Problems in Taiwan's English Education

I ran across the following article in the Apple Daily this evening. It's about some problems in Taiwan's English education. Instead of finding the article at the Apple Daily Web site, I found it at another Web site.

http://www.twbbs.net.tw/3328517.html

人間異語：台灣英文越補越大洞 2009年10月02日蘋果日報

 鍾小姐 大學英文口譯講師

Q：妳在好幾所大學教英文口譯，大學生英文程度如何？
A：現在大學廣開應用英文系，但好的公立大學跟不錯的私立大學學生好壞程度差很多。我的課通常30個進來，上完第一堂課，15個就走了。
我曾問我的大二學生「Are you kidding me？」（你在跟我開玩笑嗎？）是什麼意思？他說「你是我的小孩嗎？」這是很不錯的私立大學喔。有次考試，我列舉一些國家的Landmark（地標），請他們寫國家，結果Great wall（長城），學生寫Egypt（埃及）。所以我現在用鐵血高壓政策，每堂必點名，否則以後學生怎有競爭力？我剛教書時很熱血，覺得大學不該用逼的，結果8點英聽課，40個學生只來1個。

My comments: I can't believe the examples! As for the roll call, given that laziness is human nature, I totally agree with it. If I were a college teacher, I would do so.

學好英文 6年就夠
Q：現在學生學英文最大困難？
A：他們對圖像較有反應，動腦很慢，對文字跟聽力很不敏銳；加上ipod聽久，我在課堂講話，他沒感覺，心不在焉。中文文字對他們很沒吸引力，對英文就更沒感覺了。所以台灣托福程度一直下降到亞洲倒數第二，因為文章越來越長，我們閱讀速度很慢。

My comments: Students need speed reading training. They have to learn to be tolerant of ambiguity, by which I mean learning to read without having to understand every word. When students come across words they don't know, just guess its meaning or even skip it.
Q：台灣人成天學英文，為何英文能力不進反退？
A：因為受夠了，國小甚至幼稚園就開始學英文，get sick of it（厭惡到想吐）。英文是個很幹的語言，有太多規矩是中文沒有的，而且英文變化太多，很難，太早遇到瓶頸過不去就會放棄。像很多人說，英文聽懂就好，文法不重要，She is walking，學生就講She walking，從小一直錯下去，後來發現每句都錯，會很挫折；而且背這麼多單字又不會用，更沮喪。寧可大一點學，面對瓶頸就比較容易用邏輯方法推過去。

My comments: Yes, starting to learn English at an early age doesn't ensure learning it well.
Q：怎麼學英文較好？
A：學好英文，6年綽綽有餘，但前提是15人以下的小班制教學，學生才有時間用英文。現在英語教學都大班制，教育部5年5百億多用在硬體，其實應多聘點有教學經驗的專業老師，知道文法、閱讀怎麼教。不要讓體育老師考個證照就能教英文，他發音可能不行。不重視發音，只會考試，這種學生英語通常不會太好。

My comments: 1. The most important thing is motivation and passion.

2. Even in a big class, we still can think of ways to maximize the opportunity for students to use English.

3. I do believe listening and speaking should come before reading and writing.
建議大家每天花15分鐘造句，別再背單字了，我們國高中學的單字量夠我們寫篇非常漂亮的文章、接受interview的考驗。那為什麼我們寫不出句子？因為我們一直是考試引導教學，只會做選擇題，不會寫完整句子。

 My comments: 1. I love to read the sentences my students make. Some of the sentences are very creative. So far, I've given them two sentence-making assignment. The mission I gave them is to create 5 sentences, each with a new sentence pattern and containing at least a new word they've just learned.

2. Since the university entrance exam tests students on their writing ability, students are required to practice writing.
高中看出程度落差
這也是為何台灣學生一上高中，英文程度會出現極大落差，因為高中要考作文，很多程度好的學生，就是父母幫他找學英語的資源。沒這種能力的父母，孩子就差很多。從語言能力完全可以看出一個人的社經實力。我常跟學生講，學英文是為了下一代，當孩子以後面對英文困難隨時能解決，對英文自然有興趣。

Comments: Well, this is interesting. The idea of learning English for your children never went through my mind.

記者陳玉梅採訪整理

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