QUESTION:
What Chinese industry has been around for at least 30 years; targets children; bleeds over 2 billion $ from the Chinese economy annually; employs more than 1.0 million Chinese and approximately 250,000 foreigners; provides no nutritional value; contributes little or nothing to the development of a better off – harmonious society; and puts more than 5.0 million defective products into the stream of commerce every year?
ANSWER:
No, the correct answer is not McDonald’s.
The correct answer is Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
IN THE BEGINNING
It all began when a misguided U.S. President Richard M. Nixon met with Chairman Mao in 1972, for the express purpose of opening China’s vast market of 2 billion plus people to western profit seeking business interests.1 Little did he realize that in actuality, he was opening the west to Chinese Government owned monopolies who would flood the west with cheap Chinese export products and in the process amass great fortunes at the expense of western economies.2 The great U.S.A. came to rely on China to purchase its treasury bonds to finance its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to fund the economic recovery stimulus package of 2009.3
In 1978 China officially opened its door to the west. Shortly thereafter the first wave of native English speakers entered China to teach in China’s universities.4 With the 1991 fall of the USSR5 and 1987 recognition of China by the USA’s President Carter;6 ENGLISH FEVER descended upon China like a plague; spreading from east to west, north to south, invading every school from kindergarten to university and spawning a new brand of Joint Venture higher education schools.7
WHY?
Previously, when China believed that the USSR would become the post-WW II economic and military super-power of the world, most Chinese universities taught Russian language. This abruptly changed when China and Russia had a political falling out and the reality of the U.S.A.’s rise to the number one position was foretold by Chairman Mao’s world famous handshake with President Nixon and the subsequent demise of the USSR. Chinese teachers of Russian were retrained to teach English, with Russian language remaining in only a few key universities in Heilongjiang Province and Beijing. English became the rage all over China.
Learning English became a National obsession.
Private EFL/ESL schools (kindergartens, primary, middle, high and college) have proliferated to such an extent that according to statistics from the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the NPC, about 54,000 private schools had been set up in China by the end of 2000, with 6.93 million registered students. (People’s Daily, 5/23/01).
The teaching of English as a Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL) in China has become a nationwide endeavor pursued at all academic levels, from the kindergarten to the University. In the past ten years there has been an explosion in the development of public school English programs and private English language schools throughout China. EFL/ESL has become very big business in China (China Daily, HK Edition, October 9, 2002.) Reports show that ESL has become a 10-billion yuan business in China. Of the 37 billion yuan annual book sales, ESL takes up as much as 25% of the market share. And a few ESL teachers in Shanghai command an hourly rate of 1,000 yuan (US$120). Even on average, a student pays 10-20 yuan (US$1.2-2.4) for one hour of ESL training.
China’s reasons for learning English were well summed up twenty years ago by a team from the U.S. International Communication Agency after visiting five cities and many educational institutions in China: “The Chinese view English primarily as a necessary tool which can facilitate access to modern scientific and technological advances, and secondarily as a vehicle to promote commerce and understanding between the People’s Republic of China and countries where English is a major language.”8
At first blush, it may appear admirable that China has so wholeheartedly made such a concerted effort to adopt English, the international language of commerce, as its second language. On October 24, 2002, Zang Xinsheng, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Education reportedly said: “With China’s accession to the World Trade Organization and the approaching Olympics in 2008 more than ever is it a priority for young Chinese to learn and improve their language skills” (China Daily, 10/25/02). The same article states “Beijing is striving to reach its goal of teaching citizens to speak English to improve its image as an international metropolis.” Beijing wants its 13 million residents to speak English to enhance its image as a cosmopolitan metropolis (China Daily, 10-05-02). China’s Ministry of Education wants all young people of China to learn English due to China’s WTO membership and China’s hosting the 2008 Olympics (China Daily, 10-05-02). Certain municipal governments in China require all of their civil servants to learn some English (China Daily, 10/05/02)
These goals or objectives beg the question, WHY?
Market studies, market analysis and affirmative recommendations from experts in the fields of business, math and linguistics should support each of the forgoing propositions, but do not appear to have been conducted.
What is the mathematical probability that each of Beijing’s 13 million or so residents will need to be able to speak English for an intended or even accidental encounter with a single English speaking foreigner during the 2008 Olympics? Probably not very high.
Does a market study support the proposition that Beijing’s image will be enhanced in the eyes of foreigners if all the residents of Beijing can speak English? Further, would such image enhancement translate into increased economic benefit for Beijing? If so, how much economic benefit will accrue to Beijing and does it offset the social, cultural and political costs that must be paid along the way by the people of Beijing? These questions do not appear to have been addressed by any formal study.
How many bilingual (Chinese-English) jobs will actually be created in China due to China’s World Trade Organization (WTO) membership and hosting the 2008 Olympics? Does the number of new jobs requiring English support the need for all of China’s young people to learn English? Answers to these questions are not readily available. And about the bilingual jobs created by the 2008 Olympics: How long will they last? A few months? Why should someone spend three or four years studying English in College for a job in 2008 that will only last a few months? Post Olympics what becomes of these Chinese English speakers? What is the mathematical probability that all municipal government civil servants, in any particular Chinese municipality, will need to use English in their daily work? Very slim.
THE TEFL CURRICULUM
The entire English curriculum is based upon learning to the exclusion of acquisition.
English is taught in 4 separate, distinct and disconnected courses, i.e. reading, listening, writing .and speaking. The entire emphasis is on memorization; memorizing extensive lists of English words, memorizing extensive set phrases; and memorizing pronunciations.
Not even the slightest attention is paid to Krashen’s 2nd language acquisition theory or immersion, or any other 2nd language acquisition theory.
