Issues and projects of Research for Basic English Education in China Zhang Lianzhong National Basic Foreign Language Research and Training Centre

The general situation and scenario English education reform being implemented and promoted： ---designing， experimenting，implementing and revising of National English Curriculum Standard for Basic Education； ---fast development of primary English ； --- new curriculum standard implemented in the junior high schools; --- experiment of new curriculum in senior high schools of 15 provinces；

--- new sets and series of textbooks and other resources for primary to senior high students; ---Reform of college students enrolling system and NMET test design; ---Unprecedented teacher training and teacher education campaign;

---Active involvement of educational institutions and educational media; ---More international communication and cooperation in terms of academic exchange，material and resource development and teacher training; ---Improvement of government administrative and financial support;

Challenges Theoretical research to back up decision making and teaching practice It is commonly accepted that, compared with the importance and development of the reform in schools, theoretical research and empirical study on many aspects of the reform is still relatively weak: ---At the practical end: many of the fundamental concepts and principles of the new curriculum need to be introduced,studied,clarified,modified, exemplified, verified, localized and popularized to make them more familiar, practical to actual classroom practice;

---At the academic end: standardization and enrichment of ---At the academic end: standardization and enrichment of terminology to ensure that everyone is talking in the same “language”, and researchers can communicate with the international academic world well enough to share and compare, to learn from each other.

Classroom Practice Constraints and variables in reality to obstruct the implementation of the new curriculum: --- class size ---- limited resource and learning time ---- discrepancy between desired or required language level and the actual language level of the learners, especially in the rural areas, or the documented learning objectives and the perceived learning goals on the part of the teachers and students ---- students learning habits and expectations ---- testing orientation of teaching practice

Social and parental understanding and expectation of language learning objectives and outcome; Assessment and evaluation criterion and practice; Far reaching learning goals and the need or pressure for “immediate achievement”;

Teachers beliefs and pressure Lack of context for language use (living with the language) makes it necessary and realistic to focus on the “basics or fundamentals of language” Learning can only take place in well structured and controlled class teaching More exercise means more practice,which leads to mastering of the language -------------------------------------------------------------------- Teachers as “the weaker voice” and the habitual passiveness in decision making The unbalanced and UNFAIR evaluation system of teaching and teacher performance

Test, testing and assessment It is necessary to prepare the students as early as possible for the NMET or other important, high stake tests, Teaching for the test, through testing, Students will learn, or learn more and better with pressure from constant testing along the teaching process; Formative testing is for show only

Issues at debate EFL or ESL? Contextualisation and the lack of context Task Based, or task supported Language Learning/teaching The aim of language learning: develop the learner’s general/integrated language ability: to do things with language? Or to prepare them with knowledge for later development of competence Knowledge(knowing how?) vs knowledge (knowing what?)

Issues at debate Material development: balance between information and language, knowledge or skill based? learner centred or learning centred? Teacher’s role in activity filled, task based learning situation? Should teachers of English be “mastermind” in every subject?

How to measure progress and achievement? Formative assessment, is it applicable? Is it for fun or show only? Large scale, standardised testing, the only and necessary evil?

Something can be done Introduction and implementation of basic education reform demands study and active practice of the rationale, concepts and requirements coded in the National English Curriculum Standard; With all the challenges, it is better to adopt the more realistic and positive attitude: to do research and to find a way out; Examination, verification, exemplification and integration of learning approaches and learning models;

Research funding of China BFLE To encourage teachers to do work /job related research To support serious effort and attempt to improve language teaching in Chinese schools To clarify on points and issues of relevance for ELT To develop scientific spirit and atmosphere among teachers and researchers To promote research ability and develop overall quality of the Chinese teachers of English

Conditions for application To be delivered by Mr. Wang Yong

Priority list Study on the practicality and suitability of the National English Curriculum Standard Effective and efficient classroom practice Learners and learning variables Context and creation of favourable learning situation Validity and practicality of task based approach

Process vs product oriented language learning Active and passive vocabulary Grammar and grammaring, a more functional view Teacher development along with implementation of new curriculum

Testing and assessment: general designing principles and techniques More open and subjective test against multiple choice type of objective test Proficiency vs achievement testing Material development and integration of multi-media resources in language learning Online learning, to supplement, support or to replace, to provide new channel for learning

Thanks lianzhong@vip.163.com