1
“Where There Is No Lao Wai-----How To Learn English
On The Go, On Your Own”
By Stephen Van Wyck
Introduction
Contents
Part One --- Brief Outline of Text
Part Two --- Detailed outline of text
Part Three --- The text
Part One : Brief Outline of Text
- Introduction and purpose of the text
- Philosophical roots of learning English
- The problems facing you
IV. How to avoid the problems and exploit them creatively
- The solutions available
- How to make the solutions happen
- Other ideas for consideration
- Conclusion
Part Two : Detailed outline of text
- Introduction and purpose of this text.
A.Introduction
1)The spectre of English
2)A harbinger of changes to come
3)People are anxious
B.Body
1)Everyone grasping for something
a)Fluency in English
b)A “bridge” to future success
c)Everybody chasing it
2)The bookstores today in China
a)English language learning materials
b)Test-taking materials
c)Electronic learning materials
3)On foreigners in China
a)Been here 30 years
b)Respected, coveted, popular
c)A part of life in China
4)The rise and fall of English knowledge
a)Thousands learned something
b)After graduation, much English lost
c)All that suffering for nothing
d)“I had no foreign friend …”
5)Purpose of text
a)Thesis Statement---“It is to show you how to learn English on the go, on your own, where there is no foreign person anywhere near you.”
b)What it is not
i)Learning English
ii)Like the “Crazy English” program
c)What it is like
i)Starting a slow-burning revolution
ii)Maintaining it
6)Summary of remainder of text
a)Philosophical roots of learning English
b)Problems facing English learners after graduation
c)How to avoid these problems
d)Solutions on how to learn English
e)How to make these solutions happen
f)Other ideas for consideration
C.Conclusion
1)Again, that complaint, “I had no ….”
2)Time for complaint to go!
3)Who text is dedicated to
4)C.S.--- “Take it!” You have nothing to lose but your
complaints.”
- Philosophical roots of learning English
A.Introduction
1)Books drive education, but various underlying philosophy drives the books and the effort we put into learning.
2)Consider this:
a)China awash in books, language schools, films
b)Many people give up language studies after graduation.
3)Necessary to determine some philosophical roots of learning English. Four parts:
a)Motivators
b)Underlying motivators
c)Educational and other matters
d)On “dependence” and “independence”
Your philosophy will determine how well you study English after graduation, with no foreigner around you.
B.Body
1)Philosophical roots--- motivators
a)“Push on”
i)Job demands it.
ii)Society expects it.
iii)The “bandwagon effect”.
iv)WTO/globalization both force it.
b)“Pull up”
i)Improve self------more income
ii)Better job, better life
iii)Desire more knowledge, skills
iv)Sustain ambitions.
c)“Get out”
i)Avoid “falling behind” in society
ii)More up in society---village—city---capital
--overseas
iii)Avoid dead-end jobs
iv)From stagnant work units------vibrant companies
d)“Do better”
i)Be better than another person.
ii)Be better than another company.
iii)Be better than another nation.
iv)Be better than yourself the day before.
2)Philosophical roots------underlying motivators
a)What do you call it?
i)Greed, fear, ambition, pride, envy, dissatisfaction
ii)Hunger, concern,desire,self-respect,wish to be
included in life’s blessings, desire to do better with what you have.
b)Otherwise, why---
i)Get up in the morning.
ii)Struggle all day long
iii)Study in evening
iv)Dream at night?
c)Why is there a qualitative difference in the way some
Students study Russian and French, as opposed to
English and Japanese?
i)Languages hold different attractions?
ii)Languages arouse different motivations?
iii)Target nations/cultures offer different rewards?
3)Philosophical roots---Educational and other matters
to consider
a)Synthesize language and knowledge, don’t memorize
Them.
b)An interest in the target language is half the
struggle won
c)Bloom’s Taxonomy of Questions.
i)Explain. Diagram.
ii)Can be adapted to the level to which one wants
to learn a language.
d)“English only”
e)Do not criticize one another.
i)Promote risk-taking, exploration.
ii)Eradicate shame, shyness, fear of trying
or “standing out”.
f)On dreams and reality---T. E. Lawrence
g)“Low expectations.”
h)Flexibility.
i)“Did you enjoy yourself?”
j)Are you a person of destiny?
k)Train up a few to follow you.
l)Do what you want, not what you must
m)Allow yourself the right to do it your way, to be unusual.
n)Let your true self and genius come out ------better results.
o)Have a plan. “Failing to plan is planning to fail!”
