This first part was written as a reply to GZC’s post. I would say that depends on the outlook of the school. Some schools do very little testing and function instead on student understanding.
Unfortunately because of the emphasis on testing and rote learning there is a dichotomy between the Western teachers and the local born teachers at the school I am presently working at. The Western teachers want the students to understand and the locals want a knee-jerk reaction answer.
Still that’s veering off-topic. One way teaching English could be Taiwanese culture though is that the Chinese daughters’ family wants her to teach/own a bushiban because they’ve seen it happen in other local families.
I am not at all against testing. Testing makes students (well good ones) revise. It allows teacher, students and parents to understand what has been learned, what needs more focus.
However, Lying, cheating, bribing, etc. to get the desired mark defeats the purpose. I always tell my students that the purpose of the test is too see if I am a good teacher, ie. how well did I teach my students and what do we need to spend more time on. Doesn’t work 100% but it does help a bit.
Taiwanese parents like to save face. If their child is not getting 95%+ they’re just not doing well enough. The pressure on these kids is enormous.
As a teacher we could write tests for students so that everyone got 100%, but that would tell us nothing, but it might impress the parents.
Or we could write tests that showed them all to be thick as two short planks, but of course there would be no purpose to that.
Oh and as a reply to MM yes not all schools are the same, and not all parents are either. It’s just a dodge tide.
I’m not against testing either but it’s all too easy to say or write something in a foreign language and not understand any of it. For the school I’m presently working at I agree with you 100% but we have a lot of students that fail the tests constantly drop out and go to other bushibans in the area where the emphasis is less on passing tests.
Actually there are some parents who feel their kids have too much pressure and don’t want to much pressure from the buxiban. NO tests please. NO homework please. Why isn’t my kid learning English?
My Chinese teacher told me that for many Taiwanese parents the pendulum has swung the other way. Where as before kids would get beatn for not getting 95+ now they are barely disciplined.
That was her opinion, I don’t really know how true it is.
I’m beginning to find that there exists a small body of academic literature on the topic of EFL methodology for Taiwanese culture. A lot of what I have found has been in the form of unpublished dissertations which will be a bear to obtain. I might try to write a literature review on this.
As I collect literature, I’m wondering to what extent I should concern myself with materials that have a PRC focus. The Taiwan material will keep me busy enough. Can I ignore the PRC?
If I write a review, I won’t do it for a few months. I’m pretty bogged down with other things right now.
[quote=“ploor”]I’m beginning to find that there exists a small body of academic literature on the topic of EFL methodology for Taiwanese culture. A lot of what I have found has been in the form of unpublished dissertations which will be a bear to obtain. I might try to write a literature review on this.
As I collect literature, I’m wondering to what extent I should concern myself with materials that have a PRC focus. The Taiwan material will keep me busy enough. Can I ignore the PRC?
If I write a review, I won’t do it for a few months. I’m pretty bogged down with other things right now.[/quote]I don’t wish to patronise you but from other posts of yours I have read it sounds as if you need to get up to speed with mainstream trends in EFL methodology before you try to do something so specialised. In addition, I would be wary that people who espouse a particular methodology for a particular place might simply be using EFL theory for political goals. Of course if it is politics or sociology that you are interested in then fine.
There are some very good scholars in Taiwan. Someone whose work I would like to read more of is S.Y. Lee of National Taiwan University (so far, I’ve only read an article that he co-wrote with Stephen Krashen; sdkrashen.com/articles/progressinl2/ ).
How has the teaching of English got anything to do with Taiwanese culture?[/quote]
for all intents and purposes, no.
considering the fairly poor level of english found here it is a safe assumption that any effect of taiwanese culture on English learning is a negative one and should be actively repressed in favor of methods that have been found to be effective.
I’m aware I have a lot to learn. One reason I’m interested in collecting literature now is that I currently attend a university with an excellent library system. After I graduate in August it will be very difficult and expensive for me to obtain such materials.
I’m noticing that. I’ve already read a few references to resisting “English language imperialism.”
Learning effective teaching techniques are my goal.
[quote=“joesax”]It might interest you to know that there are some very good scholars in Taiwan. Someone whose work I would like to read more of is S.Y. Lee of National Taiwan University (so far, I’ve only read an article that he co-wrote with Stephen Krashen; sdkrashen.com/articles/progressinl2/ ).[/quote]
My dear mister ploor you would probably be well advised to have a go at learning some living language and also doing a bit actual teaching (tutoring can be good because it leaves you free to experiment) before doing too terrible much more studying. I’m not entirely proud of it but the fact is that I started tutoring on the basis of “one” sentence that I happened to come across at the library. “People who are attempting to speak a second language need a native speaker to talk to who will correct their mistakes and introduce vocabulary.” “I can do that,” I said to myself, and put up an add. With a bit of a twist here, and a bit of a bend there, it is what I continue to do some ten odd years later. Don’t study too long before (you’ll want to study a lot after) taking on this job. You may not like it and you may not have much natural aptitude for it. If either is true you’ll want to find out sooner than later.
I wouldn’t really say I have language teaching experience, but I do a little language exchange and help Chinese speakers with their writing.
I’m tentatively planning on doing a CELTA course. Prior to the course I’d like to study a little methodology. During my preparation to teach, I’d like to be conscious of Taiwan specific issues.
Is this a bad approach? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll read so much that I’ll be burnt out before I start!
Ploor: The OP mentioned a mother who suggested kids should be taught to read before they write.
That is what we are saying is stupid.
The term “grammar-translation method” refers to a specific methodology. It entails laborious drills of translating target language back to L1, but very little speaking in the language. It is not ineffective, but you’d find it hard to find anyone who would call it the “best” method for anything. There are other cognitive methods for overtly teaching grammar which are better at the same things.
