羅洪玉
【摘 要】隨著中國的快速巨大發(fā)展,我們與其他國家的交流也越來越多。這不但是社會(huì)發(fā)展的需要,同時(shí)也是大多數(shù)受教育者為掌握一門外語的必然需要。英語教育也得到越來越多的關(guān)注。 研究表明,少兒在關(guān)鍵期學(xué)習(xí)英語有著巨大潛力。在中國,浸入式英語教學(xué)模式采用全英文面對(duì)少兒。就像是母親引導(dǎo)這著不會(huì)說或剛剛開始說話的孩子講話。然而浸入式英語教學(xué)是在他們一邊玩?;蛴螒虻臅r(shí)候?qū)⑺麄儾恢挥X帶入到英語世界。
【關(guān)鍵詞】英語;浸入式;教學(xué);少兒
【Abstract】With Chinas marvelously great development, we get increasingly chances to be in contact with other countries. It is not only the need of the society development, but also the inevitable requirement and wish of the most educatees to grasp a foreign language. So English teaching is given more and more concerns. The researches show that the children have great potential to learn English in the critical period. In China, the immersion English teaching mode is to use full English to face the children. It is just like the mothers lead the children who cant speak or just starts to speak to talk. But the immersion English teaching mode is to lead the children into the English world when they are enjoying playing and games.
【Key words】English, immersion, teaching, children
The overview of English immersion teaching
English immersion teaching is a typical method to teaching a foreign language. In China, foreign language immersion teaching generally means English immersion teaching.
1.The definition of English immersion teaching
English immersion teaching means the foreign language teaching method to use English as the teaching language. That is to say, in fully or partly time the learners are “immersed” in the English environment. The teachers only use English to speak to the learner. English is not only the teaching content, but also the teaching tool.
2.The theoretical foundation of children English immersion teaching
The researches on the humans native language acquisition show that the children are just in the critical period of language development, especially for the speech development. After the critical period, the ability to learn language will weaken with age increasing. The second language acquisition also has the critical period. In 1953, the famous neuropsychologist Penfield put forward that the childrens language acquisition is related to the brain development. He thought that the language acquisition has the Optimum Age and this age is within 10 years old. On Penfields research basis, Lenneberg put forward the famous Critical Period Hypothesis in 1960s. He attributed the advantage of childrens language acquisition to physiological factors. He thought that humans brain, from age 2 to adolescence (age 10-12), as being affected by the Language Acquisition Device in the brain, can acquire language naturally and easily. During this time, both cerebral hemispheres are involved in the language acquisition. So it is much easier to understand and output language. After adolescence, as the brain gets lateralization, the brain for language processing and learning has become mature and the nervous system is not flexible any more. The naturalness of the language learning weakens and the learning disability increases, so it becomes harder to learn language.
The advantage of the children English immersion teaching
As to use immersion teaching method, English as the teaching language always runs through each subject activities, then the children have more chances to get in touch with English. English immersion teaching puts much emphasis on creating and enriching the language environment. English is not only the learning target, it is also the learning tool. The teachers teach the student through continuous model, repeating and error correction. Thus can greatly promote the childrens English acquisition and make them learn and apply English naturally.
Immersion teaching is a transformation from the traditional and isolated foreign language teaching to the foreign language and subject knowledge combination teaching method. This transformation mainly bases on four principles: firstly, the subject lessons in the kindergarten offer a natural base and environment for the second language learning, and give children the communication chance for the second language. Under this circumstance, the children can effectively learn the second language. Secondly, the important and interesting subject content can make the children form a motivation to grasp the second language and to apply the second language to communicate. Thirdly, the acquisition of the native language itself is the combination of language and cognitive content. In this process, the cognition and communication ability develop with the language together. The childrens second language acquisition is the same. It is the organic component of childrens cognition and communication ability. Fourthly, the formal and functional characteristics changes with different circumstances. The language and subject combination teaching method offers a broad and abundant language environment for the second language.
Childrens English immersion teaching begins to take shape in China. Since 1990s, the English immersion teaching experiments in Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou obtained an exciting result. The immersion teaching has an extraordinary function to broaden students cultural horizon and enhance their language competence, especially the English communication competence. Since the emerging of the immersion foreign language teaching, it has gotten the approval of many countries. The internationalization is challenging Chinas traditional English teaching method.
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