The Application of English Songs in English Teaching英文歌曲在英语教学中的应用.doc

The Application of English Songs in English Teaching英文歌曲在英语教学中的应用1. Introduction In recent years, the value of English songs in motivating students to learn English and enhancing their involvement is widely acknowledged by more and more English Foreign Language Practitioners. In their language classes, many Foreign Language teachers have adopted richly meaningful English songs, which take up the whole class period instead of only being used as warm-up activities games and so on. English songs are seen as a unique teaching tool, vital in communicative language teaching, providing language teachers with rich and varied resources. They can be used not only for purposeful language practice, but also to motivate students to learn English and enhance their involvement in English foreign language learning. 2. The current situation of English teachingAs China joints WTO, the international communication between China and the rest of the world has become more and more frequent. As an international language, English is used widely in China. Therefore, more and more people attach important to learn English. But the traditional English teaching has many disadvantages, and could not meet the needs of our modern society. Thus, new English teaching reform must be carried out. In new English teaching system, the students can communicate with others in real context.2.1 The disadvantage of traditional English teaching In the traditional English teaching, the whole school centers on the examination and the management objectives are quite obviously and commonhigh marks. The main criteria of evaluating of the teaching quality are scores and the proportion of students entering higher school. In order to let students get high marks in the examination, many teachers only teach students many words, grammar and fixed sentences while ignore students comprehensive abilities such as, listening ability, speaking ability. For example, when the teachers ask some questions in English in the class and demand students to answer them, the students could not understand what the teachers said at all, not to mention how to express themselves. What have learned is only used in examination, thus students lack the ability of listening and speaking. On the other hand, in order to get high marks, students always study mechanically. They never have interest in learning English. Although they have high scores in the various examinations, they are quite weak in listening, speaking and communication. It is unfavorable for cultivating and enriching students personality. Thus in the futures competition, these students will be eliminated. So the traditional English teaching must be abolished. We must carry out the new English teaching system to cultivate the talent to meet the demands of our society.2.2 The necessity of English teaching reformEnglish teaching is very essential to social development. In order to enhance the level of modernization, improve Chinas comprehensive national strength, and narrow the gap between developed and developing countries, the Chinese government put forward the strategy of developing our country by science and education. In order to achieve this target, the Chinese government does not only rely on the national peoples hard work, but also should continue to adhere to the policy of opening and reform, promote international interaction, constantly study other countries advanced experiences. During the process of communication and learning, language must be used. As the worlds most developed countries use English language, English has become todays most widely used language, especially, after the Chinese economy involve into the world economy. With the improvement of the modernizations degree, Chinas demands to talent will undergo tremendous changes. This change will most prominently manifest in the demand for talent standards. The future world will no longer need a single type of specialized talent, but the people with the integrated abilities. The need will force the English teaching reform to be carried out.At the same time, English teaching reform is also the English curriculums requirements. English curriculum reform require teachers to train students to communicate with others by using verbal and written English, and also focus on reading proficiency and enable students to receive some self-learning ability. It will lay a good foundation for students continuing to learn and use English, enabling students to achieve moral educations in character, patriotism, socialism and other aspects of education. In order to achieve the requirement of teaching syllabus, we must reform English teaching system thoroughly.3. The theoretical principles and reasons of using English songs3.1 The theoretical principles of using English songsThe application of English songs in English teaching conforms to students psychological characteristics of age, psychological principle and the aesthetic principle. The junior students are lively and active. If we let them memorize English words dully, they would feel like being tied up. They will gradually lose the interest in learning English. If we let them listen to English songs and follow with them in English teaching, it can create a lively atmosphere of learning in class. At the same time, it also arouses the students learning interest and makes their brains be full of vigor and viability. When students listen to and sing the songs, they can establish the psychological tendency to motivate their high motivation in learning, stimulate students learning needs and excited. It will lay the psychological foundation for students to learn English happy and relaxed. While students appreciate these English songs, they can involve into this beautiful music, their souls will be purified, and their minds will be molded. The knowledge learn from the music will be remembered firmly and efficiently. This is the charm if art and conform to the aesthetic principle completely.3.2 The reasons of using English songs3.2.1 Emotion factor In the early 20th century, psychologists made lots of research on human beings intellectual, and then they obtained many valuable conclusions. These psychologists thought that intelligence does not change too much in whole life. Through the intelligence in four ages, persons can predict the intelligence of eighteen ages; however, intellect hardly changes after eighteen age. The English learning is similar to human beings intelligence. In certain conditions, students non-intelligential factors play an important role in English learning. Interest is the best teacher. How to stimulate students interest and develop the principal role of students is the key of improving teaching effect and enhancing achievements. Therefore, teachers should try their best to create a lively atmosphere for students to learn English, arouse students positives, and activeness in learning. In other words, teachers must make students study happily. Therefore, the application of English songs conforms to the characteristics of students interest. In the process of studying, students can generate joyful emotional experience, construct loose class atmosphere, and motivate students creativities and imaginative.3.2.2 Language factorIn fact, language learners will come across many informal languages in real life. Therefore, it is very necessary to let students get in with