Teach English in Yongfeng Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

Foreign language experience No language stands on its own. A language comes along with people, a culture and a way of thinking. In learning a foreign language one is, by implication, exposed to a culture different from one?s own. The phrase ?foreign language experience? can be understood in many different ways. I have chosen to look at the impact that learning a foreign language has on students and teachers alike. Should one wish to teach others who are learning a foreign language, it would be beneficial to have an understanding of some of the challenges they face. For the purpose of this essay I am referring to students studying english in an english speaking country. I recently sat in on an intermediate TEFL class in an english speaking country. Students have been in the country between three months and seven years. I had the opportunity to ask them some questions in order to gain a better understanding of their foreign language experience. Being submersed in another culture has proven to be an overall positive experience for all the students. They found the customs, food and people to be enjoyable. Yet they admitted to feeling homesick and depressed at times. Although they felt welcomed, there was an underlying feeling of not quite belonging. Half the class had never learned another language other than their mother tongue before and three quarters of the class had to learn the Roman alphabet in order to learn english. None of the students had previously lived in an english speaking country. Half the students said that even when they had succeeded in making friends with some of the local people they still felt excluded in many ways. They did not always understand the humor and expressions their english friends were using. One student commented that she felt particularly hurt and even rejected when some of the local people would not take the time to try and understand her. They either became impatient or just shut her down. Half the class reverted to simply seeking friends who could speak their own language. What does all this mean for the foreign language teacher? Teachers have to be sensitive to the fact that for many students just to make it to an english class in a foreign country is often an achievement in itself. Teachers should not underestimate the effort students had to put in to master a new alphabet or the determination it took to overcome obstacles such as visa applications and financial challenges. Being in a foreign culture, students are in a way quite vulnerable. They can feel isolated and lonely. Bearing this in mind, I think it would be wise for teachers to be as personal and encouraging to their students as they could possibly be. I sat in on the class of a teacher who had lived in a foreign country herself for many years. When I asked her if her own foreign language experience affected the way she teaches she remarked that it has given her a deep empathy for her students. She truly understands what it feels like to live in a foreign country where a foreign language is spoken. As she was teaching, I observed how she showed interest in the personal lives of her students, asking them about their families and cultures. This was not part of her lesson plan - it was simply because she really cares about her students. She goes out of her way to give her students a sense of community and she recently had them over for dinner at her house. I could not help but be inspired! I came to the conclusion that learning a new language is about much more than mastering grammar or gaining new vocabulary. The foreign language experience forces one to expand in one?s view of the world and to embrace a new culture. In doing so what was once foreign can become comfortably familiar.