Can you answer any of the questions?
EFL/ESL Teaching in China: Questions – Questions – Questions
This article raises numerous fundamental issues which appear to have been overlooked by China in its exuberance to embrace EFL/ESL teaching as China rushes to join the new world order and partake of its share of the global economic pie. This article establishes a solid and fundamental legitimization for asking the politically incorrect, controversial and sensitive questions but leaves their final resolution to the language teachers, graduate students and linguists who have the inherent fundamental duty to seek the answers. (2007) Frontiers in Higher Education, Ch. 10, Nova Science Publishers.
Studying English is important for a college student. English is an important tool for us to communicate with English-speaking countries and learn advanced theories. These theories stem from Europe and America and write in English. Chinese college students can understand recent English documents.Solearning English is necessary, but we should learn English for communication and further study.
Is EFL teaching in China a success? I cannot be very sure. But to some extence, I think it is a success. First, most of the people cannot speak a single word before EFL is taught in China. And now, many people can speak English. Although they may just speak little English, it is still a big improvement. Second, many people can read English passages or phrases. Although their oral English are poor and may just repeat what the foreign teachers words, they can at least read the easiest English phrases, which can be very important. For example, is some one do not know anything of English, s/he will not understand the phrase ‘Do not eat’ in some dangerous things. Many Chinese can understand the word, so I think EFL in China is still a success.
Questions, questions and questions. Questions may lead to solutions. Exactly speaking, there are not as many as 1.3 billion people in china that are learning English. It may be one third at most. But it’s an incontestable reality that china is caught into the tidal current to learn English. And in most of the schools, English is treated as one of the most important courses. There is a smell of the whole nation system. Under the inspiring of government and economic progress, people are blindly to do it, just following others. It is a safe choice. But it is disappointed that Chinese spend much efforts, including time and money, they do not well in English, not also speaking, but also in other aspects. And there are some inrooted reasons, Chinese usually don’t choose following their wishes and result that many or some teachers don’t like their jobs. They just do it as a job, to earn their life. Also the students don’t act much better. Then, it is just so-so. So-so is just for a life. A life is like some one else, not themselves’. Maybe there is an overstatement, but as for me, I don’t what I am doing, I don’t know where I am going. It is a tragedy.
Why should we learn English? I asked this question many time to myself ,why? Because the world we face is the globalization world ,English is the most wide range language now .And we are the postgraduate we must read lots of foreign papers in our major field, this paper write by English so we must familiar with English .And today is the competition world we must study hard 、work hard let us not fall back so we need learn something useful,I think English is a useful tools ,it can make us communication to foreign convenient.
Why should all of us be required to learn and master English?
In fact, I don’t hate learning English at all. On the contrary, it is really a useful and interesting thing to learn it to know what does the world looks like in the westerners’ eyes.
What makes me sick is our purpose to learn English, at all academic levels. It doesn’t seem, but actually we are forced to learn English to pass all kinds of exams, to get the keys to some entrances. In this way, we forget what we have done inevitably at the end. A waste of time and money!
But living in such a high-speed society, must we pay more to gain what we are searching for?
As English has been teaching in China for couples of years, Christmas become more and more popular especially in some big cities. But in China people just celebrate without knowing what is that mean, and they never believe Jesus. Maybe at first, people just want to have fun especially the ones under great stress, and some company want to attract customers or make money, so Christmas may become a ways of commercial exploitation because of the popularity of the western culture. The point is the culture may be different, but the happiness is the same feeling all around the world. Since competition has intensified in recent years, not for the country but for our people have to prepare, even when this preparation has no use or help for our work.
Maybe it is a waste of wealth and human resources, but on the other hand, it provides lots of jobs for millions of people. It becomes hard to make any change when it concerns more and more people.