There is no disagreement that the results are dismal. China produces over 5.0 million college graduates every year. Most of them have learned English for 16 years but are unable to produce comprehensible English output. Those fortunate enough to matriculate to graduate studies are further compelled to engage in additional English study, no matter what their major. This is because their undergraduate English study was only adequate to pass the National English Proficiency examinations but they remain functionally illiterate, unable to produce comprehensible oral or written English. At the post-graduate level, the same pedagogy and methodology that failed for 16 years is utilized for another semester, in the hope that it will work.
Chinese college graduates know more about English than most native speakers. Unfortunately, they can’t use a language that they have studied for 16 years. This is a terrible waste of time and resources. In the west it would amount to a National disgrace.
In China, TEFL employs more than 1.0 million Chinese teachers of English.9 Less than 40,000 of these teachers are accomplished enough in English to teach English using English. Imagine,10 960,000 Chinese teachers of English who teach English in Chinese. UNBELIEVABLE. It is no wonder that the Chinese students can’t produce comprehensible English when their teachers can’t.
REFORM IS ESSENTIAL
The goal of universities and colleges throughout China is to have students pass national English competency examinations such as TEM 4, CET 4 and CET 6. Setting aside, for the moment, the fact that these national English competency examinations bear little or no relationship to comprehensible output, the pass rates have become the exclusive focus of administrative attention and false pride. This is in part due to demands of Chinese employers who are misinformed that passing CET 6 is the evidence of an accomplished English speaker.11 Wang Shugua, President of Harbin Institute of Technology is quoted as saying “I recognize CET as a good tool to promote English studies but I am against the practice of regarding a CET certificate as the prerequisite for graduation, which is totally misleading.” He tried to eliminate the requirement for a CET certificate in order to graduate from HIT, but gave up without success. “I had to reconsider the usefulness of CET certificates in job hunting for our graduates. Almost all employers want their recruits to have a CET certificate, so I had to push my students to pass the CET for their good, although it is against my will.”12
The market need to have graduates who can produce comprehensible English output has been completely ignored. Consequently, foreign employers, Joint Venture employers and Chinese companies doing business abroad are hiring university graduates from India because they are better able to produce comprehensible oral and written English, than their Chinese counterparts. Imagine more than 5 million Chinese university graduates, who have learned English for 16 years, many of whom are being passed over for Chinese jobs in China. This is simply unacceptable! English is one of “the 10 most popular disciplines that saw low rates of employment last year.”13 Chinese universities are under tremendous pressure to change curriculums to meet the needs of the job market. But instead, they are simply reducing enrollments in certain majors.14 “One of the reasons for the difficulty in university graduates finding employment is that they are unable to satisfy the needs of employers,” he said. (Yang Weiguo, associate professor of Beijing-based Renmin University) He said the universities needed to adjust their teaching methods and content quickly to conform to social development and demand.15
Both “in house” and private corporate English training centers are proliferating throughout the business hubs of China. The curriculum is usually industry specific and amounts to ESP (English for a specific purpose), i.e. the teaching of technical language and phrases to meet the perceived need to limit English communication to a standard or formal form of English related to a specific discipline such as medical English, legal English, architecture English, IT English, etc.
“While there is a need for specialist terminology, the greatest need of international employers is to have employees who can communicate successfully in English. Thus, communication and accommodation should be emphasized in language instruction; the mastering of perfect grammatical forms is an added bonus that can be reserved for later refinement. Flexibility is just as important as the mastering of prescribed forms, if not more so. In order to communicate across international boundaries, students must learn to adjust to their interlocutor in order to facilitate understanding. Moreover, because of the growing use of English as a global lingua franca, students of the language need to be exposed to a wide range of English accents in order to increase their abilities to understand the people they are likely to encounter in an international career. Furthermore, it is not only formal but informal language skills that should be practiced at university; students should be made aware of the different genres and registers in English, so that they can determine the appropriate use of the language in the various situations in which they are likely to find themselves …. Finally, students should be taught skills that allow them to mediate between languages and cultures. Thus an intercultural approach is needed in language teaching, so that future employees are ‘able to view different cultures from a perspective of informed understanding’.16 An approach that has the goal of successful intercultural communication at its core will prepare students for the relatively unpredictable needs of language use in corporate Europe.”17
REFORM IS IMPOSSIBLE
Wholesale reform of the TEFL curriculum is impossible under current circumstances.
There are simply too many vested interests in English learning. It begins with the National English Proficiency examinations. Graduation and employment decisions rely heavily on passage of these tests. A school’s academic standing depends upon the pass rate for these tests. These examinations primarily test knowledge about English and memorization skills. They do not adequately test functional literacy.18 The authors of these tests have a vested economic interest in residuals every time the tests are used. Although some famous Chinese linguists have criticized the tests19 as inaccurate and irrelevant; the supporters launched a strong defense.20
There are literally thousands of textbooks written by Chinese scholars intended to assist students in passing the National tests. The scholars receive economic royalties on the sale of their books. Some include foreign coauthors or editors but these are mainly window dressing.
Less than a handful of State Owned Publishing Houses, usually attached to a famous university, have a monopoly on publishing texts for English study. They have a great deal invested in publishing English learning texts. They have no motivation to publish English acquisition texts because Chinese scholars have no motivation to write them because they are perceived as useless in passing the National examinations and they would not conform to the curriculum designed to support the tests. The test authors have no motivation to change the tests.
Chinese teachers of English have no time to acquaint themselves with acquisition theory, pedagogy or methodology and they have no incentive to do so. Plus they are limited by the students’ need to pass the National examinations.
