User Comments - bodawei
bodawei
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 9:58 AMI'll send a PM.. or is it an IM - god, you know how I hate acronyms, even two letter ones. :)
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 8:24 AMDamn !! Again, my (too long) response just disappeared while I was looking at it. (Maybe if I am careful not to look at it?) I will just say quickly thanks for the reference to Black Cat - yes, interesting. Black Cat is hugely important - it helps build an understanding of modern China. Trying not to overstate the case. :)
The reviewer has not done his homework but the emotional response is interesting. And the links useful. Thanks Baba.
Posted on: I don't smoke
June 12, 2011 at 8:06 AMHi xiaophil
'suddenly run into a lot of cash'
:). Thanks for the explanation - yes I agree, running into cash does strange things to behaviour. I understand, I haven't really had this experience.
Posted on: I don't smoke
June 12, 2011 at 8:03 AMEh, watch who you're calling dude, dude! Come to think of it, are you a dude? Zhenlijiang (watch the spelling) is not a dude. But she is polite and well mannered. Nor a 'girl' either, but I'm sure that no offence was meant there. I've come to the view that over about 16 or 17 it's 'woman', unless it is one girl talking to another. :)
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 7:56 AMAt heart this is about different expectations and cultural misunderstandings - foreign teachers think they know what Chinese students need but they typically mis-read needs and expectations badly. I wrote a much longer answer and then it disappeared - very dispiriting! The site is back to its old tricks - the tech group has a job when it gets back to work tomorrow. Anyway does this help? There is a big literature on this subject.
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 7:33 AM不能我，我是白衣骑士。可是我把黑色牛仔裤一般穿了！
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 5:48 AM我是似猫的狗的，还是似狗的猫的，。。我也糊涂了。
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 4:00 AMYeah, Baba, I'm surprised at you. :) Like a cat with a mouse.
Me.. I see myself more as the dopey little Labrador puppy, if that is not too disrespectful to dogs, it probably is.
Posted on: Chinese Mythological Creatures
June 12, 2011 at 3:48 AMAnd on that subject, I just read some research that says 80% of foreign teachers in China teaching English are unqualified for the task (and I was surprised by that - I would have thought 90%, 95% would be closer to the mark.) The researcher goes on to say that about half of those who are qualified can't actually teach, that is the ESL education they have received is woefully inadequate. Furthermore, 65% of Chinese students believe that foreign teachers are here for 'window-dressing', and 70% of Chinese students would prefer to learn English from a Chinese national. The researcher then provides robust reasoning why learning English from a Chinese national would in most cases serve the Chinese students' purpose much better. This is more a comment on the Chinese students' goals, more, that is, than the inadequacy of the foreign teachers.
I'm wondering ... is this off the point? :)
Posted on: Gao Kao
June 12, 2011 at 10:11 AM'They get told once they get to University what course they can choose'
I don't know about when they get there, but each course needs a threshold mark & certain prerequisite courses - it works exactly the same way in Australia. what is a little different is that it is more difficult to change courses in China, eg. after you complete first year. Where I teach you have to get very high marks in your current course to be given the opportunity to switch to something else. But it does happen - I have a student who switched into Economics in his second year. And I hear of other cases from time to time.