“Why should 1.3 billion Chinese learn English?” I think it is a great question which reminds us that we should think about our aims and rights when we learning English. Born as a native Chinese and forced to speak English, it is uneven for us to make a decision. First, English is useful, but not omnipotent. Without the sharing of western value systems, we still need to communicate and express our own ideas in Chinese, especially when it comes to the traditional culture, so maybe there is no need to learn English every one. Second, we should acquire or use English instead of merely learning it. Most English learners are trying to pass the examination, which makes our English ability ill-functioned, such as the mute English. Third, we should learn foreign languages instead of English only. The whole education system is trying to make English-learning profit-oriented, which will ignore other advanced achievements and blind their eye to some important things when learning English. The last but not least, why should we be decided? Can we make our own choice? So, maybe we should treat the current English-learning trend critically.
This article again prompt some fundamental questions about EFL/ESL Teaching in China, one question what I want to comment is the long existing “Chinglish” problem. Chinglish is not bad as can be seen in the implication that ”L2 can sharpen L2”. Chinglish is a unavoidable but acceptable phenomenon, I think. As a graduate student in Psychological Neuroscience, I must write fluent English report as to communicate with other researchers all over the world, in this way, the so call standard English is needed and I consider English is always and only, my researcher tool not content. But as to other students who does not aim at publishing their research papers aboard, why should they necessarily perform standard English speaking and writing? Chinglish is far enough for daily communication with foreigners.
I can’t totally answer why 1.3 million Chinese have to learn English, I can just say something about myself. When I entered the junior middle school, there are some English courses for us, and everyone (my parents, English teachers and also other-Subject teachers) told me English was so important, so I just learn English well to got a high score, to pass the exams, to got the diploma, to please them. But now I need English everyday, all the authoritative academic papers are written in English, I have to read them to start my own research, I have to write academic articles in English make possible to be accept by some good journals. I think because English is a world language, only if we learned this language, we can have the chance to join into the globe market, so our government forced all Chinese to learn English.
When I think about the time and money I spent in learning English and my poor spoken English, I can’t help to ask why. Maybe I didn’t study hard enough, or maybe we need a new English teaching style. Years ago, I heard a monologue by Japanese in one of my English lessons. This woman speaks fluent English, and with her poor pronunciation she still made herself clearly understood. Maybe our English education system should learn something from those Japanese. Years of time and billions of RMB we spent are only after one goal, to make ourselves understood and understand others. Because there are better ways to attain this goal, reform will be on the way before long.
Nowadays English is becoming more and more important, especially after China join the WTO. We china have trade with foreign countries more frequently, and we must use English to communicate with foreigners. So I think learning English is basing on our the situation of a country. And students take up a large part of china population, more importantly the students stands for our future. As a result by learning English, we can prepare better for our future work.. for another hand knowing english will make us get more closes to the outside world. We can read foreign newspaper. It can bring us more knowledge, and do much good to us.
At present, English is more and more important in our everyday life, no matter in study and in communions. English penetrate in everywhere. If we want to have a great progress, we must master a holistic English. But my English is poor, especially spoken English. Maybe working not hard enough is the mean reason, but there exists some other reasons, such as learning conditions, my growing environment. In my opinion, I should change my methods. I believe EFL in China will be a success.
Is it inevitable that although we teach them English, they will learn Chinglish?Yes,I think it is inevitable.Some of us don’t have enough encourage to speak English just because we are told “chingish is no good”.But the fact is that language is just a tool for communication.The purpose of learning it is to make students use it.If we could understand each other,language is not so important,chinglish is all right.China have more than 1.3 billion people.China have the right to develop a form of English that best meets its general population’s need to communicate with each other as well as with native English speakers.
This passage is really thought-provoking,and it places me in a difficult position to answer these questions .Because we all have been studying English for so many years and even do not want to deny ourselves.However,this is really the issue.In China,people always do as the others told to.We fellow the government’s rules,follow our parents’ orders and even blindly follow what others are doing.Honestly,English as the most international of languages,is really important in this national wide world.But,ont all of us have to learn it,especially to those who do not want to do the jobs with natioal business.Students should have the right to choose what they want and what they are good at,but not just are forced to.But things now is just the opposite,so we all study English under pressure and even just in order to pass the exams.How could students in such situation can learn English well ,let alone we do not have professional English teachers ,perfect English teaching system and good inviroment to learn English.All we need is to change .Fortunately,someone has noticed these problems and is making an effort to do something.