the popular spoken English. However, there is lots of slang in English songs. For example, in the song, “My Was Never Good Enough”, “Every dog has his day”, “Every could has a sliver linging”, both of them are the best examples of English slang. For another instance, Jambalaya is a life-spoken song. “Me gotta go” (=I have to go), “Son of gun” (=fellow) .Therefore, English songs can supply students spoken vocabulary and makes ready for students to face real language context in future.3.2.3 Culture factor Linguists think that the ability of language communities should contain two aspects: language ability and interaction ability. The interaction ability is the competence of users social culture. In order to have the interaction ability, teachers should introduce culture in English teaching. In other words, let students know some cultural background knowledge. There are many ways to introduce culture; however, singing English songs is the one of most interesting and receivable way. For instance, “American the Beautiful, Red River Valley, Chick Go The Shear, The Blue Bell of Scotland” and so on. These songs display the different folk custom about American, Canada, Australia and England. For another instance, “All the Pretty Little Horses” describes the sufferable life of slavers. “Home on the Range,” narrates the exploration of western American and pastures were swallowed. The Christmas song “Jingle Belles” can go deep into knowing the western countries magnificent day.4. The advantages of using English songs in English teachingEnglish songs allow people to express feelings, such as anger, pleasure, and sorrow and so on. A good song can let persons express themselves widely, produce beautiful feelings and be full of exciting in their life. Even many English songs are an excellent medium for emotional communication. Many English songs are simple and beautiful, and they have a strong or sweet rhythm. Most students enjoy singing, and songs are often a welcome change from the routine of classroom activity in learning a language. Pleasure for its own sake is an important part of language learning, a fact which is often overlooked by the course designer focusing on presentation or a students-centered and enjoyable one. Yet the accessibility of songs should not encourage us to be indiscriminate in our use of them, for they may help or hinder the learner in a number of different ways. Learning takes place not merely through good presentation, but through meaningful, spaced repetition of the learning items. Since many course books do not provide sufficient meaningful repetition of teaching points, the careful teacher is constantly looking for occasions to use words and sentences from previous lessons, before they fade from the learners memory. Nevertheless, repetition induces boredom. The teachers task is to see that repetition is meaningful, and songs provided of increasing the amount of repetition possible without the learners interest. Thus, songs can help the teacher by consolidating his teaching. Therefore, the teachers add the songs to the English class that can release students from a tense atmosphere and make the students focus on the lesson again. There are many advantages of using English songs in English teaching. It not only can stimulate the students interest in learning, but also increase vocabulary, phrases, grammar and so on. 4.1 Motivate learning interestInterest is the best teacher. Generally, it makes the class lively and funny. Another educator, Tolstoy, said, “What successful teaching isnt done by force, but is done by stimulating the students interest”. A successful teacher can stimulate the students long for study. English songs are very useful to give rise to interest. Some English songs have vivid contents, sweet rhythm and even include a love story. These things make students feel that studying English is very interesting.Above all, songs are most welcomed by students, they can help encourage students to sustain their interest in English, help to create contests in which the language is useful and meaningful, add variety and enjoyment to the language learning, provide listening comprehension practice, enrich culture understanding and provide new insights. Only if students are interested in English, they are willing to learn it.4.2 Enlarge vocabulary, phrases In English songs, the students come across some new words. However, songs can stimulate students emotional imagination, and then they are eager to know these new words. During singing songs, they can learn new words naturally. For example, when teaching Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Sunday, the teachers can teach the song “There are Seven Days” ahead of lesson. Then after class, the teachers can prepare some cards representing different days, let students sing and act it together. In this way, the students will have a strong connection with them. They will find new words becoming easy. The more they feel easy, the more they learn quickly. English songs are an opportunity for vocabulary review, if it uses the vocabulary of the school course. Some songs offer a pleasant way of giving repetition to words of particular centre of interest or situation. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes are useful for reviewing the names of parts of the body, and is accompanied by action. For example: “Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, Head , shoulders, knees and toes, Knees and toes and eyes and ears and mouth and nose Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.” Through this way, students can strengthen their vocabularies.Phrases are just like words, if the teachers make good use of English songs, the students will remember more and more quickly and set up a good foundation for long time memory, and then they can use the phrases in real communications. For example “In Winter I get Up at Night” The lyrics are In winter I get up at night, and dress by yellow candle night. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day The phrases between marks “_”are often used. At the same time, if the students learn this song, they also learn these new phrases and use it properly.4.3 Learn to use grammarIt is very difficult and important for students to learn grammar well. Many students get poor grade because of bad grammar, so grammar becomes a serious problem. Although some teachers try to find out many ways to solve it, it is not obvious to improve students grade in grammar. Then through some experiments, English songs are regarded as a good method to strengthen grammar. First of all, through learning English songs , students do not only relax their nerves in English class but also help them learn and comprehend some grammar knowledge, such as “Here I come, Here I go” can help students to learn inversion easily. It is the important point in the English grammar. Lyrics are as follows, “Here I come, and here I go. Ride on my little tricycle around the world, around the world. Me and my little tricycle, my little tricycle” Generally speaking, the sentence begins “here”, it needs inversion. Here I come, here I go because the subject“I” is pronoun, it neednt inversion. Therefore, the subject“I”must be put before predicate“come”. For example, Here she comes. But when the subject is noun, it needs completely inversion. For another example, Here comes the bus! In this sentence,“bus”is noun, so it uses completely inversion.