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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Why do we need to learn and study English?In order to communicate with others?To learn the skills and tech from the other countries?Or for something grand?In China,the true answer is NO!So what is involved in China’s English Education?Cet 4,Cet 6!And endless examinations!A job seems to have no relationship with English,you want to get it?Let me first see you grades on English!So,it is the China’s English education that makes English in China a strange thing,a nonsense thing.So,reformation is very necessary,and the gov must take it into practice from the root.
With the developing of the economy and technology, the world becomes more and more small. When you put up your head you could see a foreigner and when you put down your head you might see another foreigner. So we should learn English to communicate with them. Many people think that there is no necessary that all of us should learn English. But I think everyone should learn English. just like the saying goes, “God likes the prepared guys .” We should prepare for communicating with foreign countries especially after we joined the WTO. I think everyone should has a equitable chance to learn English. But in the other hand, English is just a tool of communication. I think if someone still doesn’t like English at all since he/she has learned it for several years. Maybe he/she not good at it and he/she could turn to other field, and he/she might success in that field.
After reading this article I firstly have to admit that there really exist some problems in Chinese English system. Because it was established by some Chinese professors who in their year of study , they could not got enough guideline as we are now. So we have to say that the current status quo which is mostly by the old generation is exactly not so perfect.
However , on the other hand, we also have to say that it’s also one kind of test in English skills , there are now may other well-known English tests. The core opinion I want to show is that we can decide how to learn English , it’s not so acute to change the cet-4,6 ,the right thing we have to do now is to reschedule our English study after we read this excellent article and get some important information. And another opinion that I had is that I don’t think it’s very important to spent so much time on oral English , for my own part ,listening and reading is of much more importance especially listening.
The article shows me a realistic picture of English education in China. To be true, I never thought about that before. We have been taught English for nearly 16 years but can’t use English creatively yet. It’s a waste of too much time and too much money. What a puzzle! Obviously, you give an insightful analysis. The awkward situation needs to be changed. However, it seems to me that the situation is too difficult to change, because too many people can benefit in the irrational English teaching.
In my opinion, words and grammars memorizing is necessary in our English leaning, because words and grammars are foundational elements and rules we used to form a comprehensive English sentence. However, I think we shouldn’t spend 16 years only in learning words and grammars, especially for the exams! When I was in middle school, my English teacher’s oral English was very good, and he also asked us to read more, listen more and speak more. But he had to teach us words and grammars again and again in class in order to help us to pass the English examination. Maybe the first step of the TEFL curriculum’s reform is taking away all kinds of English examinations.
The English fever badly needs cooling in China. There are many lies and excessive advocating about the importance of EFL (English as a Foreigner Language).
NOT EVERYONE NEEDS ENGLISH. The people need English who want to go aboard for study or business, even immigrant, who work in the foreign company, who are easily available to foreigner. But for the others, English is not a necessity of life.
Some people will argue that why colleges ask a CET4-passing before you can get your bachelor degree? Why people passing CET4 or even CET6 get job more easily? The only answer can be the nation has a fever to faint on English learning. For the first question, a lot of people will not touch English any more after they leaving campus. Why they should pass a test hardly to justify their English is up to grade under the pressure from colleges? For the second, it is the byproduct of the first one. The sad truth is the CET4-passers justify their hard working, by at least four years hard English studying, to the employers most of which never use English in their work.
For education, we have put forward the curriculum reform, but where is the effectiveness of our reform? Teachers compromise when they are faced with social pressures from schools and society. Then they follow the original teaching mode, focusing only on scores. This is the so-called a superficial change. That is our tragedy. Many schools have installed multi-media facilities which have never been used. They just see it as a decoration for higher inspection. Because the electric bill is too expensive. A lot of money has been spent, why care about a little money? I think our education system should start with children, developing their sense of responsibility to the families and the community.
