English learning: What & How

厦门大学外文学院 江桂英

6W’s

Who What When Where Why (see next page) How

What: A few words about English

English as an International language

A bridge

A window

A tool

A treasury

What’s your goal of English learning in college

CET4-6?(×)

IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT? (≠)

Learn enough know-hows so as to keep English learning your life-long business.

Changes to undergo: From high school to College

Goal ： From knowledge & test-oriented to knowledge & communication-oriented

Relationship between Teacher and Student ： from One way stuffing to mutual interaction

Learning method: from memorizing by rote to “learning by doing”.

What: Standards for foreign language proficiency: 5C’s (ACTFL)

Communication

Cultures

Connections

Comparisons

Communities

Communication

Communicate in Languages Other Than L1Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

Cultures

Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.

Connections

Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

Standard 3.1: Students reinforce( 加强） and further their knowledge of other disciplines（学科） through the foreign language.

Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

comparisons

Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

Communities

Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home & Around the World

Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

How to learn in college: A suggested schedule

Freshman—lay a solid foundation measure your learning efficiency by taking cet4-6

Sophomore—apply to practice Task-based English; EGAP aptitude tests (TOEFL, IELTS in case of needs);

Junior and Senior— Subject-specific English BEC(Vantage-Higher) English proficiency test(such as postgraduate

entrance exam; GRE, GMAT)

How to learn: Recognize your cognitive abilities

90 后是

技术的一代

读图的一代

创新的一代

急切的一代（王海啸， 2010 ）

How to learn: Vocabulary building

Clues for setting up a mental lexicon Association via sense relations:

Homonymy Polysemy Synonymy Antonymy Hyponymy

Collocation

How to learn: cognitive approach

categorization

metaphor“ head”

Metonymy (body parts)

Conceptual blending “sandwich generation”

Construction grammar

How to learn: Frame buildup

The basic idea is that one cannot understand the meaning of a single word without access to all the essential knowledge that relates to that word. E.g. the understanding of “buy” or “sell” in the commercial event frame.

Rather than corresponding to individual concepts, words and phrases are tools that cause listeners to ‘activate’ certain areas of their knowledge network, with different areas activated to different degrees, in different contexts of use.

Chai

Challenge （ “ Mom, Why is the best meat always with bones?”)

chance

混搭 (blending)：三道茶

Good Luck with English Learning