@TT @eCanada or anyone else. Do you guys have any book recommendations for learning more about CLIL or how to effectively use it in the classroom?
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I sort of misunderstood the differences between CLIL and the bilingual program.
Here is the first thing I came across, it is new and I only skimmed it
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1239106
There seems to be a lot of Taiwan-specific literature if youāre interested
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=CLIL+ā¦
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What a relief!
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Itās really not as hard as some people make it out to be. The main thing is that you teach English through a subject. Instead of phonics and random vocabulary, you follow a subject and adjust the level. I started by teaching science. I donāt have a science degree, but I just followed the textbook. I focused on concepts and terms they already knew in Chinese and taught that. They read, write, and speak in English about science. You can do this with any subject. The ESL teacher doesnāt need to be a master in that area, they should just focus their English teaching to topics in those areas.
Personality, I think non CLIL teaching is not very productive. Some teachers insist on getting students to a certain level before attempting a subject. Iām off the thought that beginners can jump right in if the teacher can adjust the levels.
This article has a few links
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Perhaps the bilingual program was harder for me because of the way my previous school implemented it when I was there last year. It was hard enough for me and they had me teaching a subject that I do not specialize in. Plus the textbooks are all in Mandarin and I cannot read Mandarin, and the kids, most of them are not even bilingual. Thatās why the public school bilingual program doesnāt make sense to me.
Thereās no need to use a Chinese textbook. The internet is full of free materials
Of course theyāre not. Thatās why you modify the material. Iām also from Canada and thatās what we do. Kids who are DD or EFL are given modified instruction and assessments. You do the same thing here with the whole class.
Their bilingual program is the same with EFL program. I donāt think they distinguish those.
Learning a subject using a language not your own has significant drawbacks, in that, the retention and depth of knowledge the student gains is significantly hindered. I have personally done a masterās in a language not my own. Iād say I was reasonably fluent in the second language when I did it. There is a marked difference between what I gained from the course compared to my classmates. I do not feel an authority at all in the subject. So much so, I did another masterās using English just to make up for it. My wife, emigrated to the West as a child at the beginning of middle school, aside from math, her grades plummeted and this adversely affected her high school and subsequent confidence and university options. Sure you can teach and scaffold any course, but as soon as you compare the scaffolded learners vs. a native speaking lot, the gloves come off. You either have the skills and knowledge or not. Universities in the West have long been milking foreign students for tuition and a guarantee of higher status, but language continues to be a barrier. You end up with great sounding accomplishments with nothing to back it up. This also adversely affects Taiwan, as it just perpetuates mediocre academics who produce little. All more if the ācha bu duoā culture here. I know many university teachers, who despite living in the US completing their PhD, still have constant misunderstandings in communication with me because they insist on using English, yet do not understand everything I say. I suppose the only way bilingual can work well without stuffing the students is to start at kindergarten or before and donāt stop. Make sure there are loads of native speakers to teach those subjects. Otherwise, I fear Taiwan is just mucking with its childrenās education.
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That is the plan.
Yea, but where do these native speakers come from. Even before the pandemic it was hard to attract enough foreigners here. Also keeping them here longer than 12 months seems to be a Challenge.
This year alone, New Taipei City hired 100 new foreign teachers and PingTung just hired 25.
Iām hopeful.
Sans financial incentives for native speaking certified teachers to do so? Maybe Iām wrong and they have funded this, but without a somewhat comparable salary, pickings are slim.
I left the private schools to join the system. With bonuses and and experience, the wage is comparable. Iām also considering doing an MA part time to get even higher. If I do that, itāll be better than most private schools
The MOEās going to change the English in kindergarten rules?
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Itās already been changed. It is not illegal to teach English at any level in Taiwan. Exception, you must use songs, etc at younger ages. It is against the rules to just do alphabet worksheets in kindergarten, for example. It must be play based.
I was surprised too. It was confirmed to me by the MoE last week at a meeting.
One of the problems with CLIL is its proponents oversell it. I have to do teacher training (the only teaching I dislike doing) and the headteacher will invariably introduce me to the teachers as āThe man who will teach you how to teach in Englishā. Iāll then get the teachers asking me how they can āuseā CLIL to teach their content, like itās some magic system.
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Really? I thought that would have made it into the media.
Thatās a massive change of policy.
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I agree, the Tsai administration changed it recently. I confirmed with several teachers at my public school.
And it includes foreign English teachers?