Abstract. Economy is development more and more rapidly. The instructional model for college English in higher vocational colleges has gradually shown its limitations. Through the applications and researches of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model in higher vocational English teaching, this paper has made explorations on the model in the promotion of English teaching in higher vocational colleges.
Key words: Limitations; B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model; application and research; promotion
1.Realistic Problems
China has entered WTO. With the entrance, the society has made more distinct the requirement of English application abilities of all vocational technical talents. English as a second language refers to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. At present there arise many problems in higher vocational English teaching. In the face of the vigorous development of vocational education, English language teaching must carry out corresponding reforms. Aiming at the present problems in higher vocational English teaching, English teachers must carry out teaching reforms in the field of teaching philosophy, teaching models, teaching methods and teaching tools, etc. In particular, teachers should concentrate on the application of English language to improve students" practical abilities to use English. By being based on success, B-SLIM incorporates enough scaffolding at each phase for learners who are less self sufficient to succeed while simultaneously providing opportunities and direction for the more self-directed student to push forward. Success-Guided Language Instructional Model for English Teaching is a planning model for second language teaching in classroom settings. Success-Guided Language Instructional Model for English Teaching consists of five parts of understanding instructions for a lesson. As we have seen in several of the case studies, many teachers are unaware of how to provide their students with the structure and support they need in order to be successful in their learning. Structure and support go hand in hand and are therefore referred to simultaneously. These terms refer to what the teacher must consider for the learners to successfully complete the task. While a less self-directed student might need to follow a template several times before really getting the structure of a form such as a brief event review in order to be able to create one on his own as an output assignment, a more self-directed learner may only need to hear or see the model once and be able to replicate and creatively alter it. Under this circumstance, we are in urgent need of exploring a set of specific model that is suitable to the higher vocational college English teaching.
2.Introduction to B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model
B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model is established by Doctor Bilash in 2002. Its full English name is Bilash’s Success-based Language Instruction Model and it is short for B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model. B-SLIM reflects how to think about sequencing and pacing activities for all students. In this day of heterogeneous multi-level classes teachers must oversee the learning of students with varying abilities, interests and learning styles during the same class time period. B-SLIM helps the teacher to plan, organize and implement activities for each learner. The ultimate aim of action research on learner autonomy is how to help learners to become more autonomous and better in language learning. The article reports an action research on fostering the students’ learner autonomy by using the problem-solving method in the English classroom. Through a questionnaire survey, an interview and the class room observations, it is found that the students’ strategies such as task-awareness, attribution, input and output, motivation, analysis and deduction, self-belief, motivation and self-concept are quite strong, but their risk-orientation, self-awareness, asking questions, self-monitor, self-evaluation, self-monitor, reinforcement and co-operation are quite weak. It is also found that society; cultural psychology, language competence, teaching management and language learning materials influence the students’ learner autonomy. In order to foster the students’ learner autonomy, a series of class scaffolding activities are designed and used in the English classroom for one and half a year according to Dr.Bilash’s Success-based Language Instruction Model. The major results show that the students’ learner autonomy is greatly improved and their language knowledge and skills are enhanced. B-SLIM has 5 parts: Planning and Preparation, Comprehensible Input, Intake ? “Getting it, Using it”, Output, Assessment and Evaluation. Research suggests that language production is a complex enterprise that entails the integration of many areas: Language awareness, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, situations- fluency-accuracy, culture and Culture, learning strategies, listening comprehension, speaking, writing, reading, forms, skills, content, and motivation-attitude, content.
3.Research Review Home and Abroad
In contemporary society, B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model has obtained very high research levels in Canada. For it is easy to operate, it has been promoted and put into practice in more than 20 non-English speaking countries that have the corporations with the Albert province in Canada. TESL, which is short for Teaching English as a Second Language, has been put into practice in Guangxi since the year 2004. Up till now, more than 200 excellent English teachers are sent from Guangxi to Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for half a year. The key course is B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model. The teachers sent are from 13 cities, 44 counties and towns in the whole area. Dr. Oranka has made the project follow-up research and investigations on B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model in multiple vocational colleges and secondary schools in Guangxi Province in April, 2008. The Guangxi Educational Department teachers’ training centre has operated multiple research discussion meetings and organized the teachers that come back from foreign countries to make explorations on B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model. Parts of the excellent English teachers have been selected to publish the “Guangxi excellent English teachers essay collections” in December, 2008. Parts of the key secondary and high schools in the whole district have been selected to found the B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model teaching experiment points in 2009, such as Liuzhou No.14 secondary school and Nanning No.26 secondary school, etc. The B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model training teaching materials have been planned to publish in April, 2012.
4.Application of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model in English teaching of higher vocational colleges
4.1.Application of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model in the teaching process
The six procedures for B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model are shown as the followings: Planning and Preparation ? Comprehensible Input-Intake (Getting it, Using it) - Output-Assessment & Evaluation. They are recyclable. The Input-Intake is the most common and key one.
4.1.1.Planning and Preparation
In planning speaking activities, teachers need to decide whether students need high structure for practice in learning or getting it or low structure for using it. Planning and Preparation shall pay attention to what we do before we enter the classroom; the knowledge of what resources we can use and how to quickly find them; select and develop activities that appeal to all learning styles or intelligences and select and develop activities that help each student advance in each type of input. A positive attitude brings out greater overall effort on the part of language learners and typically results in greater success in terms of global language proficiency and competence in specific language skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. A positive attitude also helps learners maintain their language skills after classroom instruction is over. Because attitude is so very important in language learning, instructional activities and materials should be exciting, stimulating, and interesting to learners. Moreover, teachers should pay special attention to the attitudes students bring to second language learning and may have to overturn stereotypic or negative views toward the target culture, language, people and language learning process. At the same time, plan the teaching procedures, process and time as well.