When suggesting reform of an industry generating more than 2.0 billion $ a year, one must necessarily tread very lightly.
The native English speaker is utilized as little more than an encourager as opposed to a real language teacher.
http://www.networkesl.com/english/web/48_73.html (accessed 7/15/09)
SOLVING THE CHINESE PUZZLE
For those unfamiliar with China, the obvious answer may be to simply have the National Ministry of Education hand down an edict that acquisition must become a part of the EFL curriculum. Nothing in China is that simple. China is much more complicated than “One China – Two Systems.”
When Beijing speaks, not everyone is required to listen. China has 2 SAR’s, 7 semi-autonomous regions and 4 semi-autonomous municipalities. These areas are basically immune to National mandates. They can take or leave Beijing’s advice with certain limitations. Even the Provinces have a great deal of freedom through their provincial Departments of Education.
Reforming TEFL in China is a monumental task, sort of like eating an elephant. Of course the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Possibly the way to reform TEFL in China is one teacher at a time, one classroom at a time, one school at a time, one province at a time. A much quicker way would be to reform or do away with the National English proficiency examinations. Or, find a cure for English fever.
CONCLUSION
QUESTION:
How can TEFL in China be reformed to graduate students who can produce comprehensible oral and written English?
ANSWER:
That is the 2 billion $ question.
If I knew I would surely tell you!
SOLUTIONS FROM THE PUZZLE MASTERS
The following are unedited attributions:
The only magic process I’ve ever seen to work is the total immersion into L2 for at least a year (as I did). I started to seriously learn English at age 18 a few months before I emigrated to Canada. (True, in Austria, we all had English for four years “in der Hauptschule” but with the same dismal success as China has). After arrival in Canada, after a brief survey of what works and what doesn’t, I decided to stay away from all German-spoken people for at least a year, which I did. Actually, I neither called nor wrote home to my family in Austria for almost two years . . . with the result that I learned to sound like a native Canadian, even without going to school. If the Chinese did something similar, meaning working in an English-only environment while living in an English-only community with a native roommate, they would also acquire English the way I did . . . the way natives do . . . through role modeling what they hear.
Can that be done without leaving China? I think it could in a convoluted sort of way, but the easier answer would be to simply have a youngster commit to the use of “English only” for at least a year, somewhere, preferably in an industrial environment–learning some marketable skills, rather than a scholastic one–to acquire more (questionably useful) knowledge.
The second important solution: China needs to put more emphasis on the value of learning skills if she wants to remain a role model to the world. Yes, knowledge, per se, has been the West’s major export over the last fifty years; yet, as valuable as it was a few years ago, with the advent of the Internet, knowledge has become a public commodity . . . it has virtually lost its market value. If Chinese students would start to use the English section of their library more, they would discover this for themselves. In fact, to me, it seemed almost criminal how little research was done by our NCC students here at NJU last year. But this mindset is not likely to change while the powers to be focus on the passing of “knowledge” tests rather than the acquisition of comprehensible output (by both teachers and students).
Joe Anthony Blum, MA TESOL
For those of us who have been around for awhile and have seen the fruits of China’s foreign language program, it is obvious that what the Chinese really want is for the rest of the world to learn Chinese. Absolutely you can quote me. In fact, I just went on record with that position in an article I wrote for EzineArticles.com titled Teaching English in China—Debunking the Myths.
New Oriental as well as English First have both added Chinese language programs for foreigners. One school in Haikou I still consult for, Hainan YuDa, has applied for an educational license to teach Chinese to foreigners. Of course, Chinese universities have been doing this for awhile but now everyone is going to get in on the act. At least it’s honest.
As inefficient as the mainland Chinese government is, if they really wanted their citizenry to speak English, they would be speaking English by now. The whole thing was just for show in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games, just to prove how “international” China really is (a point you have made numerous times). There was never any real intent. That’s obvious based on the result.
Gregory Mavrides, PhD, Professor Jinan University.
As for the “Puzzle” you mentioned, it is really a puzzle for me, and also for lots of Chinese teachers of English, I think. However, the puzzle stems from a variety of factors, such as economic, military, political, technical , scientific development and the change of the world, I think. CET-4 or CET-6 can not shoulder all the blame and responsibility. In fact, English as a foreign language, has been raised to a higher position because of CET-4 and CET-6, without which many students of science may choose to put more time on their majors though it may not be a bad thing……So, you see, it’s really a puzzle.
Jane Li, Chinese teacher of English
I don’t think any of us can change China. However, we can all change the corner where we work. Each year I train teachers and a whole district has now given me a document that through my effort they have a large pool of good local English teachers and that the level of English in the district has been raised.
As for, why teach English? Some of the respondents seem to have over looked the fact that Russian was universally taught in China for many years. When there was the fallout with Russia, Russian had to be replaced, and so, long before Nixon came to China, the teaching of the “international language” had already begun. For proof of this, read WILD SWANS.
There weren’t any English teachers then, so the Russian teachers were told to use the international phonetic symbols to learn the English and teach it. All of today’s teachers still copy their teacher’s method even though they know it is ineffective.
It is possible to turn a country around one degree at a time. You will not move people 180 or even 90 degrees by just being adamant. Now when you apply that to a conglomerate like China, it becomes even more obvious, that is the way an egoistic nation like China is.
That is why I only train teachers with the total backing of the Education Authorities in the area where I am working and go back to see how it is implemented. Great changes have taken place and I make it clear that this is a work in progress, not that my training is the last they will need in their lifetime.
