An Analysis of Cultural Obstacles on English Learning

Language and culture can not be separated. It is impossible to learn language well if people do not master cultural background. With the frequent communication between China and other nations throughout the world, cross-cultural communicative competence is put forward to be the ultimate goal of foreign language learning in China. However, in present situation, cultural factor has not gained its due place in students’ English learning. Based on this circumstance, this paper analyzes the cultural obstacles on English learning from the aspects of listening, reading and communicating, and puts forward that while instructing English language, teachers of English should pay attention to and spread cultural background knowledge of English speaking nations to improve students’ language comprehension ability and cross-cultural communicative competence.     

外语学习中文化身份的探究(英文)

With the trend of globalization and the diversity of culture,language learners should improve intercultural communication competence in the flexible culture atmosphere.Especially,they should be aware of the importance of cultural identity in foreign language learning.On the basis of theories on intercultural communication study and second language acquisition,it will discuss the relationship between cultural identity and foreign language learning by analyzing the case study of language and culture learning experiences.     

Intrinsic and Indispensable Relationships between Language Learning and Culture Learning-Based on Case Studies of Cross-cultural Communication

Language and culture are closely related with each other: language is the carrier and a fundamental part of culture, while culture has an intrinsic and indispensable impact on language and is also reflected in language. So if in the language learning and teaching, attention is only paid to the linguistic forms but the relationship between language and culture is ignored, then the learner’s linguistic ability will not be equivalent to his or her social and cultural communication competence. Especially in the times of globalization with increasing transna tional and cross-cultural communication, the knowledge of cultural background is the must prerequisite for not only the avoidance of cul tural "conflict" but the success of communication. Based on the studies of several cross-cultural communication cases and the analysis of the relationship between language and culture, including the famous Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, this paper is aimed to analyze the intrinsic and in dispensable relationship between language learning and culture learning.     

成人在二语学习过程中的文化信息输入学习模式

语言是文化的一部分，两者具有不可分割性。语言的学习过程实质上也就是文化的学习过程。因此，强调文化信息输入的模式应用，必然会使成人学习者在二语习得的过程中加快进度，取得语言学习的成功。     

沉默语的跨文化差异

沉默语是一种能传达丰富信息的非语言交际行为,但是不同文化背景下的人对它的理解不同。中国人认为“语言是银,沉默是金,”相信“静水深流”。而西方人对沉默语的理解则是负面的,认为“我说,故我在”。本文介绍了中西方在文化与教学上对沉默语的不同理解,详细分析了这种差别的文化渊源,强调了语言学习与文化的密不可分。在学习一种语言的时候,我们不仅要学习它的言语知识方面,还要有非言语方面的知识。作为非言语交际的一个方面,沉默语是我们成功地学习一种语言,避免跨文化交际的失败所必须要了解的一个方面。     

We!Design: A student-centred participatory methodology for the design of educational applications

The development of educational applications has always been a challenging and complex issue, mainly because of the complications imposed by the cognitive and psychological aspects of student–computer interactions. This article presents a methodology, named We!Design, that tries to encounter the complexity of educational applications development from within the participatory design framework. The methodology enables computer literate students and designers to cooperate in the design of applications that (1) enhance typical educational processes for which students have extensive experience in, such as note taking or assessment, and (2) are well‐suited to the technological, social and cultural particularities of each educational environment. The methodology can be easily applied in real educational contexts and consists of two phases. During the first phase, students participate in short‐duration design sessions where they formulate needs, tasks and interface prototypes for the educational application under examination. In the second phase, the designers systematically analyse and then integrate student suggestions. In order to evaluate the methodology, it was applied in the design of two educational applications: an electronic assessment environment and a course website. A total of 86 undergraduate informatics students participated in 22 4‐hour design sessions. The methodology was evaluated by collecting students' responses through questionnaires and by introspection on the video recordings of the design sessions. The design sessions proved to be a very intriguing experience for the students while the methodology's products managed to respond to their personal needs and expectations in an efficient and effective way.     

文化与语言学习策略

文化是语言教学的一个重要组成部分。在语言学习中倘若忽视语言中的文化因素,就不可能学好语言。因为,目标语与本族语文化的差异不仅会影响学习者对目标语的正确理解和准确运用,而且学习者的本土文化也会影响他自身的学习行为。文化因素会直接影响到学习者学习策略的选择和应用。学习者和教师只有充分重视文化因素对语言学习的影响,才能获得语言学习的成功。     

A Framework for the Design Studio in Web‐Based Education

Design education should integrate design concepts and skills with practical and theoretical knowledge through collaborative learning. Computer‐mediated communication systems used in web‐based education systems are quite appropriate for this principle by enabling global access to course material as well as allowing interaction of participants at distributed learning environments at anytime. Course design broadly requires the organization of time, space and activities considering the tools and methods used. Based on these issues, this study proposes a framework for the design of a web‐based studio course with respect to the nature of the design process. An implementation of a sample web‐based course design is included to support the idea. Considering the benefits and limitations, the nature of web‐based design courses is explored first. Then, the sociological, ideological, epistemological and pedagogical aspects of a design studio are examined within the framework of objectives (why), objects (what), methodology (how) and management (who) with special emphasis given to synchronous and asynchronous communication.     

