Chinese Logic? Anyone? Anyone? (changing a student's grade)

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
41

I know that. You know that. The Finnish education experts I met a few months ago knew that. But it was clear, listening to the Taiwanese at the roundtable, that their understanding was limited by their agenda. The guy who actually stated the problem clearly is an old friend teaching in a good university, who has a lot to say (unofficially) about the several education committees he is on.

Anyway, we’re on the topic of ‘Chinese Logic,’ not having yet another pointless rant about the local education system. Here’s another one:

It was an adult class in which they had to read and understand a text about the role of sleep in memory. The article quoted various research and experiments demonstrating that sleep-deprived people remember and learn less than people who get a good night’s sleep. In the discussion afterwards, the students were able to explain to me that staying awake late at night studying was not as effective as going to bed, and waking up refreshed ahead of the next day of learning.

So… how many hours of sleep do you get? Typically five hours a night, they reply. And I ask if they’re going to change anything in order to get better grades.

You can guess the answer, I’m sure. It had a lot to do with “too much work” and “no time,” and included my favourite phrase: in Taiwan… !

My personal theory is that the collective nature of Taiwanese society prevents people from accepting (at an emotional level) anything that is not in agreement with the accepted wisdom. It doesn’t matter what the rational basis for anything may be. If believing it means being different from everyone else, then nobody is going to believe it.

It’s the difference between adaptive learning and integrative learning. Everything you tell someone has to be integrated into what they already know, ie not contradict anything. If they have to adapt their beliefs to accomodate the new information then it’s not going to happen. It’s a natural tendency everywhere, often remarked on in the “Google makes us stupid” camp, but amplified by the hive mentality in Taiwan.

42

You mean a few centuries. let’s not get caught up in the hyperbole of 5-thousand year blah blah.

43

That’s a staggeringly common assumption among Taiwanese people: that educated native speakers of English are not very competent in their own language, and the Taiwanese know better because they studied English in school for years.[/quote]

I would definitely say foreigners’ knowledge of idioms as more knowledgeable than native speakers is invariably false. One might have more “proper” grammatical English, but idioms, no way, especially not Chinese.

44

For a long while, until it disintegrated, I used a large plastic bottle top (cut to accommodate the strap), as a wrist-watch protector. It served a practical mechanical purpose, but secondarily functioned as a cultural devining rod (pretentious, moi?).

In the UK, reactions ranged from indifference (the majority, naturally) through “that looks bloody silly” to “thats quite clever, really”.

In Taiwan, there was an additional, quite common reaction (Mostly from girls, but then I mostly talk to girls.)

Taiwanette: “You can’t do that”
Me: “What do you mean? I’ve already done it. Why can’t I do it?”
Taiwanette: “Because nobody does it”

Thats one of my favorite Taiwanese exchanges. Apologies if (as seems likely) I’ve mentioned it before.

45

ed: Haha. That’s funny.

46

That’s too far out there to be funny. Just sublime. Absolutely classic.

47

Anything is possible. I worked for a branch manager one time who would change students grades (when no one was looking) so more students would pass so she would make more money. When they caught her at it, she got promoted. It’s like classic Eron. Making money is always good. Better to pass the students than to lose a dollar.

Talking about funny. One time I had a class where students always agreed with me. I told them I would give them a better grade if they disagreed with me on the test. Still, no one took the challenge. Classic risk aversion.

One time I told my class, “Right now, I am lying to you.” This is a paradox showing how logic breaks down at a point (hence the need for fuzzy logic). So I asked the students, “Am I lying or telling the truth?” They said, “You are lying.” I said, “Why?” “Because you said you are lying.” “But if I’m lying, then what I said is not true, so it can’t be a lie, which means I’m telling the truth. So am I lying or telling the truth?” “You are telling the truth.” “Why?” “Because you said you are telling the truth.” I gave up at that point…

48

Newsflash! (Suspense killing y’all, right?) Just had the first Grade Change Cockup Committee hearing.

