ESL Teaching in China
When we first thought about an overseas adventure, we never thought ESL was a big deal. English is our native tongue which we took for granted.
Many other countries require students to learn English. They have mandatory tests they must pass. And so, enter the picture for ESL teaching.
There are many options available to Chinese students. Their public schools teach English. There are international schools. And there are training centers. Shane English is a training center. In order to stay in business, Shane does a lot of marketing and recruitment events for students.
The demos for the marketing/recruitment events are super fun. They are not part of a class or extra curricular. They are an extra event and the cost is minimal. The English teaching portion is 45 minutes. 15 minutes is spent on language drilling. The remaining time is games and activities. The biggest factor Shane highlights is our learning is fun!
Some of the demos I've done also included themes like Lantern Festival and Women's Day. We've made lanterns and potted flowers during these special events. I had a blast and I'm sure the kids did too!
Another differentator with Shane is our English Clubs (ECs). They are 45 minute classes for the students based on a specific language level. When teaching these classes, sometimes the language being taught is too easy or hard for students. It all depends on the level they are in. The purpose is to practice and introduce students to upcoming language points. They are included with the cost of tuition. And parents love these ECs!
Shane English School is well respected school in China. They supply the foreign teachers with proper Z work visas. Part of the reason they have such a good relationship with the government is their work with the public schools. Most public schools do not have foreign English teachers on staff. So Shane contracts with them and we call this an Outside Location (OL).
Besides maintaining good public standing, these OLs allow Shane an extra avenue for recruitment. Each school we contract with sets different requirements and standards. Some want the classes to be fun, and others want us to focus on pronunciation and retention. We teach to toddler age up to primary school age.
Shane's school class offerings:
Little pockets-
We call these classes the babies. Typical age is 3-5. Their classes are taught in 2 30 min blocks. So a one hour class with a 5-10 minute break in the middle. Songs and chants are the focus. No language points are taught. These little ones are just at the early stages of learning their own language. It's pretty amazing watching them.
Pockets-
These children are 5-8 years old. Songs and chants are still a focus, but we start introducing a question and answer language point. There is typically a set of 3 vocab words with each lesson. The classes are taught in 2 45 min blocks.
I've been in a pockets class where they could sing Happy Birthday in English!!
Spec, levels 1-5-
Spec stands for Shane Primary English Course. These books follow what the public schools teach. Chinese students start learning English in public schools at grade 3.
Spec students are 7-12. These classes are taught in 2 45 min blocks. We teach vocab, question and answer language points and phonics. The classes are still fun by incorporating games. Some typical games include basketball, obstacle courses, monster circles, battleships.
Students must learn to say the question and answers. For example: what sports do you like? I like football and Kung Fu.
American More, levels 2-4-
These kids range from 11-17 years old. These classes are still taught in 2 45 minute blocks. At this age, the focus is more on Grammer points and getting the students talking. It commonly includes creative writing sections.
NCE-
This stands for New Concept English. The kids range from 11-17 years old. You might be wondering why they aren't in American More. The books and focus are different. Sometimes NCE classes do not have a foreign teacher; it's all taught by the Chinese teacher. When I've taught some of these, the language points were hard! Attributive Clause, If Conditionals, when to use Must, Have To, Need.
America in Mind-
Ages 13 and up. We only have 1 teacher who teaches at this level. These students are in the class because they desire to pursue the language further. One kid in the class lived in the US for a year.
Hope you enjoyed reading more about ESL, Shane English School and what we are doing over here. Ya know, you could come and teach English too!
ok - I have a question. May be kindof dumb but here it goes---
ReplyDeleteHow do you teach English as a 2nd language (ESL) to students whose primary language is Chinese if you don't fluently speak Chinese?
I'm thinking there is a lot of quiet time in some of those conservations --- :-)
Hope you're doing well --- Laura (aka Laura Robinette)
Hey Laura! It's a good question. The Chinese children are forced to learn English in their public schools. Starts around Grade 3. Parents send their kids to training centers like Shane to ensure they pass their English exams. It's full immersion style. There's a Chinese TA who sits in on the foreign teachers classes. She grades their homework and does help translate if needed. There's a set vocabulary and language point. Basically it's a I say you say drilling method. Like animals. Vocabulary is a pig, a cow, a cat, a dog, a bird, a fish. Language point is Is it a ____(pig, cat, cow, etc). The kids catch on pretty quickly. Shane's book follows with what the public schools teach as well. So the ones already learning it pick it up quicker than say the younger ones.
DeleteYou guys looks so cute with these kids!
ReplyDelete