I’ve encountered the following situation at my school (probably a typical one) and would like some opinion and feedback if you would.
I teach with a couple of Taiwanese co-teachers. They are not assistant teachers, but teach the same children as me at different times. They, like me, teach them all new material, for 2 hours a week.
Anytime I’ve had the occasion to be in their classrooms during school hours they have been instructing the children in Chinese. The material is English, but all explanations as to why or when you should use it is communicated to the children in Chinese.
I understand that it may be beneficial to give the Chinese word equivalent to explain new English vocabulary, but 90 % of the class is being delivered in Chinese!
I think this is detrimental to the learning process because of at least the following reasons:
a) the children are not made to use the English they have, or are expected to learn from that class, but are only learning about it, and
b) the unspoken message is that English is not to be learned for communication purposes, but to be memorized and put away to rot.
There may be valid reasons for their method, but I thought I would check with people here before I approached them about it. Any thoughts?
This isn’t Chinglish, just bad teaching methodology. Unfortunately, native Taiwanese English teachers here often have several reasons they teach the class primarily in Chinese. Below are some of the most common ones.
[ol][li]That’s how they were taught and they don’t know of any other way.[/li]
[li]The children don’t understand when they explain in English, so they teach in Chinese so the children understand.[/li]
[li]They are using a grammar-translation model. Explanation of grammar is done in the native language, then students go through drills (mostly written) transforming conjugations and learning the grammar, as well as many translation drills.[/li]
[li]The local teachers are not confident in their own English ability. They fear making an error, so they avoid speaking English except for the specific material they are modeling.[/li][/ol]None of these are a valid reason to teach that way. Grammar-translation as an exclusive method has been shown to be less effective in teaching a majority of students. More modern approaches would be more effective. The other reasons are just excuses.
Are you being brought in to observe so you can give feedback, or so that you can see what the kids are learning? If you are being asked to give feedback it is important how you go about giving it. If you are not being asked to give feedback, it is even more important how you go about giving it.
If you are in the blessed position of being asked for your advice, try to let them come to the same conclusions as you with some tactful questions. Something along the lines of:
[quote=“Perhaps you could have said or”]How much English do you think you are speaking in class?
How much English do you think the students are speaking in class?
Do you think it’s important for students to hear and speak English in your English class?
Do you think you can explain English grammar through example using only English so that students can understand?[/quote]
If they follow your reasoning and conclusions, you could then offer to demonstrate some techniques. If they don’t… well, it really depends on your own background and qualifications to decide what comes next.
If you are not in the blessed position of being asked for your advice, you’ll have to sound them out to see if they will be willing to listen to your advice. Perhaps ask them how their class is going, what they think is the biggest challenge with their class, etc. There’s a very good chance they won’t be even remotely interested in hearing your opinion and any attempt to tell them how to do their job will be viewed as arrogant and unwelcome.
You’re charging now? [/quote]
I was thinking of putting my PayPal Donations banner in my sig, but I figured that would be going a bit too far
But isn’t that the origin of the phrase, (minor thread-jacking ahead), your “two cents” worth of advice? Most people now think of it as contributing 2 cents to the cause, but I thought it was sort of like Lucy from Peanuts and her advice for a nickel.
You’re charging now? [/quote]
I was thinking of putting my PayPal Donations banner in my sig, but I figured that would be going a bit too far
But isn’t that origin of the phrase? (Minor thread-jacking ahead) Isn’t your “two cents” worth of advice? Most people now think of it as contributing 2 cents to the cause, but I thought it was sort of like Lucy from Peanuts and her advice for a nickel.[/quote]
I hate it when you make me think when I clearly don’t want to. :raspberry:
Whenever I sub at a school that uses Chinese as extensively as your school does, it saddens me, because the children are not learning in two specific areas. Their listening/comprehension skills are next to non-existent and their fluency levels are very low. The kids may be able to do really well on a written test, and maybe that’s all the school or parents want, but if the children aren’t forced to listen and try to understand, they won’t. Sounds like the school has low expectations from their students.
English should be spoken 90 - 100% of the time. Kids will understand if they’re forced to. Their brains are still young and very “elastic”.
By the way, Chinglish is more like, “This is what?” instead of “What is this?” and I’m still not sure if I like the term all that much; it sounds slightly racist to me, although I’ve been known to use it once or twice.
Yes. I was hasty when I chose Chinglish as a title. I know it means to mix the two languages or to use Chinese terminology translated into English.
