"AT TIMES, PEOPLE LEARN BETTER FROM THEIR PEERS"
Tara: The next set of questions, Evelyn, asks about your role as a teacher. What different roles do you play as a teacher in this classroom?
Evelyn: As a leader, I show them how to learn. I motivate them, make them learn not just from me but from their peers as well.
Tara: Why is all that important?
Evelyn: At times, people learn better from their peers, through discussions and conversations. Working in groups, working together they learn a lot more.
Tara: What happens when kids work together that does not happen when they work with a teacher?
Evelyn: One teacher has to cater to 30. A lot of the time they have a special need or special question. If they go to their friend, they talk it out and have a discussion. They learn a lot more. Then if they have any trouble, they come to me. I use myself as a resource person.
Tara: Where did you first come to adopt this student-centered approach'? You once told me that schooling in Hong Kong is very different and [that] your life as a teacher in Hong Kong was very different.
Evelyn: Well, as you noticed, I always teach a lesson. I will spend 20 minutes explaining a concept in detail and then I get them to work on their own; in groups or in pairs ... But all the basic concepts I've done in a very traditional way ... But on top of that, I get them to work in groups.
Tara: So, you actually have a combined approach.
Evelyn: Yes, so it is not that much of a difference in that way, because I do teach a lesson in the traditional way. But on top of it, I get them to learn from their peers and work together with their peers.
Tara: This was an approach you did not take in Hong Kong?
Evelyn: No. We do not allow or have the kind of facilities to do that, because of tradition, space, and time. Here things evolve and I find it better that way. So slowly, I just follow whatever is possible and use whatever method works.
Tara: We have noticed that there are times that you use English, times that you use Mandarin, and times that you use Cantonese. What is your own sense of how you use those languages in this classroom?
Evelyn: Basically, as teaching goes, I always use English. To teach a class, when I give basic concepts, when I give instruction to the class, I always use English. When I talk to students, I always use English unless they are stuck. Then in private I will explain it to them in the language they prefer.
Tara: So you basically make your choices based on the language they prefer.
Evelyn: Yes, if we are just one-on-one.
Tara: In the private space.
Evelyn: Yes. To the class I will use English.
Tara: So if you approach a table [students in Mrs. Lo's class sat at tables in groups of six or seven], and that table has both English-speaking and Cantonese or Mandarin-speaking students, and you think that the whole table is listening, you will use English?
Evelyn: Definitely.
Tara: So the only time you would use Cantonese or Mandarin is on one-on-one.
Evelyn: Right and if they are stuck. Otherwise, I would prefer to use English because their textbooks are in English and they need to communicate in English. When they are writing a sentence [to conclude an answer to a math problem] or whatnot they have to use English. So it is better for them to learn the proper terms.
Tara: In your classroom, the students are allowed to use their own languages. It is okay.
Evelyn: That is for their academic improvement. Yes, English is important. They need to speak English for interactions with other people and all that. But when we get down to it, really it does not matter, like they can discuss and use whatever language they prefer to tackle a problem that is more difficult to understand.
Tara: For you, if using your first language aids them in actually succeeding academically, that is fine?
Evelyn: Sure, why not find a way to find out what they need? So they can use that to benefit whatever they need to do in the future. Some of the students find it very difficult to research in English. They can always read some of the materials in Chinese, find the information, and write it up in English. They can do that. That will help them to reach a better comprehension. For the initial stages, okay. As long as they find the information. In that sense, they are encouraged to write in their own words, because they don't have the original to go by.
Tara: You have told us that often you do some counseling with students. Have you had the opportunity to do any counseling with students in this classroom?
Evelyn: I never initiate that, but whenever they come to me with problems, I always sit down and talk with them. Give them a chance to tell me what the problem is and we talk about options. I let them make a decision. They talk about friends, family. Mom wants them to do well—they get punished if they don't get a 90% or whatnot. We talk about those things and how to handle those situations and what is the best way to tackle that and how to phrase the problem.
Tara: What language do you find you use when you're doing that kind of counseling?
Evelyn: A lot of the times it started out in English and it ended in Cantonese or Mandarin. When they want to pour their heart out, they feel more comfortable using their own language.
Tara: When students come to talk to you about their marks and their assignments and quizzes, I know you have a particular strategy in place. What language do you find that most students use, what language do you use, and why?
Evelyn: Basically, I insist that if they have any contest with their marks, they have to write it down in writing. So, when they write it down, they write in English. And I always respond to it. Even if it is not a legitimate thing, I tell them why they should get that mark. I always respond to them. I always insist they write it in writing. So, I seldom talk to them about marks. But if they do approach me again I say, "Well, if you are still not happy about it, write to me about it." They always write in English. They never write in Chinese.
Tara: Tell me a little about the importance of friendship for students in school. As a teacher, what have you noticed about the importance of friends and having friends in school for students?
Evelyn: I always insist in the first class, I tell them to find a friend and write down their phone number in case they need any lesson or assignment. They have to phone the friend to find out what they need. It is their responsibility to make it up. I actually encourage them to form a network. In case they are stuck, they can always phone whomever and find a friend to work with. So, I do encourage that. Especially in summer school, it is 4 hours [long]. It can be very boring. So, if they can sit in a group, if they have a couple of friends, while they work between groups they can talk a little bit. They can socialize; they can still have a life here. To make activity more happy, to create an atmosphere to learn, to find a reason to come in the morning. [Interview, August 3, 1994]
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