It seems that the English teaching has been a serious problem in China.
With the more and more communication with world,
Chinese people have realized the importance of English and the Chinese government also advocate us to learn English. So the English learning become a compulsory course even when we are in primary school. for most of us, we have learn English for at least 10 years, and our parents have pour much money into our English learning. But what have we got? Can we express ourselves frequently? Maybe, what we have got are just the grammars and the way to pass the English exams.
Though English learning has become a fashion in China and many English native speakers are employed in China every year, most of the Chinese students still speak Chinese English, and even some of them don’t know how to speak. Because China just employ the foreigners but don’t introduce their teaching ways. Chinese teacher teach their students just in Chinese way. They emphasis too much on the words reciting and grammars learning, and they overlook the most important thing :speaking. So it is a common phenomenon that many top students know many grammars and got high scores in their English exams but they can’t express themselves in English. It seems to be ridiculous, but it is the truth in china.
I think, Chinese people have waste too much money and energy in a wrong way to learn English, it is time to think about it: should we continue to use the way that doesn’t work?
In fact, I want to know the answers of these thought-provoking questions, but I failed. At present, English is full fill with student’s lives. Every student is learning English. I just want to why? Every people know that there is a few people will use English after they leave school. However, we have spend too time on it, which is supposed to learn more other things. We must know that whether all of us are interested in learning English and whether all of us need it. Not every one of us needs English, so if someone is compelled to learn English, the result is obvious.
I think the deficient EFL education system really disapoints the scholars who devote themselves in Teaching and Learning English,such like Martin Wolff. But Chinese as a foreign language in USA may confronts a more severe situation. That we don’t care. Our problem is how to learning English well. The importance of English tells that every adolescent should learn English. And we put our most attentions to the fundamental grammar and words. It’s useful for us to read the professiona articles and some examinations. But when we try to use it,even though you have a vast vocabulary,you find it’s an uneasy thing to do. English is a compact language with prcise grammar structures. An communicating is the main purpose. We have to pratice ,listen more,speak more,write more and read more. It’s the most useful thing for us to do in learning English.
Why should 1.3 billion Chinese learn English? This is a big one. In my opinion, I think most of Chinese should learn English, more or less. You know, English is now more and more important in our daily lives. For different level people, they should learn more or less English. It’s better for a worker to understand the English instruction of an imported machine. It’s better for a farmer to understand the English on the pack of pesticide. And this time, it’s fundamental for a chemistry major student to understand English papers.
Maybe these questions existed a long time ago. But they haven’t been raveled out since thay existed. Though we pay much for the ESL training, yet many of us can’t even speak English! These questions really need to be thought over.
The question that impress me most is the Q6, “IS IT INEVITABLE THAT ALTHOUGH WE TEACH THEM ENGLISH, THEY WILL LEARN CHINGLISH?”. Yes, we develop a form of regional English, that’s chinglish. Maybe it’s inevitable. That’s because most of the time, we think in a Chinese way, and we translate it in English, that make it some what Chinglish. But it’s hard to say Chinglish is good or bad. We really can communication with the other Chinglish speaker, yes WE CAN! But maybe when we go aboard, no one will understand us. This puzzle bring back memory to the day when the scientist who won the nobel prize came to SYSU. The scientist gave us a lecture. In the lecture some students asked him questions that we students all understood what the questions were. But the scientist couldn’t clear about them. Thanks to the translator the scientist undertood us at last. This situation really embarrassed us all. So, I don’t know whether Chinglish is good or bad, indeed.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CHINGLISH. SOME PROFESSIONS, SUCH AS TRANSLATOR OR INTERPRETER DO NEED A HIGHER ENGLISH.