In our lifetime we will not see a total change, but from 1992 until now I have seen a lot of change and I know this will continue. Stop looking at what is not, but start implementing the change you can. Maybe my training is so successful because it is done without any gain to me, except the satisfaction that I am making a little difference in one corner of this great land.
Ria Smit, China Foreign Expert, Zhengzhou, China
Just think of the puzzle game. A puzzle game consists of many pieces which are “locked” to each other in a special way. One piece doesn’t make any sense. The key to solving the puzzle is to start from the edge, first make a line, then a small area, a big area, finally the whole picture will show up.
An old saying in China: “The outsider sees the most of the game”. Chinese students and teachers are the pieces of the puzzle. Foreign experts are the outsider. For this reason, you can see the situation objectively. English is a foreign language in China. The government should invite foreign experts to design the English curriculum, course and textbooks, and to train teachers. This can also avoid the problem of vested interests.
Yu Yi, Chinese teacher of English
http://japanese.china.org.cn/english/2006/Apr/165139.htm accessed July 7, 2009
http://china.org.cn/business/2008-09/19/content_16505870.htm
http://mdjnkj.china.com.cn/english/2002/Mar/28035.htm (accessed July 1, 2009)
Beijing-based survey company Mycos HR (accessed May 1, 2009)
The Issues In The Current College English Test
Niu Qiang
Foreign Language Teaching and Research (bimonthly)
Mar. 2001 Vol. 33 No. 2
Gu Xiangdong, (2002) Suspicion and Misunderstanding -A Review of the article “To the Quality or the Test” in Wen Wei Po, Foreign Language World, No. 6 2002 (General Serial No.92)
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Oh,yes.The Chinese puzzle about English education is really a big trouble.We need the complete reform in China,not only the English education,but also the whole educational system.However,just like the aticle said” Reforming TEFL in China is a monumental task, sort of like eating an elephant.”Oh,that’s a so large project.There are many reasons causing this,including deep historical and political reasons.So we can’t finish it only in one night.We should “eat an elephant is one bite at a time”.Moreover,to get the destination,only relying on one or two people is impssible.We need the efforts of various people in china”teachers（both Chinese and foreigners）、students、governors、 workers for campus and so on” .I believe our descendants must be able to learn English well and communicate with others fluently in English.
The puzzle mentioned above really deserves our concern. If we have kept an eye on our English learning, we can notice this puzzling phenomenon. Indeed, I am one of the representative samples. I had passed CET6 two years ago. However, I must admit that my oral English is broken. In my sense, I do not need to use oral English in the exams. Thus, I paid little effort to practice it. Even though I know it is a wrongdoing.
After I read this paper, I know I should first change myself. English is a language that needs to be kept in mind firmly. Only if I could speak it fluently, I can say that I had mastered it. So I must pay more attention to my oral presentation.
Meantime, English education in our country is changing step by step. They pay more attention on speaking. Oral presentation takes part in exams. More and more chances are supplied to students for practicing their speaking skill. I believe, one day the puzzle will disappear. But it will take a long time indeed.
The words “English is an important tool” come into every student mind, because we have taught by our teacher so many times. However, most people have not find any place to use this tool after so many years learning. So we may think it is waste of time and money. After I read this article I am amazed that our country had put so many money on it every year.
With more thinking about this phenomenon, I think we should change us idea about learning, together with reforming the TEFL. The policy just like a stick which point anywhere our students should go. Many students reluctantly study English but have no choice, because they must pass the exam. So they go to bookstore to buy books and many parents invite teacher to teach their children English. Gradually the “English industry” formed. The tool lose its real meaning.
The reform is imperative under the situation. The fast, the better to all of us.
I don’t agree with the idea which was discussed in the article “A NEW CHINESE PUZZLE” . There were not enough English teaching facilities in most of Chinese schools, even some colleges and some universities because of the in-competence of the finical the government could offer. But with the larger spending of the number of money on education because of the improvement of the economy of China, the situation will become better. Please believe in me, it is only a problem of time.
I doubt that maybe the puzzle is hard to be solved. Just like another puzzle in China in my mind.
When I was still a kid, people spat all over the street. In that years, no matter when and where I was, I could see people spitting. But fortunately, I did not grow up as one of them. So sometimes I think of that, spitting everywhere may be a history when I and my generation grow up.
And nowadays, nearly every kindergarten begin to teach oral English. Will this means that, one day the puzzle of English learning will become a history?
I just don’t know because spitting still can be seen everywhere. Time will tell, I pray.
The new Chinese puzzle which is presented in the article, in my view, has become a problem that not only has a negative influence on the Chinese English education but also limit China the ability to cultivate a harmonious society. The solution in my notion is that we need change, just like the sentence which says it suddenly dawn on me that I have to let go of who I am to be who I will be, so the Chinese English education system.
“The Chinese view English primarily as a necessary tool which can facilitate access to modern scientific and technological advances, and secondarily as a vehicle to promote commerce and understanding between the People’s Republic of China and countries where English is a major language” (Cowan et al., 1979). In this regard,I can’t agree more. From my own situation, I view english as a tool which help me gain knowledge and give me a new horizon of the world. So I never puzzle that if it work or workless when I’m on my job. I just know that I must learn english better for it’s the entrance of the modern science and tenology.
English is just a tool of communication. More and more Chinese start to learn English, because there are so many countries using the English as their official language. Obviously if we want to open our door to communicate with them and be geared to international standards, we have to learn English. It is interesting that my parents also begin at learning English. In their opinions, mastering English means they can travel all over the world using only the same language the time when they are older. Therefore it isn’t a terrible thing that everyone learns a foreign language actively.
