Extension of English Education Provided in English Villages Back to Elementary School English Classrooms in Taiwan
Grace Chin-Wen Chien, Taiwan
Grace Chin-Wen Chien graduated from the University of Washington with a doctorate in education in June 2011. She is an assistant professor in Department of English Instruction of National Hsinchu University of Education in Taiwan. Her research interests are language education, language teachers’ education, and curriculum and instruction. E-mail: chinwenc@ms24.hinet.net
Menu
Introduction
Establishing bilingual learning environments in elementary schools
Design of follow-up reflection lessons
Conclusion
References
The original idea of building an English Village aims to provide EFL (English as a foreign language) learners with an opportunity to be immersed in an English environment. The first English Village, Paju English Village, opened in 2004 in South Korea (Kim, 2006). The Paju English Village is more than a language theme park where hundreds of people live, eat, shop, and learn in English (Faiola, 2004). Krashen (2006) criticizes English Villages in South Korea in terms of its fakeness of the English Village learning environment and a lack of research on the effectiveness of the English Village methodology. However, to respond to Krashen’s critiques on English Villages, Trottier (2008) identifies the sociocultural features of English Villages pedagogy, because the authenticity of the actual social situation of English Villages depends on their ability to provide learners with necessary symbolic tools or signs to mediate and regulate second language interaction and to engage learners within their respective zone of proximal development (ZPD) both claimed by Vygotsky (1978). Next, research into English Villages pedagogy has intensified, because English Villages incorporate key pedagogical features of content-based instruction, where instruction is designed around actual linguistic content and information rather than around the language itself.
Since 2006, copying the idea from Paju English Village in South Korea, more than forty English Villages have been built in cities and countries in Taiwan in order to help students become immersed in an English learning environment (Ministry of Education, 2009). English educators criticize that EFL learners visit an English Village only once and such visits make no difference in improving students’ English abilities at all.
From 2008 to 2010, the English Express Wonderland provided a five-day immersion program for students. Starting from 2011, the English Express Wonderland provides only three-day immersion programs for students (Education Bureau of Taipei County Government, 2008, 2010a, 2010b; Chen, 2008, 2009). The rest of the English Villages in Taiwan provide half-day or one-day experience for students (Ministry of Education, 2009). Participating students hold positive attitude toward the effects of English Villages because they are provided the chance to be immersed in English learning environment; however, they complained about the short period time of English exposure and immersion (Chen, 2008, 2009; Hsueh, 2010; Ministry of Education, 2009). This article aims to provide two suggestions for English teachers and educational policy-making bodies regarding the extensions of the English education provided in English Villages to the regular elementary school English classrooms. These two suggestions are establishing bilingual learning environments in elementary schools and designs of follow-up reflection lessons.
The short period of time of English explosion in English Villages appears to have little or limited effects on students’ English learning and improvement (Ministry of Education, 2009). Therefore, there should be an extension from English Villages back to English classes and schools. With careful planning, each school could build a nice English Village situated teaching environment with limited funds through the combination of the contents of textbook and students’ life (Chen, 2008). Establishing a bilingual (English-Chinese) learning environment has been enthusiastically promoted by the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China. Most of the elementary schools in New Taipei City built one English Story House in their campus. It is highly recommended that schools should take the initiative to create a rich English environment or make good use of the English Story House. Students may learn English better if they are immersed in a rich English environment. Most importantly, an English environment in schools should not be for beauty only, but teachers should devote themselves to integrating the contents of the English environment into their teaching, resulting in the language being much more real and practical for the students (Chien, 2003).
Language teachers can design follow-up reflection lessons for EFL learners after they visit English Villages. English teachers can ask their students to write their answers on post-it-notes to complete the following three sentences: (1) New words I learned were… (2) New experience I had there… and (3) I want to visit it again because… or I do not want to visit it again because…
The below are some of my students’ responses:
“New words I learned were: football, orange, wasbi, sushi, county, Taiwan, country, lemon, USA, Canada, pig, zebra, ugly, Japan, pepper, ketchup, India, Lady Gaga, dragon, video, teachers, video, photo, shark, foot, eagle, tiger, knees, legs, finger, Daive, Justin, Jakie, Ban, American, lion, Michal Jordon”
“New experience I had there was playing American football.”
“New experience I had there was speaking English with foreign teachers.”
“I want to visit it again because I like to play games.”
After students complete their writing, they are encouraged to share their thoughts. English teachers can take this great opportunity to complement on students’ learning, answer their questions, or clarify their doubts about cultural or language issues. The use of this type of formative assessment helps make learners’ thinking visible to themselves, their peers, and their teacher. This provides feedback that can guide modification and refinement in thinking (National Academy Press, 2000).
The original idea of building an English Village aims to provide EFL learners to be immersed in an English environment. English Villages provide fun and interesting English learning environment for students and students may feel having fun learning English there. However, the biggest criticism on English Villages is students’ insufficient English exposure and immersion. Two suggestions are provided in order to make the extension of English education provided in English Villages back to elementary school English classrooms. These suggestions include establishment of bilingual learning environments in elementary schools and the design of follow-up reflection lessons.
Chen, C. Y. (2008). An investigation of the establishment outcome of the English express wonderland in Taipei County: Stage 1. Taipei County, Taiwan: Education Bureau of Taipei County Government.
Chen, C. Y. (2009). An investigation of the establishment outcome of the English express wonderland in Taipei County: Stage 2. Taipei County, Taiwan: Education Bureau of Taipei County Government.
Chien, C.W. (2003). Is your school enriched with an English environment? Paper presented at the Second International Conference on Speech, Writing, and Context: Exploring Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Osaka, Japan.
Education Bureau of Taipei County Government. (2008). The English Express Wonderland of Taipei county: Cianhua campus. Retrieved from
http://203.72.153.107/school1/index.php
Education Bureau of Taipei County Government. (2010a). The English Express Wonderland of Taipei county: Kuangfu campus. Retrieved from
http://css000000102409.tw.class.urlifelinks.com/
Education Bureau of Taipei County Government. (2010b). The English Express Wonderland of Taipei County: Kuolai campus. Retrieved from http://kuolai.weebly.com/
Executive Yuan. (2003). Challenge 2008-Government Development Plans. Taipei, Taiwan: Executive Yuan.
Faiola, A. (2004, November 18). English camps reflect South Korea ambitions. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58633-2004Nov17.html
Hsueh, C. H. (2010). A survey of Taoyuan County elementary school English teachers’ attitudes on English Villages. (Unpublished master’s thesis). National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kim, M-Y. (2006). English Villages in South Korea: What do they really promote: NNEST Newsletter, 8(2). Retrieved from
www.tesol.org/news-landing-page/2011/10/27/nnest-news-volume-8-2-%28october-2006%29
Krashen, S. (2006). Letter: English villages and hype. Taipei Times. Retrieved from www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/04/20/2003303683
Ministry of Education. (2009). Report of English Villages in Taiwan. Taipei, Taiwan: Ministry of Education.
National Academy Press (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: Author.
Trottier, M. (2008). Towards a Sociocultural Perspective on Korean English Villages: A Reply to
Stephen Krashen. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 4(1), 71-91.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Kindergarten Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
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