Job Discussion Forums

[winterlynx1]

I attracted some interest in a recent post titled "Why degrees should not be required" relative to some areas of classroom teaching. I'd like to explore a different line here - the roles that degree'd foreign professionals need to fill in promoting English language acquisition in China.

There are essential roles for the foreigner to play in this game in addition to simply modeling the L1 language. These roles need to be elucidated and differentiated from each other and from the classroom teaching role. And, while I don't want to turn this into a 'how to make more money' post, there needs to be realistic salary compensation that recognizes and attracts the investment and talent that goes into providing some of these professional services.

Professional roles that need a whole lot of help include: inter-language theory development, contrastive and comparative language description. curriculum and syllabus development, materials development, teaching methodology and teacher training. These in addition to the limited role of 'L1 language modeling' that a lot of FTs are employed to do right now.

There's a lot of resistance to allowing foreigners to assume genuine experts roles, but it's a gradually fading resistance. I suggest we should seek ways to contribute beyond the traditional classroom role of the FT.

I�d be interested in hearing about ways that individuals might be trying to develop in some of these professional roles, and the sets of skills they feel are important to their pursuits.

[Shan-Shan]

As related in a thread from last year, I initiated an FT-CT forum at my mill. The reception was astouding: many expressions of appreciation, phone calls from the Dean of the English department saying that they'd like to have some teacher training sessions, and even an invitation to give a short lecture on the importance of different types of motivation in the ESL classroom.

Well, after the initial glow wore off, and the English department (in particular its CTs) realized that discussing teaching methodology/material development actually required more than "yup, sure, thanks, great idea", nothing materialized.

Most schools are happy where they are. If the students' English abilities are adequate for passing the various incarnations of the CET, why tinker and make more work than is absolutely necessasry.

[Malsol]

[no_exit]

[TravellingAround]

While the schools may be happy with students who pass tests that doesn't mean the government is. The whole point in their mass drive for English was to educate a legion of English SPEAKERS who can do business or speak to foreigners while inspiring admiration of the Chinese educational system for being able to produce such upstanding polylingual citizens.

The stuttering attempts of students who have supposedly studied the language for coming up to a decade do not do this.

There will have to be some wholescale changes soon as it's a huge waste of time and resources at the moment. Making everyone take English including at university is no help. Some people just aren't interested in learning it or don't have the capability to do it well. So why continue to force them to learn after years of demonstrating a seeming inability to do so?

On the other hand are the legions who pass their test then never speak English again. Somewhat of a waste...at least subjects like science and maths give a good grounding of knowledge...if English is never used again by the student AT ALL then what use has it been? Languages can just wither away and die for a person if they never have recourse to use them again.

For all the investment and will to spread English to all students in China they don't seem to be getting the benefits they may have hoped. Wouldn't it be better to concentrate on those who want to actually learn the language? Professionals of any hue will have far more success with them...

[winterlynx1]

The business plan of the company that I work for is based on the premise that there are enough people in China who want to acquire the English language that they'll support a business dedicated to quality language instruction to that end. I hope we're right and that we can be professional enough to actually pull it off! Stay tuned...

I think that China's a big enough place in terms of opportunity that people who are intent on carving a niche for their professional pursuits in language instruction will be able to find a place to do it.

And then, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves when we're here, persistent and careful efforts to influence the system will pay off. It has to be done differently than in the west, but change still happens.

I'm encouraged by Masol's recent success in publication. There's a fine example for others to follow.

I also believe that the language professional can find employment with pay differential. Even when I was a newbie, I was getting offers fifty percent higher than the going rate, with extra benefits thrown in, based on a professional background. So, it's true that the system will recognize and pay for professional qualifications.

It's not just the foreigners who get frustrated by the system. I've had Chinese associates (discretely, one on one) make similar comments.

Change is in the wind. Maybe we're seeing it in the private sector more than at the university level. But I'm certainly seeing it.

There�s a desperate need for the influence and leadership of language professionals in coming to grips with the massive job of teaching English to these 1.3 billion people.

From time to time I an frustrated to read FTs posting that teaching English is on the bottom rung of the professional ladder. Ridiculous! This is certainly one of the most significant professional pursuits on the globe. The Chinese nation learning to speak English will have an impact on the world beyond our imagination. We have no idea of the scope of what we�re involved in here.

[no_exit]

[Malsol]

[Henry_Cowell]

[Shan-Shan]

I thought that the "hands off" approach was common in China. The two mills where I've been gave me complete freedom in developing my own materials instead of following someone else's textbooks, and approaching the movements of each lesson from a variety of teaching angles not in sync with the CT's spinning and churning.

Although I do not don the highest possible laurel of "the educated TESL/TESOL professional", the big cogs at the mills have acknowledged that I know more about teaching then they do. This has resulted in various silences during the semesters, i.e. non-intereference, punctuated with the odd "no complaints, good work". A wonderful set up.

[Steppenwolf]