Xiaorui Huang
WR121 College Composition I
Essay1
Grade: B+
WR121 College Composition I
Essay1
Grade: B+
Reflection on In-school English Education in China
The past decade has seen a boom of the English learning market in China. Thousands of after-school English training centers have been established to meet the needs of Chinese ESL learners. Numerous current students from formal pre-tertiary schools constitute the majority of the after-school English learner group. It is worth noting that these students take English class both in- and after- school. This fact makes people wonder what it is that drives these students to spend substantial time and money studying the same subject, English, in two places at the same time. Pursuing opportunities to study abroad could account somewhat for the large number of students, nevertheless, the unsatisfactory quality of formal English course in schools is probably the root.
Today’s in-school English education in China, although improved by several reforms, focuses on standardized examination almost exclusively. Practically, it neither treats English as a tool of communication nor as a medium of literature. Furthermore, it instills students with an incorrect learning model, which probably undermines their future language learning.
Languages fundamentally function as tools of communication. This should also be the primary goal of language teaching in elementary and secondary schools. In fact, nearly all series of formal English teaching materials in China include contents of conversational English. However, due to the implementation of standardized test, these daily English contents must also be formulated in some formats that are applicable to standardized grading system. This combination of daily English and standardized test results in inflexibleness of teaching contents and methods. For example, 10 years ago when I was in elementary school in China, teachers required me to respond to the question “How are you?” by “Fine, thank you! And you?” in both class practice and tests. Last year, I acted as a voluntary English teacher in an elementary school in another province of China. When I greeted those kids with “How are you?”, they answered ”Fine, thank you! And you?” without even thinking. I was shocked not only by the identical words they used, but also by the obviousness of their conditioned-response. In English speaking countries, we all know that various sentences can answer “How are you?” and they keep changing with time. English as a tool of communication, like any languages, is highly dynamic and flexible. Teaching English in such a rigid way, as teachers do in China, can do only but mislead the students. Eventually, the English education in pre-tertiary schools will deviates from the goal to teach practical English for communication purpose.
English is somehow treated as a rigid or dead language in formal schools in China. Someone may guess that English education in China focuses on literature, like Latin teaching in western countries. Indeed, the English teaching materials used in China include extracts from some of the great authors, like Mark Twin and Jack London, and it is common in secondary schools in China is to use these literary works to teach student reading comprehension. However, unlike the way we treat Chinese literature, with discussion and inquiries into the human spirit, students are only taught to learn vocabulary and sentences from the English works. What made these masterpieces great, the insights of authors, are excluded from the classroom. I can still remember the paragraphs of The Old Man and the Sea from which I learned several verbs about paddles. However, I did not know how much meaning it is behind the persistent old fisher until I read the Chinese version on my own later. It turns out that the English classes in secondary schools in China treat literature as no more than vocabulary and sentence guide books. In other words, English’s function as an approach to literature is virtually neglected.
Daily English but no flexibility, literature but no insight, then what are left for students to pick up in English classes? I see only vocabulary, grammar and basic sentence structures. Indeed, they are fundamental building blocks of English learning. Nevertheless, without teaching students the ability to use English to communicate effectively or to appreciate great works and gain insights, English education becomes rather meaningless. What students spend years learning is literally a subject to be tested and nothing more.
The current English teaching in pre-tertiary schools in China is not only pointless but also harmful. After nine years in mandatory schooling and attending English classes, students are trained to be passive note-takers and rigid memorizers but not active communicators and independent thinkers, at least with regard to English. They tend to rely on stuff like word lists, grammar guides and mock exam papers in their future language study. This way may work with an ultimate goal of passing examinations, but to master a language we need to do far more than just passing exams. We need to master their communication etiquettes and understand the social and cultural background behind languages. Can note-takers and memorizers possibly do this well? Unlikely. Therefore, today’s in-school English education in China instill students an incorrect learning mode, which will undermines students’ future language study.
What students acquire from formal English class in China are a singular response to “How are you?” and several verbs from The Old Man and the Sea. What students lose are their active learning habits. This is the image for current in-school English teaching in China. It is then understandable that plenty of students choose to attend after-school English training. Not redundant, but they just want to pick up what they miss in schools.
In after-school English training centers, students learn both vivid conversational English and comprehensive literature appreciation effectively. I have studied in two training centers and visited the other two. They basically provide two streams of classes, namely Social Talk and Salon. In Social Talk series, instructors organize discussions on topics vary from social etiquette to current energy crisis. Unlike in formal school, students here do not learn how to answer in tests but how to contribute in discussions and benefit from them. In other words, they acquire practical skills for effective communicate, knowledge about current issues and cultural background in English speaking countries.
For the Salon series, students learn to appreciate popular novels, plays and movies in English. According to my experience, instructors post a guide sheet online several days before class. Students are encouraged to preview the works that will be discussed. Then in class, instructors will lead students to share their insights of the works. The exchange of ideas deepens students’ understanding of the works. Meanwhile, with the knowledge they gain from Social Talk classes, students sometimes discuss connections between the works and reality. In this process, students’ overall appreciation skills are improved considerably.
Apart from the core activity, teaching, after-school English training centers also devoted to simulate a native English speaking context. In all of the training centers I have been, most their non-teaching staff are recruited with adequate English skills for social and business occasions while instructors are all native speakers of English. If clients agree, they will be communicated in English from the reception desk to course counseling office, let alone classrooms. As a result, learners of these training centers even improve their English skills by just being there.
What after-school training centers succeed to teach, daily English and literature appreciation, are exactly those students who are disappointed in formal school yearning for. Together with their constructive English speaking atmosphere, after-school training centers outstrip formal pre-tertiary schools in English education greatly. Formal schooling itself is purely for educating people. Therefore, to achieve a better English education for all students, formal pre-tertiary schools in China should learn from the after-school English training centers. Specifically, it is suggested that discussion be encouraged to alleviate the rigidity in teaching methods. Besides, singular standardized answer could be substituted by open reference answers to restore the liveliness of daily English. Human spirit should also be included in the teaching of literature.