New chinese puzzle
The students and the teachers in China have realized the trends that English is becoming more and more important for everyone in the world with the globalization strong development. We pay attention to the English and put more emphasis on the value of learning skills to change the situation . we try our best to do it as good as possible, however, the reality have scarcely changes. Because there are too many things affect it to carry out it smoothly, such as the traditional ideas , the consciousness and so on. We can’t change it in short time in spite of the great effort.
We should have a strong consciousness about the importance of the English, then we can open the ideas to receive it .meanwhile, we can do everything that is good for it as soon as possible around our surrounding. Everyone should make some contributions to serve it .
How long article it is for me! This is my second time to read this article and I read it completely. Because it is too long to finish reading it at first time, so I feel proud for myself now, really. I have learned English for 12 years, but I can’t produce any comprehensible English output. I think there are many people who are the same with me. I have to say it is failure for TEFL or TESL in China. The only way to change the circumstance is to reform TEFL. But as Martin said ‘That is the 2 billion $ question’, it is impossible to reform the TEFL in China drastically. But a little reform is acceptable. I don’t know which way is the best, but it must need the endeavor of government and scholars. I hope the day comes early.
Yes, just as what you’ve said, this is indeed a problem of Chinese TEFL. I started to study English in the middle school, but now unfortunately my English ability is still barely satisfactory and producing comprehensible oral and written English is not easy for me. I believe most of Chinese student have the same situation as me. What can we do for it? Changing the way of Chinese TEFL is impossible. Teaching is just a way of learning English and is not enough to learn English well. We can do just what is reading, speaking, writing, listening more English every day.
I am really puzzled about this Chinese phenomenon . As the article said we should put forth the reform not dramatic but reform like eating an elephant ,one bite at a time and do it insistently.To make reform it seems impossible.We can not ask everyone grasp the English.But we indeedly need to scan our educational system. Of course we should change our attitude first.
To say is one thing, to do is another thing. The National Ministry of Education makes decisions, but the local government might not carry them out. When solving the Chinese puzzle, one must know China exactly. To be honest, I think Mr. Martin is an excellent observer and analyst, because not every foreigner can understand this confusing situation in china.
Besides, Mr. Martin set his Canada experience as a good example for us to learn language, and I think we may learn something valuable from his story. Even if we do not have English-only environment, we can also eat, drink, sleep and dream in English. We can create ABC for a day ourselves actively, actually, I talk with some of my classmates in English. We all believe steel sharpens steel, and we are sharpening each other right now.
How can we make our oral and written English more comprehensible? Just as mentioned here, TEFL in China must be reformed . I think the most important factor is that China must reform the model of education，especially in higher education schools. As we all know，we college students must pass national English examinations such as TEM 4, CET 4 and CET 6, this is a common phenomenon in universities and colleges throughout China.But we found that these examinations does not help in improving our standard of English, therefore, this education system must be changed. Secondly, I think we should change our attitudes towards to learning English. We learn English not to get good jobs, or make more money, But according to our own’s interests, hobbies, and to improve ourselves. Just sa one old saying Interest is the best teacher.What’s more important，we must be diligent, hard, eager to learn，So that we can have a better English level.
When I was junior high school student I didn’t know why we should learn English. I just know that we must study English because it is our major course. If you didn’t study English well you would have not high grades.I realize that English is more and more important before I enter university.Moreover after I graduating from university I doubled that I can’t find my job.However my brother told me that I didn’t need to afraid of it that I have passed the CET-6.I am very embarrassed because I am not able to speak English frequently. What can I do? Maybe this just is fault of our educational system .We must reform it.We can create an English speaking environment not just to pass some exams.We hope this day will come.
All of us know that ‘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.’so,we should learn english well. But what should we do? I think we should learn english at our early age,like we learn chinese.And of course we also read more,speak more,write more,listen more.
English is not my strongpoint. When I first meet the English Chemistry academic papers, I don’t think I can write a paper like that. However, due to the pressure of experiment, I have to read more than 500 English Chemistry academic papers, and no difficult for me to read the English Chemistry academic papers now. Form the first day I get in the lab, I have written two English academic papers in our research area, and the papers are under reviewed.
