Job Discussion Forums

[fangxin]

I am wondering if its difficult to be teaching without knowing much Mandarin? Is there any ages of students I should be aiming for with the very little Mandarin I know?

[mdovell]

I wouldn't mostly because the objective is to teach english. I'm not saying that knowing the language is bad but once students realise you know it then it might defeat the purposes of the class.

[Laurence]

Generally TEFL instructors will explain new language using other words which students already know, or through context and visual aids.

It's perfectly possible to do your job without ever resorting to translations of vocabulary or giving instructions in Mandarin. Many people do so - in fact some people argue that it's bad practice to use the students' first language.

Personally, I have found that using mandarin can save time in certain situations - for example, you can spend 10 minutes explaining what an 'adventure' is, and another 5 or 10 checking if everyone has got it. Anticipating awkward vocab and giving a translation is quicker.

Then again,
creative deviation and tangent spinning can be fun, and you can save your lesson plan for the next session ~


A while back,
when I was still an active mandarin learner,
a precocious class of cusp-adolescents were keen to test the limits of my Chinese language. Of course I wanted to understand them when their language got too complicated
and I became a donkey,
clumsily and plodding in pursuit of a carrot dangled in front of me on a rod by my rider -

not a good idea at all !

[Zero]

[vikeologist]

But sometimes it's nice to make grammatical mistakes in your posts because it clearly brightens up the day for some people.

[randyj]

[hot_water_hillbilly]

Anyone who thinks you must be able to use a little Chinese to teach properly is ridiculous.

I've taught (albeit temporarily) near-infant aged children and such.

Almost anyone can be taught the language with having ZERO basis or need of translation. The real issue is how hard do you want to work ... and we all know that answer to THAT question. "you" here is defined as anyone, not a specific user.

Sure, older students can benefit from an instant translation of a term or concept, but that's a different issue. If you have the need to constantly use Chinese in your classroom, then you're the wrong person to be teaching that subject or class.

[johntpartee]

The problem with the way English has been taught in China (in rural areas) is that students are being taught by rote. Memorization rather than conceptual learning. The temptation is too great for Chinese English teachers to say "this means this" in L1 and the students are making English noises rather than understanding what they are saying. Often the pronunciation is so skewed that they are barely understandable. I've made it a point NOT to learn Chinese so the students HAVE to make themselves understood to talk to me. Hence, speaking exercises; syntax, verb tense, pronunciation.

[Voldermort]