Chinese people trying to teach and learn English

[pete_horton2002]

I have taught at 4 different schools and I see the same problems, what about you?

Foreign teachers are brought to China to teach Speaking when the foreign teachers should be teaching general English so we can work on there Speaking, Reading, Listening, Writing and Word building.
I have watched about 10 different Chinese teachers teach and they only know how to teach from a book, they start with page one and go page by page.
They are not able to get the Chinese students to enjoy English because there classes are so, so boring. The Chinese teachers cannot motivate the students to speak English. I am not teaching at a University and the students in my classes were freshmen. I did a survey the first day of class and I do these each time I teach a class. I ask them if they were brave to speak English and 90% were not brave to speak English in class. I ask them if they liked English and only about 50% did. I gave the same servey at the end of the class and 95% of the students were now brave to speak English, and 90% liked English and wanted to learn English.

I also find major problems with cheating on homework and test. They tell me that the Chiense teachers do not do anything to them. I take care of that problem right away. Are you finding a big problem with cheating?

I am finding that students first came late to class, I have talking care of that problem. Are you having some of these problems? What are you thoughts?

[joyvhsui]

I am a Chinese (From Taiwan) and I can see what you say about Chinese teacher. I can not deny what you say about Chinese teacher. I think it is the traditional way how Chinese teacher teach. It is like the way my high school teacher taught. It is the way how I learned. I think culture play a crucial role in this problem. In Chinese culture, it is teacher-centered. I remember we always listened to what teacher said. We did not even have discussion in class. But I believe the situation has been changed day by day. (At least in Taiwan) Also I think the environment and the purpose of the school are also important. In China or Taiwan, learning English is not for living or for fun. It is for exam, scores and their job (future). Teacher is under the pressure to have good result. And they need to finish lesson as soon as possible so students can have time to prepare for exam or to studying. Teachers feel they don’t have enough time to design lesson plan or in-class activities. They don’t even enjoy the teaching experience how you expect the teacher to teach the students to enjoy learning English. If anyone can learn English and not under pressure, I believe the situation can be very different. The experiences of teacher’s learning are also important. If the teachers had their education in China and their experiences are like what you said, how can you expect that the teacher can come out with some different form others? I had my education in Taiwan until University. Then I came to the United Stated for my graduate school. I can feel the differences immediately. The way teacher teach, the way students learn and the interaction between teacher and students are so different from I learned in Taiwan. For example the way that teacher teach is more creative and interesting in the U.S. The relationship between teacher and student is like friendship, which is impossible in the Chinese culture. (At least before collage education) I remember I always need to bow to my teacher. And my teacher asks me to memorize all the information in textbook. We always followed my teacher’s order exactly. I don’t want to say which is good or bad. I believe that the education systems in the U.S. or Europe are still the pilot. It is still need some time to catch up. However, I want to go back to thank my teacher for asking me memorize or to do the thing I did not want to do sometimes. Sometimes it is really help me now. And I hear some American teacher want to have that kind of experience at their school. Wow, your post really gave me some idea. I want to share my thoughts with you. If I say something wrong or you feel uncomfortable, please tell me and correct me.

[pete_horton2002]

I am very glad to get your response! I enjoy reading what you have to say. I am very happy that you did have a chance to go to another county to learn and see the difference. You have become an International person now.
I am teaching in an International College and I have to be able to get my students to get a 6.5 on the IELTS Exam. In the past for years at this University they have had only one student receive 6.5 on the Exam using the old ways of teaching, but I am sure that many of the students that I am teaching now, will receive the 6.5 they need. But, it is teaching my way not the way it has been done the past four years here.

You talk about the Chinese teachers growing up with one system so they do not know how to change there ways of teaching and that is so true, but many times they do not want to listen to the foreign teachers to try to change. They act as if they do not want to lose face, thinking that a foreign teacher may know something that the Chinese teacher could use.
But, I truely would enjoy being in a school where the Chinese and foreign teachers could work and learn together. But, I never seem to find a school that will alow that.
You madeanother point that most of the teachers only care about the students doing great on the Exam, but what the Chinese teachers do not seem to understand is that if they taught the students with my methods or ways of other foreign teachers then the students would do a lot better on the exams.
The Ministry of Education in China just did a study that was done in 4 Universities in China and the study was for the past 4 years and they learned that Chinese teachers spend to much time teaching grammar aanriting and not teaching Speaking, Listening, and Reading. They also found that the teachers are using ways of teaching that is boring, not interesting to the students. It is teacher centered not student centered. They found that teachers and schools need to use radio, televison, Cd's, DVD'S, Computers, Newspapers and other things that are interesting for the students. Well that is what most of the foreign teachers are always trying to do, but they never have the equipment in the classrooms, and the schools almost never have an English liabrary for the students to go to where the can read just to enjoy theirself. There should be English speaking movies in the liabraries that have English subtitles, but a person cannot find movies in China with English subtitles, because most of the movies in China are copies not the real thing.