Frankly speaking, English is becoming more and more important, as it is served as a necessary tool to communicate with people from other countries in the world. Nowadays, there is a huge increase in the number of foreign visitors and businessmen in China. How could English be useless when you work as a guide or shopkeeper ? To keep your job or make money, it’s certainly a request that you acquire the basic English language. As English is widely used, learning English and using English is inevitable. Though EFL teaching in China is not so successful, we should make some reformation to stimulate students’ interest and develop their self-study of learning English.
I am very surprise to that you have done so much work to write this article. I do agree many of what you write in the article for many of us have ever do that way to learn English. But there are also many ideas can’t convince me. I make a list below.
1. The world changes everyday. So does China. I note that many material of the article are 7 years ago, some of that even 20 years ago. If I read this article 5 year ago when I was in high school, I may be convinced by the article ,but now I don’t think it can convince many people.
2. Resources of learning English. I summary some problems which is mentioned in the article. That’s a realistic problem. Many people in china, even today, are very very poor. They even can’t be away from hungry. Some lose of many may be their board wages of a whole month. They buy a new book that’s a very luxury thing for them. So we always send our used book to them for free.
3. Cheating. We have the same reason with the wife cheat husband or husband cheat wife. In my opinion, the key point is not what we have done, but why we did that. Higher score is just a reason. There are many other reasons. Some reason of that, such as we cheat Professor Martin wolff, not for high soccer, but for some kind of resisting. Though I dislike being cheated, I do think cheating is a common phenomenon all over the world. Cheat is an evil tool for people to deal with their situation.
Is learning English very important in China or just a endless wasting of time and money , as so many people pour so much into learning English ? I think we should see this phenomenon in different aspects .
If you are a farmer and your duty is to make your vegetables grows well . I think of course ,there is no need for you to learn English at all, for it is useless for your vegetables . But as our a postgraduate student , we have to learn more knowledge so as to improve technology . There is an old proverb , stand in the gaint’s shoulder . And English is the ladder helping us to climb to the shoulder . So , if we don’t learn English at all . That is really a big problem .
But why so many people can not learn English well. I think that just because , they don’t find a way to the place. Most of my classmate learn English in the purpose of passing the exam . Attitude determines everything . Then how can you learn English well. So ,we should change . We want to use it to get more . Practice makes perfect .When you don’t learn English well , just ask yourself ,how many time have you spend in learning English.
I think there’re ten Chinese people learning English, but only one of them really uses English in his/her daily life. I support that most of Chinese students should study English for broadening there horizon of the whole world. But the fact is, most of take it as the tools for learning in good universities, not application!
Problems raise up when you introduce new things. The government has required popularity of English education for only few years. We face lots of teaching problems, you may question: why should we learn English? for what? how to learn English?…Sometimes I also puzzle about these as i’m not interested in English. I think the educators may have better answers. In a word, i wish that Chinese students will set up a good atitude in learning English.
After reading the article of EFL/ESL Teaching in China, I know more details about English teaching and learning. The 8 questions and their answers are interesting. Here, I want to talk more about the English learning in China. And I raise one more question—— whether English teacher is necessary for students to learn English well?
Honestly speaking, English teacher plays an important role on teaching English in our past few years. Without our first English teacher, we even do not know what English is. With the help of them, we learn to speak, write, read and listen to English. However, if you want to use English as a communicative tool, just depending on your English teacher is not enough. A good English teacher can help students to learn English well, but he/she would not help them to use English well. Only students themselves can help them to improve their English, not the teacher. Even when the students can use English 24 hours a day and 7 days a week they can improve their English. Just studying hard in the English class is far from enough.
So, here is the answer I raise above. Maybe English teacher will help us to improve our English, but far from enough. Only we students can improve our English.
Why are we learning English in China? It is a simple but also a complicated question that we have to think a lot.