It reminds me that we can improve our English ability in our usual time if we use it more.
We all believe English is useful,but look who set the standards ? We all were forced to take standards examinations in our past years,but the results are not so good since we now still cannot speak fluent English.That’s all because when we put our goal into practice,we totally ignorance the rightful way to achieve that great goal,what we care the most is the silly high scores.We all now notice this serious problem and it is just the time to get it done.I think you can ask me what is my ideal goal of learning English and you can give me some suggestions and useful solutions,not only the tests,please.
Nowadays more and more people are learning English. I went to online inquiries the number of English-speaking in the world. There are about 1 billion people are learning English and about 3 billion people from time to time using English. Unbelievable, Non-English countries speaking English is treble English-speaking countries. To that extent, 300 million people to learn English is no “aberration” in China. Nevertheless, how many people use English at all times in their lives? I think that was such a vague question. To a certain extent, this is not the number, nor is the issue of differences cultural. It should be a process of competition between the two cultures. Traditional Chinese language and cultural practices are very profound; I think this is the biggest obstacle to learn other languages.
I believe English is a tool for us to see the outside world or to get a good job. Certainly, English is a foreign language, so teaching it as a foreign language is
inevitable. On the tendency of globalization, English is becoming more and more popular, that’s why our country pay attention to English teaching and studying more than before. In fact, it is not necessary to reform TEFL, what we can do is changing English teaching and studying ways into open and useful ways that can best attract students’ attention to study English effectively.
It’s true that after 10+ years of learning English, most of us cannot speak fluently or express well. But there’s no solution for this situation. Actually it’s kind of pathetic. Actions should be taken to change this, not only for us but also for the future of China. I’m not bluffing at all. Because right now we are wasting too much on English learning but there is no good result. We students waste our precious time, the government and society waste money and people on it. What a shame! English learning shouldn’t be a loan to anyone. For me, it’s a fun to learn English. I think English opens a window to look into the whole world. I can watch an original Hollywood movie, and TV series. I can appreciate western music without misunderstanding. In a word, the whole world is much more excellent after obtaining English. I hope more and more people can have the similar feelings as I do. Learning English in an easy way helps a lot. Certainly in our China, reforming in an industry like TEFL is not easy at all. But we gotta take actions right now. If now, when?
As a populous, developing nation, a variety of issues occur in China. EFL/ESL is obvious and persuasive matter, which shows that there are lots of hardships to reform in China.
All of these days, China is a centralism country. Of we have made many efforts to advocate democracy. However, the product is not very satisfactory to people. Just like the TEFL reform in China. In fact, numerous experts suggest our administration carrying out many projects, drawing foreign teacher into China and encouraging students to go aboard, setting up English courses in primary school even kindergarten, in order to create or access ESE. After more than 16 years of studying English, but we did not use the language well, in another word, we can’t measure and assess how degree your English is, not CET, but the method which is helpful to improve the useful capability. Of course, we should learn English and do well, for the economic globalization and social informationization, we have to exchange with each other all over the world.
With the efforts of our country, teachers and students, I believe that we will do well in English on oral and application in future.
English is important because it is the native language of America who is the most powerful country all over the world. And just like what is described in the article, learning English has became a National obsession here in China.
At the age about 10, we were told the importance of learning English and started to learn English which lasts for more than 15 years until now. But little was really learned by us. For years we always thought that English is just a lesson that we need to learn to pass the National examinations, CET 4 and CET 6. We spend nearly 20 years just to pass these examinations, and little of us could even have a simple communication with a foreigner.
We have waste to much money and time leaving the situation unchanged! I think we must at first change our attitude of learning English and only in this way can the next generation have a better understanding why they should learn English when they are very young!
We pay a lot but we get little, can be explained in this way, we spend a lot of time in studying English but our English is still not good as expectations. Why? This puzzle has besieged us for many years. We are still on the way to find out how to reform teaching and learning English. It will take time without doubt. In my opinion, in the first step, we should change our mind that we cannot evaluate whether someone is good at English just by a mark or some certificates. We should use it more often rather than memorization.
