I’ve taught thousands of students since I came to China in 2011. I’ve taught hundreds of Chinese English teachers. I’ve met students who have studied English for 10 years in school. Most of them still make a lot of mistakes, many of which are common grammar mistakes. Why is English so difficult for Chinese students? There are some reasons.

Recitation(背诵) is boring. But this is a method that is most often used in teaching English in China. I’ve talked to many teachers who tell me, “It’s not easy to learn English. You have to recite, recite, recite, recite...” Not only is this a boring way to learn English, but it is least effective.

Teachers are not required to be fluent(流利的) in English. When I first came to China, I started talking to the head teacher of the English Department. When I spoke to her, she looked at me as if I was speaking Swahili (an African language). She knew nothing about what I was saying. I said it again very, very, very slowly and clearly. She still didn’t understand.

In China, the focus is on exams. Of course, in America, language students also take exams. However, they learn faster because they learn to speak the language first. This is the natural way that language is learned all over the world. Children listen to their parents and then try to say what their parents say. Writing and reading are taught later in school.