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Has teaching and learning the English language in Taiwn been a success or failure?

The Taiwan government and people have been spending a lot of effort, money and time in teaching and learning the English language. English is a required subject from elementary school pupils (from junior high school studnts before) to college freshmen, and English-teaching institutes, buxibans and centers in addition to regular schools are everywhere in Taiwan. Has the Taiwan government and people been successful in teaching and learning the English language? Why?
Correction: "Taiwn" should read "Taiwan".

Asked By: Chiou-nan - 2/12/2011
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Define "Success". ???
What has developed is certainly better than what would have happened in the absence of any effort. A small percentage of greatly motivated students do extremely well under the current system. I suggest the lack of a more widespread success is due to the lack of clear goals and maintainable achievement levels. Within the smaller market where I teach, I frequently see the conglomeration of dissimilar students under one instructor. It might be better for foreign language instruction if the students underwent valid assessments at the end of each semester, and were then assigned to appropriate ESL instruction levels, regardless of their age-based grade level.

Matt's opinion is well founded, and I agree with him, even though he misspelled "phalanx"... yet can surely count to twenty without a need to use his phalanges. Nyuck, nyuck.

There exists a need for the government to address a few shortcomings in the current "system":

1) Students have for generations been taught MANDARIN CHINESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. Thus, it has not been easy for Taiwanese to see English as a "second language." For many, it is in fact a "third language" to be learned and applied. The KMT-led government needs to accept this fact.

2) The number of ESL instructors hired is based primarily on the market, with a lesser emphasis placed on instructor quality. This is akin to the "throw a few warm (caucasian/born in an English-speaking country) bodies at the problem, and we'll make some sort of headway" philosophy. Instructors should have to pass a standard Taiwan-developed English competency test PRIOR to being offered a job or an ARC. This will certainly cut down on the number of nefarious "transient/backpacker/dope-smoking/just here for a paid vacation in an exotic place" ESL "teachers" who come here to abuse the misguided buxiban proprietors and vulnerable students.

3) There should be some standardized instruction manuals or guidebooks required, rather than relying on the current, willy-nilly purchase of whatever suits the instructors' or buxiban owners' whims.

4) Public school classrooms should be open to (paid) regular visitations from qualified native-speakers. Some TESOL-certified person should be "making the rounds" and presenting general assessments of instructor performance and student achievement/engagement.

5) Parents tend to focus on failure and punishment, rather than success and positive reinforcement. This has a tendency to undermine student performance. Regular parent-teacher conferencing should be encouraged to avoid this culturally ingrained pitfall.

6) Competitions involving "applied English" should be developed and distributed widely; e.g., more "Treasure Hunts" using English clue cards, rather than simple speech competitions.

I've run out of time here.

GREAT QUESTION!
Answered By: FED UP TO HERE WITH MAINLANDERS! - 2/12/2011
Additional Answers ()
Ha! Optimistically: 40?uccess. Probably 60?ailure.

Most success is at kindergarten level. Lots of teachers, with informal training, getting the basics in. Long hours on activity based learning rather than rote based learning at SOME schools, but most of Taiwan's kindergarten system is based on sit in line and shut up or get punished military drilling.

Most failure is at the grade 4-12 level. There is no building upon the basics; everyone wants to focus on getting Mandarin and few teachers have the patience to try and teach English by using Mandarin learning techniques, which most principals/ parents/ admin seem to think work well enough. There is not enough qualified teachers who can teach the higher levels of subjects required in English. The focus lately is "re-sinicization" by the government of Ma who is owned by the PRC; he doesn't want any new ideas to let individual motivation blossom; he wants sheep who are quoting 3rd century writings effusively and who won't be functional except as slaves in the future China his owners lust for.

In short; childrens book writers along the lines of "The very hungry caterpillar" might do well in Taiwan in English. Once you get to anything above grade 3 level stories you lose 98?f your audience.

How can that change? Salary. Technology. And getting rid of schools entirely and having smaller learning groups of 4-10 students with 1 person who knows what the hell they are talking about running introduction review and game activities instead of phlanx practices with 40 student platoons being answerable to drill sergeant and praying to the painting on the wall of random dead old guy.

In short, don't count on the system changing in your lifetime, unless you choose to take responsibility for your kid's own learning. Otherwise you will get the numb sheep that Taiwan currently produces for the shoe industry of 30 years ago wondering why they are still unemployed.

EDIT: I was very grouchy when I wrote this. It aint THAT bad, but sometimes I feel it is. The main thing is that Ss and teachers need to be able to enjoy the process more; the focus on tests and rote learning is what is killing all cultural learning, not just English. More activity based learning and more tolerance for hands on learning styles should be practiced.
Answered By: matt_of_asia - 2/12/2011
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