Teaching - CHINA Reading List

Extra Information

Classes in China are generally quite large, averaging fifty pupils. However, if you have too much difficulty with the size of the class, our organiser will usually be able to arrange for the class to be split in half. If you feel it necessary we can also organise for an English teacher to attend your classes. You may find this helpful for the first couple of weeks.

Most of the Chinese schools and colleges where we teach are secondary or FE, where your pupils will be between thirteen and nineteen. At first, pupils and teachers alike will be alarmingly polite, but after a few days they'll begin to relax. You're giving them an important opportunity to receive direct help with English conversation - and they take this very seriously. Your immediate and key contact will be the Head of English at your school who, unless somebody else is specifically appointed, will be your supervisor and mentor, and will deal personally with your specific programme. He or she will have been briefed by our staff and will expect to discuss your programme with you, but please accept that, even with the fullest briefing, misunderstandings can occur due to the cultural divide. Some school principals may also wish to discuss with you the possibility of using your personal interests, which may be useful (or just fun) for your pupils.
Obviously your degree subject might be helpful, and any pursuit like hiking or watching wildlife, football, chess or music could be incorporated. The idea of Projects Abroad is to employ intelligent English speakers for much needed language development and cultural contact. This gives Chinese pupils (and yourself) a valuable learning experience, while saving you large sums of money on TEFL diplomas. So don't worry about not having TEFL or teaching qualifications - you're very welcome with or without them.

In terms of material to teach, at some schools you will be follow a given lesson plan from a textbook. There is, however, scope to expand on these ideas, role-plays usually work really well. This is a way to make lessons more interesting and lively. Bringing along resources such as newspapers, magazines or video clips from your hometown will no doubt go down well. Please avoid anything explicitly political, religious or sexual in any of your lessons. It is wise to remember not to discuss the politics of the 'Three T's'; these are Tibet, Tiananmen and Taiwan. These topics will not be well received by your local teachers or students' parents, (although few people will complain directly to you).
Debating such topics could result in the school cancelling your lessons. While your main role as a volunteer teacher is to teach spoken English, you may find that sometimes you are asked simple questions about grammar as well. So it can help to prepare yourself with the basics before you go.

In Shanghai the classes at the language centre are a lot smaller, averaging 15 pupils per class. There is a textbook, which you can follow but the objective of these classes is to encourage debate and discussion. It would be useful to think about some interesting topics before coming out. Most students will be interested in where you live and what type of interests you might have. Again avoid anything explicitly political!