臺中市國小英語文輔導小組

        國語文教學中，「閱讀心得」是學生們必定進行的學習活動之一。目的無非是希望學生能將所閱讀的內容(input)經過歸納,整理,分析,進而再藉由口語表達或文字敘述有系統的產出(verbal output/written output)。其實，外語教學(例:英語教學)也應當朝這個方向努力。或許學生的英文程度不足以洋洋灑灑撰寫一大篇讀後心得，但教師們可以抱著「先求有，再求好」的心態來引領學生跨出英語寫作的第一步，先從一、兩句，進步到一段，進而分段描述。再讓學生念出自己(或同組)產出的作品。
        教師也可嘗試帶讀繪本(例：102(下)國小英語朗讀競賽篇目Miss Nelson is Missing)，自己寫一篇讀後心得，再引導學生朗讀此篇心得，進行文本內容討論。萬事起頭難，但相信只要老師帶領學生勇敢跨出英語寫作的第一步，步伐肯定崎嶇不平，肯定跌跌撞撞，但只要持之以恆的實施，相信必能提高學生的英語學習成效。
        以下為個人針對英語讀本Miss Nelson is Missing撰寫的讀後心得。

A Review of Miss Nelson is Missing

    Is it easy to be a teacher? Is it effortless to do the classroom management? If the answer is NO, this book Miss Nelson is Missing may provide you some solutions to the thorny problems.

    
In this book, Miss Nelson was an elementary school teacher with a sweet voice and much patience. Everytime she entered her classroom, she was just like an angel, persuading her little “devils” to be involved in class. However, the same scenario kept continuing. The naughty students had no motivation at all in learning and felt thrilled to behave terribly! This badly-behaved class really discouraged their homeroom teacher. With a deep sense of depression, she decided that something would have to be done. So, she disguised herself as another teacher, Miss Viola Swamp, who, a witch in the students’eyes, was a strict authoritarian. The way she led the class was like the way a general disciplined a group of soldiers. Days went by and there was no sign of Miss Nelson. The kids missed Miss Nelson! They were worried about her so much that they wished to see her immediately.

    Unexpectedly to the students, Miss Nelson returned! All the kids were on cloud nine. They were no longer rude. Instead, they conducted themselves very well in class from then on. As for this lovely change, it remained a secret between Miss Nelson and her students.

    As the English philosopher Edmund Burke said: ”Good order is the foundation of all things.” Without a doubt, an organized classroom management benefits students a lot. If the class behaves in an orderly way, all the students must learn more efficiently and effectively than the class in which the students are distractive and misbehaved. This can be difficult to achieve however, because young children tend to be more active and have a limited attention span. What can a teacher do? ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’ may not be the golden rule for education anymore since physical punishment has been prohibited and has been outdated for quite a long period. Instead, ‘a carrot and stick’ approach can be an effective alternative when a teacher is challenged with naughty, even rebellious students. The reward system assists a teacher in regulating a class. To make it work, a teacher has to discuss the class rules and routines with the whole class, let the students know that they are obliged to obey the rules commonly made by each of them, and enunciate where his/her bottom line is. Not only is the ‘stick’ needed but also the ‘carrot’. Once the students behave in a disciplined manner, a teacher’s verbal or physical rewards function as a positive reinforcement.

    In the story, Miss Nelson was a wise teacher. When she was faced with a difficult situation, she resorted to another identity, which was a sharp contrast to her previous sweet one. Through the new identity, she taught her students the fact that a friendly learning environment was based on a mutual respect between a teacher and the students. When her students learned this lesson and became good, the sweet identity, missed a lot by the students, returned right away. This book is a good reader because it challenges teachers like myself to use wisdom to tackle a variety of teaching problems and to make the classroom a fun learning environment for both the students and the teacher.