An Inconvenient "Teaching"

Today in class, I discussed - upon some students' request - the weather and the effects the weather has on our daily lives. Of course, you are all thinking, what an easy topic; however, try talking about childhood memories in Chinese, and then you will understand how simple subjects can be the equivalent of a college course.

But, I agree with you - it wasn't enough to have my students only discuss the effects the weather has on their emotions. Yeah, we all know that "I am happy when it is sunny." I thought I would take it a step forward and discuss the effects we have on the weather. In other words, I had them talk about the hotly debated issue around the world today - "Global Warming."

To do this, I had them first talk about the basic principles of "Global Warming." You know, light from the sun is trapped within the earth's atmosphere, and with the emission of more and more greenhouse gases, more light/radiation is trapped within the atmosphere; thus, the world becomes hotter.

I was actually quite surprised by their understanding of Global Warming, no less in English. I mean, I'm sure they are some of the most intelligent students I'll ever have; though, you might never perceive this due to the language impediment.

But, this led me to wonder what is taught to these students in school, how the Chinese government views Global Warming, and what China plans to do in the near future to combat Global Warming. After all, with China's recent aims at rapidly developing, more and more people are driving vehicles, factories are using coal instead of better, more renewable resources, and China is polluting the environment at an alarming rate.

I thought I could help get my point across with a little help from ol' Al. Yeah, I showed them parts of "An Inconvenient Truth," where they could hear the former Vice President discuss at length the phenomenon of Global Warming.

I wasn't trying to persuade them of the issue; in fact, they all overwhelmingly agreed that Global Warming is a reality. Rather, I was giving them just another lesson in English, and I also wanted to make them just a little more environmentally-conscious. This, I felt I owed to them, given the wonderful experiences Brian has given to me, when we would go hiking in the mountains, when he would hound me for not recycling. As always, thanks for everything bro ;)

I agree that change only comes in small steps. Perhaps, after this simple Oral English class, my students will remember this lecture when they next decide to throw trash on the ground; maybe not...

I wonder if, at all, I am making any change in class; making change in the lives of my students. One thing I always keep in mind is that, change must come from both sides; the teacher has to make his/her efforts, and so do the students.

However, I still find student participation to be a challenge. Although I say this, I am still surprised from time to time. For example, yesterday, one of my students made an appointment to see me outside of class. This turned out to be a good opportunity for both of us; she was able to practice her English, and I was able to understand more about my students.

I discovered a few discrepancies between my understandings of my teaching methods and those of my students. I learned from this student - Christina - that most of her classmates are under the impression that, in America, courses consist largely of fun and games. She told me that, in movies, she had seen quite a bit of this, where the teacher taught via games. Haha, if only this were the truth...

No, I told her that this was a misconception, one of many found in movies. On the contrary, most teachers/professors lecture in front of the class, whereby the students take down notes. This is precisely the approach I take towards my classes; not sure if it is "good," or "bad."
I also learned from Christina that most of the students found me shy at first, but have since come to find me more "interesting." She said that they came to this conclusion as a result of their previous instructor being somewhat of a "monkey." This was how Christina described him - a man who was "up and down" all the time. In fact, she said that, one time, he threw a pen at a student, because he thought the student was not paying attention...

You know, we often forget how influential we really are in our lives; how we lead by example, and the impressions we establish for others to follow. I know my role as a foreigner in China; I recognize the importance of setting a positive example before Chinese people, because they will hold, with high regard, my behavior. I don’t want to believe that I have the power to ultimately decide China’s relationship with the US, but I know that these are the small steps towards a strong relationship... that is, my attitude and approach these days...

The part which is "inconvenient" about my position is that I have to undo years of training my students have received within their school system. First of all, many students are expected to be error-free, and it goes back to the possibility of "losing face." I found out from Christina that most of my students dislike my method of hand-picking them to participate in class. This results from the large class size and students' lack of courtesy towards their classmates when mistakes are made; they like to snicker at other's faults. So, many students dislike having to speak English in front of others.

However, I feel it will be the only way that they can practice their spoken English. The reality is that many of my students have been studying English for quite a while - some almost 10 years. However, more often than not, they have had instructors whose English is substandard, making the students' ability to speak English quite difficult.

Given these circumstances, I am always aiming to do my best, working what has been given to me, and making the best of my efforts. I understand that, most of all, I will need patience. Second, I will need to be creative in how I teach the class, creating for my students exercises which are both adequate and interesting. These are the challenges before me, and I am ready to take them on...

I am also ready to take on Global Warming (I believe). Are you ready?