Yi Hu
I have lived in Montreal for more than one year. In February of this year, I chose to learn French at the language centre in Montreal. Since I have studied some French before I came here, I could deeply experience the differences in language teaching between these two countries.
In China, teachers were more likely to teach us some grammar, like conjugations and some words that were related to the texts. However, teachers in Montreal are different. They prefer to teach us some useful knowledge that we can apply in our daily life. For example, we have already learned the vocabularies about clothes and food. They also teach us some grammar but that is not the main point. Students can improve their French skills more easily here. I think the reasons that cause these differences are the different social cultures and surrounding environments. I will explain these in more details in the following paragraph.
VS
French Syllabus in China (right)
China’s current social context of education is test-oriented. Teachers excessively pursue students’ academic performance but ignore the practical application of language, and simply indoctrinate teaching with Chinese thinking mode based on exam-oriented education, which will lead to ‘Chinglish’. Meanwhile, China is a monolingual country, meaning learners are in a group where all their classmates are proficient in the same L1 and share the same cultural identities (Thomas, 2022). Outside of the classroom, they usually speak Chinese, so there is no foreign language environment for students to practice.
On the contrary, teachers in Montreal pay more attention to the practice and the cultivation of students’ autonomous learning abilities. Students are usually asked to try to do one task in class, and then study and answer questions by themselves, to become their own knowledge. Teachers do not pay much attention to the test scores, but to the cultivation of students’ individual abilities. Meanwhile, students have a real language environment in Montreal. They can have many opportunities to try to put what they have learned into practice. In this article https://www.ednewsdaily.com/five-major-differences-between-the-chinese-and-american-education-system/, the author also gave us some other educational differences between Eastern and Western countries which are influenced by government policy and cultural norms.
I do think that one of the ways to show good performances in French or language learning is to get a ‘good’ grade, but it is not enough. I still remember what Professor Mela Sarkar said in class at that time, ‘many students with good grades cannot successfully order a cup of coffee in the coffee shop’. Therefore, our ability to communicate smoothly and comfortably with others is also a sign of good language learning; these two need to be integrated.
Last but not the least, I want to say that there is no best language teaching model, only the most suitable. After all, our social environment is different. However, do you think it is necessary to integrate these two different educational models together?
Reference:
Thomas, E. (2022). Issues and ideas for a monolingual context. International House. https://ihworld.com/ih-journal/issues/issue-48/issues-and-ideas-for-a-monolingual-context/
Hello Yi Hu,
In Quebec, the method that is prioritized is the communicative approach. It is based on the idea that learning a language successfully comes through having a communicative real meaning. Because the goal is to present a topic in context as natural as possible, it is easier for the student to transfer the knowledge to real life, just like you discussed. That said, I think that a mixed approach involving grammar learning is necessary as well. It helps students improve their fluency and accuracy in reading, writing, and speaking.
Catherine Shieh
Hi Yi,
I really agree with the last sentence you said that there is no best language model but only suitable one. I feel like both teaching modes have advantages and disadvantages. Although we learned English in a really exam-oriented way, we finally successfully learn and speak English. I am also learning French now.
The teaching and learning style here really help me learn how to use French in different contexts. I think teachers need to figure out reasons why students learn a language. For example, if students would like to pass DELF or TCF, teachers still need to work on the grammars and help them prepare for exams. But if students only learn for work or live, task-based ways can be used and teach in an interesting way. Probably, teachers need to balance those two modes in class.
Yurun
Hi Yi, I think you made a good point here! I have the same feeling with you. The French course here, from my perspective, provides more opportunities for learners to speak and to practice, and also, one thing I feel special is that we are only allowed to use French in the class, even if you have a question to ask, which I think would improve the “French” way of thinking. For your question, personally, I support the mixed models, but we should really have an emphasis. We could put more focus on practice while the test is only to help students know what they have acquired and what lacked.
Hi Yi,
I am also taking the Francization course and I agree with your point. Here we study French as a communication tool instead of a language subject in China. One thing I would like to mention is that here in Montreal, we are exposed to the French language throughout our daily life, and it is possible to improve our oral French proficiency by conducting a conversation with a French speaker. It is much more challenging to do that in China or any other North American city outside Quebec. Regarding your question, I agree with Yurun; teachers must understand students’ needs to decide the methods they use to teach.
Xavier
Hi Yi, I like your post! I think the teaching method is highly related to student’s learning objectives. I suppose that people who took French courses here in Montreal are new immigrants (or at least, they want to become immigrants later), so the most important thing for them is to communicate. They need to know how to “survive” in a French province. However, in China, English is still not a common language, so most students’ motivation is to pass the standardized test.
Elisa
Hi Yi Hu,
I think it is necessary to integrate these two different educational models together for they both have pros and cons. Under traditional instruction model, students may get high grades in tests but lack the ability to communicate with others; while under communicative teaching methods, students may speak the language fluently but may not pay attention to grammar usage. Therefore, it is really necessary for us teachers to combine these two models together and better develop students learning abilities.
Jundong Ma /Sep30