Philosophical roots---Educational and other matters to consider

 
   Please be patient. This section covers a wide range of educational tips, ideas, philosophy--all having something to do with studying English on the go, on your own without a foreigner around you. Take what you like, and forget the rest.

1. Synthesize language and knowledge, don’t memorize them. In China, memorized knowledge has a long tradition, and has served the country well. Most students of English here have learned a lot of material over their eight to eleven years of language study. Now, if you were to change your mindset from one of  “spitting out” knowledge to synthesizing, creating and re-creating it--just like any infant/toddler does with their “mother tongue”--then your output, expression and vocabulary use would expand explosively. Put another way, ten “set phrases” can give you ten set phrases (memorized), or two dozen or even three dozen new phrases/sentences (when synthesized). This is why foreign toddlers may say more than many college students here-- they synthesize what little they have.
2. An interest in the target language is half the struggle won. If you like English and are interested in the task at hand, the journey will be much, much easier.
3. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Questions.  Named after Benjamin Bloom, this conceptual model divides questions into six “levels”: Knowledge-Comprehension-Application-Analysis-Synthesis-Evaluation. As a teacher, you can use this model to ask questions at different levels of complexity, thereby keeping your students challenged. As an English learner, you can approach your own tasks at a level that suits you. The “higher-order” questions require more creative, synthetic thinking, whereas the “lower-order” questions draw more upon memorized, summary thinking. There is no set, “right” answer at the higher levels.
4. “English Only”.  This goes without saying.  If you want to create a better language environment, you must think, speak, act, live in English. Only use Chinese for new words.  (Some people may object to even this.)
5. Do not criticize one another, or laugh at one another.  The reasons are simple—this culture is a “face” culture, and fear of ridicule, failure, or “standing out” will kill off a great deal of student initiative.  Therefore, do all you can to promote risk-taking and exploration.  Remove shame, shyness, fear of trying or “standing out”.  Make sure that everyone is able to speak out in safety. 
6. On dreams and reality.  T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia) wrote: “All men dream, but not equally.  There are those who dream in the dark, in the dusty recesses of their minds, who awake to find it is vanity.  But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act out their dreams with open eyes, to make them happen.”  You need an attitude like this, to conceive of, understand and execute your dreams. 
7. “Low expectations.”  Don’t expect to be reading Shakespeare in a week.  If you aim too high, and you fail, the forces against you will be great the next time you try.  Set low goals, achieve them and be happy; then, set more low goals. 
8. Flexibility.  Sometimes, your plans don’t go the way you expected them to.  Therefore, be prepared to make changes to your plans, procedures, aims, goals, timeframes, language partners, and so on… as you need to. 
9. “Did you enjoy yourself?”  When I first came to China in 1994, my leader told that summer’s group of English teachers this: Don’t ask how well you did, who you met, and what you did.  Ask, “Did you enjoy yourself?”  The “joy of the journey”, I feel, gives one a certain measure of strength, hope, and courage.  So, I hope you can study English because you enjoy it.
10. Are you a person of destiny?  Do you believe that you were put onto this earth, for a certain number of years—for a purpose?  Many people who have done difficult, dangerous, seemingly “impossible” things did them because they firmly believed this was why they had been created and put on the earth.  The pages of history are full of such people… but they did great, large-scale things.  Could not the same be true of us, and small, common, everyday things?  If we discover this destiny (for us), then there is hope, power, direction, and maybe even other, similar-thinking people.  We are not dice rolling over a Friday night gaming table! 
11. Train up a few to follow you.  Consider this line from someone’s letter: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”  In this sentence are embedded four generations of learners.  A great deal of benefit can accrue from teaching and learning on a “one-to-one” basis.  In benefiting others you benefit yourself.  This tutorial/mentor model can sometimes be an effective learning model with a high success rate.  We will talk more about this idea in Part Four of this text, as it is very important, I feel. 
12. Do what you want, not what you must.  Thoreau wrote, “The mass of people lead lives of quiet despair.”  Of course, we must do certain things to survive.  Nevertheless, life is sometimes (or often?) happier when we are doing what we want.  It is also more productive.  How does this affect English learning?  If you are studying something that interests you, you will do more, and do it faster—and you will have fun.  Look at this picture; it represents how I went about my Chinese language studies.  “A” represents the sum total of the Chinese language; “B” covers simple, everyday phrases; “C” stands for an area of expertise (in my case, travel around China); and “D” is everything else.  “D” therefore, is very large.  I focused all my efforts on “B” and “C”, enjoyed myself, did what I wanted, traveled all over China, and hope to use this model again later with Russian.  Of course, there are trade-offs… there is a lot of “D” I missed out on.  However, the point is this: doing what you want in language study will yield you a good result. 
