2. Literature Review

     At present, with the advocation of education for all-round development and the liberal education, the Chinese government is trying to carry out the educational reform. Admittedly, to some degree, the traditional teaching methods have many bad effects in students, we can find they feel unhappy in English class. Therefore, some new teaching methods, Happy Teaching methods, come into being. In fact, experts have started the research on Happy English Teaching methods since 1980 because of the heavy learning burdens and students’ complains. The British philosopher Herbert Beidler claimed: Happy Teaching methods mean joyful study, entertaining, educating, and enriching.( Herbert Beidler,2003:15) At present, there are many researches about the English Happy Teaching Methods and they are mainly about the application in junior school or middle school. Recently, more and more people show more concern to the research about the Happy Teaching in the primary school. And they are mainly focus on the English class and pay little attention to students’ after-class activities which is also an important part of English Happy Teaching. Although the reasearch of this topic has made certain achievement, it still needs our further discussion. In view of these, this paper will research the basic procedures of a happy English class(including after-class assignments), which is the innovation of the paper.

2.1 The Background of Happy Teaching Methods

     Nowadays, the Chinese and foreign educationalists have the extremely rich elaboration to the teaching question. We may obtain such understanding: The Happy Teaching methods are in the teaching process, fully transfer the teacher and student’s enthusiasm, make the teacher happy to teach and make the students happy to learn. And the students will obtain the full scale development on their own initiative. Meanwhile, the students will obtain the pleasure of success, throughout fully experiences of overcoming difficulties. This mutual recognition can help us to have the profound enlightenment and the model. (Liu li,2007:18)

2.2 The Functions of Happy Teaching Methods

     The British philosopher Herbert Spencer says: “Education has for its object the formation of character.” Happy Teaching methods do for its object the formation of character. How to demonstrate that Happy Teaching methods play an important role in education? 

     In the first place, Happy Teaching methods will cultivate students’ interest in English learning. In the past, teachers often teach the students in a fossilized way, they only care about the cultivation of the knowledge but pay no attention to students’ the development of the age characteristics and mental state emotion. They feel unhappy so they have no interest. But now, there are many various kinds of activities of forms used in class, it may be very fresh to them, and they will happy to see it.（Li Zhenlei,2005:36）

     In the second place, Happy Teaching methods will develop students the ability to solve problems for themselves. In life, many people are likely to meet many difficulties. Thus the students have to learn to face the difficulties bravely. In class, the teachers will set a lot of scenes for the students. How to get on well with the classmates? How to communicate with other students? The students will live by themselves.（Liu Zhiqian,2005:27）

In the third place, Happy Teaching methods will also foster the students’ ability to study on their own. The pleasure of learning is not confined to learning from textbooks, which are often too tedious. Among the pleasure of learning, we should conclude travel-with an open mind, an alert eye and a visit to understand people, other places, rather than looking in them for a mirror image of oneself(Chi fanghao,2000:23)

2.3 The Main Differences Between Happy Teaching Methods and Traditional Teaching Methods in the Primary School