Improving English in Taiwan by Steven Krashen

Improving English in Taiwan

Steven Krashen 

Sent to the China Post, March 26, 2005 

 The Post is right, and the Post is wrong in their
recent editorial about English language instruction in
Taiwan. (“English teaching in Taiwan needs a complete
reform,” March 25).

The Post is wrong when it claims that English
proficiency is low based on test scores. Low scores on
exams do not necessarily mean there is a problem. Exam
scores are based on arbitrary levels. Committees can
raise the standard and make test-takers look worse or
lower the standard and make test-takers look better.
But if it is demonstrated that “most high school
graduates, having learned English for six years or
more, can hardly speak with a foreigner and are unable
to write a simple letter in the language,” then there
really is a problem.

English proficiency can and should be improved. The
Post is right when it condemns English classes that
“do not teach students how to use the language as a
means of daily communication. Instead, the lessons are
designed to help students answer multiple questions on
fine points of grammar.” Study after study shows the
limitations of teaching grammar, and many people have
acquired high levels of proficiency without an
extensive knowledge of grammar. 

The Post is right to recommend a more communicative
approach. The Post, however, is wrong when it states
that getting English teachers to use more English in
class is the “only way” to make classes helpful.

Current research and theory says that we acquire
language when we hear and read messages we understand,
when we obtain “comprehensible input.” The teacher is
not the only source of comprehensible input.
Video-tapes, films and audiotapes can also provide a
great deal of aural comprehensible input, and comics,
magazines and books are obvious sources of written
comprehensible input.

The research on reading, especially recreational
reading done in school in the form of “sustained
silent reading” is especially impressive: English
students who spend a modest amount of class-time
reading English books and magazines, reading material
that students choose themselves, make very good
progress in English, doing at least as well as
students who spend the same amount of time in doing
traditional instruction, and often do better. In
addition, students who participate in sustained silent
reading programs are more likely to continue reading
on their own, and are thus more likely to continue to
improve. 

Taiwan has become a leader in research in this area. A
considerable amount of research on sustained silent
reading in English as a foreign language has been done
in Taiwan, including studies by James Sims (Tung Hai
University), Thomas Nash and Yun-Pi Yuan (Fu Jen
University), and Syying Lee (National Taipei
University).

Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California


English teaching in Taiwan needs a complete reform
2005/3/25

In recent years, the government has been making a
spate of efforts to promote the use of English on this
island. For example, it has pushed for the display of
English road signs island-wide. And it has urged
government employees to improve their English or face
the possibility of being denied promotions. All this
has been done for the purpose of giving momentum to
the movement to internationalize the island.

The initiatives are steps in the right direction.
But, despite these efforts, the levels of English
proficiency in this country remain shamefully low. One
indication is the disastrous performance of those who
took this year's university entrance exam.

The testing center that administered the entrance
examination said that more than 10 percent of the exam
candidates received a zero on the composition section
of the English test and that 30 percent of the
examinees scored a zero on the translation section of
the test.

The revelations have aroused widespread concern and
criticism. The examinees' low scores are a
condemnation of the way English is taught on this
island.

The root cause of the exam candidates' poor English
is the way English is taught in the island's high
schools. The English classes at most schools do not
teach students how to use the language as a means of
daily communication. Instead, the lessons are designed
to help students answer multiple questions on fine
points of grammar.

The result is that most high school graduates, having
learned English for six years or more, can hardly
speak with a foreigner and are unable to write a
simple letter in the language.

The outdated teaching methods based on grammar
analysis must be replaced with an approach that
emphasizes the use of English for communication.
Toward this purpose, the textbooks that are currently
used should all be rewritten or abandoned, and English
teachers should be encouraged to speak English with
their students in class. Doing so may be a challenge
for many of the teachers, but it is the only way to
make the classes helpful to the students.

MENU OF TEACHERS' UNION ACTIVITIES

Teachers' Union chapters need to be more actively democratic and responsive to its members needs. It is important to achieve this by creating sub-committees that would address areas of interest to members and get many members involved. Each sub- committee would be comprised of teacher and para-professional volunteers and facilitated by an elected committee member. Sub-committee membership is the vehicle for any interested teacher or para-professional who would like to become more active in social or political issues affecting the teachers' union chapter,improve the flow of information to  members, and make improvements to  work

environment.

MENU OF UNION ACTIVITIES

Listed below is each objective and a proposal for sub-committees that would be created to realize that objective. Maybe you have an idea for another sub-committee? Remember, the form and direction of each sub-committee takes shape through you.

