9/16(Sat.)Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Vision for 2030 (Host: Catherine)

[Catherine]

Bilingual Education in Taiwan: A Vision for 2030

Hello, everyone, I'm Catherine. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a three-week training program on the Gold Coast in Australia. Not only did this experience allow me to escape the sweltering heat of Taiwan, but it also provided a glimpse into what might be the future of education in my home country. Taiwan's government has set an ambitious goal of becoming a bilingual country by 2030, and they are taking significant steps towards achieving this vision. As part of this effort, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the 100 English teachers sent to various universities in Australia or Canada for training. The primary objective is to have English teachers exclusively use English in their classrooms, which presents quite a challenge. Additionally, the government is also training teachers in other subjects such as science, art, music, and physical education, with the expectation that they will teach these subjects in both Mandarin and English simultaneously. Now, let's delve into some thought-provoking questions and topics related to bilingual education in Taiwan:

Section One

1.What are your thoughts on bilingual education? Is it necessary, and why or why not?

2.What are the advantages and disadvantages of bilingual education?

3.Is it feasible to implement bilingual education in Taiwan by 2030? What are the potential difficulties and challenges in achieving this goal?

4.If you were involved in planning this program, what strategies would you employ to ensure its success?

Section Two

5.Have you ever studied abroad? Please share your experiences. If not, would you consider it for yourself or your children in the future? Which country and courses would you prefer?

6.What are the most significant differences between the education systems and teaching approaches in Taiwan and Western countries like the US, UK, or Australia?

7.Can you prepare a teaching demonstration for something you find easy, interesting, or useful to share with your fellow group members? This could be a language lesson, a concept, or a teaching technique. Experiment with different methods to facilitate understanding rather than simply explaining.

8.Students, do you feel that you understand the teacher's lesson effectively? If not, what do you believe are the barriers to effective communication between teachers and students?

9.In your opinion, what are the expectations that people have for teachers, especially in the context of bilingual education?
Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $80)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.

[JuliaHo]

20230916 topics

[JuliaHo]

20230916 topics