introduction

As a primary school English teacher, the author has long been exposed to students with weak English foundations. Through action research, they record and analyze their learning status, reflect on teaching behavior, and explore suitable learning methods to improve their learning effectiveness, while promoting the development of their professional abilities.

Classroom learning patterns of students with weak English foundation

Through the classroom learning patterns of eight students with weak English foundations in Class 6 (2) in 2016, three different types of learning difficulties were revealed. The first type of students remain silent in class, do not participate in learning activities, and worry about being ridiculed; The second type of students participate in learning but use inappropriate methods, such as using Chinese Pinyin or Chinese characters to mark English words and memorizing them by rote; The third type of students actively participate but have poor grades, non-standard pronunciation, and weak language expression abilities. The interview found that these students generally feel frustrated and believe that active participation does not effectively improve their English grades.

Analysis of the difficulties faced by students with weak English foundations

Analyzed the three major difficulties faced by students with weak English foundations in primary schools: 1 Difficulty in memorizing words, due to weak phonological awareness, unable to combine the sound, form, and meaning of words, resulting in a poor vocabulary; 2. Difficulty in memorization accumulation, lack of effective learning methods, slow accumulation of language knowledge, inability to improve language sense, forming a vicious cycle; 3. Difficulty in language communication, with differences in vocabulary, grammar, expression, and thinking fluency compared to students with good foundations, leading to a lack of confidence and a widespread phenomenon of "mute English".

'Little Steps' Teaching: The Way to Help Students with Weak English Foundations Get Rid of Difficulties

The "Little Steps" teaching method has been proposed to help primary school students with weak English foundations improve their learning outcomes. Firstly, it emphasizes that teachers should avoid high-density and fast-paced teaching methods and provide students with sufficient learning time. Then, the three steps of phonetic teaching were introduced in detail: understanding the pronunciation of words, classifying phonemes, memorizing and recognizing phonetic symbols, and watching micro lessons to deepen students' impression, in order to promote word memory and phonetic awareness. Secondly, the three steps of memorization teaching were discussed: dividing into long sentence comprehension memorization, using scaffolding to narrate memorization, and thinking and answering questions memorization, in order to enhance students' memorization ability and language input. In addition, the concept of integrated teaching has been proposed, which helps students consolidate vocabulary, enrich expressions, deepen themes, and expand knowledge accumulation by selecting suitable extracurricular reading materials. Finally, the importance of group cooperative teaching was emphasized, which can stimulate students' communicative motivation and improve their language communication skills by setting up basic, thinking content, thematic discussions, and other activities. Overall, a systematic approach has been provided for students with weak English foundations, including phonetic symbols, memorization, integrated reading, and cooperative learning, to promote their English learning and development.

conclusion

Emphasis was placed on the importance of personalized teaching for students with weak English foundations, advocating that teachers avoid a one size fits all approach in teaching and enhance students' learning confidence and internal drive through praise and motivation. At the same time, it is pointed out that teachers need to be patient and conduct in-depth research to fully understand the reasons for students' learning difficulties, establish tracking files, continuously guide students, and help them achieve self breakthrough. Teachers should view these students from a developmental perspective and believe that they can make progress through effective guidance and assistance.