ESL Teaching and Learning

Introduction

As a fashionable type of educational form, teaching English as Second Language (ESL) is a significance in the multicultural society based on the growth rate of immigration. As a consequence of study and live abroad, ESL students are suffering an intense culture shock among their daily experience. In this paper, an overview of ESL education will be provided in the first part with statistics and sample programs. Afterwards, the culture shock is divided into two parts which are the shock of educational differences and the shock of social differences. In the context, those two aspects of culture shock will be discussed separately with perspectives from both ESL students and ESL educators. Besides, some stories will be consumed to explain the culture shock from ESL students and the teaching methods from prominent educators. Furthermore, the issues that should be aware among ESL education will be mentioned with some measure to release the students’ stress as well. Finally, a good vision of the future of ESL education will be located at the end of the article.

Along with the globalization, the education of ESL (English as Second Language) students has overwhelmingly become increasingly fashionable in all around the world. At the end of last century, almost 2 million immigrants settled in Canada. According to the statistics (Canada, 2003), nearly 17% of this population were aged 5-16, the appropriate age to secondary education. Furthermore, the total number of foreign-born immigrants tool up to 18.4% of Canadian population in 2003 (Canada, 2003). As a fact, most of immigrants settled in the biggest cities in Canada, Such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. According to the pattern in Toronto, most immigrant are from Asia, such as China, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Iran, and South Africa (Justus, 2004). However, only less than 10% of immigrants use English or French as first language (Canada, 2004). As a reflection of the huge number of ESL students, numerous ESL educational institutions were founded up in these years.

In addition, within the age 25-34, compare to European background residents, the immigrants with Chinese background have a higher rate of university degree, the figure is 35.7% and 51.4% in Toronto (Ornstein, 2006). Refers to statistics, Chinese immigrants, for example, are more likely obtaining higher education than others. Therefore, on account of the demand of ESL students, some “accesses to university” have been found among universities. For example, Brock University has found a program named IELP (Intensive English Language Program) to those ESL students which in order to enter the undergraduate education. According to the criteria of Undergraduate Conditional admission, ESL students from different countries, which meet the basic academic and the prerequisite subject requirement, can apply for the undergraduate conditional admission as an offer to university, without a qualified proof of English proficiency. Those students with Conditional Offers begin their studies in the Intensive English Language Program (IELP). As a consequence, after completing Advanced Level 5 IELP, students proceed directly into undergraduate degree programs without further proof of English proficiency (Brock University, 2010). Based on the information of this ESL program, it provides the peace of mind knowing to both students and parents that a place is waiting in the undergraduate degree program before the student arrives in Canada. Besides, a single offer of admission letter to both IELP and undergraduate studies advances the process of accessing a Study Permit. Finally, IELP Students study Academic English and prepare for study at Brock University. Students will also learn about the Canadian lifestyle in preparation for study in Canada and may even choose to live with a Canadian family in a home stay (Brock University, 2010). Generally speaking, the ESL programs such like the one in Brock University offer an easy access to those ESL students who plan to get a higher degree in Canada.

An ESL student from IELP level 1 in Brock University, Qi, aged 18, came to Brock with an Undergraduate admission and planned to finish bachelor degrees in Brock University. During his first year in the program, he almost gave up the study in the IELP because of the intense culture shock from both educational process and living condition. “When I was in the first class of speaking, I was definitely frustrated by the totally strange language. Students were required to use only English during the class. It embarrassed me because of that I could barely speak in English, even just with a single word. You know, I cannot just count 1 to 10 in every speaking class!” besides, the shock of different study processes in Canada was also a difficulty for him. “When I went further among the courses, the teachers started to ask us to work as group for presentations, and write papers with critical thinking. Actually, I had never been required to do such things in Chinese classes. If the writers had wrote incorrect opinions or wrong theories, why teacher demanded us to read it? That is weird!”(Qi, 2010)

As shared by QI, most ESL students moving to a different environment experience various feelings that can range from excitement, interest to depression, frustration, and indignation. Indeed, all of these emotions are caused by the same issue—culture shock. Actually, this problem is even much more serious among ESL students because the difficulty of being involved in a different culture, which is caused by their unfamiliarity of English. In a word, lacking the tool of communication is referred as one of the sources of the culture shock.

     Among the diverse reasons of culture shock, there are two main sources for the ESL students, educational difference and social difference. Culture shock is the shock of the new and unfamiliar, and everything in the class is unfamiliar to ESL students (Shoebottom, 2010). For instance, the goal of education in China is simply the transmission of the certain knowledge in the current educational system. During the study of mathematics and physics from secondary school to university, students who can match the basic standard have to memorize thousands of formulas for their examinations. Nevertheless, this educational perspective of transmission will therefore lead to a lack of development of students’ discovery, analysis, critical thinking and such abilities in independent learning. Educators barely consume presentations as a component of their teaching process, and also surely avoid student thinking in a critical way. On the contrary, the educational system in Canada is completely different. Canadian educators always motivate students to learn independently, think critically, and analyze logically, all by themselves. Class activities such as presentations and practices are necessary parts in pedagogic processes. In consequence, student like QI would feel drift away from the courses. Although some of them overcome the difficulties from language, thinking model is an obstacle to participate in class activities and achieve the academic excellence as well. Generally speaking, most eastern students have a lack of creativity by the teaching method of their country. Therefore, to re-cultivate students’ potential of creativity is another great progress that should be made by ESL education. Besides, the specific personalities can also be barriers in ESL teaching procedures. As an example, among Chinese students, Their Veiled personality, which is referred as a traditional character of Chinese, makes them feeling embarrassed or losing face by providing the incorrect answer to teacher’s question, or even being appreciated by teachers. Mostly, Chinese students prefer remain silent to “show off” in front of classmates.

