Abstract
This chapter moves from theoretical discussion of teaching and learning in East Asia to practical application of how to adapt specific methodologies to improve their usefulness and effectiveness in the East Asian classroom. The author first surveys many of the language teaching pedagogical innovations from the past century, while pointing out why the adoption of such teaching techniques faced heavy resistance in the East Asian region. Next, targeted adaptation strategies and “stretching techniques” designed to instruct students how to learn from different pedagogical approaches are introduced. Finally, the author introduces and contrasts two different approaches to teaching the same lesson topic, while offering detailed analysis concerning what would be effective (or not) in each plan, and the rationale for the differences between the two lessons.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Kindergarten and lower-elementary school students could clearly be argued to be less susceptible to such limitations, as they have spent less time in the East Asian educational system, and therefore such learning strategies and traits would not necessarily have been inculcated in them.
References
Boyle, J. (2000). Education for teachers of English in China. Journal of Education for Teaching, 26(2), 147–155.
Burnaby, B., & Sun, Y. L. (1989). Chinese teachers’ views of Western language teaching: Context informs paradigms. TESOL Quarterly, 23(2), 219–238.
Cambell, K. P., & Zhao, Y. (1993). The dilemma of English language instruction in the People’s Republic of China. TESOL Journal, 2(4), 4–6.
Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of Skinner’s verbal behavior. Language, 35, 26–58.
Chomsky, N. (1980). Rules and representations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Gattegno, C. (1963). Teaching foreign languages in schools: The silent way (1st ed.). Reading, UK: Educational Explorers.
Hofstede, G. (1986). Cultural differences in teaching and learning. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10, 301–320.
Hu, R., & Adamson, B. (2012). Social ideologies and the English curriculum in China: A historical overview. In J. N. Ruan & C. B. Leung (Eds.), Perspectives on teaching and learning English literacy in China (pp. 1–17). New York: Springer.
Jarvis, H., & Atsilarat, S. (2004). Shifting paradigms: From a communicative to a context-based approach. Asian EFL Journal, 6(4). Article 8.
McWhorter, J. (2009). Our magnificent bastard tongue: The untold history of English. New York: Avery.
Rao, Z. (2001). Matching teaching styles with learning styles in East Asian contexts. The Internet TESOL Journal, 7(7). Available online at http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Zhenhui-TeachingStyles.html
Scovel, J. (1983). English teaching in China: A historical perspective. Language Learning and Communication, 2(1), 105–109.
Wallace, B., & Oxford, R. L. (1992). Disparity in learning styles and teaching styles in the ESL classroom: Does this mean war? AMTESOL Journal, 1, 45–68.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Williams, C.H. (2017). Teaching Speaking/Listening in the East Asian Classroom. In: Teaching English in East Asia. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3807-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3807-5_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3805-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3807-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)