Analysis of Teaching with Effective Combination of Higher

Vocational English Education and Professional Skills

Wu Jinxia

Ningxia Justice Police Vocational College, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750021, China

No. 350, East College Road, Xixia District, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China

Tel: 18209618761

Keywords: Higher Vocational Education, Professional Skills, Problem, Effective Combination.

Abstract: Higher vocational education aims at training high-quality talents based on social requirements, thus

promoting social development and economic prosperity. Besides, there are many development opportunities

that allow students to exert strong social competitive power in their employment or venture for great

success. Under the global economic integration, the key to improve students’ comprehensive ability is the

effective combination between higher vocational English education and professional skills. This is also the

necessary means to the cultivation of high-quality talents. This work has deeply pondered on English

education according to factors that affecting the combination between higher vocational English education

and professional skills. Finally, some measures are proposed for the effective combination between English

education and professional skills, thus improving the level of higher vocational English education.

1 INTRODUCTION

In English education, some existing problems have

affected the combination between education and

professional skills. These problems go against the

cultivation of students’ ability of knowledge

application, even affecting their career planning.

Combination between English education and

professional skills has following advantages. On the

one hand, the combination is beneficial to the

improvement of students’ comprehensive ability as

well as the cultivation of high-quality talents; on the

other hand, it creates many opportunities and

provides students with bright future.

2 PRESENT SITUATION AND

PROBLEMS OF HIGHER

VOCATIONAL ENGLISH

EDUCATION

2.1 Inadequate Connection between

Education and Practice

The final purpose of education is the practical

application of knowledge. Higher vocational English

education also aims to train students’ ability of

English application, thus making them successful in

employment or venture. The biggest problem in

higher vocational English education is the

disjunction of teaching and practice. Firstly, English

teachers in higher vocational college mostly follow

the traditional teaching model with inflexible

content and old-fashioned teaching goals. So it is

hard to satisfy the practical application of students’

English learning. Secondly, English teaching in

higher vocational college mainly focus on basic

knowledge, lacking innovation and development.

Furthermore, there is not enough connection

between English learning and practical application,

resulting in the knowledge students learned could

not find its position. As time passes, students would

reject English learning. Thirdly, there is little

connection between English teaching and social

requirement. As a result, the social requirement for

English talents cannot be satisfied, leaving higher

vocational students enormous employment pressure.

Thirdly, the feature of English teaching is not

prominent in higher vocational college. Many

colleges just pay attention to College English Test,

ignoring the practical application of English

learning. Therefore, the connection is not enough

between English teaching and practical application.

178

Jinxia W.

Analysis of Teaching with Effective Combination of Higher Vocational English Education and Professional Skills.

DOI: 10.5220/0006021601780182

In Proceedings of the Information Science and Management Engineering III (ISME 2015), pages 178-182

ISBN: 978-989-758-163-2

2.2 Blindness in Teaching Reform

The severe problem of “high in marks but poor in

abilities” has impressed people about the

disadvantages of exam-oriented education. Then the

idea of quality education is proposed and carried out

quickly. However, there is little change to the

selection mode, resulting in the blindly pursuit of

scores. Firstly, it is shown in the formalism of

teaching method. With the deepening of education

reform, instructional practice has been enriched by

various teaching methods. However, it is not the

diversity but applicability of teaching methods that

has affected the quality of teaching. In the teaching

reform, teachers just mechanically gave lectures,

ignoring the applicability and scientificalness of

teaching methods. So it is difficult to improve

teaching quality. For example, the stratified teaching

in English education has strong advantages, with

positive meaning to improve students' overall

English proficiency. But in teaching practice,

teachers just blindly divide the teaching phases.

Such behaviors not only contribute little to the

improvement of students’ English proficiency, but

also beat students’ enthusiasm, even making English

teaching get into trouble. Secondly, blind imitation

has wasted multiple teaching resources, as well as

teachers’ and students’ energy. For example, English

activities should combine students’ practical English

ability to motivate students’ enthusiasm and learning

interest, thus improving the teaching effect. Besides,

scientific and proper activities time should be

arranged to avoid the bad influence on normal

teaching. In practical teaching, many wrong cases

can be presented, even some English activities being

carried out with the sacrifice of normal teaching. On

the one hand, too many English activities will affect

normal teaching, with little contribution to the

development of teaching and improvement of

students' practical ability. On the other hand,

students will become tired and bored with the

endless activities, or even losing interest as time

goes by. Furthermore, students’ weariness may even

extend to English learning. Therefore, too many

English activities will go against the combination

between English education and professional skills.

