利用閱讀教育突破在臺灣教授英語的困境

Abstract

本文首先指出在臺灣教授英文最大的困境在於學生一離開教室就沒有使用英文的環境與機會，而經常使用卻是學好任何語言的不二法門。雖然臺灣的教柮當局最近幾 年在提倡英語學習方面所投注的心力不可謂不大，如提前國小開始教師語及斥鉅資聘請以英語為母語之外籍教師來臺任教，但英語使用環境的改變是一件浩大的工 程，恐怕需要幾十年的努力才能竟其功。 本文於是根據Krashen的可理解輸入理論並結合臺灣英文之實際使用情形，提出了一個解決辦法，那就是利用自小學開始學英文的良好時機，儘量在小學階段 就讓學童在聽說讀寫各方面都有一個良好基礎，然後在國中階段施以密集閱讀輔導教育，培養學生自我閱讀的習慣。一旦此一良好習恰得以養成，那麼學生無形中增 加了許多練習英文的機會，英文能力的進一步鞏固就不再是個問題，進入大學後，也才能真正利用英文去求取新知，達到我們教授英文的目的。

This paper starts out by pointing out that the biggest problem that we face in a context of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) like what we have here in Taiwan, is that once a student leaves the language class there is practically no chance for him/her to put his/her English to use. Even though the educational authorities have made a lot of effort in promoting English, such as starting English instruction from elementary school, and hiring foreign native-speaking teachers to teach in Taiwan, it has been rightly observed that the social environment is not likely to improve substantially within the short span of a generation. Applying Krashen’s comprehensible Input Theory to the learning situation where, according to Chen’s survey the only skill that people in Taiwan have a chance of practicing their English is reading, we argue that a breakthrough in English learning can be achieved if we , cashing in on the opportunity of beginning English instruction in elementary school, design a program that starts with the instruction of all four skills to lay a solid foundation for English learning and gradually shifts our emphasis to the teaching of reading skills so that the students can engage themselves in self-study through extensive reading. It is argued that this is the most efficient way by means of which massive literacy in English can be achieved in and EFL context like Taiwan.