If students have arrived from an educational system where teachers are stern and aloof, they may find it difficult to come to terms with the open and friendly relations between teachers and students at FIS, and with the often productively noisy atmosphere in the classroom. Some school systems are based on the notion that the way to promote academic success is by fostering competition among individual students. At FIS however teachers throughout the school foster cooperation among students, encouraging them to work together to achieve the learning goals. In many classes here students and teachers jointly decide on these learning goals and how they are to be assessed. Some ESL students do not feel comfortable at being involved in what they consider to be the teacher's job. (Shoebottom, 2010)

  Such phenomenon above lead a result that this cannot engage in the study environment properly, they therefore cannot feel pleased in their learning, which is entirely deviated from western education conceptions.

On the other hand, another cause of culture shock is social difference. As well as educational differences, ESL students suffer various social differences. On the perspective of ESL educator, in order to comprehend the difficulties of cultural difference in social processes, ESL educators should be trained with multicultural knowledge especially religious customs and traditional habits. The connection between educators and students should be built on the mutual understanding and intercommunication. Thus, for ESL educators, only teaching with your prominent skill of English proficiency is far too enough. The acquaintance of students’ culture is also a significance to release the stress on the students.

Mark, a grade six teacher with 10 years experience, explains, I guess you try to find connections in stories that you’re reading, travel experiences that I’ve had to where the students have been as well and making connections there, finding links between other cultures. We’ve got a lot of Muslim students here, so it’s usually easy to discuss the traditions that those students have and share them with the other students from other cultures that are in the classroom as well. Those are some ways. Melissa, a teacher, has a similar approach to the question of culture. She connects culture to religious celebrations and holidays and the fusion invites funds of knowledge: And just getting ESL students from different cultures, to talk about their stuff. Like if there’s a holiday or a celebration as opposed to just finding things on it. Things, when they talk about it they feel they have some ownership over it, that they’re helping other kids in the class. (Rowsell, Sztainbok, Blaney, 2007)

     What is more, on the perspective of ESL students, how to get over the culture shock is a Sunday-school truth in ESL education. According to QI’s experience above, to score directly to overcome the various differences in other cultures, the general view and the conceptual comprehension of the specific culture are necessary. For instance, power distance in western society especially Canada has a tremendous distinctness from other countries. Basically, as a country advocating freedom and equity, the power distance in Canada represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above; It suggests that a society's level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders (Hofstede, 1991). Furthermore, based on the research of Hofstede, Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members. Privacy is considered the cultural norm and attempts at personal ingratiating may meet with rebuff (Hofstede, 1991). According to the conceptions listed above, ESL students in Canada should provide their own opinion bravely and always think critically. Subsequently, when they work in a Workgroup or in discussion, the circumspectly considered opinions from individual are forceful enough to represent a concept. Besides, providing own answers and being discussed in class would always be appreciated in Canadian classrooms. What it means is that those students who have their own opinion should be motivated to share with the class for a better great for their academic excellence. Finally, In order to create an inclusive classroom response from the students' suggestions is always referred to an effective strategy in teaching, students therefore should fearlessly deliver their advice to teachers in order to increase the quality of ESL education.

     In conclusion, with the increasing number of ESL students in Canadian classrooms, the teaching quality of ESL education should also be mentioned by the whole society. Facing to impact from social and educational differences, more connections and communications between educators and students should be set up. Additionally, in order to offer a better preparation to those ESL students who aim at enrolling in university, a systematic curriculum structure should be organized in the programs like IELP from Brock University. Finally, the quality of ESL education will increase rapidly as long as gaining enough concentration from society including government. In the end, here is a quote from Milnes (2008), Culture invites our ESL students in our classrooms, and culture and cultural awareness personalize ESL teaching. As an educator, let us keep their own identity and involve them into our culture.

References

Ryan, J., Pollock, K., Antonlelli, F. (2009). Teacher Diversity in Canada: Leaky Pipelines, Bottlenecks, and Glass Ceilings. Canadian Journal of Education 32, 3 (2009): 591-617.

Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill

Milnes, T., Cheng, L. (2008). Teachers' Assessment of ESL Students in Mainstream Classes: Challenges, Strategies, and Decision-Making. TESL CANADA JOURNALVREWE TESL DU CANADA. 25, 2 SPRING (2008): 49-65.

Rowsell, J., Sztainbok, V., Blaney, J. (2007). Losing Strangeness: Using Culture to Mediate ESL Teaching. LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CURRICULUM. 20, 2 (2007): 140-154.

Grayson, J. P. (2008) Linguistic Capital and Academic Achievement of Canadian- and Foreign-Born University Students. York University.

Canada. 2003. Canada’s Ethnocultural Portrait: The Changing Mosaic. Ottawa: Industry Canada.

Canada. 2004. Facts and Figures 2004. Ottawa: Strategic Research and Evaluation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Justus, M. 2004. ‘‘Immigrants in Canada’s Cities.’’ Pp. 41–49 in Our Diverse Cities, edited by C. Andrew. Ottawa: Canada.

Frankfurt International School. (2010) ESL Students and Culture Shock. Retrieve: 3/30/2011: http://esl.fis.edu/parents/advice/shock.htm

Brock University. (2010). ESL Service. Retrieve: 3/30/2011: http: //www.brocku.ca/ESL-services。