Although it is true that we are purchasing a great grade in CET-4 and CET-6, it sometimes is not the first goal that we really would like to improve our English. The reason is that we can get some other assets. For instance, we are able to obtain the fellowship if we do a good performance in those English tests. In contrast, if we do not do well in the tests, we will lose many chances. Besides, some exciting majors ask for a good grade in CET-4 and CET-6. The most important one is we have to pass CET-4 if we want to get our bachelor’s degree. Thus, it is easy to realize that we are not going to learn English well according to the examples mentioned above, but use it as a tool to reach some other targets. What should we do is to make every student be aware of the significance of learning English well and to try our best to learn it with hearts. Only in this way can we get rid of the terrible misleading of learning English and be urged to learn English well.
In the model time, with the developing of the economy and technology, the world becomes smaller and smaller. We communicate with the foreigner is necessary and learning English is also necessary. So the question is how to study English efficiently, especially comprehensible oral and written English.
As we known, it is difficult to solve the new china puzzle. Because it is about the China education system, and if we want to reform the system, it needs a lot of time and make a bigger change then before. First of all, most of students and teachers do not realize the four great lie in English study.
They even do not know there are some mistakes in their English learning. After all, I think the reform should begin in the ten top universities in china, and when it works, then introduce the new way and new thought to other schools. There will be a long way to go and I believe in the future the puzzle will disappear.
Why Chinese people need to learn English？This is really a good question. Though I have learnt English for about more than ten year(middle, high, college), I did not think about it for a second before.
ENGLISH FEVER descended upon China like a plague; spreading from east to west, north to south, invading every school from kindergarten to university and spawning a new brand of Joint Venture higher education schools. This phenomenon appears after the open and reform policy. But I do not think that every one need to learn English. Especially the suggestion that every citizen in Beijing should study English because of the 2008 Olympics is ridiculous. For the purpose of improving the image of Beijing? How many jobs need people know both Chinese and English? Some jobs have nothing to do with English but still require certain ability of using English. It is really a joke and can only happen in China. China misled his people and wasted a lot of time and money in English education. If we use the energy in the right place, china may become much better.
China is a huge country composed of many tribes speaking different dialects. Uniformity of language has been a big problem. TEFL is not an easy job to carry out in all the regions of China. Deficiency or lack of facilities in language teaching is a great problem waiting to be solved. Due to the above problems, national English competency examinations have to adapt the present situation. Although oral training and English acquisition is very important in English learning, the strain of educational resources should also be considered. Efficient English learning means money. As compared with the Western countries, the average per capita income is still low in China. TEFL reform should be accord to the real situation of a country. Encourage people communicate through email or in chat room is also one way to practice the use of English rather than speaking
Learning English becomes a great industry in China.Since it is an industry,the right thing it can be is just “producing accelerates the consumption”,and “consumption accelerates the producing in return”.It results both benefit and defection.Since we can’t change this situation,I think we can’t still make a difference about EFL.
First,training eligible English teachers as much as possible.Our country pay for the money.An eligible one should know not only the grammar and pronunciation,but also the essence of how to study English by yourself.
Second,taking speaking English to every English exam,including CET.Then,we can receive a general English course,and test our acquisition.
Frankly speaking, as a graduate student, when I heard such a profound analysis of the reason why we cannot learn English well, I was so ashamed. With the development and reform in China’s education system over a number of years ,this puzzle per se has not been solved.
In fact, This puzzle may not only exist in English course. For many years, we study for the endless examinations and throw it away after the test. We are forgetful, and most of the things we learnt in the class are just for oblivion. In such education system many students lack of innovation, independent thinking and the passion to explore new fileds. They pay much attention to the examination results and are used to get an standard answer to every question.
But, from another point of view, the examinations are necessary. Graduate students prefer in-depth study of the subject he is interested in and neglect the importance of English. It’s really hard to solve this problem.
To be frank , there are a lot of problems existing in the education system , not only English teaching . From the beginning of this semester to now , we have read many articles on the website . All of them express complaints and unsatisfactory on the conditions in China . We are glad that people can communicate frankly . If there is any problem , one can speak it out . However , as I said in another comment , solving problems seems more important than keeping complaining .
We have to acknowledge that English education in China should be reformed . Just like the author said , it is sort of like eating an elephant , one bite at a time . Hence we change one part at one time , gradually making things better .
TEFL in China is really a big puzzle for not only the students but also the teachers. A lot of us don’t understand the purpose of learning English; while more don’t know how to learn English well. From primary school (now even kinder-garden) English becomes one of the main subjects for all the students. I don’t remember I have ever been encouraged to watch any English movies or read any other English materials except for the text-books during my elementary school and middle school, not to speak to practice my oral English.
I know the teachers should not be blamed. The exams system is responsible for all these. All they test is grammar knowledge. Of course, it also tests your writing skills, however, the most important criteria is that the longer and more complicate your sentences are, the better your writing skill you prove you have. I don’t have any oral English test in my first 8 years of English studies. All I centers around is the English tests.
It’s very encouraging that the problem of TEFL in China is now causing a lot of people’s attention.
I have wasted a lot of time to prepare for the English tests but gain little acquisition of English. I wish a better prospect of TEFL in China for the future generations. Though the road of reformation is long and tough, I think if every one makes a little contribution then we’ll make a big difference.
The puzzle mentioned above really deserves exist in China. As a student of China, if you want to join in the better universities, you must study hardly to pass the exams, so few students will pay attention to the oral English. To solve the puzzle the biggest problem is the policy. The Government department should pay more attention to this issue, they should think about which is more important, the economic benefits which Leading English study to a vicious circle, or the actual English capability of Chinese citizens?
