Job Discussion Forums

[Harbin]

I've recently been observing other foreign teachers in China and am absolutely astonished at the amount of teacher talk time they burn through. We're talking about 85-95% TTT in many cases.

I know that Chinese students are reluctant to talk, but there is no good reason for someone to talk 51-57 minutes out of 60 in a class about prepositions of time and place. It's even more shocking that most of this talk time is being used to talk about the teachers' lives and tell personal stories.

What on earth is going on here? I can understand using some talk time to engage in basic conversation skills, but certainly not in beginner and pre-intermediate classes, where the students need focused tasks to build the language skills necessary to engage in conversations.

Is TTT skyhigh everywhere in China and does anyone else care?

[it'snotmyfault]

It's a big myth that you have to open your mouth and practice speaking to learn English.

The truth is that you just have to listen to a foreigner talk about when they went tubing in Laos or the funny things they got up to in college. And hey presto!!

Is this a training school or a uni? I can understand people getting away with murder in the uni's. I've met plenty of people who don't appear to have the wherewithal to create a decent lesson plan and execute it, and a lot of the schools administration staff couldn't care less what the foreigner gets up to.
So if they like talking about themselves (I'm thinking 20 something Americans) that's what they do. And if they are constantly hungover (From the UK ) they stick a movie on.

[Harbin]

[Shroob]

My university recently introduced observation sessions for foreign teachers (I went to a few Chinese teachers' lessons off my own back when I first arrived and soon realised it wasn't worth my time).

Students read a line. Teacher explains a word. Students read a line. Teacher explains a word. Students read a line. Teacher explains a word. Repeat for 45 minutes. 10 minute break. Resume the cycle for 45 another minutes.

[doogsville]

So perhaps you can give some suggestions for what to do when you ask a question, and no one in the room volunteers and answer. Or what to do when you ask the students to practice a simple dialogue you have given them typed on a sheet of paper and demonstrated with one of the better students. Perhaps you can volunteer exactly what it is you do when confronted with a room full of students who, when asked to carry out one of the tasks from the textbook they all have in front of them simply talk to each other in their native language for the allotted time.

It's very easy to judge the work of others, but how about you pitch in with some suggestions for how they should improve. After all, you obviously feel you are much better than they are, so how much better you will feel when you actually demonstrate your superiority by giving concrete examples of how you achieve that greatness.

[Harbin]

[rogerwilco]

My objective is for me to speak for only 10 or 15 minutes of every 90 minute class.
I instruct the students to prepare role plays, speeches, debates, or other activities to perform for the class.
In the first class of every term I explain to the students that the class is for them to speak, not for me to speak, and that is what all of them will do in all of my classes.

[xiguagua]

[Harbin]

[choudoufu]

the question is....how are you going to change the system? not just
the two hours of engrish instruction per week you give them, but the
entire system.

here in our new china, teachers talk for 99% of the time -- at least the
time they're not showing movies. aside from rote repetition, the only
active speaking you'll see is when students answer the roll.

and that pretty much sums it up there. judging by the sleeping, texting,
ipod'ing and non-participating i see in the chinese classes, the only
thing most students get out of their many hours in the classrooms is a
check mark showing attendance. not that the teachers would notice,
not with their backs to the students as they read off their PPT's.

low grades, no grades, failing grades - none of it matters. as long as
they have enough check marks in the attendance column, they get
their certificates.

you can give 'em scripts, you can give 'em vocabulary, but how do you
give 'em interest? kinda hard to relate to a 20-yo with the maturity
of a 12-yo, who's never had a boy/girlfriend, a job, or a hobby. someone
who has absolutely no interest in what goes on outside the campus --
well, other than the ktv, video game room, and the pool hall.

[it'snotmyfault]

The OP makes a valid observation and everyone knocks him because he didn't tell you all the magic ingredients for the perfect lesson . He was just making an observation.

If you don't know what to do in the classroom, and it sounds like a few of you don't, judging by the general gist of the comments made.
What to do when the class is quiet.
How to engage the students.
I suggest you read a few books, or start a thread on here addressing the problems you have.

[scot47]

Most TEFLers in most countries have not the slightest idea of how a foreign langaueg is acquired. How could they, as monoglots ?

The number of TEFLers who have achieved any level of competence in any foreign language is surprisingly small.

If you have never learned a foreign languaga what insight can you have into acquistion ?

[muffintop]

[Shroob]

[Non Sequitur]