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SillySally · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 167

Subject: Calling for Papers CELEA Annual Conference 2005 (October 14-18, 2005, Xi an)
To: [email protected]

For those who wish to make a serious contribution and gain something the Chinese employer will respect and pay additional salary for, present an article on how to improve EFL teaching in China.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

It's a useless talkathlon that promotes a Party-endorsed specialist publication on "education". They have been around for years and publish anyone who spends their own money to travel to Shanghai or Peking and to talk to the crowds there.
IT is a manner of generating publishable materials for which no royalties are paid, and to give the publication the imprimatur of foreign writers based in China or anywhere in the world.
This smacks of corvee labour and exploitation.

Zero Hero · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 944

Chris_Crossley

One paper I can think of is entitled "The tremendous advantages of burning all those useless e-learning materials, text-books and lesson plans written by so-called former 'teachers' who do not have to teach any more, and forced upon teachers by managers and suchlike who don't give a hang for education, with emphasis on the impact on the learner of being taught to THINK freely for a change". How about it? Wink

latefordinner · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 973

ChrisC, what's the record for greatest number of co-authors for a single academic paper? If you got together all the Dave's regulars who've written about that, you'd no doubt own it.
Or how about Success in Teaching: You can't take the classroom out of China, but you can take the Chinese out of the classroom
Or... but perhaps the OP didn't start this thread just to see it turn into another bout of China-bashing. (But it's so fun and easy, they say) Fair enough. How seriously should we take the academic heavyweights who will participate in this forum? Could you please point us to some typical academic works that we could expect to see from this conference? (web-based for preference). I realise that the Chinese employers tend to look down on FTs as unprofessional back-packers, and no doubt some of us are. Those of us however who are credentialed and have graduated from real universities tend to look down on Chinese unis, and for very good reason.

SillySally · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 167

If you have not tried it, how do you know so much about it?

Chris_Crossley

SillySally · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 167

Defeated before you try?

I am surprised.

Most of the posts make incorrect assumptions but it is your life and you have an absolute right to ridicule from a position of ignorance.

I have suggested a way for you to try and improve your lot as EFL teachers in China. It is up to you to make the effort and try.

You remind me of the students (one in every class) who says " Teacher my English is so poor, how can I make it better?" After telling them how, they go to the internet cafe and play computer games all night instead of working on improving their English.

You ask "China sucks, how can I have a better life in China?" You simply play different games here at Dave's.

SillySally · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 167

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

This thread is reinforcing my view we may have crossed paths before, SS; did you by any chance ever refer to yourself as "Martin"? Do you happen to be a Canadian ex-lawyer?