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Communication is Key | Jianhua Zhou & Joshua Ogden-Davis | TEDxYaohuLake


[Music]
[Applause]
ever since the 1970s English has been a
very important part of Chinese education
that’s because China sees a future where
the Chinese people can be heard and
understood all around the world any
stone in 2.0 9je one who said this is
tat talk about expanding it this year
China will become the world’s largest
english-speaking country so he that
happen I don’t think so in 2016 they see
my education and unity sorted a study 1
million China seeing some earners and
found that not at the sampan they could
commit with foreigners when studying
this for many years so why can’t we
community English together but been
teaching was full with 20 years now we
believe the answer is not about English
it’s about how you think about English
alright do this the way we teach you
which now makes our students think about
English communication like a test we
told them you must get the grammar right
you must get the vocabulary right you
must get the accent right or else this
is what we call the test taking idea and
this is exactly why our students still
have problems communicating in English
and there’s three reasons
first it makes them afraid to speak
second it makes them focus on what they
don’t know instead of what they do not
and third is the most important part of
learning anything and that it is
something we’ll tell you later first
let’s start with the fear of speaking to
make me quite an example when I was a
college student I have a accent I still
remember one day a retard out loud and
my English teacher could only understand
a few words but you know what I’m not
the kind of guy who usually can know as
answer
so I decided to self-study I won’t make
your part for two years until I met bad
guy just like another day of one of the
same place meaningless a guy walked past
me and then you look bad all of a sudden
it’s still a lot of English to me
to be honest I’ve no idea was talking
about so if I have that toy I’m sorry my
English very poor oh I could do better
believe it or not it’s not this man is a
lot of the college students many are
still having an interest in SAS in the
collars I try to strike up a
conversation with managed students as
possible when it’s hard in English one
thing’s so funny
the first reaction most spent days
buddies will they be with a ha I’m sorry
my name is support layer I thought one
thing is interesting for those who said
I’m sorry – poor we ain’t even having no
conversation in English but for those
who just talked meaningless we have some
pretty nice conversation while my
favorite course is phone Harry for what
do you think you can
or they think you cannot your eyes I
don’t believe that Chinese students are
born being afraid they’ve learned to be
afraid and they’ve learned that in
school and I think that because of my
experience is learning two different
languages Spanish and Chinese like many
Americans I learned Spanish in school
because it was in school from the very
beginning every time I speak Spanish I’m
thinking I made a mistake it’s a lot of
stress but I’d never take an extraneous
class but never taken a Chinese test so
when I speak Chinese I’m not worrying
about anything I’m just thinking about
how can I find a way to make you
understand me and how can I find a way
to understand you that’s not stressful
that’s actually really fun and because
of that I learned Chinese much more
quickly and much better than I learned
in Spanish and also prove that to you
all I have to show you my Chinese but I
don’t want to do that because this is an
English speaking
so the second topic is we make our
students focus on what they don’t know
so when I talk we start student I found
one things interesting
it happens a lot at the beginning the
Constitution goes smoothly and then all
of a sudden against the and this is
bigger frustrated biggest pointing you
know what it gets stuck this one single
word how could this happen
they ask you simple but the English
communication is like a dad wait how
communication is not a test
humidity she’s not about like big words
beautiful pronunciation amazing grammar
communications are about sharing your
ideas sharing your stories sharing your
feelings
tell me miss my friends or when Humanity
in school and want a I heard your sushi
beating hanging and a fun t-shirt it
would like this Upolu yeah you buy the
deep inner I will come back if you know
Mom I saw policy we were seamless and I
said come on you can do it it then turn
to the front you said Sam Oh will you
come back well it’s pounce on me
you don’t know say I’m sorry I have no
idea oh also means are you gonna lose
your you buy anything I wouldn’t come
back I would give you my back
well can you learn forward if we folks
are we don’t know like a pawn so
reimbursed you have a flower I never
learned to communicate but if we focus
on with you know like give me money back
you can stall human continuous right
away what Owen understands is a secret
that we never tell
secretive big words does not mean better
communication for example on the.com
there are about 3,500 English words
maybe more but in thankee communication
we only use about 1000 words which means
that while our students are worried and
if I the right word they don’t
understand that they already know not
words to say what they want to say and
if you don’t believe me about 1000 words
is enough
look at this aside from these words 50
words every word in our speech today is
inside the 1000 most common English
words which means a Chinese middle
school students not a great students mr.
okay students should be able to give you
this speech today if he focuses on what
he does know instead of what he does not
know so on to the third one the third
one is probably the most important part
of learning anything since 2007 I
stopped eating making friends with
foreigners I want to own my five percent
of my students one is starting
conversations foreigners less than 10%
did take action to a stop there for
starting conversation
some of them afraid can understand as
some of it for you to stay in the wrong
thing
Isola Bay if you’re rejected in my mind
one seed or mistakes the freedom making
mistakes think about it for minutes how
did you learn to ride a bike we can we
post on her right by you can listen
audios on a right by you can watch
videos on a ride back
you can you my higher
teacher but easier other right I buy but
you would never learn how to ride a bike
until you get over by and try it you’ll
fall over and you will get back on it
and try together you will fall over
again and again and again after many
tries many fell overs and many mistakes
you learn how the righted by st. painful
English communication you read lots of
books even listen to Hodgins artists you
know what’s tons of videos now sign for
communication maybe you’ll say oh my
pronunciations not very but well it’s
not good well vocabulary is not big
enough
my answer is don’t be afraid just go out
and communicate in English because
mistakes on your greatest teachers let
me show you one example this example is
about the Chinese word why she once is
one of the most well-known Chinese words
but it’s also one of the most dangerous
words if you don’t use it in the right
way when I was just learning Chinese I
had a friend she was alone and she was
afraid that she had made me angry and I
wanted to say don’t worry about it we
have a good working relationship
questions relationship by the way
I wanted to say don’t worry we have a
good working relationship which is
something like but I didn’t say that
what I said was woman which means don’t
worry we are already in a relationship
now for all the different meanings of
plastic I could spend hours at home
trying to remember them all and how to
say them correctly it would take a long
time and maybe I would remember how to
use it what I mean but bus pay because I
let myself make one mistake and that one
set and will never forget how to use fly
see in the right way again mistakes are
your greatest features that must feel ok
so we hope that well is shared with you
today can help you see the future value
see for China which is where the idea
that china is the world’s largest
english-speaking country it’s not just a
dream so for those of you who are still
afraid to speak English you want to say
we don’t want to say don’t be shy to say
hi for those of you who are still
focusing on lucky don’t know instead of
for what you do them wait have to say
say all first and say to rise and for
those of you who are still afraid of
many mistakes
like eat sometimes all we want to say
the more mistakes you made the better
the English whoopee the more friends do
obey your a meal with us
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