Chapter I. Introduction  

As far as learning English is concerned, Chinese students face a number of problems that are probably specific only to the Chinese context. English teaching in china usually starts at junior schools, in many big cities at upper grades in the elementary schools. At first sight the Chinese student’s exposure to English as a foreign language looks quite similar to that of students in western countries, but the results are quite different. In china, although an average college student has generally spent more than ten years in learning English, he is still extremely poor in the four skills of the language, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing, especially in listening and speaking.

Seen in terms of language education, what causes considerable problems in class, especially for teachers aiming at creating communicative competence in a second or foreign language, is the issue of getting students to produce spoken English. The paper attempts to provide an analysis of the factors that account for the present difficulties in promoting spoken English n schools in china. Then some suggestions will be given to improve students’ speaking abilities.

Chapter II Some problems in English teaching

2.1 The out-of-date teaching methods

       In china, there have been several main teaching methods. Currently most teachers of English still adopt the Grammar-Translation Approach in their class. In this method, teachers ask students to repeat the words and expressions, then explain vocabulary and language points in the texts. Usually they teach students how to put sentences together to form paragraphs and how to analyze sentence structures in details. This approach assumes that when students know enough English grammar and lexis, they can then read and write well in English. It is very useful for academic work and for passing written exams, but it is less useful for improving students’ spoken ability.

2.2 Three-centered teaching form

       Three-centered teaching form, namely teacher-centered, test-centered and board-centered, can be usually seen in an English lesson in china. Chinese students are taught to obey their teachers since their childhood. Students are seldom encouraged to challenge their teachers. When a teacher comes into classroom, students automatically stand up to show their respect. The platform where the teachers give a lesson is higher than the floor so that the teacher always overlooks the whole class; all these are not good for teachers and students to communicate with each other. Teachers write all the instructions on the blackboard, students are busy taking notes or concentrating their minds on receiving them passively. In most cases, if teachers don’t invite students to ask questions, the later will remain silent and not interrupt the teachers’ speech.

2.3 Low or uneven participation

There are about 40-60 students attending one English lesson in China. This means that each one will have very little talking time. It is compounded by the tendency of some students to dominate while others speak very little or not at all.

According to some surveys, only 19% of the students in a class are high-level ones who can basically express themselves or achieve their communicative goals with the four skills, although they may often make mistakes in their communications. 58% are middle-level students who have certain abilities (usually in reading and writing) to communicate but usually unable to achieve the goal in listening and speaking, or those who make too many vocabulary or pronunciation mistakes. The low-level students (16%) include those who can do some reading, but can hardly employ the other three skills to communicate. The rest of zero-level students, about 7%, consist of those who never or seldom learned English before because of either inadequate educational conditions or for other reasons.

2.4 No emotional climate of learning situation

       In an environment where learners feel anxious or insecure, there are likely to be psychological barriers to communicate with others. Also if anxiety rises above a certain level, it is an obstacle to the learning process. Unfortunately, the situation where English learning takes most often-- the classroom can easily generate situations where students feel over- anxious. In an English class, students are often asked to perform in a state of ignorance and dependence may engender feelings of helplessness. They have to produce unfamiliar sounds in front of an audience when they do not perform adequately, they may be subjected to comment and correction, with their limited communicative competence, they may have difficulties in relating to others or presenting themselves adequately.

         For example, making causal conversation or expressing spontaneous reactions may be difficult, and attempt to do so may result in misunderstandings and laborious efforts to explain. Unless they have firm confidence in themselves, they may come to feel that they project a silly boring image and become withdraws.

2.5 Mother-tongue use

       Chinese students are often reluctant to say things in English, worrying about making mistakes, feeling fearful of criticism and losing face, or simply being shy of the attention that his speech attracts. Because all the students in a class share the same mother tongue, they may tend to use it, it is easier and nature.

2.6 No chance to use English

       Many aspects of second language acquisition occur through natural learning mechanism that is activated when the learner is involved in communicative activity. If this is so, it is important for the learner to have access to the situations where the language is used as a natural means of communication. China is a Chinese-speaking country the students have few chances to talk with English speakers.

       From above, we can conclude that if we want to improve students’ speaking ability, we should do two aspects. Firstly, from theoretical part, realizing the relationship between teaching and learning. Secondly, using different ways to change the current situation.

Chapter III Language teaching and learning

       In the past, most teachers have been trained to teach, not to think about language learning. Yet everything that is achieved in the classroom depends eventually on what goes on students’ minds. As a teacher, the knowledge about language learning and teaching should be firstly studied.

3.1 Understanding the students’ contribution to learning

       All successful teaching depends on learning. There is no point in providing entertaining lively, well-constructed language lessons if students do not learn. The proof of the teaching is in the learning. One crucial component is second language learning is what the students bring with them into the classroom. When these learners start learning the L2, they have already formed their personalities and minds, and these have profound effects on their ways of learning and how successful they are. It helps us to understand how apparently similar students react differently to the same teaching technique, while revealing the problems that all students share.

3.2 Understanding the goals of language teaching

       The reason why the second language is being taught depends on overall educational goals, which from one country to another and from one period to another. Most of these have been explored in the L2 learning. And it can help define the goals of language teaching, access how achievable they may be, and contribute to their achievements. It is not for teachers, the methodologist, or any other outsider, to decide whether a language should be taught for communication, for brain training, or whatever, but for the individual student to decide.