No, I haven’t been asked to contribute, but my school has asked that the children speak in sentences more. That got me to thinking that they rarely hear English sentences, let alone are they asked to speak that way. They are only getting half the exposure to English that they should be. They are getting 80- 90 % of dialogue and instruction in Chinese when the Taiwanese teacher is teaching! And to repeat myself for the original post-- the unspoken message is that English is a memory exercise, but if you want to actually communicate, you should switch to Chinese.
As far as to what I’ll do: I’m rarely, if ever, indirect with them. I will express my concerns to them in a polite enough way, but I will be clear when I tell them not to expect much actual English language production from the children if things remain the same. They are simply not getting enough exposure or opportunities to speak.
Good feedback. Thanks for that.
Again…if my post appears as a double ITS NOT MY FAULT!
When you started learning Chinese, did you insist that not a word of English was spoken during the lesson? At what point, say in the states when English speakers are learning a foreign language, do they insist upon a 100% foreign language environment?
I agree that 100% English and ZERO Chinese instruction is not the best way to go. But I’ve seen classes that do just that be succesful in the States. It really can work, even if it is not the absolute most efficient way of doing things.
The problem with doing that here is that the successful US programs were intensive/immersive programs where students had 10-20 hours of instruction a week and were expected to put in at least half again as many outside of class. When students are getting just 4 hours a week, as they are here, you need the Chinese.
My Chinese program in the US divided class periods into two sections: Act and Fact. Act classes were conducted 100% in Chinese. No English was allowed. Fact classes were taught with about a 50/50 mix, with English being used to describe the language and then practice came in Chinese.
But the other side of the coin, 90% Chinese and 10% English practice, is ridiculous. I agree that there should be some Chinese explanation of grammar, and some directions can be given in Chinese for the sake of convenience, but language class should be more practice than theory.
[quote=“ploor”][quote=“Cyberguerrilla”]
English should be spoken 90 - 100% of the time. Kids will understand if they’re forced to. Their brains are still young and very “elastic”.
[/quote]
You must mean plastic, not elastic.
[/quote]
Nope, I meant elastic. Although both words are used in Neuropsychological text books (My degree is in Psychology focusing on Neurobiology) I chose “elastic” because the general public seems to understand that word better than “plastic”.
But thanks for sharing. We encourage that here. :bouncy:
[quote=“Cyberguerrilla”]Whenever I sub at a school that uses Chinese as extensively as your school does, it saddens me, because the children are not learning in two specific areas. Their listening/comprehension skills are next to non-existent and their fluency levels are very low. The kids may be able to do really well on a written test, and maybe that’s all the school or parents want, but if the children aren’t forced to listen and try to understand, they won’t. Sounds like the school has low expectations from their students.
English should be spoken 90 - 100% of the time. Kids will understand if they’re forced to. Their brains are still young and very “elastic”.
By the way, Chinglish is more like, “This is what?” instead of “What is this?” and I’m still not sure if I like the term all that much; it sounds slightly racist to me, although I’ve been known to use it once or twice. [/quote]
Your idea that the term Chinglish is slightly racist is perhaps because you are slightly…? I know many Taiwanese who use the term Chinglish with glee. As do many Koreans who use the term Konglish and Spanish speakers who use the term Spanglish. Ooooh, we can’t be slightly racist now, can we?
Take a good look at your avatar. Liberal? You flakes are the first ones to scream racism and have no idea at all of the meaning of the word.
I preferred that the teacher try to teach without using English, but a word or two to help clarify things was OK at the beginning. At any level higher than beginners, I don’t want to hear my Chinese teacher’s broken English, or any English at all.
Again, in a beginner class, some English to help clarify things is OK, but I would prefer none. At higher levels, I want my class to be 100% in the target language.
However, I am serious about learning the target language. Most of my students in Taiwan aren’t.
That makes no logical sense at all. Take a class in logic. :bs:
I know many African Americans who use the word N**ger. That doesn’t give me the right, as a white male to use the word.
[quote=“Ramblin Rube”] Take a good look at your avatar. Liberal? You flakes are the first ones to scream racism and have no idea at all of the meaning of the word.
Liberal my ass! Go Chinglish![/quote]
All right, Babblin’… err… Ramblin’ Rube, let’s not start with the name calling. It accomplishes nothing but illustrate your inability to think for yourself.
It seems racist to me, because as a caucasian, being the worlds most oppressive and privileged people, most people use the term “Chinglish” not in a friendly way, but to embarrass someone whose native language isn’t English. Ethnocentrism is a form of racism.
If you don’t understand the power of words try reading some books on the effect words have on bias, prejudice and racism. :beatnik:
[i]Ethnocentrism (The Color of Words, p. 80-81): The tendency of people to put their own group (ethnos) at the center: to see things through the narrow lens of their own culture and use the standards of that culture to judge others.
