I spent a significant amount of time in Shenzhen, China designing entertaining and project based curriculum for young children.
The Problem
Education in the People’s Republic of China is based almost entirely on memorization.
Although English classes are mandatory from early childhood through the college entrance exam, the overal level of English for the average Chinese person is still rather low.
Students in China tend to have a difficult time discovering their interests and passions because of a lack of opportunity to let their minds wander and solve problems in their own way.
Children in China are forced to sit still, memorize grammar rules, and read standardized books. This method of learning is not only ineffective, but also instills a strong disinterest in the English language that sticks around throughout adulthood.
Research
Right from the beginning, I paid careful attention to the children in my classes, and learned their interests. I listened when they talked to their friends and showed special interest in the toys they chose to bring to school. I made sure to develop a strong connection to the students outside of a standard teacher-student teaching relationship. I opened a casual dialogue between myself and the students while encouraging communication.
The Solution
I used my new-found understand of the students’ interests to begin designing educational materials and projects for them to practice English in a way that they would find entertaining, building an interest in improving their English.
For younger children, I developed a song-based phonics learning system to teach them silly hand motions they could use to remember the sounds.
For older children, I ran a project based film class where the students would use English to write a script, then we would choose actors, film, and edit the video, and present it to the class.
Outcome
This combination of both of these teaching methods generated a genuine excitement in learning English for these young children. The Chinese English teachers experienced an increase in participation and enthusiasm for English during their own lessons, since the children now had an outlet to use the English they were learning.
Children also began using English more amongst themselves to communicate shared jokes and experiences from their lessons with “the foreign teacher.” In a system where an English test can determine the future of the child’s educational opportunities, the newfound interest in English was a significant help for these young children.
