English teaching woes
The Taipei Times points out that the problems of English language teaching in Taiwan have to do with methodology and suggests that foreign teachers might be helpful to "train local teachers" and "compile teaching materials" ("A lot to learn about teaching English," Jan. 7, page 8).
I am very familiar with Taiwanese scholarship in foreign language teaching. I have attended the last two meetings of the English Teachers' Association of Taiwan and have read the proceedings of all meetings held since 1993. There is just as much expertise in language teaching in Taiwan as there is anywhere in the world. There is no need to bring in foreigners, often from monolingual countries that do not support bilingualism, with little knowledge of the local situation. I agree with the Taipei Times that methodology can be improved, but I suggest that the Ministry of Education first take advantage of its own experts.
Stephen Krashen
University of Southern California, CA
Your editorial made several excellent points concerning English-language education in Taiwan ("A lot to learn about teaching English," Jan. 7, page 8). You placed the blame, for example, squarely on the teaching methods and the emphasis on memorization. You also made a good suggestion as to how to use foreign teachers to train our local teachers. I would like to add a few cents of my own.
Firstly, the memorization problem is driven by our archaic notions about learning, which have been carried over from the old test-centered mandarin examination system. It really can't be effectively applied to evaluate language skills and functional competency.
Secondly, teaching methods are also driven by testing requirements, which are by and large a static approach to language acquisition.
Thirdly, we really need to change this teaching approach from static to dynamic. By dynamic, I mean that we need to learn to use the language instead of studying it solely to pass tests.
To be able to use the language we need to learn to speak the language first. From my own teaching experience, I disagree with your view that English-language acquisition can't be achieved through English without the aid of explanations in another language. As a matter of fact, we all learned our mother tongue through our mother tongue. It is the method that counts. (Using real objects in live situations initially will resolve the problem of guesswork, as you contended.)
Yes, if our teaching methods and preoccupation with testing remain unchanged, what would be the point of hiring foreign teachers at a high salary? It might be a waste of time and would deplete our national treasury which is not so full at this point in time.
Chang Yen-chung
Taoyuan, Taoyuan County
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
“If you do not work in semiconductors, you are nothing in this country.” That is what an 18-year-old told me after my speech at the Kaohsiung International Youth Forum. It was a heartbreaking comment — one that highlights how Taiwan ignores the potential of the creative industry and the soft power that it generates. We all know what an Asian nation can achieve in that field. Japan led the way decades ago. South Korea followed with the enormous success of “hallyu” — also known as the Korean wave, referring to the global rise and spread of South Korean culture. Now Thailand
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1