Reflection Assignment 2

Prompt:
1. Think back to your first paper on what you expected to be the challenges and similarities and differences in Chinese and American students.  Were you right?  What did you get wrong?

2. What have you learned so far about teaching in China? 

3. Now that you have some experience, what 2-3 goals do you have for yourself as a teacher in the remaining time you have in China?

Response:

          One of the biggest challenges that I am facing is classroom management. I think this is for a few reasons. The first, which I had identified as a challenge, is the large class size. The more students there are, the more chances there are of someone misbehaving. I was wrong about Chinese students behaving very well. I also found that while the students do have a lot of respect for their normal classroom teachers, they do not seem to respect me in the same way. The like having me in the classroom, but don’t listen. When another teacher is in the classroom, they are quiet; however, as soon as the teacher leaves, they start talking over me. They also don't seem to respect each other. They especially do not listen if another student is talking.

          Another challenge that I had noted in my first paper is my lack of knowledge of Chinese culture. This includes things like eating with chopsticks, using the different toilets, the teacher’s attitudes, and the students’ schedules. Although some of these do not directly relate to the teaching, it does affect how I feel and my sense of belonging at the school. I am surprised at how little the English teachers work, yet they are always tired. They teach about two 40-minute classes, and they don’t even stand up and teach; there are books the students all take turns reading out of and a tape they listen to. When I told them in America, I would teach pretty much all day, everyday from 8 am to 3 pm, they were so surprised.

          I have learned that Chinese students have not really learned "critical thinking" skills. Here is a simple example. I read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle to the students. I talked with the students about the days of the week and what the caterpillar had eaten every day. I wrote all of the information on the board and asked, "What day did the caterpillar eat two pears?" They just stared at me. Then I asked, "Did the caterpillar eat two pears on Tuesday or Friday?" and they all answered, "Tuesday." They don't express themselves, even when they know the answer. I feel like the students here always have to be given options.  

          Here are goals for myself as a teacher: (1) Classroom management. I have been having a hard time getting a handle on the class when one of their normal teachers is not present. Strategies that I have used and found successful in the U.S. have not really worked. They pay attention for a few minutes, but many students will then go right back to talking with each other. (2) Active learning lessons that engage all students. This could in effect, help me with number one. I want to plan more lessons with less talking by me, and more participating by the students. I found that the talked less when I gave them a writing assignment last week, but I don't want them to just write - I want to have activities that are fun and get the students involved in the lesson.

Reflection Assignment 1 (T-3 days!)

Prompt:

1) What challenges do you think you might encounter when teaching and observing in Chinese schools?
2) What similarities do you think you will encounter in terms of the educational system, teaching styles or strategies, students, environment, classroom management in Chinese school system versus the American school system?

Response: 

The first challenge that comes to mind when I think about teaching and observing in Chinese schools is my lack of knowledge about Chinese culture. Learning to be culturally responsive in an unfamiliar place will be a huge challenge, but one that will really make me a better teacher when I come out of it. When planning my first lesson, I realized how many stereotypes I have and how much I really don’t know about China and its people. Each question I had just led to more questions: How much background knowledge in English do the students have? How much can they read? How much can they write? What is the best teaching strategy to use with students who don’t like to speak in front of the class and work in small groups? Do Chinese students really not like speaking in front of the class, or is that something I’ve just heard? And that’s just the beginning of the list…

Another big challenge is the large class size. The Handbook for Native Speakers (2004) says that most Chinese classrooms have 40 to 60 students or more. That’s way more than what I am used to as an American teacher. With a class size that large, it’s hard to use the strategies that I’ve been learning in my course work. What’s more is that I will be teaching about 10 classes a week. That’s about 500 students in one week! There is a lack of supplies and access to technology, so reaching the high number of students will be another barrier to face. Those are just a few of the numerous challenges I see.

There will also be many similarities between the Chinese and American school systems. The education system in China follows a similar Elementary, Middle, High, then College track. There are required entrance exams, but in China they are highly weighed, and can completely determine a students’ fate. Because of this, the goal of Chinese education for most students seems to be passing the test (could this be a stereotype as well?). 

According to an article by James Allen and Sun Changshun (1999), foreign language learning in China has taken on a natural approach, just as it has in America. Students are expected to practice the language by using it and not just memorizing the vocabulary and rules of grammar. This is what I hope to be one of the biggest strengths I bring to the classroom – my ability to stimulate actual conversation and natural use of English throughout the students’ day. I don’t want to teach grammar lessons on parts of speech or make students memorize our body parts in English. Instead, I want to encourage students to just talk.

Ultimately, I believe that students are the same everywhere: if put in the right environment, they are eager to learn.  When there is something motivating them – whether it is a sticker on a paper, external pressure from parents, or to pass the test – all students need a reason to want to learn. I want to show my students in China, just as I want to in America, that learning is fun and the reason should be an internal drive to want to grow.