On the use of cooperative learning in college students improve English writing skills

[Abstract] learn cooperative learning, by teachers to the students the task, each group according to specific tasks or issues for discussion and cooperation, specifically the students rewrite the sentences, sentences arranged in order to collect data and modify the composition and other aspects are for of training, and cited the example of a series of practical significance, that the written expression in English teaching staff, cooperative learning is an effective method for students ability to cooperate, ability to learn and communicate with others capabilities are of great help.

[Keywords:] cooperative learning English in grade written expression

Written expression in English teaching in a key and difficult, coaching teachers and students can not do without their own research, accumulation and repeated practice and revision. Previous written expression in English class I usually like this: a unit of study after completion , given a certain theme, select a theme or topic, ask students to use the language learned in this unit of data written expression. the classroom, students or example, or contrast, or demonstration, using the traditional "three-stage method" to combined into a composition, so that the results of most of the class is: no ideas teachers lecture, students writing as stereotyped as a tone, a model. In addition, there is no clear theme, words and sentences are inaccurate, confusing syntax, etc. many problems.

Written expression of this teaching model is characterized by: the careful guidance of teachers, students independently, the teacher marking, assessment, the students written expression. "Teacher talk, students listen, the students wrote," will lead to students are very passive, no way to give full play to their initiative and creativity. In order to change this situation, this semester, I am writing to express the teaching of English has made a new attempt, written expression lesson in the concept of "cooperative learning" concept.

Cooperative learning theory: the so-called cooperative learning, is that students in the group or team in order to accomplish common goals and tasks, there is a clear division of responsibilities for mutual learning. Therefore, cooperative learning can be simply understood as: the task of teachers to the students, each group according to specific tasks or issues for discussion and cooperation, this task group report to class this semester, I tried to use cooperative learning the teaching of written expression, specific practices are as follows:
First, the use of cooperative learning exercises rewrite the sentence so that students learn "words and sentences" and use a variety of sentence
For example: It was the first time for Jack to see the 3snow mountain. This sentence through group discussions, there may be several versions of the rewrite:
Jack has seen the snow mountain for the first time.

Jack has never seen the snow mountain before.

Through group discussion and collaboration, students can appreciate the different sentences, different phrases to express the same meaning, you can also feel the English sentence flexible, but also in the process of rewriting familiar with a different syntax problems. In this way, students can avoid monotony in the written expression and sentence repetition.

Second, the use of cooperative learning exercises arranged in sentences, so that students understand the logical relationship between sentences, a paragraph is to understand how to build
Learning in lessons, each lesson I will select a paragraph, artificially interrupted sentence order, and let students re-combination, arrangement of sentences, such as: high school English Book PEP fifth unit < > The first paragraph of several sentences, people will upset the order of the sentence:
In the farmyards, the chickens and even the pigs were too nervous to eat.

Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeast Hebei.

A smelly gas came out of the cracks.

For three days the water in the village wells rose and fell, rose and fell.

Farmers noticed that the well walls had deep cracks in them.

In the learning process, students are asked to group as a unit, carefully read the above five sentences, reordering them, different groups have different answers, then the answer to this team on the books with the original control so that students can understand the sentence and the logical relationship between sentences, such as causality, time sequence, etc. This is training students how organisms sentences, paragraphs reasonably useful form.

Third, the use of cooperative learning methods to collect and collate information
Inseparable from the accumulation of written expression, grammar if you usually do not accumulate, fixed with, used to express or typical sentences, conjunctions, etc., students find it difficult to complete the written expression tasks. Or to "A night the earth didn'sleep>> this article, for example, requires students to "natural disaster" as the theme separately collect and collate information. Eventually integrated into the group's information:
The first group (on the "earthquake")
hit hit, hit, to suffer.

strike suddenly against.

jolt to jolt, shake.

rock shake, shake, to vibration.

roll across fluctuations, ups and downs, roll.

rip through split, break open, sudden, charging into the cross-hit.

The second group (on the "destruction"
damage damage, injury.

destroy destroy, destroy, destroy. Links to free download http://www.hi138.com shatter damage, destroyed, shattered.

devastate devastation, destruction, the abandoned, destroyed.

level down, flattened.

flatten to the ground.

The third group (the phrase
Rescue group: rescue team.

Relief materials: disaster relief materials.

Donation: the caring donation.

Donation message: the message of donation.

Blood donation: donate blood.

Silence: observe silence.

A series of aftershocks: A series of tremors.

Relief supplies: sleeping bags, tents, medicines, food and clothing.

The fourth group (the sentence
For the earthquake affected people to provide clothes, food and other necessary things.

The quake-afflicted people were all provided with clothing, food and other things they needed.

We sent a group of nurses to move into a new worst-affected areas.

We're sending a fresh draft of nurses to the worst hit area.

Disaster relentless, enthusiastic people.

There is no love in disaster, but we have love in humans heart.

Hear the Sichuan earthquake I feel very sad!
I feel very sad to heard about earthquake what has happened in Sichuan province of China!
Never yield to the disaster, the Chinese nation.

The Chinese people will never give in to the disaster.

Let us join hands together through the crisis.

Let us stay together to overcome this strong earthquake.

Division of labor and cooperation through group, students in small groups to collect the relevant to the subject of words, phrases, and sentences, after the exchange of results between the group and share their knowledge broader, but also for the accumulation of a good written expression material in the process of collecting and collating information, both the division and co-operate, not only exercise the team spirit, but also opened up the horizons, deepen the understanding of knowledge and understanding and integration.

Fourth, the use of cooperative learning to complete the written expression
Written expression "language requires students to have a solid basic skills, with some moderation ability, imagination, skills, etc., but not require candidates to follow the prompts to translate sentence by sentence, but requires prompt candidates to fully understand the premise, in their own language organization a substantial and coherent sentences, words appropriate to the writing. "
As used herein, the cooperative learning is a "guided written expression" practice, but also a kind of collaborative learning in the teacher's guidance, the class into groups, each group member to take care of the good, the backward students. Members cooperate with each other, understand the subject, to seize the key points, words and sentences, line sentence order, the natural transition to a paragraph, so that students can reduce the use of "Chinglish" frequency to help reduce the burden on teachers' duties, but also conducive to students written expression levels.

Written expression abilities and long-term improvement is a complex training process depends on a solid foundation and a large number of written expression practice. The cooperative learning students can fully mobilize the enthusiasm, the students rewrite the sentences, sentence ordering, collecting accumulated organize knowledge of the language, even in the essay in full exercise, can also be classroom learning extends beyond the classroom to enhance students' learning and research capabilities, to effectively promote the improvement of students' writing skills.

[References]
1. Sun Limei: <<Science and Technology Information>>, 2009, (28)
2. Qin Wang Du: <<group cooperative learning action research>>, the National Foreign Language Teaching, 2004
3. Wang Tan: <<Cooperative Learning: Principles and Strategies>> Academy Press, 2001 Links to free download http://www.hi138.com