English should start with dolls, so children's English training has occupied a decisive position in the training market. There are more and more training institutions engaged in children's English, and some adult English training institutions are also vigorously developing their own children's English training programs. In the children's English training market, two camps have gradually formed. Camp 1 is already a well-known English brand training institution, represented by New Oriental, Ladder, Berlitz, Dell and EF. Another trench is mainly a training school, such as Jingcheng Culture School and Giant School. Because there has been a constant debate about children's English training, in order to solve the confusion of students and parents, this magazine invited several directors from two camps to discuss three key issues of children's English training.

Focus 1: Grading? Ability? Which is more important?

Voice-over: What puzzles many parents now is whether the purpose of children's English training is to improve their English ability or to cope with exams. Even some parents are caught in a strange circle of letting their children learn English for exams. How do training institutions view this problem?

Li Jie, director of the Children's English Department of New Oriental School, believes that children's English training should not exclude exams, but exams should also be based on the strong support of listening, speaking, reading and writing, which is a problem that schools and training institutions can't ignore. Students' acquisition of English ability through study, plus some examination skills, is only a means to achieve a certain goal. She said: "Children's English training should be market-oriented, and all training institutions, big or small, should take the market as the vane. And as an English training institution, we should have a sense of service. The children's department of New Oriental put forward the concept of taking service as the radius, demand as the guidance and quality as the core, which made it cover a wide range. Exam-oriented training still belongs to this range, which is a market demand for a reason. " Director Li introduced that there was no exam training program in the children's department of New Oriental. From June 5438+ 10, 2003, English level 1 and level 2 examination training was set up, which was very successful at that time. Before it was established, they were also confused. It is comprehensive ability training. Now parents will not object to adding an examination item, but it turns out that the examination training program has been very successful, so whether it is necessary to train the examination item depends on the market.

Sun Nianci, chief operating officer of Ladder Digital Technology Co., Ltd. believes that the ability to learn English is still very important, and the grade examination is a kind of pressure for children aged 3 to 12. However, some parents care about their children's achievements in all aspects. China has a large population and fierce competition. Every parent wants to have a successful child and a successful daughter. Students must get extra points to enter key schools, forcing parents to suggest that training institutions aim at exams. Some parents think that children can learn English well if they are interested. In fact, training should be staged. Take children aged 3 to 12 as an example. On the one hand, we should cultivate their interest in learning English, on the other hand, we should cultivate their ability to see, listen, speak, read and write. Listening, speaking, reading and writing have different requirements at every age. For children aged 3 to 6, in fact, every word is an image for them. Seeing is to enrich children's memory, and playing is to increase their memory, so that children can read and write at the age of 7.

Sun Nianci emphasized that not emphasizing the exam does not mean that there is no exam. She said: "There is no special grading system for Step English, but there are tests. The results after the test are not expressed by scores, but by detailed instructions. Parents don't look at whether students score 90 or 60, but how much knowledge they have learned during this period, including interpersonal relationships, things-related aspects, verbs and so on. Every student has a detailed score and every child has something to gain. I think education should not only pay attention to academic performance, but also pay attention to the whole-hearted development of children. "

Wang Fang, the account manager of Belize Language Training Center, said that the school will issue Belize's globally unified certificates and study reports to parents, but it is different from the Cambridge English test. The purpose is to encourage students to continue their studies and interest them. As long as students are interested in improving, it is not a problem. Examinations will put some pressure on students and affect their interest.

As a giant school that has won the "Cambridge Best Training Institution Award for Children's English" for six years in a row, Vice President Zhu holds a different view. She thinks that graded exams are good for children to learn English. Some students have studied in training institutions for three months or 10 months, but little progress has been made. Students and parents are not satisfied. They still have high expectations and pay a lot of money every minute. This kind of learning is also a great waste of children's potential. She said, "Cambridge Children's English Test.

The examination is just an examination launched by the Examination Committee of Cambridge University, which is very scientific and authoritative. In fact, whether it is the public English test or the Cambridge Children's English Test, a proficiency test will be conducted to see what level students have reached in listening, speaking, reading and writing. There is no difference between passing and failing, but it can play a very positive role. In a limited time, students can acquire as much knowledge as possible. According to Zhu, what parents complain most about now is that their children have studied for many years, but they have made no progress. Now parents ask their children not to make progress, but to make great progress Li Yanhong, the academic director of Shu Ren School, also thinks that English learning can't be done without a certificate. Only junior high school needs it, and high school needs it in the future.

In this regard, Li Jie believes that there is no contradiction between examination and ability training. Emphasizing children's hobbies is also to cultivate children's comprehensive ability. It is impossible for a person to succeed in society, and a team is needed. Team consciousness is very important to people and should be cultivated from an early age. For example, playing games with children is actually to cultivate children's ability to communicate in English and cooperate with each other. It is very important for children to learn to cooperate with all kinds of children in class, which is the cultivation of comprehensive ability.

