Brand New Integrated English Reading and Writing Course – Reading and Writing (Part 1)

Author: Liang Xiaohui
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing, edited by three teachers from the School of International Relations—Liang Xiaohui, Yang Yangqing, and Jin Ming—is about to be officially published. As a long-standing witness to Liang Xiaohui’s growth over the years, I am delighted and would like to take this opportunity to share some thoughts on English teaching and textbooks. Since the reform and opening-up, especially in recent years, with the soaring demand in society for English skills and knowledge, a plethora of textbooks have emerged, forming what can be described as a flood of materials. However, regrettably, exercise books designed to meet examination requirements dominate the market, while textbooks meticulously researched and written to genuinely improve teaching quality and effectiveness are scarce. Moreover, imported (British and American) textbooks far outperform our domestically developed ones in sales, let alone the hastily produced, poorly crafted exercise books that often merely replicate or rehash existing materials. Thus, in the seemingly dazzling yet overcrowded market for English textbooks, truly outstanding, scientific, and practical materials are actually quite rare. Given the current unsatisfactory state of English textbooks, the Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing edited by Liang Xiaohui and his colleagues deserves even greater support and promotion.
First, the School of International Relations is relatively isolated from the clamor of the market. Their decision to compile this textbook was driven not by opportunistic ambitions but by a genuine sense of necessity derived from their teaching experiences. Since 1998, Liang and Yang have experimented with teaching reading and writing as a combined course. Over the years, they have meticulously explored and accumulated experience, reading over 120 theoretical reference books and textbooks and reviewing more than 800 journals and magazines. As they simultaneously taught and compiled the material, they continuously summarized lessons learned, analyzing the effects of the textbook in annual trials and student feedback. This approach, closely tied to teaching and aimed at improving quality, is truly commendable.
Second, what deserves special recognition is the innovation of this textbook and its efforts to enhance the scientific rigor of English teaching. Reading and writing are inherently inseparable—one absorbs language, while the other uses it, truly like two sides of the same coin. In the past, for the sake of convenience, separating the four core skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—during the foundational stage had its rationale. However, it is extremely necessary and beneficial to strengthen the combined training of listening and speaking, as well as reading and writing, thereafter. This is a win-win strategy that saves time by avoiding separate courses while fully utilizing the carefully selected material. Moreover, I believe that long-term separation of reading and writing training is not only unscientific but also counterproductive to students’ better mastery of English.
Past English teaching at Peking University and Tsinghua University often combined listening and speaking, as well as reading and writing. In the early 1950s to 1960s, senior English scholars such as Yu Dazhen and Wu Xinghua paid great attention to this tradition, for instance, assigning oral composition after students listened to a passage or using exemplary British and American essays as models for advanced students to imitate. Regrettably, in recent years, under the influence of (utilitarian) demands for rapid English proficiency and passing exams, these reasonable and effective teaching methods have been replaced by rote memorization of words, sentences, and grammar, along with endless test-taking. Through years of teaching practice, Liang and his colleagues have deeply realized the advantages of integrating reading and writing. Based on this understanding, they compiled the Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing, which has yielded satisfactory results in recent trials, proving the scientific validity of this approach.
In terms of specific design and teaching philosophy, the textbook also introduces many innovations. I particularly appreciate its effort to enhance students’ thinking and analytical skills. A common misconception in society is to place all expectations or standards for learning English on memorizing words and grammar. However, simply stringing words together with grammar does not necessarily produce good English, and it may even lead to "Chinese English" that foreigners find incomprehensible. The Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing employs certain teaching methods and exercises to ensure students grasp not only the literal meanings of words but also their extended meanings, not just the information provided in the text but also the author’s intent, and to focus on training students’ thinking methods during reading. Thus, this textbook and teaching approach aim to support students by fostering their abilities.
Using the analogy of poverty alleviation, this is akin to not just "giving money and goods to the poor" but also "teaching them skills and methods" to help them become self-reliant. To cultivate students’ independence, the textbook is designed in units, with three thematically similar reading materials selected for each unit, emphasizing pre-reading focus (Pre-reading Focuses) and post-reading deepening (Post-reading Focuses). In writing, instead of practicing vocabulary and grammar through sentence-making, it includes micro-writing skills practice (Micro-writing Skills Practice) and functional training (Functional Training) for words and sentence patterns. Additionally, the textbook rarely uses simple bilingual glossaries to introduce words, and exercises—whether cloze, multiple choice, or sentence completion—clearly emphasize holistic understanding and a global perspective on the meaning of sentences, repeatedly correcting students’ (bad habits) of stopping to look up unfamiliar words. These improvements target the fallacy that "grammar plus vocabulary equals learning English."
What is even more important is that this teaching method, as pursued in the Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing, can spark students’ strong interest in learning English. When they experience the richness and rigor of English expression, learning English no longer becomes a mechanical, rote-learning ordeal. While it is necessary to memorize some vocabulary and sentence patterns, especially for those learning English for communication, trade, or tour guiding, rote memorization remains a viable approach. However, the current market’s emphasis on "memorizing new words" as the key to learning English is actually misleading learners, with the real purpose being to boost sales of learning materials. I believe that the right path for college English teaching is to inspire students’ deeper interest and expand their vocabulary through understanding meaning.
The renowned 20th-century linguist I.A. Richards (I.A. Richards) once proposed a plan for foreigners learning English, based on his language acquisition theory. His plan limited the vocabulary to only 800 basic English words, claiming that any foreigner who mastered these could communicate in English in all aspects of life. Richards’ teaching principles influenced English instruction at universities like Peking and Tsinghua in the 1930s and 1940s, and this is a critical lesson for every English teacher to recognize.
Although the School of International Relations is relatively isolated and lacks a powerful publisher to promote its textbooks, the Comprehensive English Reading and Writing Integrated Course·Reading and Writing has shown me an effort to correct the current deviations in English teaching in China. Of course, this textbook still has imperfections, but its direction is undoubtedly commendable. I hope that after its publication, it will receive more feedback and support from users, and through continuous revision and supplementation, it will eventually become a distinctive classic textbook.