Second Week of IP - Language teaching in Taiwan

This week, I became more familiar with the class dynamics and started to befriend some of the students. It helped greatly in the observation and analysis of the way classes were conducted here. Their language lessons in particular stood out to me this week and I was able to learn a few things that can be implemented in my lessons in Singapore.

Firstly, their English lessons were in stark contrast to our Chinese lessons even though it is supposed to be the equivalent of our Chinese lessons since both are considered “second language” to learners. Their English lessons were mainly conducted in Chinese which is the first language of learners. The teacher would always provide translation and explanation in Chinese whenever she spoke in English. This made me reconsider the attitude Chinese teachers have in Singapore regarding using English in class. The use of students’ first language did help students’ understanding greatly and they were better able to follow the lesson. However, the use of their first language in class may deprive students’ the opportunity to use the language which is essential in language mastery. Between the two systems, balance should be struck so that students are able to have the opportunity to use the language yet also build up on their prior knowledge.

Secondly, their Chinese learning was not limited to Chinese lessons and incorporated into all subjects. At the start of the day, the teacher would leave instructions on the board for students to copy onto their handbook. These instructions included a quote for the day and a reflection topic, which students have to write a minimum of 50 words. Topics would be related to their everyday lives such as “What do you think about people talking when others are presenting?” and “In order to succeed, it is essential to remember what you set out to do and also physically acting on plans.”. I feel that these short reflection pieces would aid in students’ language learning indirectly and I liked how it was incorporated into their daily tasks. They also have “Library” periods whereby students are brought to the library to read any book of their choosing. This would allow students to pick up the habit of reading which is useful in language learning. In addition, their Maths lessons included word problems similar to Singapore, but the problems were embedded in lengthy passages which students had to read in order to solve the problem. I feel that this trains students’ reading ability indirectly on top of their mathematical ability. I feel that these are good practices that should be adopted by Singapore, such as getting students to pick up the habit of writing a journal daily or having a time set aside for students to read their mother tongue books.

Journal topic written on board at the start of the day

In conclusion, this week was very insightful and I managed to observe in depth language teaching in Taiwan. I believe that this would greatly benefit me in the future as a language teacher.