I think it is not a new puzzle in china.I also think there are many people have realized this problem.But many years past,we have no way to resolve it.Why?As we know ,building a syetem need a long time,changing it need a longer time.The system of english education is steady.Now,we konw this system is testified that it is not very good.We can not improve our english under the system.
So we need to reform.Our culture decide reform is a difficult thing in china.Now the key problem is how to reform the system.In the past 30 years,our country is reforming in economic and society.we have so many experiences and lessons.We can not reform too intense.The rather that we do not konw the best way to resolve the puzzle.
Perhaps,we need more time and efforts to resolve the puzzle.
I think it’s a feature of China that most of Chinese students spent 16 years or more to study English but still cannot speak English freely. It is unbelievable not just in English teaching but in the whole education system. Year and year we learn English just for pass the examinations. Nobody will think English is a language tool used to communicate with others. So I can’t agree more with the point that reforming, creating a TEFL in China. Maybe we could make some mistakes at first, we should face the problem instead of avoiding it and take actions right now. The earlier we started, the sooner we could change the current situation. No matter how little we could do, no matter how long it will be, we could improve step by step. I think after several years, we surely could reach our goal.
In my thought, the new Chinese puzzle presented in the article isn’t a problem one day. Since a kid was born, he was tought to learn the way. As he grows up, the way will grow up with him as well. Even it has only a little negative influence on the Chinese English education, but it limits the ability to cultivate a harmonious society. In my opinion, mastering English means is important. We need to change the way of the Chinese English education system.
With development of economic globalization, English plays the dominate role.So many country point out the significance of learning English,of course include China. Every Chinese university student have been learned English more than 10 years,but we can’t communicate each other with fluent English,because we emphasis on the scores of the examination,so we spend many time to remember English.
In my opinion,English is a communication tool,our country should innovate upon education forms and emphasize oral and listening ability, I think China government will be do well ,such as TEFL.
In my opinion, Chinese government has devoted amount of money and resources on English education in China. We do not need to doubt its purposes, but the methods. It is not a puzzle for our government only, it is for us all. I learned English from my middle school, and now my two years old niece has began to learn English words. English is a language, language need to speak more, talk more .Our teachers always teach us for exams not for practice. So we get high score, but low practical ability. Now our government takes measures to solve the puzzle. Education reform has a long way to go , we may make some mistakes ,but we always try to find a right way.
Maybe china’s english pedagogy result in “chinese puzzle”.What is china’s english pedagogy ?To prepare for the exam!For the college entrance exam,for the CET!We have no oral class in middle or high school,even in a plenty of common colleges.Our teacher taught us grammar and structure of the sentence,but he use chinese to taught in the class! From their standpoint speak more or less have no discrepancy because they play a faint role in chinese style exam!Therefore, there is a inherent notion in chinese mind that learning english is to get a high score of test paper!
Herein,chinese students “fabricate”a sentence which can write down in the book but can’t speak out!There is on puzzle,we puzzled ourselves!
The Chinese puzzle which is mentioned in the article, not only just a problem existing in Chinese English education but also has a negative influence on social progress of China. But it is impossible to turn a country around one degree at a time, which need a process. I begin to learn English from my primary school, there didn’t have enough resource to study English at that time, our students just could speak some letters after one semester. However, in this summer vacation, I went to visited my relatives, and meet one of my little niece, she asked me suddenly: ”What’s your name? May I speak to you in English？” I’m so surprised that I forgot to answer her questions, and she repeated them again. So we can see the great changes have taken place, and I believe it will be become better and better.
I thonght a lot after reading your article, this situation that you say is existent.I spend nearly 13 years to learn English,but I can not communicate well with others now. English is just a special tool,but I must learn it.We don not have good method. We have been at a standstill.
In deed,it is such an intresting and meaningful topic,i think,to be frank,i want to master english well,which will lead to the direction i aim at.
Guiltly speaking,i have not ever think carefullly about the purpose for learning english,but i can make a sure that learning english hard is not just for passing the exam,getting great goals,the real motivation,to a large extent,mabe the important of english,especialy the american english,which is the greatest language of the world as well as chinese.there is no doubt that the USA is the super nation in the world for its advanced technology and powerful economic,hence,we can consider english as the best tool for understand and learning the USA well,catch up with it as early as possible,however,it is the from the standpoint of our nation.in fact,as to the individual,it is all the same,all we learning is to make us qualify the job,improve our personal skills,that sounds so simple,I believe.
This article really puzzle me maybe this author want change this phenomenon of learning Enlish in China ,maybe he want Chinese acquire English faster,better. But he thinks no matter what their major. This is because their undergraduate English study was only adequate to pass the National English Proficiency examinations but they remain functionally illiterate, unable to produce comprehensible oral or written English. As describe in the one passage ENGLISH FEVER descended upon China like a plague, from 1978 to 2009 sum total 30 years ,there are many changes in learning English ,maybe we not speak very fluent and native English ,we have big progress, You will not move people 180 or even 90 degrees by just being adamant. I think pass another 30 years our English learn is no longer a problem.
It is not necessary that all of our citizen speak fluent English.In Japan,government are not encouraging them speak English fluently.
The puzzle mentioned is quite a problem in China.And it is unbelievable to solve it in a short time.Now we know what it is,it is time to solve it.Step by step.
OK！If you want to know more about this, you should understand the policy of education at first. You know, if you want to enter a good college or university, you should get a high point in your grade which is the only standard to judge of a student whether he or she is excellent enough. Yeah! It’s very different with America. So students in China will pay less attention to their oral English. Now you will know the answer to your puzzle.
it is also my puzzle.why do i learn english for more than ten years and use my poor english to do nothing but wasting my time writing comments on the articles, witch are writed by a foreigner who is a male but not a betty female .maybe the answer to the questions i just mentioned above is that one of the reason we learn the language,which we call it english and spent a lot of time trying to master it,is that no matter who you are ,only if you are a man living in the universe ,you may sometimes see some strange words which you had to know exactly what it means in some places for some reason.
