九年制义务教育初级中学英语新教材的正式使用已有几年了,该教材为初中英语教学真正实现从应试教学 向素质教学的转化提供了切实可行的操作材料。它的编写体系不仅考虑到了语言的结构,更注重用语言表达实 际的意义,为逐步培养学生从言语技能发展成为语言的交际能力奠定了基础,并使课堂教学中开展准交际性活 动成为可能。
所谓准交际性活动,即是课堂教学过程中所开展的不脱离所学语言内容或知识,但又具有部分交际方面的 特征的言语实践活动。它虽不是完全的自然交际性活动,但比一般的操练形式更易达到大纲提出的“使学生获 得英语基础知识和为交际初步运用英语的能力”之目的。
现以初中新教材第一册16单元第61课中的第3个练习为例,说明准交际性活动怎样得以成功。该练习 为:Ask and answer.Find the differences.
Look at these two pictures.Can you find
five differences?
(Picture 1 and Picture 2略)
试比较以下两种操练方法:
方法一:
要求:师生合作或生生合作,每二人为一组,全体学生看着这二幅图画。如果有必要教师可提供个别词汇 。这样,可能出现以下对话:
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the boy in
Picture 1/
Picture 2?
Student 2:He is on his bike in Picture 1./
He is not on his bike in Picture 2.
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the man in
Picture 1/
Picture 2?
Student 2:He is under the (red) car in Picture 1.
/He is on the (red) car in Picture 2.
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the woman in
Picture 1.
/Picture 2?
Student 2:She is in the (red) car in Picture 1.
/She is behind the car in Picture 2?
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the girl in
Picture 1/
Picture 2?
Student 2:She is under the (big) tree in Picture 1.
/She is not under the tree in Picture 2.
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the cat in
Picture 1/
Picture 2?
Student 2:It is on the (black) car in Picture 1
/It is under the car in Picture 2.
应该说,以上对话开展得非常好,一问一答恰到好处。但实际上,二幅图画的不同之处一目了然,学生只 要从其比较中就能立即发现,然后组织语言回答所提出的问题即能达到目的,这也就是针对性提示的一种纯语 言知识的操练,很难找出交际方面的某些特征。
方法二:
要求:师生合作或生生合作,每二人为一组,合作双方各执其中一幅图画,不能相互观看比较,操练时合 着书本。图画用复制品或用简画复制,并在操练前不通知学生作准备。双方自由对话,即可根据自己的画面的 情景针对对方提供的问题或线索随时加以回答、补充或表达,甚至提出反问,直到找出二幅图画的不同处为止 。教师提供以下词汇:beside(在……旁边)、before(在……前面)、with(与……在一起)。教师或学生 1执Picture 1,学生2执Picture 2。这样,可能产生以下对话:Teacher or Student 1:An old man is/s its on the chair.
Student 2:Yes,(and)a dog is beside him.
Teacher or Student 1:Where is the boy?Is he on the bike?
Student 2:No,he is not on the bike.He's beside the bike.
The girl is before him.
Teacher or Student 1:(No)you are wrong.He's on the bike.
The girl is under the tree
Student 2:(Then)where is the man?
Teacher or Student 1:He is under the car,the red car.
Student 2:No,he is on the red car.The woman is behind th
e red car.She's with/beside the man.
Teacher or Student 1:That's wrong.The woman is not behin
d the car.She's in the car.
Student 2:What's that under the black car?
Teacher or Student 1:Oh,it's a cat,a black cat.But it is
on the car,not under the car.
不难看出,由于双方自由对话,各方面对学生的控制明显少于方法一,所以,对话语言灵活,句型多变, 话语表达清楚。当然,对话有可能还会再简单些,但不管怎样,在对话的整个过程中,双方都是在根据对方的 反应把信息进行加工处理后重新传递给对方,达到了各自的目的,即也达到了信息平衡。(信息差距是交际特 征之一)。
所以,与前者相比较,后者的操练形式显现了交际的部分特征,它使得教学活动与现实更加贴近。我们在 课堂教学中,不仅需要给学生操练,更需要让学生有机会用自己已掌握的语言知识来表达自己的思想。因此, 创造这样的机会既是英语教学的出发点,也是英语教学的归宿。准交际性活动正是给学生提供这样的机会。