Trans-cultural Issues for Teachers of English in China

It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of Confucius to Chinese civilization. The imprint of the sage has been stamped firmly on the way of life of the nation for 24 centuries. The habits and customs of Chinese daily life today still sway to the teachings of the philosopher who laid down the precepts of filial piety, obedience and duty. Culture !hoc"# China by $evin !inclair and %Iris& 'ong (o )ee, *+++ The following materials contain what are clearly stereotypes. !tereotypes are useful because they are simplistic representations of the truth, much more true than false. They are dangerous when they cause us to perceive the ob,ects of the stereotype with impaired understanding. The one absolute truth about China is that it is never any one way, or one thing. There are e-cellent teachers in China, curricula are changing, and teacher trainers are underta"ing new ways of doing things. .owever, old ways die hard. These stereotypes are useful for us to understand why we sometimes wonder if, as (in" /loyd said, Is anybody out there0 1eorge 'ildman, 2222 Contrasting Teaching/Learning Styles Confucian *. Teacher3centered 2. Teacher is the all3"nowing e-pert. 4. 5ll must conform to tradition. 4. The written word is sacred. Western *. !tudent3centered 2. Teacher is a facilitator of learning. 4. 5ll strive to discover something new. 4. 6ulti3media and no3media learning. 7. 6emory wor" is the lowest order of learning 8 lays a foundation for analysis, synthesis, creativity. 9. The test is an instructional tool. :sed to teach, to give feedbac", evaluate the effectiveness of teaching. ;. 1roup serves the individual. <. (raise is the best motivator.

7. 6emory wor" is the highest level of learning. It shows a grasp of the wisdom of elders. 9. The test is the ultimate measure of learning. !tudents& concern is what will be on the test, in order to e-cel. ;. The individual e-ists to serve the group. <. Criticism is the best motivator.

Contrasting Language Teaching Methods Grammar-Translation Method *. 'hat is language0 a. rules and forms b. reading, translating emphasized c. =anguage must follow rules. Communicative Language Methods *. 'hat is language0 a. ideas and feelings b. all s"ills, =, !, >, ' c. =anguage can be fun, unpredictable.

2. .ow does student learn language0 2. .ow does student learn language0 a. (assively 8 by listening to the teacher a. 5ctively 8 by using it for and reciting rules. real communication. b. ?nly the mind@intellect is involved. b. 'hole person 8 body, mind, emotion c. 5ll students are the same. c. !tudents are individuals and learn 5ll perform the same tas"s. in different manners and at different speeds. d. !uccess is defined by memorization of d. !uccess defined by use of words, rules, te-ts and forms. imagination and non3language "nowledge to e-press ideas and feelings. 4. .ow should teachers teach0 a. Ae center of attention at a lectern following te-t page3by3page. b. Conte-t is not important. c. Brin"ing tea and reading is enough, only one method. d. (erfection is the standard. 4. .ow should teachers teach0 a. /ocus on learners& needs@interests and respond to them. b. (resent conte-t. c. :se a variety of methods as needed to insure students learn. d. Crrors are tolerated, as long as communication occurs.

The Chinese Teacher-Student Relationshi Model *. The teacher is the e-pert. The student is an empty vessel. The teacher reads from the boo", while the students listen. The students attempt to ta"e notes of everything said, in anticipation of being tested. 2. 5ny body of "nowledge is finite and can be mastered if the student listens. Cven Cnglish can be taught in Chinese. Cverything comes directly from the boo" and there is only one right answer. 4. It is the duty of the students to copy the masters. The most learned person is the one who can most avidly Duote and@or imitate the master. The result is what would be plagiarism in the other worldE ten or twenty students often hand in virtually identical papers.

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The teacher is always the e-pert. .e@she is always right. !tudents do not challenge teachers, do not e-press alternative viewpoints, do not even as" Duestions for clarification in classFthey wait until after class and as" Duestions individually.

7. !tudents learn by memorizing the material presented by the teacher. They don&t as" Duestions. !tudents very much disli"e being as"ed Duestions 8especially Duestions that as" for analysis, synthesis, criticism, personal opinion or creativity. !ocratic techniDue is viewed as harassment. !tudents e-press no imagination, and often seem unable to pretend, simulate, or act roles Geven with scriptsH. 'hether we are Chinese citizens or native spea"ers of Cnglish, we have a responsibility to attempt to bridge this cultural chasm, because as Cdward !apir points out in The !apir3'horf .ypothesis , It is an illusion to thin" that we can understand the significant outlines of a culture through sheer observation and without the guide of the linguistic symbolismI.=anguage is a guide to %social reality&I..uman beings do not live in the ob,ective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of e-pression for their society. =anguage in Culture, ed. .arry .oi,er, *+74. JuestionsK *. .ow accurate are the stereotypes0 'hat personal anecdotes or observations do you have regarding the Cnglish3Chinese dichotomy0 2 2. Bo you personally believe it is necessary for students to adapt their learning styles, 4 at least while studying Cnglish and related sub,ects, e.g. international business, world history, or mar"et economics0 4. 'hat, if any, accommodations can you ma"e in your teaching style to facilitate your Chinese students& learning style0 !hould you ma"e accommodations0 4. 5re there any tric"s of the trade you can, or do use to move your Chinese students toward acceptance of western teaching methods0 7. 'here can we go to find information and specific methods to use0