Teachers from China become students again to improve their English

A growing number of English teachers from Asia are returning to school in Australia to give their students back home a better understanding of the language.

Recently, 27 English teachers from schools in the Dalian region of eastern China spent a month improving their English skills in Adelaide at SA Adelaide Language Centre while also living with Australian families.  As well as language skills development, the Teacher Training and Development programme offers Teaching Methodology sessions and opportunities for classroom observation and interaction in mainstream and ELICOS classes.

Wang Caili has been teaching English at high school for 10 years but – like most of the group – this was her first trip to an English-speaking country.

 “It’s been a big surprise,” she said.

 “It’s the best way to learn about a country and also to specialise in English.”

 Wang says the group had learned new teaching methods at SA Adelaide Language Centre that they will take back to China.

 “We have learned some games to play that make learning English more fun and these will be good for our students too,” she said.

 Qiao Tang said the visit would also help them to teach students about Australian customs and geography, which “are quite different from where we are from.”

 “Here every family has a house of their own with beautiful architecture,” she said.

  “The environment here is also very beautiful with lots of gardens and trees.”

For Li Chunmei the visit has helped her improve her English vocabulary – just by looking around and listening.

“In conversation I have learned lots of specific every-day words that are sometimes hard to find in a dictionary – like “tattoo”, “sky-light” or “mattress”,” she said.

“I have also been learning new words just by catching the bus and reading the signs, like: “Priority for these seats is for the disabled” or “no entry”. It’s helping my ability to translate.”

SA Adelaide Language Centre Director of Studies, Margaret Dyer, said holding Training and Development courses for teachers was growing in popularity.  Two similar groups from Indonesia have participated in the programme this year and negotiations are under way with universities in Japan and Korea.

“It’s very exciting because it adds another dimension to our programmes,” she said.

“Most of these teachers know English well, but many lack the confidence and experience to speak it.”

Ms Dyer said SA Adelaide Language Centre was ideally situated to cater for adult learners as well as high school students.

“We are able to organise everything the overseas teachers require –accommodation, classroom observations in local high schools, English classes, teaching methodolody and of course all the delights Adelaide has to offer as well,” she said.