OBJECTIVE -ACTIVITY

“To cooperate to the fullest extent with the labor movement 

and to work for a progressive labor philosophy to awaken in

all members a labor consciousness and sense of solidarity

with labor.” 

1. Union Solidarity Committee: Discuss labor issues with 

possible petition drives. Update and advise colleagues on 

contract issues. Contact and keep up with labor issues in 

other schools in the area and worldwide..

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“To protect the schools against unsound economy and against efforts at domination by political, economic, religious, or military group.”

2. Sweat-free School Committee: Help your school join the

movement against sweatshops by identifying violators and 

using union-made items at school.

3. Tolerance Committee: Discuss and recommend ways for 

helping students get along better and helping teachers 

understand cultural diversity. Work with clubs and the 

student organization to promote cross-cultural sensitivity.

**************************************************************

“To promote education as a social agency for developing 

the capacities of the young, for enlightened adults, and for

working toward a society motivated by the ideal of service
and democratic participation.” 

4. Teachers’ Resource Committee: Organize and expand

the teachers’ library resources such as videos, text, 

classroom activity manuals, and member services brochures. 

This includes the maintenance of office equipment, such as

the copy machine, computer, printer, and television.

****************************************************************

“To make members aware of their political responsibilities.”

5. Bulletin Committee: Update, decorate, and maintain the 

union message boards. Monitor and maintain our list-serve. 

Consider creating a chapter newsletter.

****************************************************************

“To advance the economic and professional interests of 

members.” 

6. Financial Advisory Committee: Act as an adviser to both 

new and old colleagues with their financial questions on 401K, tax deferred annuity, DA, pension, and payroll.

7. In-Service Training Committee: Act as an advisor assisting

colleagues on licensing requirements, degree fulfillment, as

well as available classes for professional development, and 

credits toward salary steps. Have information on sabbaticals.
*****************************************************************

“To establish the active participation of education employees 

in the formulation of educational policies.” 

8. Education Committee: Discuss trends in education, 

standardized testing, and effective teaching methodologies. 

Create and develop a bank of useful teaching methodologies,

materials and plans. Assist colleagues
*****************************************************************

“To work for democratic administration and supervision.” 

9. Union-Administration Consultation Committee: Form an 

agenda from sub-committee suggestions and prepare for

consultation meetings with the principal as required of elected Committee members. Report to the rank and file.

10. School General Assembly Committee: Attend, present our

petitions, and report on G.A. Required of Committee Delegates.
******************************************************************

“To protect members whenever necessary.” 

11. Safety Committee: Advise colleagues on strategies for

classroom management and violence prevention. Instruct on 

the procedures established for dealing with disruptive students. 

12. New Teacher Support Group: Help new teachers maneuver in your school and give advise on clerical matters. how to survive an observation, and how to file grievance reports. Review mentoring candidates and help with selection.

13. Health Committee: Advise on insurance plans and make 

available listings of doctors, dentists, and labs. Make available

 information of stress management. Work toward making your

school a safer school. Meet with cafeteria personnel to discuss and develop healthier lunch menus.

*****************************************************************

I believe each sub-committee can work toward creating a new 

union environment in our schools, one of action, inclusion, and service. Each person can contribute to their area of expertise. In these days of union entrenchment, we must be more active to protect the gains you have made and make sure we’re fairly represented.

Solidarity, David Temple

'Readers Theater' Teacher Training

March 6, 2014

I had an interesting time yesterday morning at the Junior High School in Miaoli instructing nine native EFL teachers how to prepare their students for a Readers Theater contest. Wayne, who is an agent for the publisher, picked us up at 9am and we drove an hour north on the highway. 
     When we got to the school, we were brought to the classroom where the in-service training would be held. One teacher set up the computer for the overhead projector. My wife had download and copied four samples of RT she had showed me of previous years’ winners in Taiwan. When the computer was set up, Leona  plugged in the flash drive. A-OK.
      The “How To” kits I asked the publisher to copy and distribute to the teachers in advance weren’t on hand so the assistant made additional copies of the four page booklets. The teachers hadn’t been able to see it to prepare for the workshop; later the copies that had been made but not provided were found. It wasn’t the publisher’s fault but someone at the school who dropped the ball.

      When the teachers came in to the room, I was ready. The publisher's agent gave me a folder about St. Patrick’s Day activities his company was promoting and asked me to introduce it. Leona stood in front of the room and introduced me in Mandarin. I didn’t see the bilingual biographical introduction I had given to her cousin, either. I acted as the publisher’s rep and talked up St. Patrick for five minutes. No one responded to my quip about Pat being the man who drove the snakes out of Ireland. I started the workshop.

