[EDLING:2158] Taiwan: Language education is more than empty talk

[Francis M Hult]

Via lgpolicy...

> Published on Taipei Times
> http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/12/10/2003339892
> 
> Language education is more than empty talk
> 
> By Chang Sheng-en it
> 
> Sunday, Dec 10, 2006, Page 8
> 
> A recent survey conducted by CommonWealth (Ux) magazine shows that as many
> as 80 percent of teachers, students and parents think that the quality of
> Taiwan's college education is poor, and almost 70 percent of professors
> think that the Ministry of Education's (MOE) ongoing five-year NT$50
> billion (US$1.5 billion) project will be unable to create world-class
> universities. So there is still room for improvement. Take our
> English-language education, for example. In the face of globalization,
> Taiwanese college students' English proficiency is well below par. English
> is not a required course at most schools except in the freshman year.
> During the 15th International Symposium on English Teaching last month,
> teachers said that although government leaders vowed in 2002 to make
> English a "semi-official" language within six years, no plans or measures
> had been proposed over the past four and a half years.
> 
> Such language policy is imprudent and irresponsible. Education is the
> foundation of a nation and has to be taken seriously. How will Taiwan
> improve its students' English to the level where they can compete with
> Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries? To advance our language
> education, Jack Richards, a leading professor in teaching English as a
> second language, proposed some valuable suggestions during a recent visit
> to Taiwan. The MOE should take these into consideration as it amends its
> policies:
> 
> First, expand learning hours. Second, scale down objectives. Third,
> provide teacher training. Fourth, teach English in elementary schools.
> Fifth, promote bilingual education. Sixth, try innovative solutions.
> Seventh, redesign the curriculum. Eighth, rely on the private sector.
> Moreover, according to my teaching experience, the best way is for
> learners to link learning to their interests and practice the language
> regularly and consistently. For the former, if a learner is a music fan,
> he or she can listen to more English songs and sing along with their idols
> to increase input. For the latter, listening to an English radio show for
> 15 minutes or English story CDs every night may be a good idea. Keeping a
> diary or a weekly journal in English is also an effective method.
> 
> Studies show that activities like keeping a diary can successfully promote
> "learner autonomy," eventually moving them from "teacher-centered" to
> "student-centered" learning. It not only stimulates practice but also
> reduces anxiety, encouraging them to keep trying or even think in the
> target language. Since it is difficult for teachers to thoroughly correct
> all their students' work, such authentic activities -- along with specific
> checklists and evaluation forms -- serve as an alternative way for
> practice. Learners can even exchange their journals with one another to
> make these tasks more fun. It would, of course, be better if we could
> reduce the large class sizes in Taiwan. For example, at certain
> prestigious Japanese universities, there are only four students in each
> English pronunciation class. But in Taiwan, I have heard that in some
> schools there are 70 to 80 students in every pronunciation class. How can
> teachers possibly correct students' pronunciation under such
> circumstances? No wonder the quality of our language education has
> gradually lagged behind that of other countries.
> 
> The situation clearly proves that unrealistic goals and empty slogans will
> take us nowhere. If we really want to catch up with the rest of the world
> and improve our competitiveness, we need to strengthen our language
> education in a more effective and efficient way. Hopefully, the government
> can pay attention to this, and take language teachers' suggestions into
> account.
> 
> Chang Sheng-en is a lecturer in the Department of Applied Foreign
> Languages at Shih Chien University.