13. Allow yourself the right to do it your way, to be unusual.  Maybe your teacher said to you, “It’s my way, or the highway!”, right?  Listen to your teacher—leave him and take your own highway, or make it yourself!  Sometimes, your way is best for you, but… don’t drive your friends into alienation.  (You need some of them later.)  Some people (like me) can’t do much unless there is nothing and nobody around them, and they are doing something “their way”.  In learning English, there is ample room for all sorts of creative possibilities. 
14. Let your true self and genius come out: This will lead to better results.  Plainly, this is related to the previous paragraph.  If we let “who we are” come out, perhaps our English studies will go better—they will more likely be happier and more interesting.  Second, concerning our “genius”: we all have some spark in us somewhere.  If we identify it, nurture it, harness it, perhaps it will provide us with some energy to let us better study English.  (For me in China, that spark was used to design a country cottage and a tree planting machine… at least, the beginning stages). 
15. Have a plan.  “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”  Most people need a plan to get things done. However you organize your life, do it, and don’t let others invade the time you set aside for your English studies. 
16. “Micro-unit” your learning ambitions into manageable chunks.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time! 
17. If you love it, you will learn it.  Hey!  Haven’t you said this before?  Yes…just reminding you. 
18. Have you thought about using your English to “give” and not to “get”?  You already have some (or quite a lot of) English knowledge.  Unless you are a total “A-B-C” learner, why not help someone else to learn English…someone whose language ability is less than yours?  “Oh, but my English is so poor!” you say.  Maybe, but it is more than someone else’s!  In a given city, there are college students, middle/high school students, primary school students, workers, professionals, and many others who want to learn English.  However, there are also the children of the “floating population” workers—and they need help, too.  Outside the cities are the children of the countryside and the mountain areas.  Instead of thinking of competition, struggle, and upward mobility, why not consider this: helping, needs and “downward mobility”?  Giving too has its rewards, even in the area of English language learning. 
19. Compare self with self, not self with other.  This is your pilgrimage, not someone else’s!  Do it for yourself, not someone else.  There will always be greater or lesser people than you; so, don’t compare yourself with others, or you may suffer disillusionment or pride.  Let’s keep the “self” in self-improvement. 
20. On “absolute” vs. “relative” struggles and aspirations.  This is somewhat related to the previous paragraph.  I define “absolute” (in terms of English learning) like this: “After one year, I will be able to pass the CET Band-4 exam at or above the 70% level.”  Here, you are striving to pass a fixed, measurable mark.  Now, for “relative”: “After one year, I will be able to pass the CET Band-4 exam at the top of my class.”  Here, you are trying to compare yourself with other people.  You want outcome/performance-based measurements, not food for envy!  Therefore, think in terms of “absolute” improvement, not “relative” improvement. 
21. “How are you doing?”  After a time of study, you may want to know your progress.  Please remember cold, objective measurement; that is, measure countable behaviors.  Do not evaluate yourself based upon your feelings on how you are doing.  When you say, “Oh, my English is so poor!” you are making an evaluation based on feelings—unless you have recorded countable behaviors over time.  One other thing—depression very often cuts down your second language ability to a significant degree; so don’t allow yourself to be depressed any more than necessary. 
22. Do a “motivation inventory”—ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”  I studied Chinese because I wanted to travel alone in China, everywhere (I did), and because I wanted to marry someone local (I did not).  These motivations had a direct effect on what areas of Chinese I studied, how well I did, and what areas of Chinese I ignored.  After a season, I reached a “plateau” of language proficiency, and I didn’t want to try any more or go any higher.  Thus, I remain at a basic level of Chinese—and am content to be semi-literate, well-traveled, and unmarried.  Therefore, it is important for you to clearly understand and write down your deep, true, inner motivations for studying English.  You may be afraid to tell others your inner secrets, but don’t be ashamed to tell yourself.  Under certain conditions, motivation can be a very powerful force, helping and goading you on your way as you struggle to succeed in English.  Please be honest with yourself. 
23. Where am I strong?  Review the four principle language arts skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) to see which one you are strongest in, and which one you are weakest in.  Are you better in the “productive” skills (writing, speaking), or the “receptive” skills (reading, listening)?  Under what conditions?  Then, compare what you can do with what you want to do, and where you want to be. 
24.  “What variables affect my learning?”  O.K., this is the last one!  Learning is a complex process, and it is affected by a number of variables.  Perhaps the variables affecting different people at different times are not the same.  Here are some of them:

(i)  Materials--books, tapes, V.C.D.’s, a good text book (or a bad one) makes all the difference in one’s studies. If it was written carefully, over time, with a sound knowledge of educational theory, then this input will translate into enthusiastic, engaged students, which may result in the desired outcomes. If it was written in haste over a summer holiday between busy teaching semesters (as many textbooks are written), then the effect will be less desirable. When choosing a textbook (from the dozens in the bookstore), choose the one you like, which is also the most effective one for you. You may have to search a little.