      I introduced Readers' Theater by referring to the “How To” kit they’d distributed. I pointed out the scoring rubric and told the group they would be teams of judges for the three models I brought for them to see. I made an entry, introduction, script body, and exit team. I placed four t-charts on the green chalkboard, one for each team, good and bad for each of three models, showed them what to pay attention to while watching and asked them to take notes. Leona started showing the downloads. The first went well but the second and thirds had no audio. I described what they saw and told them they wouldn’t have understood what the children were saying anyway because they were talking too low and too fast and too much. After the last download, I asked each team to go to the board and write their observations. They did so. I went over the observations and pointed out the similar observations across teams.

      My next procedure was to ask each team to consider what they would recommend for their part in the Readers Theater process. I learned that there was one Readers Theater for the school, not one for each teacher. I gave them some tips and let them talk and prepare a short presentation about their ideals. Time was short, though; the room would be a lunch room at 11:50 am, so I cut the presentations short. They weren’t very verbose anyway. I gave a final ‘four session’ breakdown of how they should proceed with the children, four sessions depending on the time they had to prepare. I used my notes from the internet and put it on the board. The teachers copied it.

 It was the first time they had ever done Readers' Theater. I had done them a service. My main point to them was to have fun with the process with the children and not just the goal. Tell the children to speak slowly and not use too many words. One teacher asked if I would check their script and I offered to do so, assuming the publisher would compensate me for it. I gave her my IWW card (the only business card I had) and told them to contact me if they had any questions. 

Aim: How can we improve a city park for its users: people, animals, and insects?

The ‘showcase’ lesson at Shuang-Wen Junior High School. My ten-page booklet of activities was copied by the front office for the thirty-two students in the school’s ‘winter camp.’ I was paid 2500NT-$83 for the two hour class! The class was fun and the children loved it, especially the contest I ran after the reading we did. We only got half-way through the worksheets I prepared; a week of classes could be drawn from it.

 For the students, it was a class by a foreign EFL teacher, but it was a showcase to me for becoming a teacher trainer and curriculum developer in Taiwan. I hope that this is what will come of it. I heard that before me there was a British counterpart who provided that service to the school but he didn’t get paid well. Since all the public schools in Taiwan are decentralized, getting in to one school at a time is the way to do it. I hope that Leona’s cousin, who introduced me to Shuang-Wen in his capacity as school resource person for the publisher, can introduce me to other schools.

Aim: How can we improve a city park for its users: people, animals, and insects?

Instructional Objective: Reading comprehension – reported speech, composition skills- brainstorming and organizing, oral reports.

Motivation: The environment of our city parks is very important for the people it serves. We must be aware of the usages for the park, such as gardening. Consideration must also be made for the pets that use the park so humane choices can be made for them. We can see the result of our care by the insects that populate the park, butterflies and cockroaches.

Procedure:

1.     Do Now: Handout “Improve This Park.” Let the students work in teams to fill out the worksheet. Put categories on the board and have students go up to add their suggestions:

1. How does this park makes you feel?

2. What would you do to improve this park?

3. Who will your park serve?

4. What will your park include?

5. What rules will the park have for its use, maintenance, and safety?

2. Composition skills: Brainstorm and Organization for Creative Writing. Choose one of two practices. Add details from your ‘Do Now’ handout “Improve This Park.” Students can use teamwork and write at least the details to brainstorm and organize

1. A Great Day at the Park

2. A Terrible Park

3.     Reading Comprehension and Discussion: “There’s a Big Park near Shuang Wen High School.” Read aloud to students. Go over vocabulary. Have students read back. Create teams. Answer questions in a contest on the board .Go over questions together.

4.     Controlled Composition: “Gardening” Read story out loud to students. Make reported speech questions and answers. Write Steps 3b. 4b. or 7a, depending on fluency of students. Check students in their seats. Team-work is acceptable.

5.     Enrichment Activities: If Time permits, sub-topics can be added to the lesson and included in a composition at another lesson.

A. Good and Bad Park Insects

a.     Phonics – Textbook pages decode Latin butterfly names by syllable and vowel sounds.

b.     Block That Roach, The Roach Hunt – Go over vocabulary. Which situations apply to a park environment?

