Features of the Chinese Features of the Chinese Education System and Language that impede Education System and Language that impede

English learningEnglish learning Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China MBA Antonio Graceffo, PhD, China MBA Lecturer, (UTS/SILC) Sydney Lecturer, (UTS/SILC) Sydney

Institute of Language and Institute of Language and Commerce, Shanghai UniversityCommerce, Shanghai University

Contact: Contact: Antonio_graceffo@hotmail.comAntonio_graceffo@hotmail.com

Student and teacherStudent and teacher

Student and teacherStudent and teacher B.A. in Foreign Language and English, Middle B.A. in Foreign Language and English, Middle

Tennessee UniversityTennessee University Dip Lic in TESOL, Trinity College, University of Dip Lic in TESOL, Trinity College, University of

LondonLondon Four years applied linguistics, University of Four years applied linguistics, University of

Mainz, GermersheimMainz, Germersheim 17 years of classroom teaching experience, 17 years of classroom teaching experience, 3 years teaching in China3 years teaching in China Published many articles on second language Published many articles on second language

acquisition theoryacquisition theory PhD, China MBAPhD, China MBA

Teaching anecdote: Teaching anecdote: Socratic Method never made it Socratic Method never made it

to China.to China. Student asks “Teacher, can I say ‘I buy a Student asks “Teacher, can I say ‘I buy a

books.’ Or, don’t need ‘a’?” So, I ask, books.’ Or, don’t need ‘a’?” So, I ask, “Well, is it many books or just one?” “Well, is it many books or just one?”

The dialogue in my headThe dialogue in my head ST: “Many books, teacher.” ST: “Many books, teacher.” T: “And does ‘a’ mean ‘one’ or ‘many’?”T: “And does ‘a’ mean ‘one’ or ‘many’?” St: “one.”St: “one.” T: “So, can you say ‘a books’?”T: “So, can you say ‘a books’?” S: “No, teacher.”S: “No, teacher.”

But what actually But what actually happens is.happens is.

T: “Well, is it many books or just T: “Well, is it many books or just one?”one?”

S: “Yes.” Or “Sorry.”S: “Yes.” Or “Sorry.”

We’ve all been there.We’ve all been there. You have all probably had similar You have all probably had similar

experiences in China. And, to a greater experiences in China. And, to a greater or lesser extent, you will have similar or lesser extent, you will have similar situations across Asia. situations across Asia.

As teachers, we all speculate about why As teachers, we all speculate about why this is. We have heard rumors about this is. We have heard rumors about what goes in a Chinese classroom. what goes in a Chinese classroom.

And I am here to confirm those rumors. And I am here to confirm those rumors.

Gaokao (Gaokao ( 高考高考 ), National ), National Higher Education Entrance Higher Education Entrance

ExaminationExamination Determines which university Determines which university

students can attendstudents can attend Many parents see the Gao Kao as Many parents see the Gao Kao as

most important goal in lifemost important goal in life Tremendous pressureTremendous pressure Living away from home for month or Living away from home for month or

years of crammingyears of cramming

Gaokao (Gaokao ( 高考高考 ), National ), National Higher Education Entrance Higher Education Entrance

ExaminationExamination Amino acid dripsAmino acid drips   Six or more hours studying per day, in Six or more hours studying per day, in

addition to 10 hours of schooling, and addition to 10 hours of schooling, and taking no breaks on the weekend.taking no breaks on the weekend.

Only 60% make it into university on the Only 60% make it into university on the basis of their gao kao score:basis of their gao kao score:

According to People’s Daily Online, an According to People’s Daily Online, an estimated 40% of students do not make estimated 40% of students do not make it into any university at allit into any university at all

HSK 汉语水平考试 Test of Chinese Language FluencyLike the TOEFL or IELTS for English

Antonio Graceffo ( 安东尼 )

I realized why Chinese I realized why Chinese students are so good at students are so good at

passing examspassing exams I hired a Chinese I hired a Chinese

teacher for my HSK teacher for my HSK preparation and I preparation and I realized why Chinese realized why Chinese students are so good at students are so good at passing exams. My passing exams. My teacher taught me so teacher taught me so many tricks about many tricks about passing the HSK passing the HSK without being able to without being able to read Chinese. Suddenly read Chinese. Suddenly TOEFL and IELTS TOEFL and IELTS scores made sense. scores made sense.

Passing the exam is NOT Passing the exam is NOT EVEN CLOSE to the level EVEN CLOSE to the level

needed to effectively study needed to effectively study and pass a degree program, and pass a degree program, alongside native speakers. alongside native speakers.

The same is true The same is true for Chinese for Chinese students students passing the passing the TOEFL or TOEFL or IELTS.IELTS.

