Non-standard methods of teaching English and their effectiveness

Children in China start school at the age of 6—7 years. Education at the school is divided into three levels: primary school (the period of study lasts 6 years), secondary school (children also study here for 6 years) and high school (training lasts 3 years). The first nine years of school are free, parents pay for high school, but gifted children can receive a scholarship. It is very rare that a Chinese school combines all three levels at once; most often these are three different schools with different names. The territory of Chinese schools is huge, consists of a complex of buildings and is a mini-town. This allows it to accommodate about 4 thousand students, and in one class the number of students sometimes reaches 90 people. Thus, it is very difficult to convey information to all students, an individual approach is lost, basically all tasks are completed by the choir.

The flag of the People’s Republic of China is installed on the territory of each school, and every Monday children line up and participate in the flag-raising ceremony to the sounds of the national anthem, and so that all students really participate, the youngest are placed on stools. Every day they determine who will be responsible for raising the flag. Thus, they develop a sense of patriotism in children. Already in elementary school, students sincerely begin to love the party for its past and present merits and even know some ideological texts by heart.

School classes begin at 7—8 am and last until 4.30 am, so children spend about 9 hours at school. From 11.30 to 14.00 children rest, have lunch and sleep. It is believed that with such a load, sleep is very useful. The day is structured in such a way that more complex subjects come first, and after sleep, children study easier disciplines. School holidays take place twice a year: in summer and winter, but even during the holidays students do not rest; their parents take them to different clubs or send them abroad to improve their language skills.

Discipline in Chinese schools is no less strict. Respect for teachers and elders begins to be instilled in children from the first grade. Students greet and say goodbye to the teacher while standing. Students perform all actions only with the permission of the teacher; they cannot go to the toilet during a lesson, and if a student is not interested in the lesson, usually no one pays attention to it. In some schools, teachers may still hit children on the wrist for playing or talking in class, so the classroom is usually quiet. Among other things, a student who misses more than 12 lessons will be expelled. Such discipline helps schoolchildren in the future at work. Working in Chinese companies presupposes a strict hierarchy: the main thing is to keep a low profile and unquestioningly obey your elders (and those who are older in the company are most often also senior in rank), and thanks to the principles instilled in them from school, the Chinese do this brilliantly.

Chinese children have a special school uniform – they go to class in the same tracksuits, regardless of whether there is a physical education lesson that day.

Much attention is paid to Chinese language and mathematics in primary schools. This is no coincidence; it is believed that the Chinese language helps to develop a mathematical mindset, and mathematics, in turn, develops logic. Also in elementary school they study natural science, physical education, music, history, geography, fine arts, and in some schools they also add such a subject as ethics and morality (the works of Confucius begin to be read to children in kindergarten). Children are required to attend seminars where issues of political information are covered. During the lessons, children are introduced to Russian writers of the Soviet period, and they also read a lot about Lenin.

After primary school, students are required to go to secondary school, study there for 3 years, and this is where compulsory schooling ends. Not the most pleasant moment in school education is the constant passing of exams. The child takes his first exams at the end of primary school. Every parent wants to send their child to the best school, and the higher the level of the school, the more difficult the exams students will have to pass. What’s interesting is that most often exams are held in secret – no one knows the content of the exam and in what form it will be held, so parents are on duty near schools and ask those lucky ones who have already entered. But if a child passes the test successfully, this does not mean that the doors of the right school are open for him. The next step is to collect recommendations from previous teachers, but that’s not all. Enrollment in a prestigious Chinese school is to some extent a lottery, because… the final decision is made by the computer. Another way to get into a prestigious school is by registration, but one of the prerequisites is that you need to live in such an apartment for at least three years. This trend is especially noticeable in Beijing. Exams for admission to high school are more democratic: students know in advance what form and subject the test will be in.

The school education system in China is a direct reflection of government policy. From school, children are taught to respect their elders (not only in age, but also in position) and to unquestioningly follow all instructions. A heavy workload, clubs, tutors, a lot of homework, in turn, also teach that in order to achieve something, you need to work hard, and in a country where the population is not even several million, but has already passed the one billion mark, this is important. Already at school, parents prepare their child to be a competitive individual, because in a country like China, the strongest «survive.» And what is most important is that from school they instill in children a love for the party, for the Motherland and the political course.

In Russia, the education system consists of 3 levels: primary school (7—10 years), middle school (11—15 years), high school (16—18 years). The main principles of the Russian system are a large amount of homework, the authority of teachers and cramming everything, sometimes without even understanding what you are teaching. Of course, the Russian education system also has its pros and cons. According to schoolchildren in grades 5—9 in Russia, the main advantage of studying at school is new acquaintances and friends.

Often it is classmates who become faithful comrades and like-minded people who walk through life side by side after many years. And from the memories of their parents, children know that school time is the happiest time. It is at school that a child learns to build relationships among peers and takes the first steps in getting to know other people.

Speaking about disadvantages, it is possible to emphasize that modern school is too massive. The individual abilities of an individual student fade into the background. The school makes absolutely the same demands on everyone without exception. Some people find the exact sciences easy, while others show little talent for languages or literature.

Instead of studying this or that subject in depth, the student is forced to repeat the material he has already mastered several times. Therefore, children often lose interest in education.

In addition, modern schooling takes up almost the entire life of a current student. Lessons at school last from 5 to 7 hours, depending on the age of the child. Doing your homework is another plus 2—3, or even 4 hours. In addition, the student attends additional electives in certain subjects. It turns out that a person is busy studying almost the whole day. Add travel time to all of the above and you get a full-time working day for an adult. For your favorite activities and hobbies.

The above text has described the main trends in education in various regions. Naturally, these approaches also apply to teaching foreign languages. And that is why this information is necessary in this work. There must be an understanding that at a time of different mentality and different education systems, people perceive information differently, and residents of different countries can react differently to methods. Thus, the study of the effectiveness of the method in different countries will be different.

Since I live in the Russian Federation, all collected and analyzed information will relate specifically to this country. Conducting this study in other countries could lead to a completely different result.

1.2. Suggestopedia methodic

Suggestopedia is a teaching method proposed back in the 50s. Bulgarian researcher Lozanov (Lozanov G.). According to him, Suggestology it the science of art of liberating and stimulating the personality both under guidance and alone and caused quite wide responses – from unconditionally approving to sharply critical. Currently, discussions about the suggestopedic approach have become rare and have lost their former tension, although the further development of the methodological foundations of pedagogical Suggestology and the application of the latter in educational institutions and research laboratories in Bulgaria, ours and other countries continues. This apparently indicates that it was possible to identify in Suggestopedia some of the most characteristic and unobjectionable conceptual elements. Probably, there was also a practical effect that justifies the suggestopedy approach in certain cases.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «Литрес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на Литрес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.