B.   Enrichment: Handouts:

1.     Kindness Counts – go over vocabulary and check sentence pattern usage

2.     Making Humane Choices- Form outline for a composition on the aim. 

Speaking with Taiwan Teachers at Wisteria Tea House, Taipei August. 2003

Speaking with Taiwan Teachers at Wisteria Tea House, Taipei August. 2003

Student Essay: What I Like Best about Taichung

What I Like Best about Taichung

      To me, Taichung is more than just a beautiful city in the middle of Taiwan’s west coast. It is my hometown. It is a great place to live or visit because the fine weather encourages people to enjoy the outdoors. There are outdoor activities all year round. My favorites are the street theater shows and the yearly Taichung Jazz Festival. Come take a walk with me and I’ll show you around town.

      During the Lunar New Year in Taichung, many people decide to go out, see the sights, and enjoy the street theater. A favorite route is up Wu-Chuan West Road toward the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Most stores are closed and the streets are deserted because of the holiday. Listen and you will hear beautiful voices attracting you to a small crowd. Two young men are there on the sidewalk singing and playing their guitars with gusto. They are the first of many street performers you will run into before you reach the museum. These are performances with Taichung characteristics. For people who like music, it is a great way for the city to bring the arts to the people, and this is just the beginning!

      In addition to the variety of musical performances you will witness on the streets, our city boasts of the Taichung Jazz Festival as well. It is a special annual feature presentation of Taichung City. Every October since 2002, dozens of jazz musicians audition for the event’s sponsors and do their thing on Wu-Chuan West Road. Originally it was a three day festival but, due to its popularity, it was extended to a ten-day festival in 2009! Various performers and musical combos are invited to take part in these distinguished gatherings. Singers sing their hearts out and interact with audiences’ passionate feedback. Listeners sit or stand and go with the flow of the cool jazz sounds. They relax in the shady sun with their friends and family enjoying local delicacies and world-famous Taichung bubble tea drinks. The Jazz Festival has become a favorite program for music aficionados from all over Taiwan. Many people look forward to being a part of it every October.

      Street performances and the Taichung Jazz Festival make my hometown so much fun to stroll through, but there is even more to like about being here. Art flourishes everywhere you stop, look, and listen around Taichung City. For instance, there is also the music at the Calligraphy Greenway to enjoy. And while you’re at it, don’t miss the dramas and concerts at Fulfillment Amphitheatre Station. Eventually, you may get around to visiting our Museum of Fine Arts, too! The overflow of art and music make Taichung one of the most enjoyable cities to visit in Taiwan, but the best part of Taichung is being here day in and day out. There is no better place to live in Taiwan!

Edited by D.B.T.  

Student Essay: The Best Vacation I Ever Had

The Best Vacation I Ever Had

There is a wondrous vision in my mind of my sister and me riding bicycles through a gentle breeze in the dusk of a summer day. In that vision there is an elderly man on an old motorcycle ahead of us leading the way; it is our grandfather whom we see! When the three of us went out riding, grandpa would be there to slow us down or stop to wait for sister and me to catch up. Whether it was in or near his farmhouse or out and around central Taiwan, Grandpa is central to the unforgettable memory of the best summer vacations we ever had.

      It was after I finished fifth grade that my sister and I spent half of our summer vacation in a small town in Chang-Hua County with our grandparents. I was asked by mom to keep an eye on my little sister. It was troublesome for me that summer, a boy with a carefree spirit, but staying at our grandparents’ place turned out to be a summer paradise. All morning long, we worked at the farm around the little farmhouse with Grandpa. Sometimes he would bring us for walks to chat with his neighbor farmers or play with their grandchildren as we chased each other around the ridges between the fields. Grandpa stood witness to our youthful folly as our childhood faded away in his wistful eyes.

      When it was time for lunch after a busy morning, Grandma was there to welcome us home with a tasty lunch she had been preparing all morning long. She was a great cook! Grandpa knew she would be there to reward us as she had fulfilled him for all their years together. After lunch, Grandpa would take his nap, and then the excitement would start all over again, this time in the backyard of the farmhouse. We flew our kites there or played on the swings. Grandpa was the cheerleader in our competitions, but we couldn’t tell whose side he was on! He was almost as excited as we were.

      When there was time, we got on a bus and travelled out into the surrounding vicinity of Central Taiwan. We played hide-and-seek around a temple not too far away. The corridors and marble pillars were the obstacles that my sister liked to hide behind.

She would be satisfied when I pretended not to find her and Grandpa stood by silently smiling from ear to ear. He brought us on excursions to see the pretty flowers inTien-Wei, enjoy oyster omelets at Wong-Gong, or on short hikes in Ba-Gua Mountain. For us it was not only fun, but a chance to learn about Taiwan.

      Grandpa was not weak in those sunny summer days; he was strong and willing to go out with his naughty grandchildren. We knew he enjoyed watching us being ourselves. Grandpa gave us such deep love and the best vacations we ever had. Several months after that summer had gone, while back in school, we learned that Grandpa had become ill. He passed away within the year. The best summer we had ever had became the sweetest memory we would cherish forevermore.