To their credit, they seem to have lightened up on the “in-depth report in pentuplicate” requirement, though that may come later. They just reproduced my original email, as below (names changed on parenoid-principle)

[i]Hi Dr Boss

One of the students in my Wednesday class did not attend the Midterm test. I attempted to contact her yesterday directly via email/phone, and via the Language Centre and her department to see if she had a valid reason for abscence. Our departmental secretary was unable to contact her by phone, and (I assume) her department did not provide any relevant information, though subsequent events suggest there may be some on record.

In the abscence of any other information I submitted a failing grade for her last night.

I recieved an email and phone call from her today, telling me that she had to attend her Grandfathers funeral at the time of the midterm, and had been absent for 2 weeks.

I assume this abscence, and the reason for it, is on record and can be verified. I further assume that this would be considered a valid reason for abscence.

In her email she said she had asked me about a makeup test and I had said that if she had a valid reason for abscence I would give her the same grade as she got for the final exam. I didn’t initially recall that conversation, but it is what I would have said, so I believe that it took place.

I would probably have made a note on my grading spreadsheet, but this was lost in a virus attack and had to be rebuilt from the original test papers, so if there was any such note it would have been lost.

This is clearly a failure on my part and I am accordingly applying to initiate the grade change procedure for this student.

I apologize for the inconvenience.[/i]
Class:
Classlist number 10

Department:

Student No.

[Chinese name]

Submitted Grade 52%

Changed Grade 75%

Regards,

I explained what happened (in different words) adding (in partial mitigation) that none of the three other students who missed tests that I had been able to contact, had a valid excuse, and that this is the general pattern, ending with a mea culpa and a plea to spare the innocent. Not a dry eye in the house.

Immediately before the meeting, the boss and I had a slightly heated discussion on my “grade subtitution” policy, which she feared was going to be “controversial”, and might jeopardise my contract renewal if I was “stubborn” about it.

I (perhaps rather tactlessly just before an enquiry with censure as its sub-text) pointed out that she had been aware of it for several years, and defended it as both fairer and more efficient than the suggested alternatives.

In the event, AFAIK, (the meeting was mostly conducted in Mandarin) no one raised it, and translated comment consisted of an admonition to double-check before submitting, pretty much a non-sequiter in this case since I’d tried to, and hadn’t been able to get any information from the girls department.

“Don’t submit if in any doubt” would be more meaningful/useful, but that would involve a policy decision anchored in reality. “Dont make mistakes” is much simpler.

I understand thats only the first (low) hurdle and there’s another two (successively higher) to go.

Bet y’all can hardly wait, eh?

49

The girl just emailed me as to what had happened about her grade, so I checked with the boss.

Apparently I was “tried” in absentia a couple of months ago, because I was teaching at the time of the committee meeting. Probably just as well since, although apologetic about the grade screwup, I wasn’t inclined to be about not doing a makeup, and might have made disparaging remarks about Chinese academic traditions and culture.

The grade change was approved, (though no one apparently thought it worth telling me or the student affected) but the boss passed on the message that my continued employment would be seriously threatened if I did not give a makeup test in similar circumstances in future.

She suggested that I just repeat the test, but with a 10% “discount”. “That will be better and fairer” :loco:

I said it would not do such a thing voluntarily, since it was both unfair and illogical, but if she told me it was a new, mandatory (unfair and illogical) school policy then I would comply under protest.

So we agreed that’s what I’ll do.

(I didn’t say anything about what I’d do with the score, though.) :whistle:

There is actually a valid reason for doing this (though of course I had to supply it myself, since AFAIK Confucious never specifically commented on it).

IF I elected to use the end-of-term instead of a makeup test for the midterm, and a student so affected had a valid reason for missing the end-of-term test AS WELL, I’d have trouble coming up with a defendable grade for them, so maybe its worth having a makeup in reserve for that unlikely eventuality.

Action on a validly missed end-of-term only was not discussed. I assume that the farcical facial massage that passes for Chinese Logic would require a makeup in that case too, though that could be very difficult against the background of disappearing students and impending grade submission deadlines.

I suppose I’ll demolish that bridge when I’ve retreated across it.