4.1.2.Input
The teachers should be aware of the following content: what is new to the students; building on what students already knows; choosing and structuring the learning of something into small steps to teach new material; presenting in a way that students understand; power of the First impression. Research suggests that language production is a complex enterprise that entails the integration of many areas: language awareness, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, situations- fluency-accuracy, culture and culture, learning strategies, listening comprehension, speaking, writing, reading, forms, skills, content, and motivation-attitude, content. Apply Miller’s magical Number of 7 +/- 2 and appeal to as many of Gardner’s learning Intelligences as possible: linguistic, visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical. Maximize use of instruction in Target Language.
4.1.3.Intake
Help students learn meaning that they understand and remember because if one cannot remember a concept one cannot use it. “Getting it” activities help students understand the concept being taught at their own rate and through a variety of learning styles. They need to be structured so that all students can succeed. The teacher needs to develop a repertoire of strategies or activities in this phase so that students can learn in different ways and not become bored or unmotivated when learning more difficult concepts. Often lower performing students need more time to reach levels of language development similar to those of other students. Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way. From memory students engage in activities that require them to USE or apply what they have learned. Students are put in new situations-contexts in order to transfer what they have learned to it. Throughout the learning process the teacher plays many roles, depending on the phase of learning of the students. Similarly, students are expected to take on more and more responsibility for their learning not only through each B-SLIM cycle but also as the school year and grades advance.
4.1.4.Output
Learning a second or foreign language means progressively developing the ability to use the SL in a greater variety of contexts or situations with increasing comfort or fluency. Students must learn to relate language to social meaning and to use it as a vehicle for social interaction. Teachers must consciously develop activities which increase students’ sense of confidence in being able to perform in meaningful social contexts, rather than simply responding to prompts. Accuracy is emphasized at certain phases of the B-SLIM cycle when students are expected to respond more slowly and attend to details.
4.1.5.Assessment and Evaluation
Because assessment occurs throughout the model the teacher is easily able to recognize where a student is what the student has learned and what the next steps should be. For example, if the student is referring to class notes, blackboard or other mounted visual clues or a dictionary then the student is clearly still at the getting it stage. Only when content is remembered can it be used in the using it phases. Gives Feedback to the teacher about how and what students are learning, through observation and direct feedback from students. Through encouragement and conformation, students can be promoted to actively learn and flexibly apply knowledge into practice. They can thus maintain long-term learning interests and finally acquire good learning effects.
4.2.Design on Professional Teaching Activities under the Model of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model
In B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model, it is one of many diet and weight loss products which offer a wide array of promised results without objective research to back up those claims. While B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model has the advantage of its own official website there is very little actual information given there as to the complete list of ingredients and exactly how they aid in weight loss. In addition, a number of herbal sites where B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model is available suggest that the product be taken with additional supplements to keep blood sugars levels normal, reason enough to be cautious before trying this product. With other safer, more researched weight control products readily available the consumer would be wise to skip B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model Instructional Model altogether. This is particular the case for Comprehensive input, Intake and Output. In a basic sense, 3-5 classes are needed. The instructional model for college English in higher vocational colleges has gradually shown its limitations. They can thus maintain long-term learning interests and finally acquire good learning effects. Through the applications and researches of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model in higher vocational English teaching, it has made explorations on the model in the promotion of English teaching in higher vocational colleges. Through encouragement and conformation, students can be promoted to actively learn and flexibly apply knowledge into practice.
5.Conclusions
The rapid development of economy has played a deep role in the teaching environment of higher vocational education and the teaching ideas. We should make full use of the “B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model” and the advantages of the teaching method. We should make practices and research on teaching education in the higher vocational English teaching. According to the actual circumstances of the higher vocational education, a set of specific model that is suitable to the higher vocational college English teaching shall be explored. At the same time, the instructions on teachers’ scientific research theories should be strengthened. Cultivate the innovative thinking and improve the teaching efficiency. Allow the students to finish the language learning and flexibly apply the language knowledge that they have learnt to practice at the same time. Effectively improve the English application abilities and let them be successful language learners.
6.Acknowledge
Project: Established project in Guangxi Higher Educational Teaching Reform in 2012: practice and research of B-SLIM Success-Guided Language Instructional Model in English teaching of higher vocational college.
7.References
[1]Bilash, O. Planning for Writing Instruction in a Middle Years Immersion/Partial Immersion Setting [J].Foreign Language Annals, 1998, 31(2):159-169.
[2]Bilash, O. Success-based Language Instruction Model, retrieved from https://www.ualberta.ca/~jerrya/APT/files/Files%20from%20Dr.%20B/468%2006%20BSLIM.doc on September 10, 2002.
[3]JIA Zhi. On the Significance and Practice of B-SLIM Teaching Mode [J]. Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition)，2008(30):112-114.
[4]JIA Zhi, LV Qing .on the effects and influences of the TESL project to the English teaching in ethic minority areas [J].GUANGXI EDUCATION, 2009 (9).