Antonio Graceffo ( 安东尼 )

Differences Differences between Chinese between Chinese and foreign and foreign students students abroadabroad

Activities allow you to make Activities allow you to make contact with locals and to contact with locals and to

make make friends. For me, it’s easy, friends. For me, it’s easy,

because because I’m at a sport university. But I’m at a sport university. But

all all western universities have western universities have

sports, sports, clubs, and other fun stuff that clubs, and other fun stuff that

you you can participate in for free. can participate in for free.

Why natives speak so wellWhy natives speak so well

Most native speakers are exposed to Most native speakers are exposed to parents, family, and TV listening input from parents, family, and TV listening input from birth, until school age. birth, until school age.

They attend school approximately 33 hours They attend school approximately 33 hours per week, 9 months per year, for 12 years. per week, 9 months per year, for 12 years.

In China, students log incredible numbers of In China, students log incredible numbers of hours of homework and studying. hours of homework and studying.

This totals thousands and thousands of This totals thousands and thousands of hours. It’s very difficult to catch up as a hours. It’s very difficult to catch up as a non-native-speaker.non-native-speaker.

This is my dormitory room, where I write my dissertation. Last year, I lived in the teacher dorms which were much nicer.

Antonio Graceffo ( 安东尼 )

Differences in Western and Differences in Western and Chinese education systemChinese education system

Western ChineseActive learners Passive learnersTeacher is a facilitator or coach

Teacher is an expert

If you repeat lecture notes on an exam you may fail

Repeating lecture notes is the mark of a good student

Teachers want critical answers

Teachers want answer that reflect what was taught

Outside reading and research

Even at PhD level, research consists of reading and quoting existing dissertations.

Discussion, debate, and criticism

Listening silently

Differences in Western and Differences in Western and Chinese education systemChinese education system

Western ChineseSchedules MUST be published long in advance.

Holidays are announced at the last minute.

It is the responsibility of teachers to inform students of meetings and requirements.

It is the responsibility of students to find out what and when .

It is assumed that students have jobs, interests, and obligations outside of school.

It is assumed that students study full time and do nothing else.

Teachers may cancel class once or twice during a semester and the time will not be made up.

Teachers frequently cancel classes and students are expected to make them up at night or on weekends.

Information, such as deadlines or requirements, must be given to students individually.

Requirements are given to a class leader who tells everyone, OR to a small number of students and other students find out through the grapevine.

Differences in Western and Differences in Western and Chinese education systemChinese education system

Western ChineseHolidays are days off. Off time is important to recover

Holidays have to be made up

Memorize essays in advance of exam

BA students attend 12-15 hours of classes per week so they have time to study and read independently

Student’s schedule too packed to study

In language classes, teacher talk time is kept to a minimum

Teacher talk time between 70%-100%

Public speaking skills, win the audience over

Students are expected to listen despite boredomNO ONE is listening!Important people speak and lower status people sit and pretend to listen

Teachers ask real questions Teacher ask rhetorical questions

Differences in Western Differences in Western and Chinese education and Chinese education

systemsystem Preparation for presentations,

shows, and performances take precedent over classes

Required classes in Marxism and political thought

Political literacy is a measure of intelligence.

Too focused on wordsToo focused on words Western translators are taught to Western translators are taught to

focus on meaning, not words. focus on meaning, not words. ““from rags to riches.”from rags to riches.” "Vom Tellerwäscher zum Millionär.”"Vom Tellerwäscher zum Millionär.”

From dictionary .com dispatchFrom dictionary .com dispatch[dih-spach] [dih-spach]

1. To send off or away with speed, as a messenger, telegram, body of troops, etc.

2. To dismiss (a person), as after an audience.

3. To put to death; kill: The spy was promptly dispatched.

4. To transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily.

Taking "smartTaking "smartdrugs" to drugs" to

improveimproveperformance isperformance isnot a wise not a wise

choice.choice.FúyòngFúyòng““cōngmíng yào”cōngmíng yào”tígāo chéngjītígāo chéngjībìngfēi míngzhì bìngfēi míngzhì

xuǎnzéxuǎnzé

My experience at My experience at Chinese universityChinese university

In the first year, foreign In the first year, foreign students only study Chinese students only study Chinese

language.language. Listening to a Listening to a

foreign language for foreign language for several hours per several hours per day can make you day can make you tired, bored, and tired, bored, and headachy.headachy.

Because I had already Because I had already passed HSK exam, I passed HSK exam, I began the program in the began the program in the second year. That meant I second year. That meant I was taking Chinese was taking Chinese classes half the time and classes half the time and PhD classes half the time. PhD classes half the time. In PhD classes, my In PhD classes, my classmates were almost classmates were almost all Chinese. Giving all Chinese. Giving presentations in Chinese presentations in Chinese was really scary. was really scary.

I write pinyin on my presentations so I can I write pinyin on my presentations so I can read them. When I get nervous, it’s hard to read them. When I get nervous, it’s hard to

read Chinese. read Chinese.