50

I do not envy you at all.

51

No, it doesn’t!!! :fume:

52

Well, now I know, since I had a case where a student was apparently too stressed to attend the end-of-term test, or to attend a makeup test.

At the boss’s suggestion, the written part ofthe test paper was administered at home, by the students mother, and the completed paper FAXed to me.

For the oral part, I applied my favored general solution of using the midterm score.

Even for Confused Confucians, its hard to see how this procedure addresses the main objective, which is apparently that of keeping up appearances.

But THERE MUST BE A TEST, and there was. :unamused:

53

[quote=“antarcticbeech”]
GiT: Every time I come across this arrogance I pull out* this map of English proficiency:


http://www.ef-australia.com.au/sitecore/__/~/media/efcom/epi/pdf/EF-EPI-2011.pdf[/quote]

Interesting. But, it would be much better, IMO, if the map used different collors to distinguish proficiency.

54

Canada, U.S.A. and U.K. also rate as having very low proficiency. :roflmao:

55

And, India’s proficiency appears to be low…???

56

Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands are higher than the UK. I’ll buy that.

Australia isn’t even included on the map. Must be that weird vocabulary you guys use.

57

So I had a final exam class cancelled due to this damp squib typhoon.

Decided I’d give a makeup on Saturday morning, and (unofficially, since its what I was told I’d get fired for if I was caught doing it again) grade on the midterm for those students who couldn’t or didn’t make the test. Sent out an email announcing the test.

Turns out that’s the official response anyway. In fact they’d probably have let me cancel the test if I’d been able to ask in time.

In other words, what was a firing offense if you do it for one student, becomes perfectly OK if you do it for 40.

So Chinese Logic goes with the big battalions. Who knew?

But get this.

I’m not supposed to announce that I’ll grade on the midterm, I’m supposed to make them think they’ll fail if they don’t do the test, otherwise they wont do it.

So I announced that I’ll grade on the midterm. I’ve had just about enough of this smoke-and-mirrors shit.

58

[quote=“housecat”]
2) You are very concerned about this matter and about this student, so you have burnt incense and made offerings to your ancestors, earnestly seeking an answer. Your grandfather (who was a very respected and accomplished scholar in your home country) came to you in a dream offering guidance. He told you to assign the same grade she made on a previous exam, so you have done as your ancestors have instructed you to do.[/quote]

Funny as hell.

Housecat has got the Oracle has spoken

59

It’s all about arrogance + ignorance. Terrible combination.

We have a lady that teaches the “advanced” classes at my buxiban. It’s done entirely in Chinese. The students just ignore what she’s saying and doing, but she has her microphone and speaker blasting away anyway. It’s only important that she gets up there and shouts the useless info at them, no concern is given if they listen or learn anything. Anyways… I tried talking to her a few times and she can’t hold even a simple conversation in English. Here is this “advanced” teacher, teaching “advanced” grammar and she cannot even speak the language. :astonished:

I often see her in passing and of course ask her how she is, with instantaneous lightening fast speed she always blurts out loudly: “I’m fine thank you and you?” I just smile and chuckle to myself. There is a reason why Taiwan is so far behind other countries when it comes to English and it will not and cannot change until the fundamental arrogance + ignorance issue is dealt with. We all know this isn’t going to happen since it would cause people to lose face. It’s the damn foreigners that don’t know English, I’m Taiwanese so of course I know English, I just can’t understand it or speak it.

I do agree that many foreigners here don’t know proper grammar. Don’t get me started on the worthless “teachers” my school keeps hiring. Have sticky ball will teach. So the attitude isn’t entirely baseless, but to arrogantly believe you know a language better than the locals is beyond my ability to understand. Also it’s worth noting that many things in English just “are” and can only be understood in proper context with a native teacher. They have no decent explanation and English often breaks it’s own rules. Not to mention the whole ‘living language’ argument.

I leave you now with the most versatile word in the English language:

60

Check this beauty out.
Two Taiwan ‘professors’ bake a mushy pie from English buzzwords.

taipeitimes.com/News/editori … 03647513/3