Job Discussion Forums

[rickinbeijing]

Certainly CMM's reminder of the malaise in many Western educational systems, especially at the secondary level, is worth noting. And, yes, the pressure on teachers at key schools to conform to the exam curriculum is indeed enormous and contributes greatly to cynicism among them.

Which is why I marveled at the enthusiastic response of teachers in Jiangsu Province at a week long workshop on EFL methodology in Nanjing three years ago. They clearly were willing to lighten, if not throw off, the yoke of the exam mandate to pursue more student-centered instruction that would interest both them and their students.

I try not to forget that so much of this is a numbers game no one in the West has to play. I suspect most teachers are weary of the system but helpless to do anything about it. For this and other reasons I strongly take issue with bet's assertion that teachers are bent on control.

Another factor is that most pre-service English teachers receive scant instruction in educational psychology and alternative evaluation. And when they do, they rarely are given the opportunity to see it in practice, either from their professors or their mentor teachers during student teaching.

Incidentally, I have co-authored a small book on performance asssessment which, while widely distributed by Beijing education press in the educational market is seldom used in the colleges of education. Actually, the book is nothing more than the barest of primers, bilingually presented.

[clarrie]

I'll go along with bet on this chaps, control!