Education “In September 1995, a few greeting cards and letters came across the great Pacific Ocean into my small mailbox in the USA. I was a bit surprised for they were all from my students in China to whom I bid farewell only one month before. I was very much delighted, of course, to accept their best wishes to me for our Teacher’s Day, and I was deeply moved by my students’ sincerity.

Ms. Fen Gao City: Hangzhou Province: Zhejiang Birth: March 9, 1964 Map of China (29KB JPG)

“Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 10 each year. On that occasion, students send their respect and gratitude to their beloved teachers in various ways. I have received a great deal of greeting cards with all my students’ signatures and their sincere wishes on them. I have also received a lot of self-made gifts embodying their friendship, respect, and love. They just wanted me to know that I have been important to them. I am happy and proud to know that they love me and my teaching. It is what we share in common, and it will never change.

“What is changing greatly, however, is the teaching methods in China. Years ago, when I was a student, our class used to be lecture-oriented. My teachers imparted knowledge to us systematically and in detail. Teachers used to be the only speakers in classes. This method was useful in some ways, but it was far too limited and restricted students’ creativity. Now, we teachers encourage our students to express their own independent thoughts and opinions in class. We bring more active and interesting methodologies, such as discussion, drama, music, games, and dialogues, into our second-language teaching class.

“Each week, within the eight teaching periods of my intensive reading course, the initial two or three periods were usually lecture-oriented with lots of questions and answers. The next two or three periods were usually devoted to review and discussion, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, and structure and meaning of the text. The last two periods were a seminar in which the students were required to give presentations on specific topics. Sometimes, we sang some foreign songs or played some language games to relax. The class was so interesting that no student felt bored.

“Of course, teaching methods vary with courses and teachers. One thing, however, is clear— our methods of education are becoming more effective.