When I write a paper ,I should search much materials, but most of them are written in English.So I should use English freely unless I don’t want to write a good essay. In nowadays we often can meet foreigners .Maybe it is the only way to talk with them, in English. Many certificates require various English levels.Based on all these reasons,we should master English very well.
In my opinion,English is important because it is an international language,many people in different countries are using English,so those who need it to have communication with each other should command it.But not everyone must do so.I need learn English because I need the information and I have to read a lot English papers,but for those who do not need English in their daily life,I do not think it is necessary for them to learn English.
Whether we should learn English?In my opinion,it dependents.It dependents on your life goal.Once more,just take myself for an example.My personal quotes is:Love,glory and responsibility.Llfe is a process of exploring and harvesting cheerful factors.For me,Englis means more powerful.If I could handle English very skillfully,I would give love to more people,win glory more smoothly,be more powerful to be responsible for others.In the process,I would gain more cheerful factors.So the conclusion is that learning English is necessory for me,but how about others,mybe they have their own answers!
EFL system may have disadvantages and shortcomings, but it is used for long times by millions of students in China. As it has such a large effect, we could not jump to a conclusion or just say it’s right or wrong. A simple cubic object has six sides, how about the EFL system consist of so many small parts.
Why are we learning English in China?It is hard to answer because I had never think of this question before.When I was born and went to primary school,I was tought to know English is very important and we should learn it well,I do not know why we should learn English in China when I was young,but I gradually find the answer as time runs.I think the immediate benefit to learn English for our colledge students is to learn much major information,we can read many magazine in English and learn more knowledge.
As we all known,English is important in our society.There are many overseas-invested enterprise in our country and many people want to come into it.At present,China contacts with other countrise changing closer and closer.So there are 1.3 billion people learn English in our country.Is it really necessary?I donot think so.Many people had studied English many years when they were student,but now English is useless in their life.So if they consider they waste much time in studying English.It is unnecessary.
It is time to reform our education system, which is a troublesome question. Perhaps it requires 10 years, 20 years or even 100 years, but as long as we adhere to, success will belong to us. The phenomenon of one examination decides your whole life is prevalent, which can be changed by paying more attention to regular performance or regular quizzes. Firstly we should cultivate a group of highly qualified teachers, who can make impartial judgments without being confused by money and right. Secondly, we should have systematic normal performance appraisal system. Thus we can arouse the enthusiasm and interest of students to learn English.
Today, in china, EFL/ESL is more popular, but there’s a question, that it is necessary for all Chinese people learning English as English people. It’s a big question. Actually, most of Chinese parents just hope their kids get enough high score in the English course. So pity the Chinese kids are. On my opinion, if you want to go abroad or work with foreigners, you should learn English so best to touch the level, that EFL/ESL is your need. If you not, the EFL/ESL is also not necessary.
Why should I learn English? It has puzzled me since I started to learn English. It seems like that the school arranged the course then I take the class. Teachers just asked me to imitate the foreigner’s pronunciation and recite the texts and vocabularies. For many years I did not see any use of English in my life. However after I entered the college I found the English was so important. For example the best papers and the high technologies were all written in English. It would take many years before they were translated into Chinese. And a lot of lectures were in English. But it was all because my major is science. I know some of my friends whose major was Chinese, they do not need English at all. But it was quite amazing that in their paper they still have to write an English abstract. Should 1.3 billion Chinese all study English? I don’t think so.
Nowadays, the English is very popular in China. The 1.3 billion Chinese begin to learn English. But few of us can speak the English very fluently. Or can say that we do not really master the language. This is because we learn the English not because we like it but because we have to learn it. We need it brought us a good result and work. I think this is the main reason that we can not really master the language. We should to learn the English as a pleasure. Really to love it. Only this we can really master the language. The schools shoule provide more places for students to learn English. We learn the English for ourselves. Only really master it, we will benefit from it.