I never said that all students learn the same way. In fact, using multiple sensory inputs and accounting for diverse learning styles is at the core of my teaching philosophy. I am a cognitive learner, and I respond well to deductive teaching.
But I prefer to use a combination of instruction and activities from mulitiple theories.
So my point is that the two statements from the OP are right on:
Teaching writing before teaching speaking is stupid coming from a parent to a teacher. How English is taught in schools is not a function of Chinese culture.
However, it is true that how cultures perceive learning and what methods public schools use will affect how teachers here need to appraoch students.
[quote=“puiwaihin”]
Teaching writing before teaching speaking is stupid coming from a parent to a teacher. How English is taught in schools is not a function of Chinese culture.
However, it is true that how cultures perceive learning and what methods public schools use will affect how teachers here need to appraoch students.[/quote]
I’m having trouble reconciling these last two sentences quoted above.
I don’t mean to belabor this issue, but are you saying that how English is taught in schools ought not be a function of Chinese culture.
If this is the case, I’m not convinced yet by the arguments presented here. Frankly, it seems counter-intuitive to me.
For instance, perhaps Taiwanese culture is likely to produce students that are good at memorization. Can this be exploited in teaching techniques?
[quote=“ploor”][quote=“puiwaihin”]
Teaching writing before teaching speaking is stupid coming from a parent to a teacher. How English is taught in schools is not a function of Chinese culture.
However, it is true that how cultures perceive learning and what methods public schools use will affect how teachers here need to appraoch students.[/quote]
I’m having trouble reconciling these last two sentences quoted above.
I don’t mean to belabor this issue, but are you saying that how English is taught in schools ought not be a function of Chinese culture.
If this is the case, I’m not convinced yet by the arguments presented here. Frankly, it seems counter-intuitive to me.
For instance, perhaps Taiwanese culture is likely to produce students that are good at memorization. Can this be exploited in teaching techniques?[/quote]
Culture affects your approach, but the approach is not part of the culture.
The teacher at Bassman’s school said something he took to mean that how parents want English to be taught to their kids is part of culture in Taiwan. It is not. However, the culture of Taiwan does affect how teachers should respond and can affect what techniques a teacher may wish to use.
I guess one thing you can exploit is parents’ acceptance of giving kids tons of homework to the point where they have no other life. The method is not part of the culture but the culture allows you to use it where in another place the parent may be more likely to complain.
[quote=“ploor”] Does Mandarin count . I’m working on it.
I wouldn’t really say I have language teaching experience, but I do a little language exchange and help Chinese speakers with their writing.
I’m tentatively planning on doing a CELTA course. Prior to the course I’d like to study a little methodology. During my preparation to teach, I’d like to be conscious of Taiwan specific issues.
Is this a bad approach? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll read so much that I’ll be burnt out before I start![/quote]
Studying Mandarin and trying to actually use it will teach you as much as all the books combined I suspect.
research the diferent learning styles and methods/techniques that suit these styles.
Come to Taiwan.
Get a job.
Use what you can within the restrictions that your employer allows you to.
NO matter how much research you do, realise that the parents know better than you (see OP), and they pay the bills. Use what you know within these restrictions.
It’s good to see that you are researching this ahead of time.
After skimming some research on teaching English in Taiwan, I have a hypothesis.
To eliminate verbiage, I will refer to native speakers of English teaching English as Western teachers and they teach by Western methods based on their Western culture.
In the ideal world, the English teaching methods should be heavily influenced by both Western and Taiwanese culture to produce teaching methods that are significantly different than those used to teach English to people of other cultures.
However, the vast majority of teachers are woefully unqualified to do so. The main reason for this is most teachers lack the necessary proficiency in both the native and target languages.
For instance, Liao Po-Sen writes the following about college teachers of English:
Good teaching of English to Taiwanese relies significantly on compensation strategies, but this is frequently over-utilized. For many Western teachers, the interlanguage skills are deficient to properly use such strategies.
However the Western teachers’ native understanding of English and corresponding teaching methods better exploit cognitive and metacognitive strategies, an area where Taiwanese teaching is deficient.
In summary, each teacher should utilize their strengths according to their native language experience. Especially for the Western teacher, the resulting methods are the most valuable ones they have to offer. At the same time, all teachers should be cognizant of the overall English teaching environment in Taiwan.
With all the asinine crap i deal with from the kids via parents, who don’t know crap to begin with-there ISN"T enough money in the WORLD to say the above…
With all the asinine crap i deal with from the kids via parents, who don’t know crap to begin with-there ISN"T enough money in the WORLD to say the above…[/quote]
[quote=“ploor”]After skimming some research on teaching English in Taiwan, I have a hypothesis.
To eliminate verbiage, I will refer to native speakers of English teaching English as Western teachers and they teach by Western methods based on their Western culture.
In the ideal world, the English teaching methods should be heavily influenced by both Western and Taiwanese culture to produce teaching methods that are significantly different than those used to teach English to people of other cultures.
However, the vast majority of teachers are woefully unqualified to do so. The main reason for this is most teachers lack the necessary proficiency in both the native and target languages.
For instance, Liao Po-Sen writes the following about college teachers of English:
Good teaching of English to Taiwanese relies significantly on compensation strategies, but this is frequently over-utilized. For many Western teachers, the interlanguage skills are deficient to properly use such strategies.
However the Western teachers’ native understanding of English and corresponding teaching methods better exploit cognitive and metacognitive strategies, an area where Taiwanese teaching is deficient.
In summary, each teacher should utilize their strengths according to their native language experience. Especially for the Western teacher, the resulting methods are the most valuable ones they have to offer. At the same time, all teachers should be cognizant of the overall English teaching environment in Taiwan.[/quote]
. I’m working on it.
. I’m working on it.