p)“Micro-unit.” Have manageable chunks.
q)If you love it you will learn it.
r)Have you thought about using your English to “give”
and not to “get”?
i)Helping others.
ii)On “downward mobility”
s)Compare self with self, not self with others.
t)On “absolute” vs. “relative” struggles and aspirations.
i)“Absolute”-- define
ii)“Relative”--define
u)How are you doing?
i)Measure countable behaviors.
ii)Do not evaluate “feelings” on how you are doing
v)Do a “motivation inventory”---why am I doing this?
w) Where am I strong? (Reading, writing, listening, speaking)
x)What variables affect my learning?
i)Materials---books, tapes, VCD’s, etc.
ii)Teachers.
iii)Evaluation tools---(tests).
iv)External factors---location, time of day, other
people, distractions, time available.
v)Internal factors---feelings, thoughts, meals.
vi)Your capabilities and learning styles.
Conclusion.
4)Philosophical roots---dependence and independence
a)Again, the problems of English---language graduates.
i)No foreign friend to communicate with.
ii)Foreign friend seen as essential catalyst for language development.
iii)“American English” and “American accent” are
seen as essential part of language acquisition process.
iv)No foreign friend, no way forward, for many.
b)Dependence in you
i)The tyranny of “so-so”
ii)Unwillingness to “vote”, take sides, stand out, speak up.
c)Dependence on foreign speakers among college students
i)In “English-corners” --clustering.
ii)In “Free talks”--keep silent, surrender to dominant students, over-speaking teacher.
iii)Foreign teachers often used to as publicity banners, hosts, judges at large student gatherings (i.e.,--debate competitions).
d)Dependence on “American English” and “American accent” as a necessary precondition for an authentic language experience.
i)American accent avidly pursued by many students.
ii)“North American”/British, Canadian, New Zealand, Australian teachers often favored over native/second-language English speaker from other parts of the world. Delicate, but extant issue….
iii)Accent/pronunciation is favored over conversation or grammar by many students.
iv)The job market favors “American accent” speakers over others.
v)America is perceived as a major world power, providing influence, jobs, opportunities, wealth, mobility, power. Therefore “accent” followers the power. Before, British English; before, French; and before, Latin.
vi)North America is still a major immigration destination.
e)On independence in language learning.
i)You need to go it alone, as there are not enough foreign speakers for everyone.
ii)Very few people will help you, if at all.
iii)The farther from big cities, the harder it is to find foreigners.
iv)Many “language centers” are money-oriented, or their staff not satisfactory.
v)Only you understand what you need, or want, exactly.
C.Conclusion
1)Only discuss thoughts, feelings, attitudes here. If long, it was for a reason.
2)The rest of the text will discuss actions you can take, events you must deal with.
- The problems facing you
A.Introduction
1)You have arrived --- at new job.
2)The need to survive.
3)This is the context of your English-language studies.
4)Your English is being “hunted”.
5)This section will discuss those forces, seeking to destroy your hard-won knowledge of English: From other people, from yourself, in terms of “other things coming in”, and in terms of materials/resources.
B.Body
1)From other people---“Who” and “what”
a)Workmates.
b)Roommates.
c)Classmates.
d)Old English teacher--- Chinese or foreign.
e)Boss.
f)Boyfriend / girlfriend.
g)Husband/wife.
h)Children.
i)People from your local neighborhood.
j)English “parasites”.
k)Dead-end relationships.
l)“Turkeys”.
m)Unfriendly foreigners.
n)No encouragement.
o)No support.
p)Public opinion.
q)Other people’s vision is imposed on you.
r)The cult of conformity.
s)The cult of mediocrity.
t)On competition.
u)On betrayal.
v)Individual initiative is pushed down.
w)The “fang yang pi” problem.
x)Conclusion.
2)From yourself---“inner rot” and “outer collapse”.
a)No dream---“Where there is no vision, the people perish”.
b)Confusion over goals.
c)Unsure where to begin.
d)No feedback from colleagues.
e)No one cares.
f)Worries about your reputation.
g)Worries about income, rent, food.
h)Fatigue.
i)Despair.
j)No plan.
k)No interest in English outside of job.
l)Remain in your job because there is nowhere else to go.
m)Lose interest in English. Want something else.
n)Why bother? Collapse of motivation.
o)Burnout---collapse of career.
