英语泛读教材分析(4)

Exercises here refer to all the exercises included in the first part (text), the second part (reading skills), the third part (testing) and the fourth part (homereading) of the textbook. The exercise of the first part of this textbook are: A. Determining the main idea; B. Comprehending the text; C. discussing the following topics and D. Understanding vocabulary. They are all multiple-choice questions except the ones of C. The exercises of the second part of this textbook are various in forms; they could be multiple-choice questions, blank-fillings and question-answerings, etc. The exercises of the third part of this textbook are all multiple-choice questions. The exercises of the fourth part of this textbook are: A. Comprehending the text. B. Disscussing the following topics. Every unit is of the same arrangement. From this structure I think it is far from being enough for an extensive reading textbook to evaluate what students will learn in this textbook. First, multiple-questions are used in nearly every part of the textbook. Though it is convenient to conduct, it is monotonous in form and it can not test students’ gain of the class comprehensibly. Because students will simply locate the part of the text that is pertaining to the question in order to get a correct answer instead of actual reading the text. That is not an extensive reading class for. Second, these exercises are all aimed to examine how students react to the given inputs, it ignores the output. According to the ‘output hypothesis’ (Merrill Swain. 1983), output is more important than input to learn and acquire language knowledge. Third, I think, reading skills can not be taught through exercises. It is an accumulating process of metacognitive awareness through reading. So, from the perspective of my view, I think, the exercises of this extensive reading textbook should be: first the ones can really serve extensive reading better; second, they should be combination of the input and the output; third, they should be helpful for students’ gradual development of metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and skills. For example, we could use presentation, text-retelling, role-play to add to the simple structure of the textbook’s exercises.

2　Conclusion

Extensive reading plays an important role in EFL study which has long been realized in Chinese English language teaching practice. Many researchers and institutions have conducted various studies to make it better. The prevailing usage of this textbook is one of their studies result. And they still have a long way to go. First, it is a preoccupied concept and tradition in Chinese education that a textbook should be academic and difficult. Students are not supposed to read in class with leisure and laughers. They should sit upright with their eyes wide open in the classroom and they should be busy with their homework after class. Second, it is too risky for universities and colleges to put extensive reading out of schedule to have students read at home or to have students read in class something not academic. Because students examinations result of CET and TEM will decide the ranking of the university or college. Third, teachers can not teach extensive reading as it should be taught. If the university principal passes an extensive reading class and sees the students read with smiles on their faces and the reading teacher were not instructing or writing on the blackboard, the teacher would surely be punished. These may count for why this extensive reading textbook is not a real extensive reading textbook. Nevertheless, these are all my personal and unprofessional understanding of the extensive reading textbook, and I believe a great change is being made possible as China becomes opener.

【References】

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［5］Reza Zabihi.An Investigation of Critical Reading in Reading Textbooks:A Qualitative Analysis[J]. International Education Studies,2011,4(3):80-87.

［6］Swain, M.The Output hypothesis: Just Speaking and Writing aren’t Enough[J]. Canadian Modern Language Review,1993,50:158-64.

［7］Wei Wu.An Investigation of the Nature and Functions of Exercises in　textbooks for Intensive Reading Course for English Majors[J]. Journal of Language Teaching and Research,2011,2(5), 998-1008.

［8］Wilhelm, J.D.Improving comprehension with think-aloud strategies[M]. New York: Scholastic Inc.,2011.

［9］Willy A. Renandya.The Power of Extensive Reading[J]. RELC Journal, 2007，38(2)：133-149.

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