Michael (US)
As an ESL teacher in Uruguay, it's appalling that people who are less than proficient in English are "teaching" the language. Furthermore, I agree that the written-based approach is outdated. Some of my students can recite the past participle of any verb but can't order a cup of coffee... You do have to learn grammar but the goal should always be to communicate and sometimes we're so worried about testing that we forget why we learn a language in the first place: to understand new cultures, to meet new people, and expand our horizons.
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"To learn English at an early age", "Do not let children lose at the starting line", many parents in China will take English study in the first place when selecting extra-curricular activities. Photo shows children learning English phrases related to Olympics in Zhanlanlu Sub-district, Xicheng District, Beijing, Aug. 20, 2004. (Xinhua) |