teaching secondary students in China
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Louise Blair
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:24 am
- Location: China
teaching secondary students in China
I am interested in ESL teachers' opinions/views about their experience in teaching secondary students in China. I believe that some teachers are finding the notion that students in China are generally highly motivated is not the case after all. In fact some suggest that their students seem to have little interest in learning English. Some even say their students are lazy and ill-mannered in class. Is this an increasingly common picture?
I've been teaching in China for about 8 months now and in a few different locations, and for the most part, I would say that it really varies as to how your classes will be. You may have one class that's very interested followed by a class full of irritating little brats. Remember, there is little standard for education in China, so the levels of the students can vary from impressive to frighteningly basic even in the same class. It's hard to comment on general trends.
My advise is to try not to totally blame the students too much. They are, afterall, just kids; albeit, kids in a country that has a poor education system as a whole. Don't be too friendly to them, or they will walk all over you. But, this is a catch-22 because if they are afraid of you, they will be less likely to speak in class. Remember, many Chinese are very frightened of making mistakes in front of their peers and would rather sit and stare blankly than to speak up. This is drilled into them by their teachers, parents, and their culture since they are small children. Although, this doesn't excuse their behavior, at least you should understand this.
Whoever has been telling you that Chinese children are highly motivated and respectful towards their teachers isn't being totally truthful, I suspect. Many of them have little interest in learning English because they cannot conceive of a time in which they will have to use it, so you end up with a country of people that can write basic sentences but can barely utter a word that we can understand. This may sound like a flame, and other people may try to dispute what I've been saying here, but seriously, take heed of this.
Don't let anyone tell how "how it is" or "how it's going to be" when you're in China and in front of 80 or so kids trying to teach "oral English." Many of the kids will see oral English as a joke because it doesn't figure into their overall marks and there is no oral section on the college acceptance exam. Many kids will love you.
Circuitous enough for you? heh.
My advise is to try not to totally blame the students too much. They are, afterall, just kids; albeit, kids in a country that has a poor education system as a whole. Don't be too friendly to them, or they will walk all over you. But, this is a catch-22 because if they are afraid of you, they will be less likely to speak in class. Remember, many Chinese are very frightened of making mistakes in front of their peers and would rather sit and stare blankly than to speak up. This is drilled into them by their teachers, parents, and their culture since they are small children. Although, this doesn't excuse their behavior, at least you should understand this.
Whoever has been telling you that Chinese children are highly motivated and respectful towards their teachers isn't being totally truthful, I suspect. Many of them have little interest in learning English because they cannot conceive of a time in which they will have to use it, so you end up with a country of people that can write basic sentences but can barely utter a word that we can understand. This may sound like a flame, and other people may try to dispute what I've been saying here, but seriously, take heed of this.
Don't let anyone tell how "how it is" or "how it's going to be" when you're in China and in front of 80 or so kids trying to teach "oral English." Many of the kids will see oral English as a joke because it doesn't figure into their overall marks and there is no oral section on the college acceptance exam. Many kids will love you.
Circuitous enough for you? heh.
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Louise Blair
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 2:24 am
- Location: China
You're right in that it is very difficult to make sweeping generalisations about teaching children in a country as huge as China. And as you say many students have no immediate need to become proficient in English (or any other second language for that matter). There also seems to be a big difference between the private and public system, with the latter being more competitive academically (generally speaking). Where I come from (Australia) students get kicked out of the private system if they're not putting in the effort, but after talking to my Chinese colleagues it seems to be the other way here. Classes here are usually so big that if students are not keeping up, their parents have no option but to send them to a private school if they can afford it. And private schools here are competing for business from a limited pool of possible clients compared to most western countries, so are not really fussy about the type of student they get. I have met students from public schools in my local area who have excellent oral English skills (despite having a foreign teacher only once a week and in a class of 60 to 80 students). These students contrast sharply with many students in private schools who have much smaller classes and more contact with foreign teachers and yet have poor language skills. I know this can be attributed to a whole host of reasons, one of which is motivation. However, even students planning to study abroad (which should be motivation enough) seem to be fairly uninterested in becoming proficient, which leads me to think that parent expectations have more to do with their future plans than any personal ambition.
Mydnight has bang the nail on the head with his answers. May I add a few more comments.
Students in the bigger cities are much more keen to learn English as they and their parents see English as an important addition to their resume. In the smaller towns and villages, English is still an alien concept. Where you are teaching can make a difference.
Many students in China are also under tremendous stress to perform in their studies and examinations. They hardly have time to spend on other subjects much less English. Hence, English becomes relegated to a corner especially near exam periods.
English is also a totally alien language and concept for many Chinese. There is no grammar where Chinese language is concerned and to understand grammar is a tremendous challenge and perhaps many people lose motivation because of this great barrier.
However, do let me assure you that on a overall context, students and parents are keen to learn English.
Best regards,
Ken Zhong
Writer: Posted to China - Find out what corporate HR did not tell you
Students in the bigger cities are much more keen to learn English as they and their parents see English as an important addition to their resume. In the smaller towns and villages, English is still an alien concept. Where you are teaching can make a difference.
Many students in China are also under tremendous stress to perform in their studies and examinations. They hardly have time to spend on other subjects much less English. Hence, English becomes relegated to a corner especially near exam periods.
English is also a totally alien language and concept for many Chinese. There is no grammar where Chinese language is concerned and to understand grammar is a tremendous challenge and perhaps many people lose motivation because of this great barrier.
However, do let me assure you that on a overall context, students and parents are keen to learn English.
Best regards,
Ken Zhong
Writer: Posted to China - Find out what corporate HR did not tell you
I only have a Bachelor of arts degree too and I work in China. I would like to work in Shanghai, so I am considering doing a TEFL/TESOL course in the near future.
I think it is useful to invest in a TEFL course before going abroad to work. However, it does not always help. It may be useful for you to get a job at a summer camp for a three month contract to see if you like China and want to work there longer.
China is a very interesting and varied country, full of culture, greenery, friendly and curious people, but it does have a downside too!
One must prepare for all the aspects of this, but one can never be sure until one goes to the country themselves. I believe there is no substitute for experience.
It is probably best to use the internet to find a job online in China, or go with a company. Then you can see if you actually like the country or not.
You may decide that teaching or China isn't for you, hence you've lost nothing by trying and everything by doing so!
I hope this has been of some help, please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
Good luck with your job hunting! (Try Shanghai) 
I think it is useful to invest in a TEFL course before going abroad to work. However, it does not always help. It may be useful for you to get a job at a summer camp for a three month contract to see if you like China and want to work there longer.
China is a very interesting and varied country, full of culture, greenery, friendly and curious people, but it does have a downside too!
One must prepare for all the aspects of this, but one can never be sure until one goes to the country themselves. I believe there is no substitute for experience.
It is probably best to use the internet to find a job online in China, or go with a company. Then you can see if you actually like the country or not.
You may decide that teaching or China isn't for you, hence you've lost nothing by trying and everything by doing so!
I hope this has been of some help, please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
Good luck with your job hunting! (Try Shanghai)