USTC – EPC
English Practice Center USTC
The University of Science and Technology of China is one of the 9 universities named as China’s Ivy League.
This university is not under the Ministry of Education but is under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Ironically, this university has the only facility that purports to create a friendly English speaking environment for its students.
However, appearances may be deceiving. What is called an English Practice Center may be nothing more than a psycholinguistics expiramental laboratory.
Although this facility is a step in the right direction, it should not be confused with creation of an English Speaking Environment. Students are compelled to sign up for conversation sessions as a part of the English curriculum. This is simply a mandatory English corner, English conversation by appointment. That is not an English Speaking Environment. See the article on the downl,oad page China EFL: Why Chinese Universities do not Provide an English Speaking Environment and China EFL: English Corner
Read the article HE Matriculates to the Ivy League?sh
CONCLUSION
USTC is to be congratulated on the establishment of the EPC as it is the first facility of its kind in mainland China.
It is ironic that the EPC does not exist in any famous comprehensive university or foreign studies university where 2nd language teaching is paramount, but exists in a science and technology university that is not even under the Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education should take note of this facility that represents true reform in English teaching rather than mere lip service and throwing money at new equipment purchases. However, while the facility is impressive, its administration leaves a great deal to be desired.
The EPC essentially requires students to sign up for sessions as a part of the English academic program. The center has transformed the informal and voluntary outdoor English corner into a mandatory formal indoor English corner. This does not constitute any appreciable contribution to the creation of an English speaking environment. It keeps the academic pressure on the students, directly opposite to modern 2nd language acquisition pedagogy. It is change without substance. It is just one more example of Chinese scholars either misunderstanding, misapplying or ignoring modern developments in 2nd language acquisition theory.
Unfortunately Holistic English does not fit the psycholinguistics laboratory mentality and will not be matriculating to China’s Ivy League.
In my opinion, there is something wrong in English teaching in China, we study English from six years old or so, but we always not good at it. As me , I just pass the CET-6 but I still can’t communicate with others freely. Why? I often ask myself, and I think there is something wrong in our English teaching system. We overlook the ability of reading and writing but few practice our oral English. And we spend so much time to study English that influent our major study. I think we should study English more valid. An interesting phenomenon in China is that Chinese major students spend more time to study English than study Chinese. This phenomenon is not so good for our develop in the future. We must study English because we need use it to communicate with foreigners in English, English is a useful and nessisary tool for us. In one word, I think we should change our English teaching education system to an more efficient one.
Thank you!
The University of Science and Technology of China provides its students with English speaking environment, which is what I hope SYSU dose. To speak frankly, I love SYSU very much, because it create good environment for our study, and there are excellent teachers. However, I heard that the English learning atmosphere in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies is better than that in SYSU. I hope our university will do it better in the future.
My speaking English is not very good, and of cause it is mainly due to my insufficient practice. Anyway, this is a long term task, and I will go on.
Your Article reminds me of a piece of news I read a while back, which argues that the modernization of education in China is becoming a “face project”, a project serves for nothing but saving face. I don’t see any point of this kind of “modernization”, nor can I see any point of pouring money into such dull program as the EPC. What should be done first is to change the wrong idea. The purpose of education is not to possess advanced facility, but to train students into total persons.
In a certain extent, I think that learning English needs an English environment, which needs us to accept and each of us to create the English learning atmosphere slowly.
Actually, the foresaid phenomenon extensively has existed in China’s universities for a long time, but it seems no any motivation to improve it. So, it is known to all that Chinese students’ English basis is so good that almost every English language test seems like a piece of cake in their eyes, while in the face of conversation, the defects, China’s students’ oral English is not as good as written English, expose entirely. Obviously, the reason is lack of opportunities to practice their oral English. I really hope that the universities can realize this issue and better it soon.
I confide to you that the English major students in foreign studies university take little interested in any English corner or facility which is meant to create friendly English speaking environment as long as it opens to all. Maybe they think it is of little help to talk to those non-English major. Most of they look for a fast speaker. Therefore they always turn to foreigners other than EPC or something like that. It is true that steel sharpens steel, yet they don’t think they are steel.
The University of Science and Technology of China has established the English Practice Center,providing an good example for the reform in the college English teaching. However, my English is poor,mainly because I couldn’t learn English well when I was in middle school,and my learning English was primarily to cope with the exams.So in my opinion, the reform in English Teaching should focus more on training students to use English.Furthermore, the English teaching methods need to be reformed in primary and middle schools as well as in high schools.
I think if we study English in an English environment which is free and relaxed,we will have more interest in learning English and can speak English better.