Getting Taiwanese students to speak English is a real tough nut to crack.
Xiao Lin is a high school junior, and his dad got him an English tutor.
"Alright, we've finished the lesson.""Oh, great, does that mean class is over?"
"No, I want you to summarize the lesson in English. Please use 1-3 sentences to wrap up this passage."
[Silence]
[More silence]
[Even more silence]
[Endless silence]
We both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
"What's the matter?"
"How do I say this in English? I've got zero experience!"
"Okay, then start with Chinese."
"Got it."
"The main point of this article is to do more good deeds and pass on the love."
"Okay, please say it in English."
[Silence]
[Still more silence]
[Continued silence]
[Never-ending silence]
We kept on exchanging puzzled glances for several more minutes.
"Is there a word you don't know?"
"I'm clueless about a lot of words."
"Well, how about you look up the words, and put together a draft."
"Sure thing."
Ten minutes went by.
"I've got what I want to say all written out. Can you take a look?"
"Of course, that works. Please start speaking in English."
[Silence]
[More silence]
[Extended silence]
[Continued silence]
[Unbroken silence]
"What's the matter?"
"I'm scared."
"What are you scared of?"
"I'm scared I won't do well, I'm scared of failing."
[Silence]
"Alright, let's watch a video."
I let out a sigh of relief.
"I'll have to show you my go-to clip."
Go-to clip:
"He said in sports, there's no such thing as failure; it's just one step closer to success. Learning is the same way. There's no such thing as 'not speaking well.' It's normal to struggle. We should focus on how much you've learned today and how much you've grown; that's what counts."
Whew! Finally, I can get back to teaching regularly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps because the pressure to excel in Taiwan's educational system is so intense, most students are deeply afraid of failing. So, teachers might need to set the right mindset for their students before class, establish the tone, and discourage students from poking fun at one another. Only then can we cultivate an environment that values growth.
要請台灣學生開口說英文，真是千難萬難
小林是一位高二生，他爸爸幫他請了一位英文家教
「好。我們課文上完了。」
「喔，太好了，要下課了嗎？」
「沒，要請你用英文做總結。請用1~3句話總結這篇課文」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
我們兩個互看了好幾分鐘
「同學，怎麼了？」
「要怎麼樣用英文說，我沒經驗啊！」
「好吧，那你先用中文表達」
「好的。」
「這篇文章重點是要多做點善事，叫我們把愛傳下去。」
「好的，請用英文表達。」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
再繼續深情對望好幾分鐘
「同學，是有哪個單字不會嗎？」
「很多單字都不會。」
「要不然你手機拿出來，先查一下字典。打個草稿。」
「好的。」
10分鐘過去了
「老師，我把我要講的東西寫好了。你幫我看一下」
「好的，這樣可以。請開始用英文表達。」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「......」
「同學，怎麼了。」
「老師，我害怕。」
「你害怕什麼？」
「我怕我講不好，我怕失敗。」
「......」
「好吧！我們先來看個影片。」我嘆了口氣
「只好把我的珍藏片段給你看會了。」我說
「他說在運動裡沒有失敗，那只是邁向成功的一個步伐。」
學習也是這樣，沒有什麼叫講不好
講不好是正常的，我們應該把重點放在你今天學習了多少
成長了多少才是重點
呼
終於可以正常教學了
鬆了一口氣
可能因為台灣升學主義盛行，大部分學生很害怕失敗。所以在上課前可能要先調整學生的心態，定下基調。制止嘲笑人的學生。才有辦法經營出一個注重成長的氛圍。
