Job Discussion Forums

[LarssonCrew]

Just seen Simon's post.

Again, I'm not religious, but just because Chinese student's KNOW the word doesn't mean they understand everything.

I asked the guy serving me in Subway to change his gloves after my pork sandwich because I say a Pakistani guy waiting behind me.

My Chinese friend was baffled 'Why does he need to change gloves and knives?'

I'm not religious but I at least know what the 6 major world religions adhere to, and my wife was asking 'Why isn't your Egyptian friend eating the Hui guo rou?' 'He can have beef and potatoes then?'

'It's not Halal'

'What's Halal mean?'

Gave up.

[wangdaning]

Isn't Halal that terrorist group in Israel?

[it'snotmyfault]

Have you noticed how most world maps in China have China in the centre, and not the Greenwich meridian line.

They don't need to know about the rest of the world, because they are the centre of the universe and we should all bow down to them

A few students have surprised me though with their depth of knowledge about the world. I'm sure if their English skills were better a lot more students would surprise a few of us too!!

[Javelin of Radiance]

Until some time in the early 20th century the French showed the Paris Meridian at the center of all maps, because they didn't agree with anyone else about using Greenwich.

[wangdaning]

[Shroob]

Chinese students generally do lack 'worldly knowledge' that an equivalent western student would possess. Though it's not surprising when their education consists of cramming for the gaokao for years. If it's not on the gaokao, they don't need to know it. No such thing as 'education for education's sake' in my experience, there's no time for that. Of course I'm speaking in generalisations, there are some students I know who do have 'worldy knowledge'.

[golsa]

[Denim-Maniac]

[Sashadroogie]

This is an issue related to 'schemata', and is very trendy in teacher-training courses. 'Activating schemata' exercises are used to draw out whatever limited knowledge the learners may have of the issue at hand, e.g. brainstorming activities, which can be used to support the lesson. A teacher, however, has to acknowledge that learners may not have any information or interest in whatever topic is covered in the lesson, and be prepared accordingly. As Denim-Maniac has said, the target language should be the aim of the lesson.

This is not a complaint solely levelled against Chinese students, incidentally. It is frequently heard in staff rooms around the globe when learners do not evince enough interest in the material or topic presented by the teacher.

[coratheexplorer]

[xiguagua]

[it'snotmyfault]

Education's lost a lot of its meaning in the West now, where it used to be seen as a privilige and not a right, it's now the other way round.
Pretty much anyone can coast through university and get a degree, and still be pretty dumb at the end of it!
Aren't we all just products of whichever system we're in? Relatively speaking, we're intrinsically no smarter or dumber than each other.