This Chinese puzzle is really puzzling almost all of us. We learn English well at writing,reading and listening, but we can speak fluently. This should be ascribed to our teaching system, but I think our system isn’t wrong totally. It is CET-4 and CET-6 giving a high position to English, the only fault is that our test doesn’t contain oral English. I think it is the most promising way to solve this puzzle. And we also need to practice English a lot, this is the only way we should do. So let’s go!
Money was paid for us, but we got little. If the system of education is not changed, money will still paid for nothing. As we known, the dominating goal for us to pay a lot of time on learning English is to get a hight grade on lots of examinations ,such as CETs and final exams. Even though we work hard on learning English we still got little. Why? In my opinion, we learn it in a useless way. The most important for us is to find our way to learn it.
It is waste of time and resource that a student who study English so many years could not speak or write comprehensible English. In my opinion, our purpose of study is to use the language we learned to communicate with others. There is no wrong for the National English Proficiency examinations itself, but some people who blandly pursuit the rate of passing the examinations distorted our purpose and destroyed our study. I think we should make sure our purpose and say no to the teaching methods which just for the examination. The circumstance was not formed in one day and we can’t change it in one time, there are still lots of things to do and a long way to go, but I know that I should change myself firstly.
Yes reforming TEFL in China is a monumental task, sort of like eating an elephant. Of course the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So we should do good things as students should , work hard and efficient. If we have some good ideas, we should feed back to the teachers , or share with others via internet, magazines and so on.. If we joint together we would change the situation now we study English in our country. let’s look forward the happy day coming.
Do you have puzzle? No，I have not. The puzzle worrying you due to the corruption in government. Why do I say that? Because the corruption in government lead to the corruption in education. And that will bring about unfairness in education which is the foundation of Social justice. Social unfairness will increase corruption, as a vicious circle.
Thanks for letting me know the circumstance I’m so familiar with is a puzzle. I have been used to it and hadn’t clearly seen its defects before I saw the article.
Interest is the best teacher. I love English literature, and enjoy communicating with people in English. That is an interest I nurtured by myself, I have to say. I also know most of my schoolmates hate English. I feel the same way, because I know the truth is, they hate the boring English courses involving so much memorizaion, and the compulsory exams costing so much time and energy. The truth is, our interest in English is ruined by the courses and exams. Without the exams and the courses where teachers teach how to score high in the exams (in Chinese), students can be guided to judge whether English is so important to them, encouraged to get some comprehensible English input and use English in their daily life, nurturing their interest in English by themselves, and provided with an English speaking environment if they want to improve their English.
China has a puzzle in its English teaching that it has had attached great important and put many money annually. But the situation seems to get little effects. Most students have been taught English for 16 years，from a child to go to college，but cannot speak English well to express their ideas. Why？Conspicuously，there are defects in the education system and need to be reformed. But reform the present education system seems to be difficult，because it refer to too many people’s profits. In the last several years China has advocated that everyone should learn English especially Beijing for improving the people’s diathesis and the Olympic Games in 2008. The idea seems good，but it just a wish because English is not only a skill but a knowledge. Just to learn some words and sentences to muster English is impossible. What the measures need now just to think about how to reform the education system.
Follow rules without any consideration about whether they are right. Do not think about why you should do those things teachers or leaders ask you to. It is not a new puzzle. It is a tradition in China.
Chinese students spend too much time on passing various examinations. There is no time even no necessaries for them to think about why they study, what they should study and how they could do better.
Somebody have obtained interests from present TEFL system do not want to change it. Teachers also have no motivation to prove their teaching methods because the only measure of their teaching quality is the pass rate of students aquire in official tests.
We want to be free, so we should change the situation from now, step by step. Do not waste another 16 years.
I believe most of people who have learned English for several years have a profound experience, which is not out of voluntary, because after study so many years, we still can’t produce comprehensible oral and written English, the puzzle mentioned in the article makes not only government puzzled but we teachers and students puzzled, there is no doubt that we put much effort into learning English, such as time, money even at the cost of ignoring the learning of professional course, so we needn’t doubt the effort we put into studying English but the way and methods, return back the process of learning English, I found I took most of time to remember vocabularies and grammar that teachers all teach us in the way, which is obviously unadvisable, so I do agree what Yu Yi said in the above article, which say “the outsider sees the most of the game. Chinese students and teachers are the pieces of the puzzle. Foreign experts are the outsider. The government should invite foreign experts to design the English curriculum, course and textbooks, and to train teachers”. And I believe we can make more progress in this way.
In China, which is the good method to learn English is a difficult question all the time. Not only administers of education but also every student and teacher was concerned about it. I started to learn English when I was a student of junior high school. By this time it is eleven years. But now my oral and written English is very poor. I want to improve it all the time, but I could not find a good method. No matter how hard I work, there is no effect. I am agonizing. I failed CET 6 last time, I think that’s because I did not have a large sum of words. So after that I remember word at my free time. But it is useless.
Now after reading this article I know English is a language, should use it frequently. Only communicate with foreigners using English fluently, then I can say my English is good.
Reform is necessary and reform needs time.China has been developing quickly as China decided to start the society reform.for the 30 years,we can see a different country standing in the word. As for the “puzzle”,I think we just need time and the good way to solving the problem.With the society developing,more and more people pay more attention to the profit.The misleading of the society make the market bigger and bigger.SO we need reform and we also need new way and time to make the “puzzle” solved.
