A Teaching Experience In China

A Teaching Experience In China Ann Timonin

With PhD students, July 1, 2010.

China is an exciting place to visit and Chinese universities are hungry for North American teachers with experience in teaching EAL. Retired teachers, especially those between 55 and 60, are most welcome. While my Chinese experience will not be what happens to everyone, there are some constants that will certainly make it enjoyable.

I went to Kunming in Yunnan with my husband in 2009-2010. There were several advantages to this location. First, Kunming is known as Spring City where the daily average temperature is 25◦C year round. Second, Kunming is the capital of Yunnan and has good hospitals, an international airport, and it is a popular place for tourists, so the local population is used to foreigners. Despite this, Kunming is only the size of Toronto and feels less crowded than the mega-cities of Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai. Situated in the mountains, Kunming is also a good starting point for travel to world famous beauty spots like Li Jiang, the Stone Forest and Shangri La.

Many Chinese universities advertise for foreign teachers. My experience was a little different because I used the recommendations of a Chinese friend to secure my job teaching at a teacher training institution. This “Chinese way” of getting work is an advantage as the employer is indebted to the friend who recommended you and will do everything possible to make the stay pleasant. On the other hand, you will cause the friend to lose face if you do a poor job or cause trouble. Moving to a better position at a different university – a ploy used by many young teachers – is particularly rude.

Because I had an MA, I was offered classes of Masters and PhD students at Yunnan Teachers’ Training University. These students needed several English credits to graduate. I was asked to teach courses in writing and in speaking for a total of seven classes a week lasting 90 minutes each. The content of these classes was also my responsibility as there were no text books for this level of teaching although English-speaking teachers for Chinese students whose major was English had adequate texts. My students ranged from high intermediate learners to proficient English speakers, but each class had two or three individuals who understood less than I expected. Class sizes were capped at 40 registered students; however, I rarely taught more than 25 at a time. My institution had an attendance policy that prevented non-attendees from writing the final exam. Students who attended regularly would let me know if they needed to miss a class, but some simply never showed up for even one class.

Few foreign teachers know much Mandarin, especially as the written characters are complex. I had studied for three years of Saturday morning classes before we went to China, but my knowledge was still very limited – enough to get myself into trouble and not enough to get out again in some instances. Since my class lists had numbers as well as names, I simply asked students to identify their names on the lists and to provide a simplified version of that name in “pin yin” – the phonetic alphabet. Some chose to supply an English name; others used their Chinese name. I copied the lists into spreadsheets with both characters and names listed next to the student number so I could track attendance and marks.

Since I knew Chinese students use a different approach to essay writing, my main focus in writing classes was the typical short opinion essay – introduction, three or four body paragraphs, and a conclusion. I offered practise topics for marks and we prepared examples on the same theme in class. I used actual English proficiency exam questions and selected essays connected by a common theme such as family, the environment, home towns or government respon-

Spring cherry blossom on University campus, Kunming Kunming horse gate

sibilities. In order to provide samples to guide the level of my teaching, each student wrote a short biography in the first class.

Speaking classes followed a similar theme-based design with introductions, descriptions, poetry recitals, individual research topics leading to a presentation, group presentations and short impromptu speeches forming the core. Additional practise was not possible for these students, so they worked for participation marks. In the speaking class at the PhD level, the ten participants were more willing to discuss topics although some struggled with pronunciation. Their final presentation gave me fresh insight into the disciplines they were studying, which included how we see in 3-D and the future of solar power, as they presented their research as if they were at a foreign conference.

Living in a foreign country is not all about work, of course. I was paid an adequate salary allowing the two of us to eat out at least once a week, to visit local places of interest and to enjoy Kunming. The university owned the furnished apartment we lived in and paid the rent and utilities. Fresh fruit, meat and vegetables were readily available at an open-air market a short walk from the apartment building, and Walmart supplied most of our other needs. The university also provided bilingual helpers to deal with such activities as the initial registration with the local police, to set up an Internet account, to go to the doctor and to ferry us and our luggage back to the airport at the end of the year. My adviser provided valuable help with discussing expectations in class, with the rules for marks and exams and in providing answers to my questions.

The biggest surprise for us was the level of activity required for daily life. Our apartment was on the fifth floor with no elevators. Older buses only have a few seats, so most passengers stand for the whole ride. While bicycles and electric motorbikes are available at reasonable prices, we felt safer walking, often covering several kilometres a day. It is considered bad manners to offer to help anyone who is struggling with heavy bags or an awkward load, so those wanting to teach in China need to be pretty healthy.

One way to ensure a good experience is to be friendly with visiting scholars here in Canada and to go where they live once you have formed a relationship. Chinese people are much more interested in long term relationships than most Canadians, and it is certainly fun to meet with a local to go for a meal or to an activity. We had a core group of three Chinese friends in or near Kunming. This certainly enhanced our day-to-day experience. It is also a great way to learn more about the culture without making too many mistakes. §