2.3 Inadequate Cooperation between

Enterprise and College

For colleges, to cooperate with enterprise is an

effective way to improve students’ practical ability.

However, if the cooperation was inadequate,

students are unable to master knowledge and skills

well, thus affecting the effect of knowledge

application. For example, in business English

teaching, English teaching should be linked closely

to social economic and business activities to achieve

knowledge application. Then, students are able to

realize the purpose and significance of knowledge

learning, so as to promote teaching. However,

inadequate cooperation with enterprise would result

in few practice opportunity for students. Meantime,

knowledge learning and expansion are also limited,

ignoring knowledge application. Furthermore, it is

difficult for students to master and apply

professional skills, thus affecting the improvement

of students’ comprehensive quality. In aviation crew

English teaching, there is also a difference of

knowledge application in situation and in practice

for limited profession scene provided by multi-

media. Therefore, the combination with enterprise

directly affects the cultivation of students’ ability of

knowledge and improvement of their professional

skills. For another example, most talents of English

education major will take up the education positions

with clear profession goals. Therefore, teachers

should pay attention to the cultivation of students’

professional skills, allowing them to master more

teaching experience. However, the enrichment of

students’ teaching experience requires the

cooperation with related enterprises and institutions.

Then, students can obtain more professional skills in

practice, thus realizing the study for the purpose of

application.

2.4 Deficiency in Ideological Cognition

With the continuous development of universities, the

concept of talents cultivation is updating. The

employment of graduate is relatively ideal.

However, there are still some problems in the

employment and education of students, affecting the

development of higher vocational education. Firstly,

about 70% of the graduates choose jobs with little

relationship to their majors, wasting educational

resources and students’ energy and time to some

extent. Secondly, many people hold the view that

higher vocational colleges are just the cradle of

workers, where students just master professional

skills without other abilities. As a result, some

students ignore the importance of English education

and improvement of comprehensive ability, thus

affecting their scores in social positions and

promotion. Thirdly, due to the prejudice of society

to higher vocational colleges, many parents just send

children to colleges for specialty learning. With

inadequate planning and guidance for students’ life

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and occupations, most of them have the idea of

graduation for employment. Then, students become

inactive in learning, with low learning goals, so it is

hardly to develop their potential. In addition, the

selection of government civil servants mostly sets

bachelor degree as the base line, sharpening the

prejudice of society to colleges. Furthermore, the

expected value of society is low for the talents in

higher vocational colleges. Due to the deficiency

and prejudice on cognition, it is difficult to

effectively combine higher vocational English

education with professional skills. As a result,

students prefer to conduct a faint attempt at learning

rather than working hard.

3 EFFECTIVE COMBINATION

BETWEEN ENGLISH

EDUCATION AND

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

3.1 Connecting Teaching with Practice

The purpose of knowledge learning is to better serve

practice. In English teaching, the close combination

between knowledge and practice can effectively

improve students’ ability of English application and

professional skills. Firstly, close combination

between English teaching and social requirement

plays a guiding role in English teaching. Besides, it

also contributes to the cultivation of professional and

practical talents as well as development of English

education. Secondly, once English education is

placed at social practice, learning is closely linked

with application. In this way, the learned English

knowledge of students will be integrated and

expanded in practice, thus improving students’

comprehensive ability. Then, students could be the

talents with high quality and skill needed by society.

Thirdly, both the basic knowledge and practice

should be emphasized. With knowledge guiding

practice and practice expanding knowledge, students

can improve their practical ability by the learning

and application of knowledge. Then, good

foundation is established for students’ future

position in society. Fourth, school-running

characteristics should be highlighted. The

combination between English education and

professional skills should be reformed and

developed to transform knowledge into students’

ability. Then, students will be more competitive in

society, thus making brilliant achievements in their

careers.

3.2 Making Full Use of Teaching

Resources

The close combination between English education

and practice is an effective way to improve students’

professional skills. However, there are too many

constraints to achieve this combination. In practical

activities, it requires plenty of time and energy, as

well as fine and scientific planning to achieve the

expected effect. Besides, to use the teaching

resources properly and fully is also an effective way

to combine English education and professional

skills. For example, campus network should be

scientifically used to launch English education. With

the communication combined professional skills,

students’ ideology and insight will be enriched.