浅析文化身份认同与语言学习

语言是文化的载体,也是文化交流、保存和传承的工具.语言学习的过程同时也是文化学习的过程,因此语言学习在学习者文化身份的构建过程中起着至关重要的作用;反过来,文化身份认同也影响着语言的学习.二者相互影响,相互制约.如何正确理解和看待语言学习和文化身份的关系,有助于语言教学和学习者文化身份的保存与维护.     

Developing Instructional Web Sites – A Software Engineering Approach

This paper focuses on the application of software engineering practices to the development of instructional web sites. The development of a web site, to support a distance or campus-based online course, is a very complex process that involves many instructional and technical aspects, including the instructional purpose of the course, its content, its structure, its interface, and its teaching–learning activities. The use of a method is essential for dealing with the complexity of this process. We describe, in this paper, a software engineering method that helps course designers and teachers to develop high quality instructional web sites. The design of the method was based on the integration of well-known principles, concepts and process models borrowed from instructional design, method engineering, and object-oriented software engineering. The method addresses the managerial processes required to plan, organize, and control the project, as well as the instructional and technical activities involved in the development of high quality course sites.     

基于资源学习的专门用途英语网络教育探讨——以《旅游英语》课程为例

网络环境下的专门用途英语外语教学发生了巨大的变化。如何有效利用网络学习资源开展专门用途英语教学,如何整合资源架构有效的知识平台成为语言学者及外语教师关注的问题。     

Characterizing navigation in interactive learning environments

Interactive learning environments (ILEs) are increasingly used to support and enhance instruction and learning experiences. ILEs maintain and display information, allowing learners to interact with this information. One important method of interacting with information is navigation. Often, learners are required to navigate through the information space of an ILE, a process which can be quite difficult and cognitively exacting as the information space becomes very large and complex. Proper design can make this process less exacting and, at the same time, facilitate better learning of the information space. However, this is not easy to do, especially for ILEs. Frameworks can assist in the effective analysis and design of interactive environments. However, there is lack of conceptual frameworks for guiding the analysis and design of navigation in ILEs. This paper tries to address this issue by presenting a framework which can be used to characterize navigation within ILEs. To create this framework, this paper brings together research from various disciplines, such as human-computer interaction design, educational multimedia design, cognitive technologies and learning sciences. This framework prescribes a three-stage process for designing and analyzing navigation: 1. content structuring; 2. information navigation modeling; 3. interface presentation structuring. By bringing these three stages together, it is intended to provide a conceptual framework to assist and guide designers in the proper analysis and design of navigation in ILEs.     

外语教学研究的文化视角

外语教学研究中的文化视角有三个层面的内容：其一是外语教学中的文化教学，其二是外语教学中跨文化交际能力的培养，其三是学习文化对外语教学的影响。     

A natural language user interface for fuzzy scope queries

This paper presents a two-agent framework to build a natural language query interface for IC information system, focusing more on scope queries in a single English sentence. The first agent, parsing agent, syntactically processes and semantically interprets natural language sentence to construct a fuzzy structured query language (SQL) statement. The second agent, defuzzifying agent, defuzzifies the imprecise part of the fuzzy SQL statement into its equivalent executable precise SQL statement based on fuzzy rules. The first agent can also actively ask the user some necessary questions when it manages to disambiguate the vague retrieval requirements. The adaptive defuzzification approach employed in the defuzzifying agent is discussed in detail. A prototype interface has been implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness. Project (No. 98-15) supported by the National Planning Committee of China     

浅谈英语教学与文化教育

英语教学离不开文化教育。文化差异是跨语言学习的障碍,文化教育是运用语言进行交际的关键。文化教育的内容包括:词汇的文化内涵、称呼语、感谢和答语、赞美、隐私、打招呼、礼节、介绍、节日等。在英语教学中不能只单纯注意语言教学,还必须加强语言的文化导入,并把文化教育渗透于语言学习的各个环节。     

外语教学中的文化教学

不同的语言代表着不同的文化，学习一种外语的同时也在学习这种语言的文化。因此，外语教学不应只停留在语言因素本身，而应引导学生深入地了解和学习目标语的文化知识。文化教学应当包含在语言教学的各个环节之中，只有语言知识与文化背景相结合才能使学生更好地习得语言本身。     

A model for self‐regulated distance language learning

The role of learner autonomy and self‐regulated learning in distance education has received much attention. The application of these concepts impacts course design and, potentially, learner achievement. In the case of distance language learning, course designers must consider not only how to help learners gain communicative competence but also language learner strategies that support success. Although the concepts of autonomy and self‐regulated learning share some similarities, they have been variously defined and applied to distance education. Current research and discussion has not synthesized the ways in which these factors can be more fully utilized to improve distance education. Based on a critical review and synthesis of the literature on autonomy and self‐regulation, this article contributes a new model for distance language learning. The model provides guidance for course designers and assists instructors in supporting their students.     

略论跨文化交际中的文化差异现象

在跨文化交际活动中 ,除了语言的不同 ,还有文化的差异。本文通过浅析中国与西方国家的文化差异 ,阐述了在跨文化交际中 ,文化的重要性是不可忽视的。所以 ,学习外语的同时 ,必须了解与这种外语有密切关系的文化。     

中西文化对比在英语学习中的作用

语言与文化是相辅相成的。为了克服语言学习中的文化障碍,文化对比是外语学习中不可或缺的环节。在英语学习的听、说、读、写各个方面注重文化背景知识的比较和学习,真正了解不同民族间的文化差异,才能在奠定良好的语言基础的同时,增强文化意识,从而为跨文化交际打下稳固的基础。