sitcoms_as_a_tool_for_elt(语言教学的工具-情景剧).pdf

Sitcoms as a tool for ELT English teachers have been using videos in the classroom for decades and, more recently DVDs and online video clips from Youtube or Myspace . Sitcoms are an excellent classroom resource for a number of reasons. An episode generally lasts 30 minutes - so we dont have to worry about students getting bored or losing the plot - as sometimes happens when we watch a feature film. Sitcoms are often repetitive too. Students who watch more than one episode become familiar with the characters and their catchphrases. As students begin to predict how a character might behave in a particular circumstance they will become more motivated and enjoy a sense of achievement. Authentic English Sitcoms provide us with authentic English in all its guises. The situations that the sit refers to are often situations that are universal. Students are already familiar with the basic set up - even though things are never quite the same in another country. ‘Dodgy Del Boy (A character from the TV show ‘Only Fools and Horses) characters exist all over the world although rather than dealing in fake antiques or stolen perfumes they might instead be involved in olive oil deals, pirated DVDs or bogus wine labels. Who isnt familiar with the ‘Sybil Fawlty (A character from the show ‘Faulty Towers) type - complete with illusions of grandeur and an exasperating realisation of having married the wrong man? Traditional English teaching videos that are specifically designed for the classroom lack a vital element that only authentic material can provide. The speech is often slowed down and laboured; the situations at best implausible, at worst banal. Very often teachers underestimate the ability of their students to understand authentic language and so they shy away from real material in favour of these purpose-made recordings. Or worse, they dont use any videos - thereby denying their cla