How to Make Better Use of Multimedia to Assist English Teaching

论文总字数：41372字

摘 要

21世纪是一个科学和信息技术迅猛发展的时代，这一点在教育界同样有所印证。随着现代教育技术的日益精进，多媒体在英语教学中的应用也愈发广泛。多媒体技术凭借其多样丰富的表现形式，生动直观的呈现手法为英语课堂注入了前所未有的活力。它优化了语言学习环境，扩大了课堂教学容量，激发了学生学习自主性，必然使教师的教学事半功倍。然而，多媒体的实际应用不仅要科学可行，同样应适度合理。这就要求教师做到随机应变，根据不同的教学要求和目标选择适当的多媒体工具。尤为重要的是，多媒体的使用应立足于学生，把学生的发展作为出发点和归宿，即多媒体的使用需顺应学习者的认知规律及心理接受能力。与此同时，教师在利用多媒体时，也要实现自身角色的转变。他们不再是以往知识的灌输者，而是当下学生学习的引领者。

关键词：技术；多媒体；应用；角色转变

Contents

1. Introduction.........................................................................................1

2. Literature Review................................................................................1

3. Introduction to Multimedia Assisted Instruction.............................2

3.1 Concept................................................................................................2

3.2 Theoretical basis..................................................................................2

3.3 Development.......................................................................................3

4. Significance of Multimedia Assisted Instruction..............................5

4.1 Full embodiment of the four elements of Constructivism..................5

4.2 Great improvement of students" initiative and enthusiasm in learning.....................................................................................................6

4.3 Organic combination of various media forms to present teaching content.......................................................................................................6

4.4 Fast and substantial language practice in a short time......................7

4.5 Intensification of interactive instruction...........................................7

5. Drawbacks to Current Multimedia Teaching System....................8

5.1 Misunderstandings of autonomous learning......................................8

5.2 Limitations of the objective teaching environment...........................9

5.3 Deficiencies in the process of teaching.............................................10

6. Reasonable Use of Multimedia in English Teaching.......................11

6.1 A teaching mode of “teacher-led, student-centered and multimedia-assisted”............................................................................11

6.2 Comprehensive utilization of various teaching resources..............13

6.3 Enough attention to teaching content and learning theory...............14

7. Conclusion........................................................................................16

Works cited..........................................................................................18

1. Introduction

With the rapid development of science and technology, multimedia and Internet technology application have made considerable contributions in contemporary life. Accordingly, more and more multimedia assisted tools have been used in practical English teaching to better accomplish the instructional task. The use of multimedia technology has greatly improved our teaching efficiency and teaching quality, greatly enriched the teaching content and impacted the traditional teaching mode, which can be called a revolution in the history of education. In this paper, I will discuss and analyze the application of multimedia in current English teaching and put forward suggestions about more reasonable use of multimedia in the hope that we can better grasp the new teaching mode, better understand and make use of multimedia assisted teaching tools so as to make teachers’ teaching and multimedia technology perfectly integrated.

2. Literature Review

Owing to the rapid development of science and technology, multimedia technology has become one of the most important factors that influence the effects in practical English teaching. Zhang hongling finds that multimedia assisted instruction is an inevitable trend of modern foreign language teaching.

Foreign scholars have attached much importance to multimedia technology. Gates holds the view that computer assisted instruction can reduce students" anxiety and have a positive impact on learning. While Mercedes Rico Garcia and Filomena Vinagre Arias believe that multimedia enables learners to acquire more information and facilitates personalized learning. In China, scholars like Liu fuqing, Chen zhengsong and Zhou Weiping, have also confirmed that among English teachers, those who have a better mastery of multimedia technology tend to achieve a greater teaching effect. However, Lu qing and Gui shichun have mentioned some current problems existing in multimedia assisted instruction, which are in great need of a comprehensive solution.

3. Introduction to Multimedia Assisted Instruction

3.1 Concept

Before discussing the current situation of multimedia assisted instruction and its pros and cons, we have to figure out first what multimedia aided teaching is. Because of the different angles of observation, the definition and explanation of multimedia aided instruction are varied. But on the whole, multimedia assisted instruction means that in the course of teaching, the modern teaching media are chosen and utilized reasonably according to the teaching design which is based on the teaching aims and the characteristics of the teaching objects. Meanwhile, the traditional teaching means are combined together to participate in the whole process so that a variety of media information can have a mutual influence on students, forming a reasonable instruction structure to achieve the optimized teaching effect. Nowadays, the multimedia assisted instruction commonly refers to the use of multimedia computers with the help of pre-produced multimedia teaching software. They work together to carry out the teaching and learning activities, which is also known as computer aided instruction. From the definition, we can find out that multimedia technology is only a supplementary tool for teaching, so it must be combined with traditional teaching methods.