3)“Other things coming in”--“oppression”, “distraction”,and “temptation” .
a)Discuss general concept of “other things coming in”.
b)Load of work.
c)Commuting to and from work.
d)Your school too remote from centers of culture—
libraries, concert halls, museums, good bookstores.
e)Only do your “same old lesson plans”.
i)Leads to a rut.
ii)Leads to laziness.
f)Getting married.
g)Having children.
h)Competing projects.
i)Becoming a leader or administrator/
j)It is no longer necessary to survive the vigorous, challenging demands of college.
k)Failure.
l)Success.
m)Ambition.
n)The result--you become unfruitful. (Isn’t “fruit”/result/product the name of the game?)
4)Materials/Resources---“slow starvation”.
a)Local bookstore has nothing.
b)Bookstore is too far away.
c)Lack of materials.
d)Not enough money.
e)Local materials are out of date.
f)Local materials are too controlled by the librarian.
g)Materials passed to students “disappear”, are hoarded, not circulated.
C.Conclusion
1)Problems come from within, without, from anywhere, slow/fast, stranger/friend, even family! (“A man’s enemies shall be members of his own household.”)
2)Make no mistake--your English knowledge like newborn deer; reality of life like desert wolves outside waiting to take it away.
3)“If you do not use it, you will lose it.”
4)This section depressing, but need to know what up against, and must do.
5)C.S.---“Finally, these problems also provide you with a blueprint for avoiding these same problems, (or at least managing them) and for exploiting them creatively. Many difficulties contain in them the seeds of their solution, if you dig. We will examine these in the next section. The tone of this text will also become more positive.”
- How to avoid the problems and exploit them creatively
- Introduction
1)This section is the turning point of this book.
2)Problems to solutions. Pessimism to optimism. Dangers to opportunities. Obstacles to highways. Limitations to advantages.
3)Many problems have the germ of a solution in them.
4)We must be aware of and cautious of problems, but they can point the way to where we can work on them and solve them—right in the workplace, where they arose.
5)This section will re-examine the many problems raised in the previous section, then suggest some ways to solve these problems on-site, rather than leave them for another place.
- Body
1)From other people
a)Workmates.
b)Roommates.
c)Classmates.
d)Old English teacher.
e)Boss.
f)Boyfriend/Girlfriend.
g)Husband/Wife.
h)Children.
i)People from your local neighborhood.
j)English “parasites”.
k)Dead-end relationships.
l)“Turkeys”.
m)Unfriendly foreigners.
n)No encouragement.
o)No support.
p)Public opinion.
q)Other people’s vision is imposed on you.
r)The cult of conformity.
s)The cult of mediocrity.
t)On competition.
u)On betrayal.
v)Individual initiative is pushed down.
w)The “fang yang pi” problem.
x)Conclusion.
2)From yourself
a)No dream.
b)Confusion over goals.
c)Unsure where to begin.
d)No feedback from colleagues.
e)No one cares.
f)Worries about your reputation.
g)Worries about income, rent, food.
h)Fatigue.
i)Despair.
j)No plan.
k)No interest in English outside of job.
l)Remain in your job because there is nowhere else to go.
m)Lose interest in English. Want something else.
n)Why bother—on motivation.
o)On burnout.
3)“Other things coming in”
a)On turning “other things coming in” into assets.
b)Load of work.
c)Commuting to and from work.
d)Your school remote from centers of culture.
e)Only doing your “same old lesson plans”.
f)Getting married.
g)Having children.
h)Competing projects.
i)Becoming a leader or administrator.
j)It is no longer necessary to survive the vigorous, challenging demands of college.
k)Failure.
l)Success.
m)Ambition.
n)Objective—to become “fruitful”.
4)Materials/Resources
a)Local bookstore has nothing.
b)Bookstore is too far away.
c)Lack of materials.
d)Not enough money.
e)Local materials are out of date.
f)Local materials are too controlled by the librarian.
g)Materials passed to students “disappear”, are hoarded, not circulated.
C. Conclusion
1)Part of learning English is to use what you have – exploit problems, not people.
2)Always problems, so if you know how to turn them into solutions, you can usually get solutions. (Lemons to lemonade.)
3)Some problems can’t be solved, so avoid, or “manage” creatively.
4)Consider this approach as a sort of “training” for what is to follow. Now, prepares you and tests your resolve. Then, get creative.
5)C.S.—In the next sections, we will talk about how to really make a “slow-burning” revolution in learning English – first, the solutions available, then some ideas on how to make those solutions happen, which is what you really want. Get ready.
