Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: In 1983, Howard Gardner, an American professor put forward the theory of multiple intelligences (MI for short) after many years of research. The theory attracted wide attention around the world and became the important guiding ideology since the implementation of education reform by many western countries in1990s. On the basis of the analysis of the history and the status concerning MI, the thesis illustrates the application of MI to English teaching in primary schools through the design of several specific teaching plans. The paper aims at putting forward a framework of applying MI to English teaching in primary schools, helping the teachers understanding the theory better and providing guidance for their practice.

Key words: the theory of Multiple Intelligences; English teaching; primary schools

摘要：美国哈佛大学的加德纳教授通过多年研究于1983年提出了多元智能理论。该理论引起了世界范围的广泛关注并成为许多西方国家90年代以来教育改革的重要指导思想。本文在对多元智能理论研究的历史与现状进行梳理和分析的基础上，通过具体教案的设计，系统讨论了多元智能理论在小学英语教学中的应用，旨在提出一个多元智能理论在小学英语教学中应用的构想，以促进小学教师对多元智能理论的理解，为他们在教学中实践多元智能理论提供一些参考。

关键词：多元智能理论；小学；英语教学

1. Introduction
Nowadays, science and technology with information technology as main symbol continues to develop fast, while the informationization of social life and globalization of economic activities make the foreign language, especially English, becomes an indispensable tool of China's opening up to outside and international relations. Especially after China's WTO accession, people have a deep understanding of the importance of English. The society’s request for English teaching is higher and higher. The English teaching scale is enlarging constantly and the starting age of student for English learning is younger and younger. Consequently the primary school English teaching develops by leaps and bounds. The key idea of a new Curriculum Reform in Basic Education which is started in September 2009 is human oriented and English Curriculum Criteria for Full-time Compulsory Education makes claims for primary English teaching, such as face to all students and focus on quality education, Stress the Student's Prominent Place and respect the students ' individual differences. It puts forward the teaching ideas as follows, ⑴ teaching English based on the development of students ⑵ teaching English based on real life experiences and real education scene ⑶ teaching English based on conversation and communication ⑷ teaching English based on issue inquiry and so on. According to our current condition, there are still many problems in primary English teaching; for example, students’ number in one class is too large. Every class is as many as 60 students every year, sometimes 70. Too many students crush into the very limited space, so the teacher can not pay attention to everyone and students can not all participate. The teacher can not give the adequate opportunities of language practice to students and also can not give highly efficient instruction to students in time.