Mr. Chen’s Teaching Philosophy

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4.3.4. Mr. Chen’s Teaching Philosophy

In light of the above descriptions stating Shelly’s opinions toward the Chinese course and indicating an unresolved conflict over L1 learning and development, the researcher invited Mr. Chen to share his teaching philosophy in the interview. Mr.

Chen described his negotiation with students about his requirement for quizzes.

…They (students) complain that I am strict in grading the quizzes. Students ask me why they can’t write down something that is “close enough” but not exactly in the same way as the textbook for the answers. In response, I say that your close-enough answers are different from the exact answers. Elementary students are allowed to learn things in a fun and happy way, but junior high students are asked to learn things precisely. If I don’t ask them to do so, they might deviate from the right path. It goes worse if I don’t set strict requirements for them…. Shelly is one of the students who usually give me the “close

enough” attitude…. (The interview with Mr. Chen, January, 22, 2014)

Through the strict grading regulations for quizzes, Mr. Chen hopes to equip students with a solid basis of Chinese knowledge in everyday life. He is less strict when he grades the exam papers than the quizzes. Besides, Mr. Chen shows his concern about rote memorization, which is also something that receives a chorus of

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complaints. Mr. Chen mentions the importance of background knowledge as a reply to students. “Memorizing things is necessary in learning. If you don’t have enough background knowledge, you have nothing to communicate with others.” Mr. Chen also supports his belief in teaching and learning through the implementation of punishment. He makes students who fail the quizzes copy a paragraph from the textbook during their break. Being threaten by the punishment in Mr. Chen’s class, Shelly still has to memorize by heart and pass the quizzes

In addition to the course requirement, what is taught in the course also results in Shelly’s discontent. Mr. Chen sustains his teaching philosophies and explains that the arrangement of Chinese class has its purposes.

The Chinese course in the international school is easier in terms of the

knowledge of Chinese and the difficulty level. Students do not learn as much as the students from secondary school,… (pause) I mean, they learn less from the textbook, but they learn something more related to their life, more about the culture, and they learn it with more fun. (The interview with Mr. Chen, January, 22, 2014)

In other words, students don’t have to spend all their time on the textbook per se. Such a design earns more time for students to learn things such as cultural events.

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For example, Mr. Chen assigns a group project for students to investigate cooperatively with their peers for the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature.

I hope that I could expose students to something beyond the textbook, such as Dream of Red Chamber, Romance of the Three Kingdom, Water Margin, and so

on….Compared to the Chinese courses of other schools which emphasize the entrance exams, our school has different goals. Thus, I spend a little more time introducing this cultural material in depth. We (students and the teacher) explore and discuss; I don’t encourage rote learning. (The interview with Mr.

Chen, January, 22, 2014)

In addition, Mr. Chen indicated that the international school is likely to provide a wider academic path to its students since they acquire knowledge not only through textbooks but also from additional diversified sources. Due to the less intensive schedule of course outline, teachers do not have to catch up with the schedule and cram all lessons in limited instructional hours. For the Chinese course particularly, each monthly examination in the international school covers only two lessons from the textbook while the secondary school covers five lessons. With more spare time, Mr. Chen not only assigns group projects for students to explore certain topics in

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depth cooperatively but also tells stories of Chinese history in his Chinese class.

….Compared to the course guidelines of other Chinese courses, the one in the international school is not that intense. We don’t have to cover so many lessons in a monthly examination. Also, the guidelines of the Chinese course in the international school do not include the history of Taiwan, so I cover some history in my class, such as dynasties in the Chinese history. I teach history in the first week, from Xia dynasty to Qing dynasty …. Introducing history is about telling stories, and students love it. They also asked me to tell more stories. This is why I spend a week for Chinese history; we (teachers) want them (students) to devote themselves not only to the textbooks but also something beyond them. (The interview with Mr. Chen, January, 22, 2014)

The Chinese course is not the only one with a less intensive schedule; in fact, all the courses in the international school share this feature. This design attempts to encourage students to develop their own interests in academic fields and

extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, it additionally prepares students to apply for a desirable university in the future.

Although Shelly, the teacher, and the overall curriculum share the same goal－

to apply to a good university overseas, Shelly still fails to understand that the

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not-so-demanding Chinese course allows her to have more time to explore cultural events beyond the textbook and to prepare non-academic performances for future usage. According the Mr. Chen, it is the design that unleashes students from the shackle of test-oriented educational system. However, it is still unrecognizable to Shelly because her attention is drawn to the loss of chances to fulfill her expectation in her Chinese development. She is not proud of herself when she gets 80 out of 100 because she knows that “scoring 80 in here means only 60 points in the secondary school.” Shelly also gives negative comments to the students in the international school about their overall proficiency in Chinese. “Their Chinese is just poor.”

Shelly said.

Another salient feature worth mentioning is that, in the first interview with Shelly, she disclosed a vignette of her parents’ discussion on her transferring to the international school before it actually happens. Shelly’s mother was hoping and was encouraging Shelly to study hard and pass the entrance exam for the ticket to the international school when Shelly graduated from the elementary school. However, Shelly’s father disagreed with the decision. According to Shelly, her father was afraid that it will be harder for Shelly to find a good job if she enters the international school too early. Yet, she was confused about what his father said because “adults’ decision is hard to understand.” But in the end of the semester, when Shelly is obsessing with her L1 learning in the Chinese class, she seems to get

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the meaning of what his father said about the “negative consequences”－Poor Chinese.

In conclusion, the researcher points out the factors resulting in Shelly’s conflict between her own expectations of Chinese learning and the real situation. There are three major reasons－the easiness of contents, the teaching method, and the evaluation method. While Shelly is suffering from the conflict, her learning

motivation is also influenced, which is shown in her unwillingness to prepare for the Chinese exams. Nevertheless, Mr. Chen does not worry about Shelly’s reaction to

his class; instead he considers it a normal reaction for students at her age. However, he strongly believes that how he schedules the class, instructs the class, and gives the quizzes are good for students. He regards it as a necessary process before students grow sophisticated. In his eyes, although Shelly is not currently aware that the less intensive schedule of the Chinese course brings benefits to her future application for studying abroad, “this type of students (such as Shelly) will show their brightness once they realize and understand why we teachers require them to do something in a certain way.” Besides, Mr. Chen, other teachers in the

international school, and Shelly’s mother will play an assisting role to keep her on the right academic path.

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