Teaching in China

Following find another short account from our John Looney Intern teaching English in China.  She has completed one assignment with highschool-age students and she is returning this month for another ten month program.

For one month, I was assigned to be a substitute teacher in Baqian, Henan Province at The Affiliated High School of Peking University. Being a substitute required the ability to understand the students and conform to their learning styles, abilities, and expectations. A special amount of active listening was also important when working with new co-workers at the school and developing relationships. There were many times were restating was necessary in order to have open and clear communication between the students and I.  

Linda (in the red dress) and I were invited to participate in a discussion forum for an English club at Zhejiang Normal University. We spent most of the time listening to their opinions and helping them to feel comfortable expressing themselves to international English speakers. We would restate opinions to the group, to help with their grammar but also to assure that each person in the large group could hear and felt included. 

I was also invited to a cross-cultural event, intended to expose students to internationals. I was asked to actively participate and active listening was used to assure that I met their expectations. 

Living in another culture and especially teaching there involves much "active listening," a term explained in Session Three of this website.  Besides a Listening Chart there are Suggestions for Handling Anger, five Case Studies read aloud with audio button, and four other Informative Videos. We hope you find something helpful in Session Three.

Submitted by Elizabeth Rose
John Looney Intern 2012-2013