Nowadays, the English is very popular in China. The 1.3 billion Chinese begin to learn English. But few of us can speak the English very fluently. Or can say that we do not really master the language. This is because we learn the English not because we like it but because we have to learn it. We need it brought us a good result and work. I think this is the main reason that we can not really master the language. We should to learn the English as a pleasure. Really to love it. Only this we can really master the language. The schools should provide more places for students to learn English. We learn the English for ourselves. Only really master it, we will benefit from it.
As we know，China is a developing country.But I am glad to hear that Chinese has become more and more popular in the world.So there is only a few Chinese need to speak English.So my answer is no.
Is it useful for us to learn English? I think few students can give a sure answer. Why? Most of students are unsure with their future, even puzzled by that what kind of job they will take. So we learn knowledge including English for no specific reason. We think maybe we will use it someday. For chemistry major`s students, in my opinion, it is important to read some foreign articles when we study on our research, and we should use English knowledge this time!
English is important to me because I have to read English papers everyday. In my professional field, most of advanced technologies come from overseas research organization. It is basic requirement to master English. It is the example of mine. However, many people in China don’t have the chance to use English. It is unreasonable to claim them to study English. Many people try their best to study English because they find out the English is very important for them to complete their daily lives, just like me. That sort of thing varies from person to person.
I do not think that every student should learn English.I always keep a thought in my mind that English is just a communication tool but not a need to lead a life.The reason for the English study fever,including the blooming of so many English training
agents,is mainly the wrong system towards TEFL.English level is overemphasized in our society.While the style of TEFL fails to correspond to the demands of English acquirement of the society.As a result,we have been staying in a ME situation no
matter we are able to pass CET4,CET6 etc.
There is no doubt that EFL in China attracts attention of all Chinese people. When a kid goes to kindergarten, he/she has to study English. No matter whether he/she want to learn. It’s education system in China which is developing but couldn’t have any big changes. It is better that college students have their choice on courses but English level is considered importantly when they are looking for a job. College English level today is mainly measured by CET. So younger in China pursue more words and vocabularies of English and ignore the oral English. Many students study English just want to get a better job, no matter whether it is useful. It’s important to change people’s opinions on EFL.
I just didnt know why I should learn English when I started to learn English in the Middle school,science that time ,I began studing English.And I just follow the teacher,and didnt know weather it will be useful for me in the future.
And now,I know that I have to learn English well because it’s so important in my life,when I want to learn the knowledge of my major,the best articles are written in English,and if I want to graduate smoothly,I’d better publish some articles in English on the authority magazines.
So,I have to read more and writ more English now,and of course I have to speak more now,because English really very important for me.
A huge number teachers have said that it’s not right to educate English in this way in China. They have arise together to give their means to solve this problems. They may be success in some point, at least they try to teach our Chinese not to scare English, encourage to speak English, to insist for learning for a long time. We should respect them anyway in spite of they can make much money in this way.
Let’s go back to the topic.
China has missed many many many chances in the world since Qing time, we have been beat and robbed by the modern countries, this can explain why WEST see our Chinese love to make money now. It’s not we love, but we have to. NO ONE like to fall back, the history of China teach our Chinese a lot . If there is anyway we can catch up with the world, we will do it. Here we comes a conclusion that IS IT NECESSARY that we should advocate the whole China to learn English. The answer is absolutely no. But no one can not deny that it is the fastest way to make Chinese to learn it, so the government do it.
There is a Saying , it’s too heavy for you to take so that you cannot return.,which means the problem has been cumulated a long time to be a tough problem so it’s not easy to cure. Now the educating English way has been a big problem in China, we can say that its disadvantage affect us bigger and more deep. We mentioned that above, many teachers have pointed it out. But as professor Martin said , the profit are stopping us to change the situation. This cannot be avoid. I don’t know how far the chinglish will go. But at least it’s a new way to abstract Chinese to give themselves confidence, because the English level has been a ticket to find a good job. Chinglish make them believe if they would like to strive to learn, keep practice, they can be excellent in English.
All in all, Good luck to us.
