A recent survey conducted by CommonWealth (
Take our English-language education, for example. In the face of globalization, Taiwanese college students' English proficiency is well below par. English is not a required course at most schools except in the freshman year. During the 15th International Symposium on English Teaching last month, teachers said that although government leaders vowed in 2002 to make English a "semi-official" language within six years, no plans or measures had been proposed over the past four and a half years.
Such language policy is imprudent and irresponsible. Education is the foundation of a nation and has to be taken seriously. How will Taiwan improve its students' English to the level where they can compete with Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries?
To advance our language education, Jack Richards, a leading professor in teaching English as a second language, proposed some valuable suggestions during a recent visit to Taiwan. The MOE should take these into consideration as it amends its policies:
First, expand learning hours. Second, scale down objectives. Third, provide teacher training. Fourth, teach English in elementary schools. Fifth, promote bilingual education. Sixth, try innovative solutions. Seventh, redesign the curriculum. Eighth, rely on the private sector.
Moreover, according to my teaching experience, the best way is for learners to link learning to their interests and practice the language regularly and consistently. For the former, if a learner is a music fan, he or she can listen to more English songs and sing along with their idols to increase input. For the latter, listening to an English radio show for 15 minutes or English story CDs every night may be a good idea. Keeping a diary or a weekly journal in English is also an effective method.
Studies show that activities like keeping a diary can successfully promote "learner autonomy," eventually moving them from "teacher-centered" to "student-centered" learning. It not only stimulates practice but also reduces anxiety, encouraging them to keep trying or even think in the target language.
Since it is difficult for teachers to thoroughly correct all their students' work, such authentic activities -- along with specific checklists and evaluation forms -- serve as an alternative way for practice. Learners can even exchange their journals with one another to make these tasks more fun.
It would, of course, be better if we could reduce the large class sizes in Taiwan. For example, at certain prestigious Japanese universities, there are only four students in each English pronunciation class. But in Taiwan, I have heard that in some schools there are 70 to 80 students in every pronunciation class. How can teachers possibly correct students' pronunciation under such circumstances? No wonder the quality of our language education has gradually lagged behind that of other countries.
The situation clearly proves that unrealistic goals and empty slogans will take us nowhere. If we really want to catch up with the rest of the world and improve our competitiveness, we need to strengthen our language education in a more effective and efficient way. Hopefully, the government can pay attention to this, and take language teachers' suggestions into account.
Chang Sheng-en is a lecturer in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at Shih Chien University.
A nation has several pillars of national defense, among them are military strength, energy and food security, and national unity. Military strength is very much on the forefront of the debate, while several recent editorials have dealt with energy security. National unity and a sense of shared purpose — especially while a powerful, hostile state is becoming increasingly menacing — are problematic, and would continue to be until the nation’s schizophrenia is properly managed. The controversy over the past few days over former navy lieutenant commander Lu Li-shih’s (呂禮詩) usage of the term “our China” during an interview about his attendance
Following the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, last month, media outlets circulated familiar narratives about Russia and China’s plans to dethrone the US dollar and build a BRICS-led global order. Each summit brings renewed buzz about a BRICS cross-border payment system designed to replace the SWIFT payment system, allowing members to trade without using US dollars. Articles often highlight the appeal of this concept to BRICS members — bypassing sanctions, reducing US dollar dependence and escaping US influence. They say that, if widely adopted, the US dollar could lose its global currency status. However, none of these articles provide
Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), the son of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee Politburo member and former Chongqing Municipal Communist Party secretary Bo Xilai (薄熙來), used his British passport to make a low-key entry into Taiwan on a flight originating in Canada. He is set to marry the granddaughter of former political heavyweight Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政), the founder of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital in Yilan County’s Luodong Township (羅東). Bo Xilai is a former high-ranking CCP official who was once a challenger to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the chairmanship of the CCP. That makes Bo Guagua a bona fide “third-generation red”
US president-elect Donald Trump earlier this year accused Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) of “stealing” the US chip business. He did so to have a favorable bargaining chip in negotiations with Taiwan. During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump demanded that European allies increase their military budgets — especially Germany, where US troops are stationed — and that Japan and South Korea share more of the costs for stationing US troops in their countries. He demanded that rich countries not simply enjoy the “protection” the US has provided since the end of World War II, while being stingy with
RSS