262.Observation On Different Styles In Language Teaching     不同风格的语言教学观摩（II）

                                   Gao Ping     Shanghai No. 2 Middle School

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II.The Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the two     different teaching styles

   The advantages of American teaching style mainly lie in two respects.
   1. The learners can develop their individual personalities because they do whatever they like and they tend to be independent.
   2. There is almost no power-distance between teachers and learners. Teachers tend to make a kind of relaxing classroom environment. Learners tend to be thought of having the equality with teachers.
   The advantage of the Chinese teaching style is the strict discipline of class management. It succeeds in managing the large classes in good order. On the other hand, students not only learn the textbooks in class but also learn how to behave themselves and how to respect the senior people. Since everything has two sides, both of the styles also have disadvantages. The American teaching style may result from a loose management in class. Learners may regard what they have done as individual behavior. They have no sense of responsibility for the whole class, while the Chinese teaching style lacks the character development. Learners may get used to depending on teachers. They may think and act in the way of teachers' instructions. The result of this kind of learning may cause the lack of creativity. Furthermore, the major influence of the large class size is the orientation of the mixed levels, which suggests that teachers can only design their courses according to the understanding of average learners with average intellect. It is impossible for a teacher to satisfy the requirement of every single learner. Gradually, the mixed level will turn out to be a new problem. The top leveled learners desire to gain more knowledge, the average leveled ones may feel satisfied with the teaching, and the low leveled ones may feel difficult to absorb what have been taught.
  On finding out the strong and weak points on both teaching styles, we might as well think of some methodologies to prevent the disadvantages and make the advantages interact each other.

  III. The interaction between teaching and learning

1. Plan a well-prepared  lesson (  Reference: Class management 10.3.2 Prevention rather than cure © Being well-prepared By Jeremy Harmer)
  It is vital to plan a class not only for the knowledge of language but also for the suitable facilities to be used in class, such as what the content of the lesson should be, what techniques should be taught and what the effective materials for the class should be prepared. It is also vital to prepare adequate activities for the class. A teacher with good preparation will be full of self-confidence when teaching the lesson. In case of the unexpected requirement or situation that may occur in class. he or she can make a change of the plan and use different activities to stimulate learners' enthusiasm of learning. To some dimension, a teacher’s self-confidence affects a lot on classroom management and teaching flexibility and options as well.

2. Design an adaptable and interesting lesson (Reference: Class management 10.3.2 Prevention rather than cure (d) Being adaptable and interesting )     

 When teaching language, one had better avoid always acting in the same role in class. Learners will get bored with the routine activities and the non-changing style of teaching. These may be the main causes to lead to class discipline problems. When a teacher finds the method not fit for the lesson, he or she should change the way or activity. An interesting game may warm up the class and relax the tired and impatient learners, and a quick listening test or a quick writing task( Reference: Class management 10.3.2 Prevention rather than cure (d) Being adaptable and interesting  By Jeremy Harmer) may concentrate learners' attention and bring the class to order. Under such circumstances, a teacher may act as a director, an organizer or a prompter.
  3. Behave in a friendly and well-behaved way  

There are a number of methods a teacher can make use of when learners don't behave themselves well in class. However, never lose temper or punish any learners in class. Any kind of punishment may hurt a learner physically or emotionally. ( Reference :Class management 10.3.3 Action in case of indiscipline By Jeremy Harmer) It will increase the distance between a teacher and a student, even cause a student's hatred of a teacher. In such a condition, the learner can't be interested in what he learns, not owing to the subject, but the punishment. How a teacher behaves in class reflects a teacher's self-quality in some respect. Be patient. Be calm and gentle. Never yell at learners no matter what happens in class. With these qualities, a teacher is sure to be respected by the learners because the teacher respects them. Respecting each other is also an interaction in the course of a lesson.
Conclusion

   In this essay, I've expressed my feelings and thoughts about different teaching styles and their effects on learners. I've also raised some suggestions, which came from my own teaching experience as well as the observation of the schools. To some extent, they are practical, but need some improvement. I'll take considerations into account, which includes not only teaching experience but the theory of teaching by observing more and reading more. In a word, the importance of a language teaching is more than teaching a language. It involves a wide range of knowledge, which can be described as a course of art -- a language art.

Reference
Longman Handbooks for Language Teachers ( by Jeremy Harmer )
The Practice of English Language Teaching
Chapter 4 --- Language Learning and Language Teaching
Chapter 10--- Class Management