Please answer the following questions, give reasons for your opinion, and compare your answers with your opinions before reading this section.
1. What do you think is the major mistake in the viewpoint “one's vocabulary size is the indicator of whether one's English learning is successful”?
2.What do you think the essential difference between an English language curriculum and an English literacy curriculum is？How do you understand the instrumental nature of English curriculum and the humanist nature of English curriculum in the National Curriculum Standards for English in Schools in China (MOE,2001)?
教师解析：
1.This statement overemphasizes the role of vocabulary. It should be noted that vocabulary constitutes only a part of language; there is also grammar. Even if one has a good mastery of vocabulary and grammar, there are still culture and style to bear in mind. A successful English learner should have certain awareness of culture with a good command of vocabulary and grammar. S/he should be able to adjust his or her style on different occasions; his or her knowledge of English should be able to satisfy his or her needs successfully.
2.1) The essential difference is that an English language curriculum is to develop students’ overall competence in English. Its teaching and learning process is to cultivate students’ proficiency in the basic four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. By the end of the learning, students should be able to communicate effectively in English, have certain knowledge of English culture and develop some value and abilities. However, an English literacy curriculum is to focus on students’ reading ability. The main job involved is to teach students to read and perhaps to write. The teaching objective and learning purpose is narrowed down to master a set of words; communication is absent in this curriculum.
2) It’s instrumental in that it views English as a tool for communication. To achieve effective communication, not only vocabulary and grammar but culture is embodied in the teaching goals. Besides, it is instrumental in that it sets English as a tool help understand oneself and the world. The job is not only to learn language but to develop and better oneself. It is humanist in that it concerns not only the learning of language but the development of children.
3.教学过程
4.泰勒
Through this chapter, we have learned some concepts for English teaching in schools. Let’s make a summary.