       Without an understanding of why people need to learn other languages and of how knowledge of other language is stored and learnt, teachers will always be less effective. In the chapter, I will give some suggestions to reach the goal of improving students’ spoken ability.

Chapter IV Some suggestions

       During the past few decades, there has been a worldwide growth of interest in teaching and learning. Not only industrially advanced countries but also rapidly developing ones have attached great importance to it. And some have achieved great success. Let’s take Canada for example.

4.1 Immersion program in Canada

       Canada takes the immersion program as its teaching method, involving the teaching of French, is likely to be more successful than conventional ones. Because the language taught in schools is treated as medium rather than a subject. It can be seen as applying principles to the general curriculum of school education, presenting language as a service for the achievements of others than language objectives. It puts into operation on a more comprehensive scale, a proposal for English teaching pedagogy.

       If students become bilingual by being immersed in French in Canada, them perhaps all we need to do is to immerse Chinese-speaking children in English. To achieve this goal, there is still a long way to go. Currently, what can we do to reach it?

4.2 Using modern teaching methods

       Communicative Language Teaching is one of the modern methods that can be applied to improve students’ communicative abilities. In this method, teachers can set different tasks and activities to encourage students to communicate in English. The task of activities includes newspaper report, information exchange, role-playing, discussion and problem-solving in pairs or groups. The last one can increase the amount of students talk in a limited period of time and also lower the inhibitions of students who are unwilling to speak in front of full class. This method emphasizes the functions of language, helps students to know whom they are communicating with and what feelings they want to convey.

4.3 Using some communicative strategies

       When students experience a problem in expressing themselves and must either change their meanings or grope outside the repertoire of language that comes spontaneously, teachers can offer them some communicative strategies.

4.3.1 Adjusting the message

       When students encounter a problem while an exchange is actually taking place, they may decide to alter the meanings they intended to communicate. For example, they may omit some items of information, make the ideas simpler or less precise, or say something slightly different.

4.3.2 Using paraphrase

       A student may use, for example, description, to express the meaning he wants to communicate. For instance, a student who couldn’t recall the word “kettle” he could say “boiled water” instead. It is a suitable strategy for maintaining linguistic accuracy.

4.3.3 Using approximation

       A student may use words which express the meaning as closely as possible. This means using words that are less specific than the intended meaning. For example, some fruit instead of pineapple. It also means using words that really refer to something else.

4.3.4 Using nonlinguistic resources

       Even in native language, we often use nonlinguistic resources, such as mime, gesture or imitation to make our meanings clearer. For example, we point and say, “put it here” or we make a gesture and say, “it is this kind of shape. As every student and teacher knows L2 speakers can profit still more from these nonlinguistic means for complementing their linguistic resources.

       In general, the level of language needed for a discussion should be lower than that used in intensive language-learning activities in the same class. It should be easily recalled and produce by the students so that they can speak fluently with the least of hesitation.

4.4        The roles of teachers

       Not only are the teachers the fonts of knowledge with the answers that learners may seek, but they are more like mentors or coaches who inspire or motivate the students to find the answers themselves. They are also problem solvers who help to keep the students moving down their own learning tracks. Developing learners’ confidence in their ability to speak English and play an important role in maintaining or increasing learners’ motivation. The teachers are also responsible for creating a cooperative, encouraging classroom atmosphere. Besides the main course book, teachers should use the available materials to ensure that, whenever possible, the classroom language used and activities performed are obviously relevant to learners’ need. Teachers should also be humanistic, ready to help any student when help is needed. Teachers should be prepared to take full responsibility for the content of each class, get feedback from the students to improve teaching skills if needed. To sum up, teachers play a multifunctional role.

4.5        The roles of students

       To inherit the shift of language methods, we should focus on the shift in the responsibility of students in the English class. No longer does the teacher act as the center of all instruction, controlling every aspect of the learning process. The students themselves now more than ever, are becoming less independent on the language learning for meeting his own individual needs. Students should become mire autonomous to diagnose some of their own learning strengths or weaknesses and to self-direct the process of language development, become more aware of what helps them to learn the language they are studying most efficiently, to develop a broad range of problem solving skills. The process is one of having students take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers are then in the role of supporting the students as they reach their personal learning goals. And English learning really becomes a team effort.

4.6        The role of materials

       Teaching and learning process depends largely in the textbook designed , therefore, a good and well-chosen textbook plays a vital part in the language study. It should not only concern with language itself, but also touch many other circles related with the language, culture, society, people and so on. It presents and practices everyday language functions set in appropriate situations. The materials are well bound and interactively composed, letting the students have something to read, speak and write.

4.7        creating and cultivating a good environment for learning English

       One way is to invite qualified native speakers of English to teach students. To develop the second classroom activities is another useful way which besides classroom teaching and provide more options for students to choose from, such as the English corner, radio station for English programs and so on. Exploring multimedia and film is also dispensable.

Chapter IV Conclusion

    In a nut shell, the current situation of speaking education can hardly keep up with the update needs of rapid development of society. Here, six main reasons why the students in china aren’t good at spoken English can be summed up. Both teachers and students might face an uphill battle of how to modify teaching methods, how to use some of communicative strategies, and how to successfully absorb teaching experiences from our counterparts in foreign countries in English learning and teaching. Therefore, the adequate employment of creative teaching methods backed up by special talents of our teachers of English, must guarantee a prospective future of the English teaching and bring profits to teenagers.

（编辑：蒋静）