I find that to many schools will not put the right equipment in the classrooms or teachers offices. I wish I could find a University that would, but I have not found that yet.

[Musik]

it's not foreign or domestic teachers that counts. It is the difinition of the role of teachers that matters. In chinese tradition, teachers were regard as a model both in behavior, morality and knowledge(what a big pressure). Follow and catch is the vital method of learning. Besides, in ancient eras, no one could understand the profund chinese literature (supposed to be the most important knowledge)without teachers' guid. Thus teachers held the key of knowledge and there was absolute respect toward teachers. However, the environment has changed, humanism emerged while people didn't change their attitude toward teachers and teaching and most teachers follows the same logic, too. Something about the balance of teacher oriented or learner oriented. These contributed to the appearance you see today.

In my opinion, these teahcers were not being asked to change their recognition. But there are still many young teachers having differnet thought.

[hushui]

I'm an English major from China. In my college, there are several foreign teachers from all around the world. The foreign teachers in our department mainly teach oral English. They just encourage us to talk more with little correction. Some of us find the oral class rather boring. Although their prociation are better, they don't help us too much. Some foreign teachers are just students from British and America and they are not familiar with teaching. In my opinion, we should not totally depend on the foreign teachers. The Chinese teacher should try their best to improve their teaching skills.

[God is a girl]

Hi, peter. I am majoring in English educational department and next year I will be a teacher. To tell you the truth, there's a big revolution in Chinese education nowadays. First, we have been trained a lot to change the old style of teacher-centered to student-centered. We learned lots of teaching methods to arouse students' interests. Second, the teaching goal is not only aiming on knowledges but also on students' cultural awareness. The way of evaluating a lesson has lots of aspects.
And also, since you are teaching in China now, perhapst you have observed some differences in China compared with the ones abroad, and these differences decide the stlye of teaching English. First, Chinese people are traditionally shy. They don't used to express their opinions in public not to mention to speak a foreign language in public! Second, English is one of the important subject in the final examination. That is to say, every one who wants to into the college has to pass the English examination. So, in some degrees, English is not only a language but also a tool for students to realise their dreams. Middle school teachers have the responsibility to ensure their English scores. And thus, they have to teach the basic knolege such as grammar, pronounciation etc. Besides,teachers don't have enough lessons to spend time on motivating students interests on grammar!!

[pete_horton2002]

I find that when I search for teaching jobs at different Universities in China the schools want me to teach Speaking classes not methods of teaching classes.
For English majors to learn new methods they need to have foreign teachers teaching the classes. I find that I watch Chinese teachers teaching the English classes they spend most of the time speaking in Chinese; that does not help English majors. I find that most of the Chinese teachers do not make the teacher read lots of books in English. Every English major should be reading a book a week in English then writing 500 and 1,000 word reports/essays about the books. I also find that the Chinese teachers at the Universities do not give out much homework because they are to lazy to grade or look at the homework.
And they are worried that the students will complain about there classes to there bosses.
I require my students to make a cassette tape each week. Every student has to read a book and read onto the cassette tape. This gets the students speaking English for one hour each week away from the classrooms; the Chinese teachers have not found any methods to get the students speaking English when they are not in the classrooms.

Please find me a University that will alow me to teach the English majors methods of teaching English and the English majors will become a lot better teacher and their speaking, reading and listening will be a lot better.

[janetxscLu]

I am English major. After graduation for five years, I still remember my reading teacher who is an American. However, I don’t have much impression of the other foreign teachers all of them taught us oral English. I don’t think those oral English teachers have so many methods as you do to encourage us to speak English in public. You should share your good methods with both Foreign and Chinese Teachers. As for Chinese teachers, I do meet a lot who can encourage students to speak. Sometimes they speak Chinese in order to express themselves better, after all, we just TFL All in all, thanks for your work and advise to our Chinese teachers.

[kakabear]

In my opinion, these teahcers were not being asked to change their recognition. But there are still many young teachers having different thoughts.