Job Discussion Forums

[mcl sonya]

You know... it is most effective to use some Chinese when the students are at a very basic level... but beyond that you need to speak only English to force them to get used to using it. In my French classes we only spoke French after the first year. I picked up Spanish and some Croatian just by like, not having any recourse to a language I already spoke and being forced to speak it while I was in Spain and Croatia. You observe and that's how you figure out what's going on. So, I feel that as a teacher, it is key that I know how to explain things in English. I seriously say everything many times using basic words, and I use a million gestures and examples to emphasize the meaning of my words. In the bad class, I look so mad all the time that they behave without any more yelling on my part. I just like stare at them and they shut up. I guess they don't hate me though, because they act kind of happy and say hello when they see me outside of class. It'd be so much easier to just say something in Chinese instead of going through all this acting, but ultimately, I think they feel cooler and will be more confident for having been able to understand me without needing any Chinese.

[arioch36]

MCL

[shuize]

I still think the "No local language in my class" is code for "I'm too lazy to learn the local language myself" in way too many cases.

[Silent Shadow]

[quote]I still think the "No local language in my class" is code for "I'm too lazy to learn the local language myself" in way too many cases[/quote]

On the other hand use of local language in class could be code for the Chinese student being allowed to be lazy in class by relying on translation instead of making an effort to listen to, understand, and use English.

Students in my college have been studying English between 7-9 years. If they need translation now I don't think they'll ever be fluent. The reason why so many Chinese students have such poor English skills after so many years studying "English" is because they've been subjected to and allowed to use too much Chinese in the English classroom by their Chinese teachers

I have zero tolerance when it comes to the use of Chinese in my classrooms because I find Chinese students are like alcoholics in the sense that if they're allowed to speak a few words in Chinese then they will not stop. I can't understand all this spoon-feeding. Language learning like any other form of education is not supposed to be comfortable. You can't learn to swim without taking your foot of the bottom, or ride a bike without getting on it and pedalling. Students have to accept that floundering and struggling is part of the growing and learning process. The last thing Chinese students need is for foreign teachers to carry on the wet-nursing methods of the Chinese teachers. Translation may help students pass exams, but it's quite clear that it's not doing much for their English fluency.

Sorry I'm going a bit off-topic. The point is, if I use Chinese the students will often think it's ok for them to use it, and the snowball effect kicks in. In one sense an FT in China who can't say much more than "Nihao" in Chinese can be a much more effective teacher than one who is more proficient in the language

[fat_chris]