3.2 Theoretical basis

The theoretical basis of multimedia network teaching is constructivist theory, which is the further development of modern learning theory including behavior theory and cognitive theory. The earliest author of it is the Swiss philosopher and psychologist J.Piaget. The theory has had a great impact on the modern web-based teaching model. Its basic idea is that teaching should be student-centered, which requires students to shift from a container of knowledge to a subject of information processing or from a passive recipient of external stimuli to a active constructor of knowledge meaning. Meanwhile, teachers are asked to be transformed from initiators and inculcators of knowledge into helpers and facilitators of students" initiative meaning construction. Constructivism insists that students are the subject of learning. Under the guidance and assistance of teachers, students should take advantage of the elements involved in learning environment, such as context, cooperation, dialogue and meaning construction, so that they can make full use of their enthusiasm and initiative, and finally complete the meaning construction of the language points. The web-based multimedia teaching system provides a more real learning situation for students to actively study. It attempts to reasonably combine students with machines, teachers with students, classroom teaching with computer learning and self-study with tutorship, so that the students" learning on computer system will not be restricted by time and place. In this way, students can give full play to the advantages of the individualized and autonomous learning.

3.3 Development

IBM Corporation of the US designed and developed the first computer aided teaching system in 1958. It has been 60 years since mankind entered the era of computer application to education. Computer assisted instruction has gone through different phases of development in technology, and there have also been several major changes in the theoretical foundation of computer application to education. Technically, the development of computer assisted instruction has gone through four stages in general.

3.3.1 Formative stage

This stage was about between 1958 and 1965. The main feature of this period was the development and research of the software and hardware used for the application of computer education, owing to some universities and computer companies. Some representative systems emerged at that time. The earliest research on computer aided education was carried out by IBM Corporation of the US. In 1958, the company used a IBM650 computer connecting to a teletype to teach binary arithmetic to primary school students, and it could also produce exercises according to the students" requirements, which was the first computer teaching system in the world. In 1961, the company developed a computer aided teaching system including psychology, statistics and German reading. Before 1966, IBM Corporation also developed a programming language (COURSEWRITER) used specially for teaching, which is quite beneficial to develop interactive learning courseware.

3.3.2 Practical stage

This stage was about between 1965 and 1975. Features of this period were the expansion of the research scale and the extensive application of the previous research findings. Other characteristics were that the computer aided education tended to be more practical, and its range of application expanded constantly. Therefore, in this period, the ambit of computer education was more extensive. In addition to mathematics, physics and other subjects, the application of computer aided education extended to many other fields, such as medicine, linguistics, economics, music, education of mentally retarded children, information processing and military training and education.

3.3.3 Developing stage

This stage was from 1975 to the late 80s. This phase was a period of rapid development and continuous improvement of computer aided education. It had three conspicuous characteristics. First, the large computer aided teaching system was further improved; second, the emergence of microcomputers made a huge breakthrough in the development of computer assisted instruction; third, the appearance of intelligent computer assisted instruction had a great impact on the development of computer aided education.

3.3.4 Mature stage

Since 1990s, the application of computer education has entered a completely new stage. With the rapid development of computer technology and the rise of advanced education theory, computer aided education has really been more and more mature. The remarkable features of computer education in this period are: multimedia, networking and intelligentization. With the increasingly close combination of multimedia technology and network technique, the application of computer education based on the Internet has developed rapidly. Such web-based computer aided instruction has rich information resources, infinite time and space of teaching and complementary advantages of man and machine. At this time, various rich and colorful educational information resources appear constantly, and new online teaching forms emerge as the times require. People have established different kinds of online education / teaching systems, giving birth to virtual classroom, virtual laboratory, virtual library, virtual campus, virtual university and so on.

4. Significance of Multimedia Assisted Instruction

4.1 Full embodiment of the four elements of Constructivism

Constructivism holds the view that the ideal learning environment should be made up of four elements, namely, context, negotiation, dialogue and meaning construction. Creating a context is the necessary premise of meaning construction. The multimedia teaching method is able to present audio, image, animation, and text simultaneously, so it is beneficial to develop the learners" perceptual space, stimulate the learners" thinking and creativity, and effectively promote the students" cognitive development. Negotiation and conversation are the main forms of cooperative learning, basically using language as medium. The interactivity of multimedia instruction includes the interaction between students and computers, students and teachers, and students and students. Such interactivity allows students to give full play to the subjectivity of learning and carry out collaborative learning and conversational communication, gradually becoming the main body of the whole teaching process. Meaning construction is the purpose of learning. The role of teachers and external environment is to help and promote the meaning construction of students. Multimedia technology can provide multiple sensory stimuli through the coexistence of pictures, texts and voices, which is helpful for students to explore actively and discover initiatively. Therefore, it is fairly beneficial to the formation and development of students" cognitive structure.