As for some training institutions, they now hold a negative and dismissive attitude towards graded examinations. Li Jie believes that this has a lot to do with the unscientific setting of exams and the fact that most people have been "victims" of graded exams. But now all the exams are being reformed, both listening and speaking exams will be more humanized and make children feel intimate. She stressed that if the examination system itself changes, then the examination is a powerful supplement to normal teaching, because children should not only learn English knowledge, but also face external pressure, and this ability should be cultivated from an early age. After passing the exam, children will have psychological challenges. Without this experience, children's psychological endurance can't grow. Moreover, exams need to be reviewed, and mastering time allocation will also increase children's self-management ability. In addition, children should not only experience success, but also setbacks, which is also an education for them. She said: "This is no longer a simple English teaching problem, but a question of how a child grows up as a person. As a tool, English can open a bigger window for children to understand society and let them grow up happily. "

Regarding the cultivation of students' psychological endurance, Feng Jian, the principal of Shinkansen School, thinks that examinations can be conducted in another way, such as group examinations as in Japan.

30 people set off in groups tied to a rope. Only in this way can students integrate into a large group. At present, the examination in China is one teacher to one student or multiple students. The current examination system has a bad influence on growth and hit others. Therefore, although the exam can exist, the form must be updated.

Chen Xiyu, director of Dell International English Children's Program Department, believes that there are so many arguments about exams because sometimes we think exams are not good, sometimes we think exams are good, and maybe we adults think exams too seriously. The reason why we attach great importance to exams is because exams have a deep influence on adults, but in fact children don't care. They don't review before the exam, so it's easy for them to get good grades. Some parents are blind and don't know what their children should learn. Some parents let their children learn Cambridge just because they have an exam, regardless of their actual situation. In fact, they can let their children learn some other courses first. After they become interested in English, it's not too late to go to Cambridge again, and their level can reach Cambridge level 2 or 3 directly.

Focus 2: School? Institution? Who is it mainly?

Voice-over: Now there is an English class in the second grade of primary school. Should training schools play an auxiliary role or seize territory? How to position yourself is also related to the effect and development prospect of children's English training. Should training institutions and schools develop together or fight to the death?

Wang Fang believes that the purpose of schools and training institutions is the same, that is, to urge and help students learn English. She stressed that children's interest in learning English is very important. Nowadays, the grade examination and the examinations in many schools can urge students to learn, but sometimes it will bring too much pressure to students and weaken their interest in learning English. Training institutions can supplement schools in this respect. For example, Berlitz is a very good supplement to traditional teaching methods. English learning in domestic schools mainly depends on exams, not on interest. Children who are not interested can't learn well. Berlitz will focus on cultivating children's interest in English.

In this way, students will continue to study English hard when they return to school after attending courses in training institutions. It can be said that training institutions and schools can complement each other.

Gao Hongyu, the key account manager of EF Education, believes that English training institutions can not only help children build their interest in English learning, but also help them build their confidence in English communication. The main problem faced by most children studying at school is the lack of communication skills, and the sooner this communication ability is established, the better it will be for their future English development. This self-confidence is not only the understanding of sentence patterns or grammar, but also the thinking in English to speak fluent English. This kind of confidence is very deep-rooted confidence. The self-confidence that training institutions help children build will greatly promote students' enthusiasm for learning, and some knowledge learned at school will complement the courses of training institutions.

Feng Jian, principal of Beijing Shinkansen School, has different views. He believes that if private education cannot guide the development of public education, private education will fail. There are many failures in public education. If private education cannot solve the problems in public education, private education will also fail. As education, we must consider the education that the direct educated want, not the hopes of parents and schools.

Li Jie believes that training institutions should give full play to their different characteristics, so as to improve English education in China, and it is impossible to do everything through any institution or school. Therefore, it is necessary to communicate and cooperate with each other, learn from each other's strong points and improve English education in China in all directions.

And the school's quick success and instant benefit will also bring trouble to training institutions. Hai Wenling, deputy director of the English Teaching Department of Jingcheng Education Group, said that Jingcheng initially cultivated children in different ways according to their characteristics and abilities at different ages. For example, children from scratch want to teach them to speak and cultivate their interest. A little deeper in grades one and two. I didn't start my initial study until the third grade. But now there are also voices of opposition, that is, parents want their children to take the exam. She also found that children were particularly practical in learning English before the requirements of the grade examination. After a period of study, students take oral exams in training institutions, and children are very willing to take such exams. However, on 200 1, English training for public examinations began, and public schools also required certificates. For example, students with Cambridge Level 3 certificate can take the English test in extra-long classes or play an important role in choosing schools. In addition to basic points, some key middle schools will also use certificates to add points when enrolling students. She said: "At this time, my parents presented sincere proof. Although children feel good, they are not recognized when they arrive at school, and even if they have the ability, they have no chance to take the exam. " She believes that the current education system in China makes parents eager for quick success and instant benefit, and their psychology is very impetuous. However, learning English is not a one-off event, but a slow job. This idea of parents is harmful to the growth of children.