Besides, students’ professional skill will also be

improved with the guidance of combing knowledge

learning with practice. Meantime, teachers can also

recommend some advanced and fashionable

professions to students, motivating them to

appreciate the charm of English and profession.

Then, students will become more active to learn

English, improving their comprehensive ability and

professional skills. In addition, rational utilization of

multimedia can build vivid situations to improve the

combination between English education and

professional skills, promoting the development of

students’ comprehensive ability.

3.3 Strengthening the Cooperation

between Enterprise and College

The cooperation between college and enterprise is

the empirical essence of colleges. It is also an

effective way to improve students’ comprehensive

ability. To strengthen the cooperation, the model

should be mastered well to realize the win-win.

Firstly, colleges should pay attention to the

synchronous cultivation of students’ knowledge

ability and professional skills to avoid disjunction. If

college only teach knowledge and enterprise only

cultivate skills, then it is easy to result in the

disjunction between knowledge and practice. When

the disjunction happens, enterprise has to shoulder

more responsibility and burden to train

undergraduates, which will make them lose interest

to this cooperation. Secondly, the advantage of

college should be presented in such cooperation.

Colleges should hold the dominant position to

provide students with more positions in accordance

with their major to improve their practical skills.

Then, students could understand the relationship

between learning and application in practice, thus

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adjusting their learning state for better combination

between English learning and professional skills.

Thirdly, students should be motivated to make full

use of the surrounding resources for social practice,

thus improving their professional skills. This can

also promote the combination between English

education and professional skills. For example,

English education majors should seek the positions

such as home tutoring and teachers of remediation

class to accumulate experiences and enrich practical

knowledge. In this way, students are able to cultivate

and improve their professional skills while learning

English.

3.4 Strengthening Students’

Professional Skills

In summary, the cultivation and improvement of

professional skills is the key step in the combination

between English education and professional skills.

Then, English teaching can well serve for students’

social practice. To strengthen students’ professional

skills is a manner of reverse thinking. English

learning is an objective process, so how to learn

English well is the key of this combination. With

their professional skills strengthened, students are

able to realize the importance of English learning as

well as the requirement direction of English

application. In this way, students will hold the

keystone of English learning with the teachers’

guidance, thus improving their English ability with

aims and directions. Then English education and

professional skills are closely combined.

Furthermore, with their comprehensive ability

improved, students will become the compound

talents with high specialty and quality. In this way,

they will not only better serve social development,

but also win a splendid career.

3.5 Scientific Inspection of Teaching

Quality

Evaluation of teaching quality likes an invisible

baton, directing the education of all disciplines. In

English education, traditional inspection models are

unsuitable for the combination between English

education and professional skills, or even estranging

the combination. Besides, traditional model rather

puts the emphasis on examination than on

application, restricting the development of students’

comprehensive ability. During the inspection of

English teaching quality, the first should be

emphasized is the positive significance of traditional

inspection. Then students will actively participate

into English education under the stimulation and

supervision of traditional examination. The second

that should be emphasized is the relationship

between examination and practice. On the one hand,

the examination on both students’ knowledge and

practical ability is helpful to improve their ability of

knowledge application. On the other hand, through

the emphasizing on practice examination, the

examination results can be adjusted via the

evaluation of students’ knowledge learning and

social practice. Then, the evaluation of teaching

quality will become more scientific to promote the

relationship between English education and

professional skills, thus promoting students’ levels.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Higher vocational education is the cradle of social

talents. Society provides various opportunities for all

kinds of higher vocational graduates. In English

education, the effective combination between

English education and professional skills is helpful

to improve students’ comprehensive ability and the

ability of knowledge application. It is also an

effective way to cultivate compound talents that

needed by society. In addition, the existing problems

should be solved combined with the deficiencies in

current English education. This teaching reform is

also an important manner to promote the

combination between English education and

professional skills, with important significance for

English education. In this way, English education

will cultivate more talents and provide them with

opportunities for self-development. Then, the talents

in higher vocational colleges can better serve and

contribute to the society after graduation, thus

promoting the development of higher vocational

education.

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Yan Qin, 2013 (01): 75 - 77. On the function of english

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