4.2 Great improvement of students" initiative and enthusiasm in learning

The conditions of successful language teaching and learning are that students can have a lot of opportunities to participate in the classroom, and there is an positive atmosphere that can arouse students" learning motivation(Daviesamp;Pearse 89).The intuition and visualization of multimedia are just able to quickly create new scenes, which arouses students" direct interest and creates a relaxed and pleasant teaching atmosphere. The multimedia teaching method reasonably combines the text with the sound, the animation, the images of the objects and the interpretation of words, forming a new stereoscopic, pluralistic and vivid English teaching model. It not only enhances students’ interests of learning, but also motivates each learner to actively speak and apply English flexibly to the practical communication, owing to the dulcet standard English and beautiful images of the western countries presented by the computer.

4.3 Organic combination of various media forms to present teaching content

Psychologist Pirichi La"s psychological experiment shows that 94% of the information received by human beings comes from vision and hearing. The multimedia computer combines the characteristics of television and radio, merges various sensory stimuli and integrates the interactive functions, which guarantees the students to effectively obtain information and master knowledge to a great extent. The reasonable use of multimedia technology in English class will also provide students with a learning environment closely related to the actual situation. It will fairly stimulate students" associative thinking, and conversely, the activation of students" thinking activities is bound to greatly improve the effect of classroom teaching. As a result, relying on the powerful function of multimedia computer, students will have a better understanding of the text content and firmly grasp the English knowledge. It is the meaningfully exciting environment and life-related manifestation mode of the multimedia that enable the students to build up optimistic attitude and recognition toward English learning, which will bring out a positive impact on the follow-up study.

4.4 Fast and substantial language practice in a short time

Computers have amazing information storage and message processing capabilities. So there is no doubt that the quick processing of large amount of data and fast transmission of high quality multimedia information can expand the teaching capacity, optimize the teaching process, enrich the teaching resources and improve the teaching flexibility to a large degree. Take vocabulary teaching as an example, teachers can make the vocabulary learning courseware scientific and systematic. It will not only cover all the knowledge points of the teaching content, but also have high accuracy. At the same time, when stimulated by various senses, students can speed up the pace of learning, so they actually improve their learning efficiency.

4.5 Intensification of interactive instruction

In order to change the traditional teacher-centered teaching mode, students" classroom participation and the interaction between teachers and students have attracted more and more attention. However, due to the limited class time, too many students in one class and other factors, it is difficult for teachers to meet the needs of every student, which also makes it impossible for them to master each student"s learning situation. As a result, they are hard to get timely feedback from their students. However, with the use of computer multimedia equipment, we can make the computer play the role of a teacher. Still, take vocabulary teaching as an example, in the implementation of the teaching procedures, instructors can make use of the computer by designing various exercises such as vocabulary linking, filling, replacing, choosing and cloze. Through the role playing, real time monitoring and feedback message, the computer can simulate interpersonal communication in actual classroom teaching, so as to realize the interactive instruction.

5. Drawbacks to Current Multimedia Teaching System

5.1 Misunderstandings of autonomous learning

It should be pointed out that there are still some misunderstandings in current autonomous learning advocated in foreign language learning. In order to solve this problem, teachers and students should have a correct understanding of autonomous learning. As teachers, promoting students" autonomous learning does not mean the reduction of teachers" occupational stress. On the contrary, in a sense, autonomous learning is more demanding for teachers in that they should not only be familiar with the teaching content, but also master the computer technology. Meanwhile, they have to study new teaching theories, otherwise the quality of teaching will decline and some instructors may even be eliminated. On the other hand, students need to have a correct understanding of autonomous learning as well. The reform of English teaching based on multimedia network provides a better environment for students to learn English and improves students" interests in English learning. However, as students" understandings of autonomous learning are varied and their attentions attached to English are different, their autonomy in learning English also vary greatly, which will affect their outcomes of learning to a certain extent. Autonomous learning is not equivalent to "free learning". Advocating independent learning is not breaking away from the control of teachers to do whatever you want. On the contrary, students should realize that successful language learners are generally more capable of self management. On one hand, they grasp the skills and strategies to engage in various learning activities and to cope with different learning difficulties. On the other hand, they possess the abilities to choose proper tactics according to the specific learning tasks. That is what we call the real self-learning. In addition, how to balance learner’s autonomy and teacher’s control in English learning is also the key to the problem. Too much help offered by the teachers may stifle the autonomy of the learners while complete “laissez faire” will also lead to inefficient learning. Therefore, in actual multimedia instruction, teachers ought to have a sense of propriety according to the specific teaching situation.

