Teach English in Dongzhuang Zhen - Tai'an Shi

In China, it is mandatory to study English for both public schools and private schools. However, because of the education system and other social reasons, English classes from school are not enough. Most students are taught after school English lessons from private English schools. So, the parents and students are often faced with which teacher to choose: a foreign teacher or a non native English speaking teacher. Many parents will argue non native English speaking teachers are less qualified than native English speaking teachers simply because of the accent. Are there some important benefits in choosing a non native English speaking teacher? Consider the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) experience they have already been through, the skills of being bilingual, and their understanding of the student’s culture. The non native English speaking teacher has already experienced studying English as second language. Presumably, this began as a child in school and then possibly involved an EFL experience. Although there is no easy way to study a second language, there is an effective way. This has to do with hours of study and finding ways to immerse yourself into the language. Having already been through this experience in their native land, the non native English speaking teacher understands which way is better for those students. Also, having gone through a thorough study of grammar, the non native English speaking teacher can reinforce what the student has already learned in school. This will help them through the many tests required of the Chinese student to further their education. Most importantly, the non native English speaking teacher has experienced how to transform their competent written and reading skills into listening and speaking with fluency in conversation. They can pass this on to the EFL student. Having successfully studied English as a second language, the non native English speaking teacher has transformed from a monolingual teacher to a bilingual teacher. The benefit of knowing a second language (or more) is already well known in academia and research circles. Some graduate programs and private schools still require a second language as a research tool. In years past, it was common even in public colleges. In this case, being a bilingual English teacher to teach EFL, they have the benefit of understanding the student’s problems in their own language. This could be an advantage over some monolingual native English speaking teachers. And because the bilingual teacher has the same mother tongue as the student, they can provide a more comfortable environment to study a new language, particularly in the engage phase of lessons (ITTT: Unit 3: Theories, Methods, and Techniques). Moreover, the student might feel it is easier, or less stressful, to communicate with the teacher. Realizing that using the students’ mother tongue in the EFL classroom is not recommended, sometimes for the extreme beginners it may be of benefit. Finally, the non native English speaking teacher is able to understand the cultural background of the student. They know the small talk, the pop culture influences, and the deep cultural interests of typical students in the classroom. For example, in the Chinese environment, greeting the student with, “wow, it’s hot today” would not be as effective as, “have you eaten?”. This small talk could break the ice for other conversation in the engage phase. The cultural knowledge affords the non native English speaking teacher a better ability to know when and how to use appropriate study activates such as which DVD/CD is the most popular, which idol the student is a fan of, and what conversational topic the students will enjoy. In the end, the non native English speaking EFL teacher understands the deeper societal reasons why the student is studying English to begin with. They are mindful of the student’s motive (e.g. the Gao Kao) but also engage in teaching strategies that will push students to achieve a higher level of learning English. In conclusion, the accent may still be a disadvantage for the non native speaking English teacher. But considering the EFL experience the teacher had, being bilingual, and understanding the culture of the students, these benefits will help students build a very solid foundation from which to learn English as a second language. The native speaking teacher, of course, is equally as invaluable. Kong Zi (Confucius) once wrote, “where there are three people together in line, one must be my teacher (Kong Zi)." With both native and non native teachers available in China, the student can always learn, but so can the teachers. From each other, they can reinforce both the productive and receptive skills required for language, optimizing each toward the student (ITTT: Introductory Unit). After all, our aim is to teach English to help students gain the effortless ability to communicate at a fluid and fluent level, bringing our students (and ourselves) into a new world of understanding and wonder. Sources: ITTT: Introductory Unit ITTT: Unit 3: Teories, Methods, and Techniques Kong Zi: (approx. 450-479 BC), “Liu Jing”