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Q: Changes in English Teaching curriculum at Universities - Good or Bad?
I am not sure if any of you heard about this but apparently the university I work at in Shanghai as a foreign teacher of English, the university told me and rest of my colleagues, "from September 2020 onwards, the university has decided to announce that all foreign teachers will only be teaching Speaking component, not the Listening component to go with Speaking component while the Chinese teachers of English faculty will be teaching Listening component". Has this happened at other universities in other parts of China or is it the only university I work at that decided to change the curriculum?
3 years 2 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
One would assume you are paid to do as the school's management wishes you to do provided it is within the terms and conditions of the contract.
Let's not forget, you are paid to teach English as the school requires. You are not paid to think, as it were.
The choice remains: just get on with it or find a new job where they will do whatever the teachers want to keep them happy.
I have not heard this, but I have always found that teaching English by Chinese teachers is often lacking due to the quality of the Chinese teacher's own lack of proficient English. A good example of this is extra "Ah" that is put on the end of words, such as "dog-ah" or "east-ah". Many Chinese teachers do not command the precide knowledge of English, and they try to teach grammar that winds up being incorrect. As for listening skills, playing rehearsed and programmed audio segments has some usefulness, but listening requires much more.
It is China, and if they think they know best, then so be it.
JohnsonZHANG6868:
Few of my colleagues have already complained about the change in the curriculum. I guess the Chinese teachers of English faculty want to teach Listening component to assist students for the preparation of CET-4 and CET-6.
Haven't heard a word of it in Nanjing.
JohnsonZHANG6868:
If it does happen in Nanjing, do you think this is a correct move?
Of course ... It's a money saving pitch.
Chinese English teacher will listen to the tape without losing a face by observing in person to the live native English teacher's lesson and learn a thing or two ...
It will also save an embarrassment of Chinese teacher to conduct real English speaking lesson filled with all Chinese language add ons.
Real solution which would bear a results would be:
"Hire native English speakers to teach Chinese teachers speaking of the proper, non-accented English same as it's done in other countries around the world."
Also, send Chinese English teachers abroad to get proper rhyme of the real spoken English language.
Stick yer face culture, where sun doesn't shine. 
European non-native English teachers speak properly accented English and they can teach it, too.
Bonus:
http://journals.euser.org/files/articles/ejls_jan_apr_15/Lorena_Manaj.pdf
The Importance of Four Skills Reading, Speaking, Writing, Listening in a Lesson Hour
... in 3-pages .pdf file.
You don't need to go much further than the read of the .pdf's title. IMO.
JohnsonZHANG6868:
What I'm saying is that the university I teach at is still using the same book but they notified us foreign teachers to only Speaking component of the book but not Listening component. Has that happened in your university?
icnif77:
They'll cut your contract required classes and most likely they'll cut your pay, too ...
Chinese English teachers will take over half of your classes.
In China, all novelties always happened first in Shanghai and than they spread around mainland.
I ain't teaching English anymore. I trade stocks and cryptos as my new full-time job.
ambivalentmace:
Listening portions of the IELTS always paraphrase the answer to be not exactly like the transcript, so if a student has weak vocabulary skills, it only makes the scores worse by not using a native speaker to explain the meanings.
icnif77:
Yeah, but in Chinese mind, anybody can run the tape successfully. However, the most important part of the Listening tape is detailed explanation of the content, which non-native Englishers generally lack off.
I had to study some parts of Listening tapes at IELTS and at TOEFL especially!, to be able to explain the content and all traps hidden inside to the students.
Since, my chaps all knew I wasn't native English speaker, I had simultaneously opened dictionary link to give them sound of proper, native English pronunciation.
They also all had the same web links I was using at the Exam prep., and I've constantly encouraged them to use it often.
I really had happy, satisfied faces at my IELTS/TOEFL Exam couching ...
One would assume you are paid to do as the school's management wishes you to do provided it is within the terms and conditions of the contract.
Let's not forget, you are paid to teach English as the school requires. You are not paid to think, as it were.
The choice remains: just get on with it or find a new job where they will do whatever the teachers want to keep them happy.