I don’t think every Chinese has to learn English. And the fact is that not all of the 1.3 billion people in china are learning English. Learning is a kind of inalienable rights of man. So everyone can learn English., if they want. But the question is whether all Chinese people need to learn English. My answer is no. English is a communication tool. So people can choose not to communicate with the foreigners who are from the English speaking countries directly, not to communicate with the non-English speakers. But I think the students in schools should hanld the English as a foreign language. The reasons are obvious: the English is functioning as a world language. And the most advanced knowledge and technology is conveyed in English.
After reading the article”EFL/ESL Teaching in China: Questions – Questions – Questions”, I have to say to Dr. Martin Wolff that, “you really have a careful observation on English teaching in China.” I didn’t know so much about it even though I am Chinese. The article broadened my view and motivated my thinking about this problem. Frankly speaking, my English is at a poor level, the reason that I don’t master good English, I think, is that I didn’t have interest in it. My teachers were good though not very excellent. You mentioned the problem is due to policy issued by ministry of education, maybe our government. I agree. We have always been told to learn good English, but we really don’t understand the purpose of doing this. As for me, if I can read English materials about Math, that’s OK. However, the policy wasted a lot of resources esp. out time.
English is so important in the society. We may need it to communicate and do business with people from other countries. Some people may think that they will not work in the foreign owned enterprises so there is no need to learn English well. It is not correct. English, as a basic skill for graduates, is regarded as an important factor when interviewing even in a Chinese company. We learn English because we will need it. We are not pleasing our teachers. We should please ourselves.
Why should 1.3 billion Chinese learn English? For this qustion,I do not think that every Chinese people should learn English. The purpose of learning English, not to be able to better communication with foreigners, but to test, this is not a good laugh? Our government force Chinese students must learn English, I think this is something was wrong. We should guide students up from their hobbies to learn English. English involves many aspects, students can not learn English in all its aspects
At the very beginning, I’d like to tell you a real story about me.
Last Saturday was my grandma’s birthday. The whole family of mine was dining out in a restaurant with my uncles’. During the lunch time, we had a common chatting over different topics. When talking to the study of my younger sister, the daughter of my uncle, I heard that my sister, who is a primary pupil on the 3rd Grade, was taking on an English training course hold by an EFL teaching agency from Hong Kong. The course will last for one semester about 16 weeks. Guess what is the tuition? Amazing, more than 5,000 RMB! I was shocked when I heard this. She was just a primary pupil. Why could this course cost so much while the GRE test training I took last year in Beijing cost me only 2,000 RMB. Unbelievable! My aunty told me that because all of the teachers there were foreigners. The method of learning is called situational teaching method, which will establish a whole English environment and pay more attention to the training on listening and speaking skills.
I really doubt about the effect of this course and I wonder whether it is worth to spend such a lot of money on learning English for a 10-year-old child. However, fortunately, I found that my sister was willing to take the course and she said she enjoyed it. It’s good that she has interests in learning English and everyone knows that interest is the best teacher. If she likes to learn it and doesn’t feel it is boring, no matter whether the course is helpful or not, she will learn English well. It’s a good beginning.
The number of Chinese learning English is incredible, and English is not only integrated into the learning, it is also integrated into our work whether English was necessary in this position, candidates will require passing CET-4 or CET- 6. Perhaps, we have a shameful history due to the lack of communication with the outside world. Now, we realize the importance of communication with the world, so English began to serve as an important role in education.
There are ten questions in the articles. I just try to answer some of them. Maybe not right. I think 1.3 billion Chinese people should not all learn English, just the person who need English should learn English. Because the newest and important articles in the world are written in English, if we want to do research, we have to learn English. If they don’t do the research or don’t communicate with the English speaking people, I think they should rather learn something else than learn English.
The article is thought-provoking. When I reading the article, I try to find the answer to each question. But I think each question is a big question for a whole country. To answer these questions or to find solutions to these question, it need all chinese people to brainstorm. Maybe the political leaders and officials of Ministry of Education should evaluate the effect of English education in China. They should also think about these question and find an effective way to solve them.