- The Solutions Available
A. Introduction
1)A major change in the direction of this book.
2)Sections III and IV discussed what life offers you, and how to respond to it. (i.e. it is “reactive”.)
3)This section talks about learning English on your terms. (i.e. it is “proactive”.)
4)The model used is an adapted version of “cells”, such as those cells used by the communists in China and other places. Borrows methodology, not content.
5)It is a form of quiet, “slow-burning” revolution.
6)This section will discuss the following topics: The inspiration for learning English from communist “cells”, the organizational structure of the cell, the characteristics of the cell, the core values of the cell, the people who are served, and helping yourself.
B. Body
1)The inspiration for learning English from communist “cells”.
a)Dictionary definition.
c)1920’s and 1930’s. The communists in China. You know what I mean.
d)Proven effectiveness. Still in use today. Can be studied in books. Can get real training.
e)What does/does not work has been tried/tested/refined.
f)Much related literature is available.
g)Revolution: the overthrow of a system – here (i) failed English, and (ii) flawed motives, and (iii) something new.
2)Organizational structure of cell.
a)Self-contained. Only associations are (i) with teacher, (ii) with students, and (iii) with equal.
b)Not open, public.
c)Independent in operation – no “infrastructure”.
d)Independent of others – help, money, support, materials.
e)Isolate groups from each other.
3)Characteristics of cell
a)Low profile.
b)Secure – cannot be penetrated by turkeys.
c)Motivated – to learn English (the end, not the means).
d)Committed to excellence.
e)Commitment to talent (over relationships or self- interest).
f)Committed to cell propagation.
g)Candidates are screened.
h)Candidates are recruited.
i)Candidates are trustworthy.
j)Candidates are tested – faced their “Long March”, and have overcome.
k)Consistent meeting times – daily/weekly.
l)Persistent effort – until success.
m)Complete effort – to point of the students’ desired fluency.
n)Long-term relationship-over a lifetime, or for a season.
o)Low-budget.
p)No payback.
q)“On the go” –(define). Your ability to remain mobile is not compromised.
r)Fun and enjoyable.
4)Core values of cell
a)Self-reliant (in terms of educational philosophy) – “In”.
b)Multiplying – “Out”.
c)“Teacher” and “apprentice” system.
d)Realistic goals – 1 up, 2 down across only.
e)Learning – “Up” (x1).
f)Teaching – “Down” (x2).
g)Phases – Instruction, practicum, training to propagate, consulting.
h)Using English – “Across”. (One equal friend.)
5)The people served.
a)Visionary – “English for English’s sake” – all over China.
b)Radical outreach – in needy areas, both near and far.
6)Helping yourself
a)Use your own system (this can involve making your own, or following/ adapting someone else’s system).
b)Build your system around the four language arts skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
c)Make your “theoretical plan” and your “action plan”, and follow it.
d)Go it alone. “If you want to get it done right, do it by yourself.”
e)“Be nice to yourself.” Buy books , VCD’s, tapes and other materials you like for yourself. Eat out less, to save your money. Get good radio, tape recorder.
f)Be discreet. Don’t tell everyone! Avoid problems, opposition, and distractions.
C. Conclusion
1)This section about cells – inspiration from, structure, characteristic and core values. An effective tool.
2)Also about helping others, and helping yourself. Many options.
3)C.S. – “Even if you disagree with cells as being too political, or helping other people as being impractical, do this one thing – take full control of the learning process, put it on your terms and determine the outcome from the start. The days of life talking down to you are over.” Next, we will discuss putting some of these ideas into practice.
- How to make the solutions happen
A.Introduction
1)First, this section is not meant to be a comprehensive answer to your problems – these are just “pointers”.
2)Many solutions will have to be worked out by yourself，or researched from the many books available in the bookstores.
3)This section will comment on some of the topics introduced in the previous section, and a few case-studies added. It is hoped these will provide a starting point for you, as you go about trying to formulate solutions to the problems unique to your situation.
B.Body
1)Characteristics of cell.
a)Low profile.
b)Secure/cannot be penetrated.
c)Screening.
d)Recruiting.
e)Testing for trustworthiness.
f)Holding meetings.
g)On choosing and implementing the appropriate budget.
h)How to operate “on the go”.
i)How to get fun and enjoyment out of this work.
2)Core values of cell.
a)How to be self-reliant, in terms of educational philosophy.
b)On the “phases”.
c)A case study detailing the “phases”.
d)On the “across” friend.
e)A case study detailing the “across” friend.