Letters | The best way to teach English is to keep students interested
- Readers discuss the process of acquiring a foreign language, the re-emergence of beggars in Hong Kong, and the new Ram Temple in India
As a former English instructor and a linguistics graduate, I think the question of whether English language classes should be taught in English or Chinese hinges on students’ language capability and interest in language learning. There is no one single answer as to which medium of instruction benefits students most.
Where weaker students or those who do not have an interest in foreign languages are concerned, teaching the language purely in English would merely result in them not understanding a word in class and reduce their motivation to learn English.
On the other hand, if the language can be taught entirely in English, stronger students who are interested in English would find it more helpful for honing their linguistic skills.
Besides, we don’t acquire a foreign language in a day. There are different stages in language learning, to judge from my experience of acquiring other foreign languages. To learn the basics, I would always start by using a language I was familiar with – Cantonese or English. As time went by, my teachers would spend less time speaking the language I was familiar with and more time using the target language. As I reached a more advanced level, I could completely communicate in the target language in class and no longer required the use of Cantonese or English.