Focus 3: Is Chinese teaching good? How about foreign teachers? Teacher dispute

Voice-over: In the teaching process, by what means can we achieve the goal of cultivating children's ability? One of the more sensitive issues is teachers. Some institutions engage in westernization with pure foreign teachers, some schools have teachers who combine Chinese and western skills, and some schools attach more importance to retired old teachers and famous teachers. So which is the best way to educate children in English, local monks or foreign monks?

Hai Wenling believes that foreign teachers in primary education basically do not work. Chen Xiyu also agrees with this view. She introduced that Dell has both China teachers and foreign teachers, but if the children taught by foreign teachers are too young, it is basically ineffective. Because foreign teachers are not as good as China in teaching and don't understand the psychology of children in China, they just can't keep up with foreign teachers at first, and foreign teachers are not as good as China in teaching children grammar. Therefore, we should learn from Chinese teachers at first, and then teach with foreign teachers at the pronunciation stage, but both Chinese teachers and foreign teachers in training institutions should be equipped.

Gao Hongyu introduced that EF is an all-foreign teacher. In the selection of teachers, especially in children's classes, both junior and advanced are taught by foreign teachers. Its purpose is to let students think in English first, and then express themselves satisfactorily in English. He said: "Language is not only a tool, but also an expression of thinking. It is basically impossible to think in Chinese and then express it in English. So learners always feel that they are speaking Chinglish. Hiring a foreign teacher is definitely not just for pronunciation, but to provide children with an English environment and place, and to provide children with opportunities to put themselves in an English environment. "

Li Yanhong thinks that a good foreign teacher is still needed. Younger children and foreign teachers study in a similar environment abroad, so they can have a direct oral conversation without learning words first. Older children can also develop their English communication skills by learning from foreign teachers. Wang Fang holds a negative attitude towards the view that children had better not use foreign teachers. She introduced Berlitz as a formal foreign teacher. The youngest student is only over 2 years old and can be taught by all foreign teachers. The effect is very good. Berlitz is a mother tongue teaching method. China people generally have a translation process when they speak English. If you don't get rid of this translation process, it will be difficult to learn formal English. If the Chinese teacher teaches him in Chinese, the child will naturally form a translation process, while Berlitz's small class teaching is only four to six or even less, and the child has every opportunity to communicate with foreign teachers. She said: "Berlitz's educational method gives students a natural feeling. Grammar is not taught step by step according to China's method, but is analyzed and classified. Highlight the feeling that children naturally miss their mother tongue when speaking English and think in English, so teaching their mother tongue with foreign teachers can help children master the English thinking mode as soon as possible.

Li Jie introduced fewer new oriental foreign teachers, and even fewer professional foreign teachers, but this situation can be remedied. Most foreign teachers in New Oriental focus on teaching winter and summer courses, and their requirements and training are also very strict. They know the characteristics of China students like the palm of their hand, and even ask foreign churches to speak Chinese and understand the cultural background of China, so that there will be no great obstacles in communicating with students.

Fengjian introduced that Beijing Shinkansen School had tried single foreign teacher teaching, single Chinese teaching, or the combination of foreign teachers and Chinese teaching. The final conclusion is that we should not rely solely on China education or foreign teachers, but should combine the two, so as to save costs and complement each other. Domestic teachers have their own advantages, that is, high grammar level, while foreign teachers have their own advantages in pronunciation and oral expression. Sun Nianci believes that whether a school is good or not depends mainly on the strength of teachers. For children's English, only a few teachers, whether China teachers or foreign teachers, are qualified. She said: "At present, the ladder will give priority to its English ability when recruiting, but it should put a lot of time and energy into the later training of teachers. In the three stages of ladder teaching, teachers have to receive 150 hours of training at each stage, including children's psychology and educational theory. However, English-speaking foreign teachers are not qualified foreign teachers. Foreign teachers studying abroad do not mean that they can teach well in other countries. A teacher's teaching quality can't be judged by his skin color. After recruiting a teacher, the school has the obligation to train him systematically to make him a qualified kindergarten teacher.

Guest of this round table: Feng Jian, president of Beijing Shinkansen School; Zhu, Vice President of Beijing Giant School; Li Yanhong, Academic Director of Beijing Shu Ren School; Hai Wenling, Deputy Director of English Teaching Department of Jingcheng Education Group; Li Jie, Director of Children's English Department of Beijing New Oriental School; Sun Nianci, Chief Operating Officer of Ladder Digital Technology Co., Ltd.; Chen Xiyu, Director of Children's Center of Dell International English School; Gao Hongyu, key account manager of EF Education; And Wang Fang, the account manager of Berlitz.