The English Learning of the Primary Students Through Cooperative Activities

• Main Author: 李溫德
• Other Authors: 黃東秋
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/65035025067893014302

碩士 === 佛光大學 === 外國語文學系 === 102 === English has been considered the most commonly used language in the world, and we can see it and hear it in every walk of life. In Taiwan, English is a major subject in school, for it has been the indispensable qualification in many fields. Consequently, some language experts put emphasis on the importance of learning English at an early age; therefore, some major problems exist in English teaching and learning in the primary schools. One of them is that it is difficult to teach students with different levels in one class since most students have learned English for some time before entering the elementary school. The other problem in a traditional classroom is that students of different English proficiency levels take different attitudes towards their learning and peers. Since cooperative learning has been recognized to be beneficial to elevate students’ learning efficiency and to cultivate greater motivation, the purpose of the study is to explore the effectiveness of implementing cooperative learning to improve the learning environment in the elementary school English classroom. This study was on the basis of the framework and rationale of individual teacher action research. As a result of my processes of the study at a primary school in Yilan City for over 5 years, the following findings have impressed me a lot: mutual support of group work, the atmosphere of students’ active learning, the instrumental value of language, and creative teaching and learning. The role of the English teacher would be to help students develop autonomy through the group work. My study has shown that every child develops linguistic and communicative competence through cooperative learning, and the ability is learned naturally and in context. It is also true that English is no more difficult than other languages, as we can establish by observing the ease with which children acquire different languages in Taiwan at the same time. Their learning proceeds through the experience of interaction with classmates, peers, members of family and community. As a consequence of student’s being able to learn something in the family, community, and school, families become closer, community resources thrive, schools work better, and students improve both socially and academically.