For me, I really think we need to learn English. But how far we need to go in this learning way? Speaking or writing or reading? Should we learn thousands words and complex grammas but do not know how to speak with someone? We are not Shakespeare we are Chinese, English just a tool for us to understand the whole world much more clearly. In my opinion learned English as good as Shakespeare is no use to communicate better to other counties people. Learn English for use, not for test!
Today China is developing fast in many fields, especially in economy. And there are series of problems in our old but younger country. Our education system has been questioned in the past 30 years. Certainly the education of English of China is contained. As a post-graduate who have past CET-6, I found it difficult for me to speak and read English freely. In the past 30 years, what our leaders emphasized is quantity not quality. There are thousands of universities where English is being taught and millions of students who are learning English. But most of us learn English just with the purpose of getting a common tool not for interest. So there is no doubt that our English levels are limited.
Only by beginning to reform TEFL in China now can we change the puzzling situation. And the most important factor I think is that quality should be emphasized than quantity.
In the past, I was always frustrated that I could not use English creatively with having studied English for over ten years. Sometimes, I thought that it was because I had no language talent that I could not learn English well. However, I changed my opinion after I took holistic English courses this semester. I realized that what failed me is not myself but the wrong way we had been taught. The history of English teaching told me that we are in the development and innovation of teaching methods. We should make efforts and take advantage of various resources to improve ourselves and promote the effective teaching ways.
How to solve this puzzle? I really do not know. I guess till one day in the morning, all the English teacher wake up from their dreams, and suddenly grow a conscience or a belief that their duty is not to make more profits from the TEFL industry, but to help students with acquisition of comprehensive English language. I know this miracle will never happen, so the elephant is growing bigger. If we want to eat this growing elephant, we have to eat it one bite at a time. But who are “we”? Most of “we” are students. And who is the elephant we want to bite? The answer is the whole system and the people who are running the system and profiting from the system – the teachers. As a typical student, I just want simple to say that I can not fight against the authority – the teachers and the system except all students unit. Then, the puzzle becomes that can we students unit?
We have learned English for so many years ,but most of us are unable to produce comprehensible English output.That is why?This question have puzzled me for a long time.English is a tool to communicate with foreign friends.It is popular in all ovre the world.The importance of English is known by everybody in China.Above all,at present we want to have a good job it is necessary to learn well English.We are eager to change the situation.
Yes, TEFL in China needs reform. After a long-time honeymoon period between English training centers and Chinese students, English Training industry has come to its bottleneck.
This year, a heavy blockbuster was thrown into Chinese English Training market. Linguaphone, as a classical 100-years training center, was out of business in several cities, such as Hongkong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Wuhan.
The reshuffle is coming. It is not enough to only rely on outstanding foreign teachers, creating good environment and providing tailor-made courses. How to ferment the reform is what we should consider
When I was a middle school student, my school had invited a European as an English teacher.He didn’t play guita in classes like Martin said,and his class was interesting,but it didn’t help much to improve my English. He always let us play games.Actually I was wondering if he was a professionial teacher or not. I think the school just hire him because with a foreigner the school seems to be modernized.Ridiculous!Like the article “What Does Reform Mean” refers, the way to TEFL needs to be changed, not only the facilities.Do you know the New Oriental? A famous English school.I took some courses there and you know how they teach?Very funny, when doing reading comprehension mutiple choice,you will be able to find the answer without reading the text……The main purpose of the course is to teach you how to get a high score.
Anyway,what I said here is useless,the Ministry of Education should think about this and figure out a way to solve it.
I remember that when I am in the grade 2 in the high school, there is a foreign teacher who teach us oral English and come from the USA. We have one class every week. But she do not like professor martin and just play game with us. So I learn nothing. I have less happy from the process of learning English. So I hate learning English. I think there must be many students who just think like me! School waste so much money!
I hope that learning English can give us happy! People learn English is not only for test but for our own willings! And just like professor martin give us!