5.2 Limitations of the objective teaching environment

First, the layout of the multimedia classroom is similar to that of traditional classroom. However, the multimedia classroom is generally larger in area, and its tables and chairs are fixed and not changeable. Such actual distance increases the psychological distance between teachers and students to some extent. At the same time, communication with the computer is also a new mode of communication for students. The computer judges the correctness and fluency of one’s oral English mainly through his pronunciation and intonation, which is not flexible enough. Students need time to adapt to it. While in the traditional classroom teaching, students can communicate with teachers face to face so that teachers can supervise them to learn English systematically and ensure them to further their study in a targeted way. More importantly, multimedia teaching is lack of emotional factors which are vital in language learning, so it is difficult for students to generate emotional attachment, meet emotional needs and achieve the emotional aim of teaching. Although the multimedia assisted English teaching has enhanced the communication between teachers and students or students and students, such communication is a man-machine communication through the media, lacking the emotional flow in interpersonal communication. When there is no teacher"s face-to-face explanation, no teacher’s facial expressions and timbre change, it will be difficult to feel the teacher"s personality charm and such classroom environment can barely motivate students to actively participate in English class. Therefore, students are almost unable to engage in their studies or have sustained attention.

5.3 Deficiencies in the process of teaching

For one thing, all the students have CD-ROMs and supplementary materials, which poses a challenge to the traditional role of teachers. In such case, to attract students in class, teachers should not rely solely on the software configured in the curriculum resource package. Instead, they have to make full preparations before class. In addition to the English knowledge required by the curriculum standard, it is also necessary for the teachers to expand some related knowledge points that is unknown to students in class. Thus, the transition of teachers" roles also requires a certain amount of time for ideological preparation and theoretical training. For another, some students have formed the habit of depending on their teachers and passively accepting all the arrangements since their early years, so they may have difficulty adapting themselves to the self-study model, which is also the reason why they feel hard to master the relevant knowledge points to keep up with their studies. Confronted with this situation, teachers must help students change their concepts and attitudes so as to adapt to the new teaching mode as soon as possible. Only in this way can the students learn how to effectively manage and monitor their own process of learning.

Besides, due to the large amount of information and the frequent demo of courseware, it is easy for the students to fail to keep pace with their teachers or grasp the key points of the teaching content. In order to modernize the means of teaching, some teachers use multimedia as much as possible in a class. It is even mistaken that the more the multimedia is used, the higher the students’ participation rate is and the easier the English teaching process is. However, pursing modernization blindly and using multimedia too much will turn the English class into a demonstration class of multimedia courseware and the teacher thus becomes a "projectionist". In such case, the multimedia is always in a dominated position. It is more than an auxiliary facility of teaching activities. Teachers ought to use it for practical teaching instead of viewing it as the ultimate purpose. Whether to use computer multimedia and when to use it depend on the needs of English classroom teaching. Students will feel confused about the teaching content when there is excessive use of video, audio and network technology and too much emphasis on the animation, color and sound of the courseware, which will result in a relatively poor learning effect. On the face of it, students are in high spirits, but actually, they have too much involuntary attention and the interference of non-verbal teaching information is so huge that a high learning efficiency is hard to achieve.

6. Reasonable use of multimedia in English teaching

6.1 A teaching mode of “teacher-led, student-centered and multimedia-assisted”

The English Curriculum Standards emphasize the humanistic nature of English teaching and highlight the "people-oriented" educational concept. In real teaching activities, the meaning of the idea of “human-centered” is to put the students in a fundamental and important position in order to truly establish the student-centered status. Students are active, creative language users, not passive recipients. The process of English classroom teaching is actually a process of mutual activity between teachers and students. However, students" self-learning ability and self-control ability need to be improved, thus, on the premise of guaranteeing the learning quality of students, the relatively ideal teaching mode is to combine online learning with classroom teaching. When students finish the network course in the multimedia classroom, the teachers can use the ordinary classroom environment to assess their learning effect and carry out some task-based activities that allow students to use English, such as group presentation, group performance and so on. Teachers can also organize some discussion or debate activities to encourage students to cooperate with each other and learn from each other, finally reaching the goal of interpersonal communication. The combination of teachers’ supervision on the Internet and the organization of classroom activities in real life to a great degree makes up for the deficiency of students’ meaning construction caused by the poor ability of autonomous learning and the lack of collaborative learning.

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