(ii) Teachers. We all know a good or a bad teacher makes all the difference in one’s educational career. (I had a terrifying and cruel Latin/French teacher in primary school who burned many students emotionally for life.  I also had a dour-looking but extremely inspirational French teacher whose “je ne sais quois” transformed me from a language student into a person who used language to work and travel in many parts of the world.  I will never forget him!)  Ask yourself: what makes a good or a bad teacher for you?  Different people will have different opinions on this issue, but your opinions are important for you, both as an English learner and as a possible future tutor/teacher. 
(iii) Evaluation tools (tests and exams).  Evaluation and measurement are huge topics and I cannot cover them here.  However, I will say these two things here.  First, have you noticed how “America-centered” the course materials are, even out here in the Orient?  Is this because of globalization, or because the “big exams” (i.e., TOEFL, GRE) expect it?  Second, what is driving language education in China today—the desire to create self-learning, knowledge-synthesizing, problem-solving citizens…or the urge to pass exams, exams that are invariably conceived, constructed, and controlled by outsiders?  We all know that teachers “teach to the exam”—and for very understandable, if disagreeable reasons.  Remember this!  When you leave your university, college, or high school, you will study English for yourself, not for “others”.  Therefore, you need to think, act, and execute by yourself, for yourself.  Start acting like a pioneer today! 
(iv) External factors—location, time of day, other people, distractions, time available.  This topic is hugely important!  First: walk into any student dormitory and compare the rooms where the “bookworms” live, with the rooms where the “party-lovers” live, with the rooms where the “bookworms” and the “party-lovers” share the same living space.  It is the third room that is the most tragic, I feel.  There is no real privacy in China, except deep in the mountains or in your own room; yet, for students, their “own room” has become a party-house, or at best, a coffee-house.  Moreover, students are not allowed to “re-shuffle” their locations according to their (extrovert/introvert) character.  Due to the desire to “avoid confrontation” and “save face”, the “bookworms” keep silent, and thereby lose their last refuge.  I repeat, China has a thousand places to play in, to party in, to leap up and cry out for joy in, to be a little wild in, to be “re nao” in, to play games in, and more—but only a mere handful of places to be quiet in, to sleep in, to reflect in, and to study in!  Students!!!  What you have done to your own dormitories is like finding the very last hiding place of the panda bear, and destroying it!  Do you really, really want this…? So, let’s go on.  Second: location.  Go and find “that place” where you can study (and live) in peace.  I suggest your dormitory first.  Or, it could be a place known only to you.  Third: time of day.  Follow your body’s “biological clock”.  You know when you are at your best, and if that means between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., then so be it.  Follow your body’s call to you.  Also, don’t forget the influence of food and digestion.  Fourth: other people.  You have to decide what is more important—“face”, or progress—for they can’t easily co-exist, if at all.  Practically speaking, you have to leave the scene, or they have to leave the scene, or you both must take turns leaving the scene.  By “scene”, I mean, “the place of study”.  Fifth: distractions.  Eliminate them like cockroaches.  If necessary, buy earplugs or special earphones (such as some construction workers use).  Do not lose your friends in the process!  Sixth: time available.  How much time you have to study, and in what “blocks of time” you arrange them in a week also affect your language-learning progress.  Allow diversion, “study-breaks”, meals, exercise and so on.  Don’t forget to plan your week carefully.  You control your life, your timetable in order to maximize your dreams, your effectiveness.  Don’t let other people control your life and your timetable—which is what they do when they call you on your cell phone and say, “Let’s go and play!”  The primacy of  “relationship” and the wide availability of the cell phone is the death of a planned, intentional lifestyle!  Remember, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”  Some of you chose to cut short your pretty, long hair so as to allow you more time to study.  I suggest doing the same thing with your cell phone. 
(v)  Internal factors—feelings, thoughts, meals.  What is inside you will come out and affect you.  Try to find some way to manage, release (in a controlled way), and direct your feelings and thoughts.  Some like to ruthlessly control or suppress them; some like to “manage” them, to “bleed off” the internal steam pressure (as in a steam engine).  You find out what is best for you.  As for meals, the time before (hunger, appetite), and the time after (digestion) all have an effect on how well you study.  As with gravity, let them work for you, not you for them. 
(vi) Your capabilities and learning styles.  I won’t say much here, as this topic is very controversial in some places.  Nevertheless, we all have various abilities and capabilities, and can use them to our advantage—and know what “hard spots” to overcome or avoid.  As for learning styles: some people feel they learn something better by seeing/reading it; others feel they should hear/listen to what they learn; and others feel they will understand a problem by touching/holding it.  Of course, this is the old “visual/auditory/tactile- kinesthetic” argument.  Others feel the above is not true at all, and that learning happens in another way. I will say this: the struggle over dominant educational philosophies is a kind of war; everyone thinks “their way” is the best.  Why don’t you find out what way works best for you, and is the most effective?  Remember, the most important word in education, after “love” and “patience” is this: “effective”. 
 
Conclusion: As you study, keep a short and simple record of what you did, how you did it, what worked, and what didn’t.  You may find the results interesting; they will certainly be individual.