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FreakingTea · Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 167

I'm asking because this is pretty much how I learned Japanese. We would memorize a dialogue before every class, then recite it and do drills based on the grammar point. As a more introverted learner, I gained a lot from this approach. It made me very confident in my speaking and it ensured good grammar.

From what I understand, though, English classes at Chinese universities are nowhere near this level of rigor. Still, I also keep hearing about how Chinese students prefer structure and are used to memorization. So should I be shooting for a communicative lesson with audiolingual influence? Maybe have them work to create their own dialogue via communicative activities/TBL, which they later recite for the class, with a few fun activities throughout to keep their attention?

Am I on the right track, or should I go back to the drawing board? Sorry to ask so many questions. I fly out the day after tomorrow.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Most Chinese textbooks I've been given to use in class, centre around 2/3 person dialogues. Very variable in quality, but that's what the school wants me to use.
Over the semester we would get through maybe 8-9 of these, with every student being called on.
I also do a mid semester dialogue assessment with students working in self-selecting pairs or trios. For these I provide 3 dialogue ideas and the students select the topic they want to compose and present their dialogue on.
If I have a small class I may get time to do two of these.
As 70 percent of final mark is end of semester assessment I use dialogues again for this task, as there can be no doubt by this stage as to what I'm looking for.
The mid semester dialogues are done to a class audience. End of semester to me alone in the corridor or in a spare classroom.
This gives me a chance to engage individually with each student and where appropriate thank them for their contribution to the class. In my freshmen vocational classes students often use this opportunity to ask if I'll write a letter of commendation about their English, as they're looking for field placements for Y2 of their 3-year Associate Degree.
Currently my dialogue topics are general and the only stipulation is that each student has pretty well equal shares of the speaking.
The post above and other recent ones on other threads, make me think I should up the ante by requiring the dialogue to demonstrate maybe one or two grammar points.
Trouble is my unstreamed classes mean the top performers will ace these and the less able struggle to the detriment of the fluent speech, which is after all, what I'm looking for.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

Memorizing dialogs is good, and if they have a little mastery of English, giving them situations in which they create their own dialog will require them to use the language skills they already have as well as look for the words that they need to express themselves. I've found that on the high school and university level, the assignment of situations gives them much-welcomed opportunities to be creative.

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

FreakingTea · Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 167

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

FreakingTea · Joined: 09 Jan 2013 Posts: 167

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

What I've seen on many occasions is that a student will give an obviously memorized speech and when I query them about what they've presented they can't answer me because they don't know what they've said.

sui jin · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 184 Location: near the yangtze

When I was learning other languages , the speaking class was my least favourite. Listening to other, more confident/better speakers interact with the foreign teacher was not useful or motivating.
My speaking improved through language lab drills/repetitions (where the teacher would listen in randomly and correct pronunciation etc).

So this idea of memorizing/repetition/reciting seems good; it gets everyone speaking. And Chinese students are used to this way of learning.

Normally I am appalled at how chinese students 'recite ' in the mornings their textbooks. When you hear them, often the English is incomprehensible .
But memorising (before class) and then reciting in class short dialogues and useful phrases could work. You would need to find /create authentic dialogues , and this class activity could last (in my view) no more than 30 minutes before it got tiresome.
Correcting students' pronunciation etc. in full class is also a tricky issue.

beckyshaile · Joined: 29 Jul 2013 Posts: 72

Memorizing has nothing to do with learning to speak English properly. It has no relation to pronunciation, thinking, thought processes, spontaneity, fluency, meaning, context, fluidity, or dynamics.

Andrew Jordan · Joined: 25 Sep 2011 Posts: 26

Chinese students are good at memorizing lines, I use the lines they already know as sentence frames and get them to change a word. "I see a blue bag" "I see a red bag" "I see a blue pencil" It lets them use their confidence of having a memorized sentence, and adds more vocabulary and can reflect more natural speech.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

sui jin · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 184 Location: near the yangtze

Memorizing has nothing to do with learning to speak English properly. It has no relation to pronunciation, thinking, thought processes, spontaneity, fluency, meaning, context, fluidity, or dynamics.

If I want to say a particular phrase in Chinese, I translate it on google , listen to the translation , imitate it, memorize it and then speak it. Memorization is essential to all the things you mention.
Spontaneity takes practice.... (ie. rehearsal and memorization).