陳燕娜

(浙江師范大學(xué)，浙江 金華 321004)

0 Introduction

Today,as economic globalization develops in depth,China is increasingly paying attention to the foreign language education,especially to the English teaching for learners of all ages.Therefore,competent and high-quality foreign language teachers are eagerly needed in China.According to Xia Jimei[1](2002),one of the core problems of college English teaching reform in our country is the problem of teachers’quality.Likewise,English teaching in primary and middle schools also has the similar problem.In this context,competent and high-quality English teachers are eagerly needed in China.Andrews[2](2007)argues that the possession of an adequate level of TLA is an essential attribute of any competent L2 teacher.Here,TLA refers to teachers’language awareness.In the USA,Lantolf[3](2009)has also argued that foreign language(FL)teacher education programs need to (re)invest in courses designed to enhance the depth and breadth of explicit knowledge of the target language (TL)of their graduates.And Youngju Han and Rod Ellis[4](1998)define that explicit knowledge is knowledge about the L2.

With the current educational situation taken into consideration,it is urgent to design knowledge about language (KAL)courses to expand and consolidate Chinese L2 teachers’explicit knowledge of the target language to improve the quality of L2 teachers,with the purpose of meeting the educational demand of the country.

1 Definitions of TLA and KAL

It is necessary to make clear the definitions of TLA and KAL.According to Andrews[5](2001),in relation to L2 education,Thornbury offers the following definition of the language awareness of teachers:“the knowledge that teachers have of the underlying systems of the language that enables them to teach effectively”.According to such a view,TLA is essentially concerned with subject-matter knowledge and its impact upon teaching.Thornbury’s definition indicates that TLA can improve the L2 teachers’teaching quality in that they are aware of the language they teach.As for the KAL,Simon Borg[6](2005)defines it as the“collection of attitudes towards and knowledge about English[language]which teachers possess”,and he also suggests that “enabling teachers to develop and sustain a realistic awareness of their KAL should be an important goal for teacher education and development programmes”[7].Accordingly,the relationship between KAL and TLA is that TLA is a declarative KAL related to pedagogy.

2 Main problems that impedes the development of L2 teachers in China

It is indispensable to recognize the main problems which are impeding the development of L2 teachers in China.Here are four problems.

2.1 There is a lack of English language ability among Chinese L2 teachers.

From his case study about a Chinese middle school English teacher’s class performance,Zou Weicheng[8](2009)finds that the first problem of Chinese L2 teachers is the lack of English language ability,which involves language knowledge and language use in terms of listening,speaking,reading and writing.That means L2 teachers should rich their language knowledge and improve their language competence,so that they can develop their KAL and take it into practice to direct their teaching.

2.2 KAL mastered by L2 teachers is not so comprehensive

In her research about the language awareness of middle school teachers,Wei Ran[9](2011)discovers that the teachers’knowledge about some aspects of language (i.e.phonology,vocabulary,English culture)is not so rich,while their knowledge about grammar and discourse is relatively solid.For example,in the aspect of phonology,the teachers’average score is 2.87 (the full mark is 5).About 43.3%of these teachers scorebelow 2,which indicatestheseteachers’ knowledge about phonology is rather limited.Moreover,many teachersstillcannot distinguish between voicelessconsonantsand voiced consonants[9].Through interviewing these middle school teachers,the researcher finds that,in middle school,the emphasis of teaching English is not on the phonology,but on the grammar and other aspects of knowledge;hence they overlook teaching knowledge about phonology.Gradually,their own knowledge of phonology degenerates.To make matters worse,even though these teachers have already realized their lack of enough KAL,they do not take action to improve the awkward situation in that they lack the awareness of teaching reflection.There are many similar examples reflecting the problem that teachers’KAL is so limited among Chinese L2 teachers,which prevent them from developing and advancing.

2.3 The L2 teachers’education and training are full of problems

Yuan Yanhua[10](2012)finds out that the courses designed for teacher training always lack pertinence,which are far from the actual demand of training excellent teachers.What’s worse,the domestic short-term teacher training programs have a lot of deficiencies in terms of content and form,whose effect can not last long,let along meeting the present developmental requirements of L2 teachers.

2.4 TLA in China is weak

From her research on the language awareness of eighty primary and middle school English teachers,Wang Qi[11](2004)concludes that the level of TLA of these teachers is low,which directly and seriously impacts the innovation of the teaching idea and teaching methods.The manifestations of the weak language awareness of these teachers are:they lack knowledge about language and other related knowledge;their relevant social and cultural knowledge of English-speaking countries is very limited;they lack the proper ability of discrimination and judgment,and so forth[11].As a result,their weak TLA has a bad effect on their teaching quality,preventing their self-improvement.

In order to realize a healthy development of Chinese L2 teachers,these problems mentioned above should be solved carefully and timely.Fortunately,more and more scholars have realized the importance of language awareness of L2 teachers.As Zhang Zhengdong[12](2003)claims,it is the fundamental requirement that English teachers should learn English well,masterEnglish knowledge and skills as wellas comprehensive skills.If L2 teachers do not have a solid foundation of English language,they will naturally fail to advance their English teaching.What’s more,some scholars find that TLA can enhance the efficiency of classroom input,promote reflective practice of L2 teachers,and thus improve the quality of teaching.

3 Conclusion

From what have been discussed above,great importance should be attached to the KAL courses,which are designed to enhance the depth and breadth of the L2 teachers’all aspects of knowledge about the target language.Simon Borg[7](2001)claims that the way teachers’perceive their knowledge about all aspects of language (i.e.grammar,vocabulary,phonology,discourse)will impact on how they view and approach classroom activities which focus the student’s attention on language systems.Teachers’ KAL has much widerimplications fortheir pedagogical practices.For example,it may influence the manner in which instructional materials are selected and presented to students[6].In addition,the well-designed KAL courses will also help teachers to learn how to monitor their own knowledge about language.

Of course,implementing the well-designed KAL courses for L2 teachers is not enough in the process of promoting L2 teachers’development in China.It is necessary for L2 teachers to keep “a healthy attitude towards the continuing development of their KAL”[6],to realize the development of their own.

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