PhD dissertation topic: Chinese PhD dissertation topic: Chinese traditional wrestling compared to traditional wrestling compared to western wrestlingwestern wrestling中国传统摔跤和西方摔跤 比较中国传统摔跤和西方摔跤 比较 . . The The dissertation will be written in Chinese dissertation will be written in Chinese language. language.

Chinese Cultural Chinese Cultural Linguistics for ESL Linguistics for ESL

byby

Antonio GraceffoAntonio Graceffo

Chinese translationChinese translation

Wan (Wan ( 玩玩 )) = Play= Play

A Chinese friend might A Chinese friend might ask:ask:

““How did you play on your holiday?How did you play on your holiday?””

Shi (Shi ( 是是 ) Yes) Yes Shi(Shi(是是 ) is Yes) is Yes Except when yes is Duì, huì, Kěyi, Zài, Dāngrán, néng, or fifty other words. Except when yes is Duì, huì, Kěyi, Zài, Dāngrán, néng, or fifty other words. 对对 ,,会会 ,,可以可以 ,,在在 , , 当然当然 , , 能 能

GuanxiGuanxi 关系关系““ connectionsconnections”” or or ““relationshipsrelationships””

““GuanxiGuanxi”” is loosely translated as is loosely translated as ““connectionsconnections”” or or ““relationships,relationships,”” but there are countless articles but there are countless articles and even books written on the complexity of and even books written on the complexity of ““guanxiguanxi”” and what it means in Chinese society and what it means in Chinese society

Direct, word for word translation

bai yun gaosu ta cong xuexiao nan men wag dong zhou you – ge shizi-lukou, guole shizi-luokou wang bei guai you – suo xue-xiao xuexiao pangbian jiu shi youju.

hundred cloud told her from school south gate turn East walk there is a ten street mouth cross the ten street mouth turn North there is a unit study school next to just is post office

Linguistic Concepts and Features

bai yun gaosu ta cong xuexiao nan men wag dong zhou you – ge shizi-lukou, guole shizi-luokou wang bei guai you – suo xue-xiao xuexiao pangbian jiu shi youju.

bai yun – Hundred Cloud is a name. In Chinese language there is no

capitalization. So, it’s impossible to recognize names, places, beginnings of sentences…

Teacher, ten month I will go to Beijing.

Months and days of the week have numbers instead of names in Chinese

十月 - Ten monthOctober 星期二 Week twoTuesday

Plurals Chinese words don’t alter for plurals “one volume book” ( 一本书 yi ben

shu) “ 3 volume book.” ( 三本书 san ben

shu) The word “book” doesn’t change for

plural.

Verb Conjugations 我去了。她去了。我们去了。 “ I go” “she goes” “We go” the word

“go” remains the same, no terminal “s”. .

Verb Tense “ I go to school” ( 我去上学 wo qu

shang xue) Yesterday I went to school ( 我昨天去上学了 wo qu shang xue le)

No Concept of Spelling “My name is 东尼 .” “Can you spell that?”

Spelling? Student paper: Cheating in schoolis

badly for the sociatal of the studnt learning,Much better students should

With no concept of spelling, students just ignore the red in Microsoft Word

Encountering New Words

Even native speaker children spend hours per day, writing characters for a period of years. They must simply be memorized.

How many words in the English language?

How many words in English language?

Estimates vary widely, but numbers range from 170,000 to 1 Million.

Impossible to know them all.

What mean Chunnel? Students are lost when they come

across a word they haven’t seen before.

Peking Opera

The general is retreating.

Cultural Context

Similar cultural contexts exist in all languages, cues and clues which native speakers pick up on instinctively, which communicate more than words.

12 Years of English Most Chinese students have had

twelve years of English, and posses a vocabulary of thousands of words.

And yet, they can’t speak English Speaking or using a language is a lot

more than knowing the words. Culture is one of the most important determinates of how we communicate, understand, and learn.

ChinglishChinglish It ain’t English. And it ain’t Chinese. It ain’t English. And it ain’t Chinese.

It’s …well…well it’s just Chinglish.It’s …well…well it’s just Chinglish.

ChinglishChinglish There have many people want to go to

Beijing.有很多人要到北京去有很多人要到北京去

Chinglish There have a car accident is

occurred in the forest. 有一个车祸发生在森林里

Chinglish Teacher made me smoke cigarettes. 老师让我抽烟

Chinglish I all yesterday played basketball 我昨天打了一天篮球 There is a woman hold a baby, stand

beside a policeman. 一个女人抱着小孩 ,站在一个警察边上 Every year there are happen many

car accidents. 每年发生很多车祸

Chinglish I was late for one minute. 我晚了一分钟 I wake up in the morning and wear

my clothes. 我穿上一件衣服 I worry that I will punish by teacher. 我担心我会被老师惩罚

Chinglish I met a car accident. 我遇到一场车祸

Keep Studying and Keep Studying and TeachingTeaching

Antonio GraceffoAntonio Graceffo Antonio_graceffo@Hotmail.comAntonio_graceffo@Hotmail.com