Applying Innovative Spirit to Multimedia Foreign Language Teaching

Applying Innovative Spirit to Multimedia Foreign Language Teaching

Zhuo Zhu

Introduction

In the recent years, self learning, that is, foreign language teaching practice centered on learners, With the development of science and technology, multimedia technology is increasingly used in teaching, so is it in English teaching. In addition, students are advised to learn English with the help of the computer, which takes up 30%-50% of the total credit for the English course. This significant reform is in tune with the teaching idea centered on the

learner, for which the application of the multimedia technology offers advanced teaching methods. In practice, the multimedia technology still suffers from some drawbacks in itself. As a result, there is an imbalance between high input and low output in some schools. She said that whether multimedia English teaching can achieve success depends on whether a teacher has innovative spirit, owns innovative education ideas and employs teaching methods and means creatively.

Multimedia Teaching and the Innovation of Educational Ideas.

In multimedia teaching, the pattern including the teacher, students, the computer and courseware is employed which is guided by Constructivism. In this way, students will be active achievers and architects instead of passive recipients.  As a vital branch of Cognitive Learning Theory. Otherwise the advantages of multimedia teaching cannot be exerted with only the combination of blackboard and chalk converted into that of technology and screen. As a result, foreign language teachers are expected to convert their traditional ideas, to update their concepts and to accomplish the conversion in their role. Accordingly, teachers should employ courseware to conduct heuristic education while avoiding the cramming method preferred in traditional class, to properly manage students’ class learning, to change the former man-machine communication into teacher-student communication and student-student communication and to penetrate the heuristic method and the open method into the teaching process in order to improve students’ involvement and enthusiasm.

Exerting the Advantages of Multimedia Teaching and Exploring New Patterns of Language Teaching.

·         Positive Effects of Multimedia on Foreign Language Teaching

First, PPT courseware frequently used in multimedia teaching has increased the information volume in teaching

Second, by integrating sound, light, electricity, image and color into a whole, multimedia provides a multi-level teaching and learning pattern for both teachers and students.

Third, the development in multimedia has caused great changes in foreign language teaching content.

Fourth, the multi-dimensional multimedia information helps to cultivate students’ associative thinking.

Fifth, multimedia teaching provides a platform for the communication between teachers and students as well as students and students.

·         Problems and Solutions Related to Multimedia Teaching

Some errors and misunderstandings may occur in teaching practice, which are mainly manifested in the following aspects: first, assisting the traditional teaching pattern where the teacher takes the dominance in conveying knowledge with modern information technology. Second, excessive use of multimedia effects, the following methods can be resorted to solve the above problems:

First, combine course type with multimedia.

Second, combine different teaching stages with multimedia.

Third, combine teaching and learning.

Fourth, combine class teaching and extracurricular instruction.

Conclusion

Multimedia will bring about more positive changes to foreign language teaching and therefore greater achievements will be made in our foreign language teaching.