本帖最後由 TeachByExample 於 12-12-11 15:59 編輯
Tough talk on helpers hired to teach English
Kelly Ip, The Standard
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Three out of five parents believe recruiting foreign domestic helpers can improve their children's English language ability, a survey found.
Parents often recruit foreign domestic helpers with higher education levels to be their children's private English tutor in the hope of improving their children's speaking, listening and reading skills.
The Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education & Services interviewed about 300 parents and 15 local primary schools and kindergartens from June to July.
Council director Sansan Ching Teh-chi said between the age of three and six is the critical period for learning languages and a child's accent development.
"Since English is not usually the foreign domestic helpers' mother tongue and they don't usually have proper training to be English teachers, parents should not rely on them to improve their children's English ability."
She advised parents to make sure their children learn English properly.
The survey also showed that about 65 percent of parents believe their children can learn better English from foreign teachers than from locals.
Ching said parents have a common misconception that most foreigners are capable of teaching English.
"Parents do not ask about the background of those foreign tutors, such as whether they have proper English teaching qualifications," she said.
"Similarly, not all local Hongkongers are capable of teaching Chinese or Cantonese."
Almost half of the parents surveyed also enrolled their children in English courses so they can receive certificates.
"Many English classes of tutoring centers attract parents by issuing a certificate," Ching said.
"But not all those classes are designed according to local children's English level, so even if children receive a certificate the end of the course, their English performance may not be satisfactory."
Do foreign domestic helpers really help improve our children's English? Also, do foreign teachers teach better than local teachers?
| 
發表於 12-12-11 12:25