I realize this puzzle when I was a junior, it is surely unreasonable. But I also know that if we want to enter a good university to have a further study, we should follow the rules of Chinese educational system. We can`t resistance anymore because we are not the rule-maker. But I also think that our educational system was made according to the condition of China. And our rule-makers also try their best to make the rules more reasonable. If we want to solve this puzzle, please do it from ourselves.
Action speaks louder than words. Frankly speaking, I think I am lucky.I meet my professor Martin,who is a great gentle man,.In class,I am attracted by his analysis and he makes me confident and brave enough to communicate with foreigners .Thank you very much,I appreciate the teaching method a lot！I believe that Holistic English will be widely spread in China in the near future.
The puzzle always exists in my mind.Why should we study English and how can we study it very well?English as a worldwide language is very important.In china English is a required course so we study it.This is the most superficial reason.Many students don’t like English,but they should study it and pass many kinds of exams by many ways,what a pity!I think after we like English and put it in our hearts,we can truely study it well.
In brief,education departments should reform the system of studying English.They should find some ways which let us learn English very happily but not be forced,then the level of our English will step foreward.
This is really a true situation our English teaching system faced in China today,maybe we ourselves also do not have a clear understanding about it.
Today,English learning in China have been concerned greatly by the whole country.When we want to entrance universities,we need to take part in a lot of English tests first,and also,when we want to find job opportunities,we still need to use some certifications to identify that we have done well in English,these are really common in everywhere of the country.
But as we treat English so important,we still do not find a right way to improve our English,as the article mentioned,most Chinese teachers of English whom are hired by the government even can not accomplish enough in English to teach English using English.Also,the methods that the teachers used to teach us have a lot of shortcomings,the separations about English teaching make us just know how to learn English ,but really do not know how to use English.So,I think that it’s urgent for us to do a reform on our country’s English teaching system.
As a Chinese, I know I should love my country. But, here, I have to say something about the English education in China. As known to all that China has spent so much in English teaching and learning. But the result is not as good as people’s expected. So it’s time to change the way of learning English. The puzzle exist for we all have not realized it completely. The national key university directly under the Ministry of Education should take measures to change the state and eliminate the surprised puzzle.
As a Chinese student, I have a question for so long: I have learned English for more than ten years but I still have no confidence in my English, why is it? And many others have the same question as me, why? I consider the question seriously, but it comes to nothing. And, as a Chinese, I don’t want to comment what’s our government should do and what shouldn’t. All people are trying hard to carry out the reform but reforms need much longer time. What we should do now is to continue trying hard instead of make a comment. It’s better to do well than to say well. So I give an answer to my question: I should spend time on studying English, not considering a fact that I couldn’t change.
As mentioned in the article, reforming TEFL in China is a monumental task under current circumstances. And CeT-4 or CET-6 can not shoulder all the blame and responsibility. I think English tests are still necessary in China, because most students study English motivating by the tests. If there are not English tests, Chinese students would learn English worse. Since all the schools and students attach importance to the tests, maybe we could reform the tests first .If oral English are ordained as a part of the tests,the sudents would try their best to practise English, also teachers and schools would make a good environment of speaking Englishi for students in schools. We could just expect students to improve their oral English by this way in a short time. For a long term advancement, all the teachers and students should change their mind on learning English,not just for tests, but for fun and help in the future.
As for the Puzzle in your article, I believe that it is a difficult and troubling puzzle for all the teachers and students who are teaching or learning English. At this time, I think of a famous people whose name is Li Yang. He created his crazy English more than ten years ago, and he has a dream “let 300,000,000 Chinese speak English fluently”. I admire him because of his great dream. But the dream is so difficult to come true. In fact, Li Yang has changed a great number of youths’ fortune. But it is not suitable for all the students. Too difficult puzzle!
I personally think that the most effective way of learning English is the situational teaching. We should strive for students to create an atmosphere of learning English. Thus, students will take the initiative to learn English and really like English. And they are also willing to put English as a part of life, put it into our daily life.