Edited by D.B.T.

Student Essay: How to “Do What You Love and Love What You Do”

How to “Do What You Love and Love What You Do”

      Young adult have to ponder what they want to do with their lives. Few can fulfill their lifestyle expectations and do what they love for their vocation. The truth is that their jobs will become a huge part of their lives; they will suffer if they choose an occupation to please their foggy notions or take work which will only pay their bills. Ray Bradbury said, “Love what you do and do what you love. Don’t listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it.” Here is how we can know if our dreams are practical or stop ourselves before we go too far up a dead end street.

      There are drawbacks to choosing a career we think we like but are not good at. Our passions will wither and soon disappear if we are not frank with ourselves about our abilities. For instance, a shy person who wishes to become an actor will always feel self-conscious when talking in front of others. He had better reconsider his career before it is too late. Similarly, one may think one wants to become a mechanic but have difficulty following instructions and using tools. He should step back and reconsider his dream before he ends up disillusioned and jobless.

      There are some questions we can ask ourselves to determine if our vocational dreams are practical for us and not just obsessions. We have to know if we can stand the heat in the kitchen, literally. For example, if a young adult thinks he wants to become a chef, he must consider the stress of being in a hot busy kitchen day in and day out. Also, he must consider if he can accept diners’ opinions and tastes and not mind changing a recipe that isn’t satisfying. A chef must be able to do this. If he can face the challenges of the profession and sacrifice his personal comfort to pursue his dream, then he can rest assured that being a chef is practical for him and not just an obsession. Once it passes muster, he can go for it!

      Since a vocation will become a huge part of your life, you must find a way to “love what you do and do what you love.” There are considerations for pursuing your dreams or changing course before it is too late to do so. Life is too short to waste time doing a job you don’t love or have a great passion for. Only you alone are responsible for the satisfaction of your life’s vocation. Listen to your heart and do the right thing.

Edited by D.B.T.

Student Essay: The Foreign Country I’d Most like to Visit

The Foreign Country I’d Most like to Visit

      In my imagination, there is a place full of wonderful scenery that fills me with passion. You may know of such a place, too, but if you don’t, it would be my pleasure to share mine with you. The place is the largest country in South America – Brazil. For its succulent rainforests and ecstatic Carnival, Brail is the place I would travel to overseas.

      Brazil’s rainforest is a paradise where exotic plants and creatures can thrive. Just imagine for a minute bathing in the sunlight in a lagoon near where the serpentine Amazon River winds. There, in the Amazon rainforest, you can see the source of tens of thousands of living things in the waters and mangroves. Monkeys with light-brown fur swing on vines and branches between trees to reach for their meals. Perhaps while eating a fruit, it drops a piece where tiny birds swoop to catch it before it falls to the forest floor where creatures scurry to reach the morsel. Animals and birds with shining red, blue, and green feathers leave droppings with seeds in the soil where rain water to washes it along to take root. They grow into trees bearing plentiful fruit of their own. The cycle continues for the next generation of monkeys and birds seeking out meals and dropping new seeds to grow again. The cycle of life goes on amazingly. Doesn’t this sound like a paradise to you? Surely it does to me, and I would love to witness it with my own eye, in beautiful Brazil. 

       Besides the Brazilian rainforest’s celebration of life and renewal, there is a yearly event that nurtures the people; Carnival. Carnival is a five-day street party that happens in February or March. It is known for its freewheeling passion and a dance called the Samba. When Carnival comes, no matter if you are a practiced dancer or a common person; if you have the feel to move your body, clumsy or not, you can be a star. Leave the real world behind, put on your favorite attire, dashing and daring, and dance to the music freely and cheerfully in the Carnival parade. Dance without social burdens, without cares, and without worries. This freedom and cheerfulness that allows people to be themselves is why I love the Carnival. For a moment in time, abandon the heavy homework, the pressures of school rankings, or the uncertainty of the future. I like to feel free, even if just for a while, and ease my tense and tiring life. Then, after having tasted freedom, I can remember how to cherish and value being alive.

      With a love for nature and freedom, I couldn’t think of a better place to go than to Brazil, the country that I would most like to visit. I am a junior high school student for now, without money to visit Brazil, but I promise myself, one day, I will slowly walk through Brazil’s rainforest and become the greatest dancer in Carnival. You may even see me on TV then, but I won’t care; I’ll be tripping the light fantastic. 

Edited by D.B.T.