Teacher Discussion Forums

[Andy_Parkins]

Hi all!

I ued to teach in China, and have returned to university. I'm doing a study on Chinese English language training schools, and will be trying to interview as many as possible to complete it.

I am looking at the sociological impact the Olympics has had on the population to learn English as a second language. From my time there, i used to ask my students the reason for thm starting to learn, and the Olympics, although not the sole reason, was a major push for them.

I need to find all the large private language schools in China (with schools with several campuses/schools around China).

From my teaching there, i know of:

New Oriental
New Channel English
English First
Wall Street English
Witty International English

If you know any such large private schools in China, could you please email me or send a private message to me.

It doesn't matter if they are ESL/TOEFL/IELTS/Business English schools. In fact, the more variation the better.

Thanks in advance!

[Eric18]

Andy - You've selected an excellent topic. Please share the results of your research.

Personally, I would be curious to know how they teach conversation in China. From my experience teaching graduate students in the US, it seems that conversation skills need to be dramatically improved. If the government wants people to converse, sell, or assist international tourists in English, they need to dramatically improve their efforts.

By the way, I've written a conversation book for advanced students called Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics. You can find some free chapters at www.compellingconversations.com . The book, designed for immigrants to the United States, would probably get censored by authorities there since there are chapters like "California Calling", "American Dreams", "Elections" and "Seaching for Heroes." I don't even know if they would feel comfortable with citizens learning about "pet peeves." Still, you might find it useful.

Good luck with your research. Let us know the results.

Shalom

Eric
www.compellingconversations.com