SWOT Analysis on Chinese EFL Teaching & Learning

Lecturer: Li Jing Associate Professor

Foreign Language Institute of

Nankai University in China

SWOT: (TOWS Analysis or Matrix) which is widely used in Business Administration

S = strength, competence W= weakness, inefficiency O = opportunity, challenge T = threats, plight

Weihrich

SWOT Matrix

Strengths:1.Policy-makers

2.Teachers

3.Students

Weakness:1.Teaching resources

2.Teaching methods

Opportunities:1.Teacher

2.Student

Threats:1.Cultural perspective

2.Chinese ESL ways

3.Identity of the students

General Look on EFL in China 300 million English Learners

Dewey

Change puts a definite responsibility upon the schools to sustain our true national democratic spirit. The virtues of mutual esteem, human forbearance and well-wishing, which in our earlier days were unconscious root of an education which forms the deepest springs of character.

Strengths

1.Government launched lots of policies to sponsor the educational reform and projects in EFL.

Strengths

2. More and more teachers are aware of the emergency of educational reform, so they brought some new concepts into classroom practice. (project-based learning, website resources sharing, multimedia teaching,entrepreneur encouraging, etc.)

Strengths

3. Students are more competent and active in the presentation of intellectual English potentilities.

Weakness

1. Teaching resources 1)Teaching resources are short. Technology is

not made full play in EFL teaching and learning.

2) Majority of EFL teachers are lack of training.

Weakness

2.Teaching Method

1)Test-oriented approach is outstanding.

2)Unable to integrate language and content in language classroom

3)Inability in producing integrative students who are professionally competent

4) Assessment approach is still single.

Opportunity 1. China is in the transitional period, not only

on economy, but on education. a)From nationalism to internationalism b) From foreign language education to

eduaction for intercultural citizenship c) From centered to decentered

Opportunities

2. Students have more creativity and insight in doing things.

a)From linguistic competence to intercultural competence

b)From closed-minded to open-minded

c)From instrumental to integrative

Threat

1. Cultural awareness in the modern world is still the weakness of EFL teaching and learning in China.

2. China hasn’t got its own systematic theories in EFL teaching and learning.

3. Misposition of identity is the potential danger for Chinese students.

The Transforming Role of Teacherat Transitional Period

witness

One of the policy-maker

practioner

Source: edited by the speakerSource: edited by the speaker

Schools can be a vehicle for social change, but let us not overestimate the strength, actual or potential, of that impact. Far more powerful is the impact of society on schools, an impact that in recent decades has been as fruitless as it has been powerful.

(Seymour B.Sarason 1990)

The Socialization Process

perception

identification

reorientation

Re-evaluation

appreciation

Coming to know and to like

process of changing one’s values

giving up of certain values for new ones

changing direction of one’s life

changing one’s citizenship

Source:edited by the speaker from Paulston, 1992:124

There is a joke: It is about a man who in the dead of winter was ill and went to his physician. After a through examination he was told to go home, take off all his clothes, open all the windows, stand in front of them, and breathe deeply and long. To which the man responded in amazement: “But, doctor, if I do that I will get pneumonia!” And the doctor replied: “That is something I know how to deal with.” Educational reformers take note.

Strategies on EFL Teaching and Learning

Cultural awareness should be the first lesson to learn.

Integrate our Chinese culture into the EFL teaching and learning. Such as Buddhism,Taosim,etc.

The tertiary position: not replace national identity with an international identity.

EFL reform is at the transitional period

Teaching Form teacher-centered student-centered

Classroom environment passive active

Language Content grammar-oriented content-oriented

Learners’ motivation instrumental integrative

Psychological factor externalized internalized

Course design text-based Content based

/project-based

Source: compiled by the speaker

Tactics on EFL Teaching and Learning(refer to some of the paras. of Stephen B. & Betty Leaver, 1997)

Learning by doing should be the main theme of the classroom tactic.

Total integration of language and content learning.

From top-down to buttom-up in organization of classroom activities.

Affective factors(students’feeling and emotional reactions) should play more important role in students’ motivation.

Classroom goals are focused on all of the components of communicative competence and not restricted to grammatical or linguistic competence.

Language techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes.

Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying communicative techniques.

In the communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language, productively and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts.

Varify the check for students’ performance Link to some websites: such as

Computer Chronicles Newswire; TED

Conclusion

My understanding on “teach”

toleranttolerant effectiveeffective

academicacademic

cooperativecooperative

humanhuman

All Roads Lead to Rome

Maslow Confucius

Dewey

Human&

NatureShould Coexist

the Analects of Confucius

Democracy and Education

Humanism

Source:edited by the speaker

As a Chinese minister said:

For English language teaching in China, we need a method that is Chinese.

Acknowledgement

Raymond: CRLC Organizer

Carol Fraser: My wise mentor and true friend during my Glendon trip

Brain Morgan: My enlightner on research road

Ian Martin: My model to be a qualified teacher

Linda Steinman: My respected professor

Ron Sheese: My leader to Dewey

Sunny: My workmate Lanxia Zhang: My workmate

xbz91@yahoo.com.cnjianadalijing@gmail.com