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Twenty Weeks in China

Twenty Weeks in China. 2013 March – Ju ly. Introduction. Robert Boardman: Teach IT subjects in School of Business, IT and Management G ranted a sabbatical from 2013 March 1 – June 30 Discussed possibilities with Dean, HR , International Development Travelled to China to teach English.

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Twenty Weeks in China

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  1. Twenty Weeks in China 2013 March – July

  2. Introduction • Robert Boardman: Teach IT subjects in School of Business, IT and Management • Granted a sabbatical from 2013 March 1 – June 30 • Discussed possibilities with Dean, HR, International Development • Travelled to China to teach English

  3. Preparation • Two weeks in Beijing in 2011 July as tourist • Trained as ESL teacher in 2012 • Studied Mandarin with private tutor 2012 Fall

  4. Three Personal Benefits • Flexibility in Classroom • Communication with students • Reliance on peers

  5. I worked in Shandong Province which is south east of Beijing Country Map

  6. Shandong I worked in the City of Zibo in Shandong Province Nearly 4 hours from Beijing on fast train

  7. Zibo 淄博 • Zibo is a city of about 4,500,000 people • Almost all of them know no English except “hello” • I lived in a sixty-year old apartment building on the fourth floor • no elevator • The apartment had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom

  8. Zibo Vocational InstituteZBVI • ZBVI is a government funded college, like Ontario community colleges • Has same basic aim as Durham: educate students for the work force • About 30,000 day school students in three campuses • More than 98% live on campus

  9. Classes • I taught English onSouth campus (16 hours a week) and West campus (4 hours a week) • Classes ranged from 32 – 46 students • My office was on the 6th floor on South campus • I taught on the 6th and 3rd floors • Teachers were not encouraged to use elevators

  10. Facilities • In my classrooms no access to computers or college network or Internet • I taught almost exclusively with chalkboards • No heat in building after March 15 • No air conditioning in most ZBVI rooms

  11. Regular Classroom

  12. Language Lab

  13. Teaching

  14. First Benefit: Flexibility • Rely on Internet when teaching IT • My ESL training used many Internet resources • Many ESL lesson plans I developed use Internet • No Internet in classroom • Student access only on cell phones with limited bandwidth • No technology in classrooms • Had to rebuild my lesson plans and my classroom processes - Quickly

  15. Students • Very similar to Durham students • About 20 – 21 years old • Not ready or not equipped for university • My students were mostly young women • None of my students had had unilingual English teachers

  16. Second Benefit: Communication • Students comprehension of spoken English almost zero • My comprehension of Chinese was zero • How to teach? How to communicate? • Week 1: Little Communication • Week 2: Much more

  17. Second Benefit: Communication 2 • On weekend I went to store and bought a food item I did not know • Asked students to tell me name and how to eat • Took their photos with the food item • Did this in first class every week • Took about 30 – 40 minutes first time • Worth every minute

  18. Faculty • In office with 11 other faculty • 9 taught English, 2 taught Korean • 2 spoke enough English to have conversation • They knew rules, procedures, students • Relied on them for support and information

  19. Third Benefit: Peer Learning • Had to rely on others • Learned to rely on others • Now I communicate better and share more with peers • More aware of my own strengths • More aware how and when to ask for assistance

  20. Provincial English Contest

  21. Other Benefits • Learned about the similarities (many) and differences (few) between ZBVI students and Durham College students • Relationships with faculty and students at ZBVI that continue • Learned some Chinese and keep learning more Chinese • Learned how warm hearted people in China are

  22. Problems? • Of course • Language was biggest barrier • Students, colleagues,friends, strangers, body language were solutions

  23. Lifelong Professional Benefits • Flexibility in Classroom • No _____  No problem  New plan • Communication with students • Find a way quickly, use humour, laugh at myself • Reliance on peers • Peers have immense knowledge

  24. My Advice – Go! • Take a sabbatical when you have earned it • Go somewhere else, do something different • I encourage people to try China • Any change of culture will teach us things • Travel or Travel and work • Experience a different culture, a different way of life

  25. Questions?

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