approach, which is developed by British applied linguists from the 1930s to 1960s. In the 1970s, situational teaching method was introduced to China and well-known in the foreign language field, and it has provided guidance to many well-known EFL/ESL textbooks and courses, including New Concept English written by Alexander, which is still used in China and known by almost every Chinese English learner. In fact, most books on business English are compiled according to this method too. The theory of learning underlying Situational Language Teaching Method is behaviorism, addressing more processes than the conditions of learning. Palmer and Hornsby are the main advocator of situational teaching method. A good scene will create a harmonious atmosphere between teachers and students, and thus achieves a satisfactory effect. The basic requirement of situational teaching method is to fully motivate pupils’ sensory organs to apperceive the objects to be learned through seeing, hearing even touching them. Situational teaching method also has solid theoretical grounds in physiology, psychology, and linguistics.
The educationists advocate a new theory that there are many teaching methods but no specific teaching method. Therefore, situational teaching method is used in the primary English teaching. To make it simple, the purpose of primary English learning is “listening and speaking goes first, while reading and writing goes second”. In English teaching, the educational model that is used by teachers in 40% of primary schools is situational teaching method , and 80% teachers’ reply in the primary schools is “the oral sentence pattern drill”, while only 15.43% of teachers’ answer in the primary school is “the written test-like exercises”(Mei Deming 179).
From this survey, situational teaching method is suitable for pupils. How to arouse pupils’ interests and develop their abilities is a problem needing more care. Teachers can instruct students through imitating the real scenes in order to make students use what they have learnt in their everyday lives. It can be found that pupils can benefit a lot from situational teaching method. What’s more, under the background of China’s reform, Situational teaching method is adopted by teachers gradually.
III. The Necessity of Situational teaching method in primary English Class
3.1 Problems of the Traditional Teaching Method
Firstly, as we all know children’s language acquisition should be carried on in the real context of practice experience. The traditional teaching method emphasizes the structure and function of the language, and neglect children’s language acquisition law, so the result of the teaching is not very ideal. Children are forced to recite those boring words, sentences or even passages. The lovely and active pupils may feel as if they are confined to a dull English world, which is impossible to mobilize the pupils’ emotions.
Secondly, with the teacher as the center, it ignores the students is the learning subject status. The traditional teaching method will decrease students’ learning interest, and make the teaching effect inefficient. Because the traditional teaching method is completed in the guidance and control of teachers, thus it also brings two results: one is that the students follow the prescribed order that teachers taught, the curiosity and creativity is suppressed; the other is students are not interested in the content, and less or not participate in the activities.
Thirdly, it is full of risk and unpredictability in the real communication environment. The speaker can't anticipate what the others say and can’t prepare to the answer. So, the traditional teaching method is lack of practical applicability. 情景教学法在小学英语课堂中的运用(3):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_7674.html