With the development of open education in China and the continuous improvement of education informatization, the English training market has gradually shown a vigorous development trend. English language instruction at the Open University provides a diverse range of learning pathways for learners in need.
Xinyu Open University is a unit directly under the People's Government of Xinyu City, formerly known as Jiangxi Radio and Television University Xinyu Branch. In 2021, it was officially renamed Xinyu Open University with the approval of the people of Xinyu City. The school adheres to the concept of opening up the school with both academic education and non-academic education, and has embarked on a characteristic and connotative development path according to local conditions in teaching practice, and has been rated as an excellent unit in the comprehensive assessment of Jiangxi Provincial Electric University system for many years.
In the practice of English teaching, Xinyu Open University adopts a cooperative learning model to continuously improve the quality of English teaching, and the English proficiency of learners has been significantly improved.
Scientific grouping to lay the foundation for cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is a teaching method that takes students as the main body and takes the group as a unit, and achieves the learning goals through mutual communication and collaboration, which can promote barrier-free communication between students. Xinyu Open University combines the characteristics of English learning and designs a cooperative learning model suitable for English learning. Under this model, multiple learners can form a learning group, the English learning ability and English mastery of the group members are significantly different, and the members share each other's learning experiences through group learning and communication, understand their strengths and weaknesses in learning, and continue to adjust their learning methods accordingly, so that the efficiency of English learning has been greatly improved.
English teachers at Xinyu Open University** should group the students in the class before starting the classroom. The grouping process should be arranged and designed in combination with the ability of the trainees. In the grouping arrangement, the principle of "homogeneity between groups and heterogeneity within groups" should be followed to avoid excessive differences in ability, age span or English proficiency between groups, which will have a negative impact on the effect of cooperative learning. In the process of group division, the students are first organized to carry out the ** English Reading Basic Test, and the teacher divides the grades according to the students' English scores, and then conducts a comprehensive evaluation based on the students' classroom performance, and carries out group design according to the evaluation results. At the same time, the individual opinions of the students should be respected when grouping, and appropriate adjustments should be made to ensure that the students have no objections to the results of the grouping.
Enrich the form and innovate the content of English teaching. In the class teaching, the English teaching team of Xinyu Open University has set up several English learning groups based on the learning rules and teaching practices of English. After consultation, the group members selected the learning method that was most suitable for the majority of the people, and reached a consensus on this basis to ensure the smooth development of the collaboration. At the same time, group members can design personalized learning plans according to their own learning characteristics in order to achieve the best learning effect. In terms of teaching content, considering that learners have been out of school education for a long time, it is difficult to maintain concentration for a long time when learning, it is easy to be disturbed by the external environment, and there is a lack of language learning environment in ordinary learning and life, and there is no opportunity to make full use of English, the English teaching team of Xinyu Open University has adopted a variety of teaching forms in English teaching to create a good learning atmosphere for learners, design diversified cooperation and exchange projects, and stimulate learners' interest in learning. For example, in cooperation with the distance teaching system, group cooperative learning is carried out through online voice communication and other forms, and teachers also set up QQ groups and WeChat groups to supervise learners to learn and provide opportunities for students to communicate.
Digitally empowered, using blended teaching to improve teaching effectiveness. With the support of modern information technology, teachers can grasp the learning progress of students more intuitively and accurately. Considering that the learning time of learners is often scattered, and it is difficult to focus on offline cooperative learning, Xinyu Open University has developed a distance education platform to encourage students to carry out fragmented learning in their free time, and can send the difficult problems encountered in learning to the first class to communicate with other members of the group. This format makes English learning more flexible, targeted, and creates a higher quality English learning environment for English learners. Xinyu Open University has built a cooperative learning platform based on the situation of teachers and students in the school, so that learners and teachers can realize the interactive sharing of information with the help of network resources, which effectively promotes the improvement of the overall learning effect of the cooperative learning group. When arranging learning tasks or designing learning projects, teachers can cooperate with the learning platform to assign tasks and improve the pertinence of teaching. In order to meet the needs of cooperative learning, the English teachers of Xinyu Open University have designed vivid language learning situations for students, helping students master language points and improve their language application skills in specific situations. For example, teachers can design scenarios such as role-play and business English practice to allow students to use English in practical operations and improve their practical English application skills. In addition, teachers can also use the cooperative learning platform to publish various English learning resources, such as listening materials, reading articles, etc., to facilitate students' self-directed learning and group discussions.
In the practice of English teaching, Xinyu Open University has made significant progress in English teaching by adopting cooperative learning mode, innovating teaching content and form, and using modern information technology to empower cooperative learning. In the future, Xinyu Open University will continue to deepen the reform of education and teaching, write a new chapter in English teaching, and contribute to the development of open education in China.
China Teacher Daily, January 31, 2024, 14th edition