I think most of us have realised this puzzle problem.But it is difficult to resovle.We have studying English, exactly speaking English words and phrases,for 20 years around. We remember so many words,aiming at understanding the articles in the examinations and the qualifications of the proficency tests. We emphasise much more on the test exams but ignore the importance of listening and speaking English,not mentioned the aquire theory. Every language is a media of communication.Words is only the attachment of this.But we put all our attention on this attachment,not for communication,but to pass the exam.It’s time to change now.
Why should we have to learn oral English well? Most of us have no chance to communicate with others in oral English. The person who wants to go abroad and communicate with the foreigner can learn oral English well himself. If you a foreigner wants to work in China, you should learn Chinese and China well, it just likes we Chinese go abroad have to communicate with others in English. So we need to learn English well but it is not necessary to know it wonderful. It is just my own opinion.
TEFL become a puzzle for both students and teachers in China . Some don’t understand the importance of English; others don’t know how to teach or learn English well. In my opinion, there are two main reasons. On the one hand, English in China is taught as a course like mathematics and physics, rather than language. It is the source of pressure rather than brings students’ any pleasure. It’s as dry as dust in students’ eyes, so very few students interest in English from the bottom of their heart. Most of students learn English hard is just for the purpose of obtain high scores in the examination so as to cross the thresholds of eleven-plus. On the other hand, a relaxed, free and lively environment is badly needed to create so as to raise students’ initiative and interest in learning English especially oral English. We may notice that many students’ oral English is poor is just because of lace of speaking. So, if atmosphere of this kind is formed they will have more opportunities to practice and will make much progress.
There are many reason for the ‘Puzzle’ you mentioned, such as economic, military, political, technical ,scientific development and the change of the world. So it’s difficult to make reform fully. China is a huge country composed of 56 tribes speaking different dialects. The developed level of economic which makes a important role in the education is different from different places. But we can all change the corner where we work, live, study, as so on. Finally things will certainly improve. The government of China will find the appropriate ways to solve the problems.
As old saying in China:”The outsider sees the most of the games.” Maybe I always try my best to memorize the English words and set phrase,even the pronunciations for English test.Then I pass most of the tests and gain a neither better nor worse mark.I have a little doubt about my decade of English study only when I speak terrible English. This article of the “outsider” give me some new ideas about the Chinese TEFL.We should reform the TEFL curriculum.As talked about in this article,this problem involving enormous profits about 2 billion $ is troublesome. “The key to solving the puzzle is to start from the edge, first make a line, then a small area, a big area, finally the whole picture will show up”,as said in the article.I think this is a good way for solving this puzzle.Under the China’s actual conditions,many problems are settled by this way.Another problem mentioned is that only 4% Chinese English teachers teaching English with English.Though China has reformed and opened up for thirty years,this is impossible to train so many English teachers using English on class for the whole nation.Some teachers in the poor countryside try their best to teach their students spoken-English.Because of the lack of the ability,not their duty,makes things worst.But they are also good teachers,just need to be retrained.The most important view I agree with is that not everyone in China should learn English.
Education is one of the most important things in our life. English is a foreign language that penetrates many fields of Chinese’s normal life. As a student, we need to study English, the purpose of learning English is that we can speak, listen, read, write English, in a word, we can communicate with others in English. But, Chinese students’ main purpose of learning English is just to pass examinations, such as CET-4 and CET-6. Therefore, students spend a lot of energy and time in learning English, but their English is still very poor, we can not communicate with other in English very well, what we learnt after many years of studying English is how to pass examinations. So, it is hard to solve the new Chinese puzzle.
One important thing we can do is, we should arouse the interest of students and make them realize that what they should learn is how to use English, but not pass examinations. Therefore, learning English or not, it depends to yourself, and those who want to acquire English can get the opportunity to study English.
In fact, I think it’s the defauts of our education system, there are too much problems existing in it.
Our education is exam-oriented rather than quality-oriented education. The exams system should be responsible for all of these. Our exams system may be useful to other subject such as maths or physics, while for English teaching, I think it’s noneffective!
As mention to the TEFL reforming, it’s not a easy task for china, it’s really a big puzzle for not only the students or the teachers but also for the government, as is mentioned above in this aticle, “the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”, We have wasted too much time on this problem, and now I think it’s time for us to think this question for a second time! And everyone speaking or learning English should makes his contributions to the reforming of TEFL in China!
TEFL is very important for today’s education in China and to do this better is also very hard. There are many problems mentioned above and maybe many other problems have not been found. For a student, I feel I have no power to change the situation of TEFL and the thing I care first is how to learn it well. After Martin’s lessons, I knew the meaning of the saying, ’Steel sharpens steel’ and I can learn English better if I want. I can speak English with my friends, teachers, classmates and other people I know and don’t know and I can speak English in the laboratory, in the street and some public places and also I can speak English when I play basketball or do my experiments even I can talk to myself in English as alone. Whether I can learn English well depends on myself! I don’t know whether it is a puzzle of TEFL in China, but I believe it has been improved and will become better with the efforts of the government, teachers and our students!
With more thinking about this phenomenon, I think we should change us idea about learning,Many students reluctantly study English but have no choice, because they must pass the exam. So they go to bookstore to buy books and many parents invite teacher to teach their children English. Gradually the “English industry” formed. The tool lose its real meaning.
But, from another point of view, the examinations are necessary. Graduate students prefer in-depth study of the subject he is interested in and neglect the importance of English. It’s really hard to solve this problem.