Taiwan's Education Background

Confucianism has greatly shaped Taiwanese culture and its highly competitive education system. Tests, competitions, and their results are very important. The most important test is the Joint Entrance Examination, which determines entrance into college. The pressure to attend a top-ranked university continues to greatly affect adolescent life. The school a student is attends is of much greater importance than how the student actually performs at the university level and is also thought to indicate (and influence) the student’s job prospects. As a result, there is an enormous amount of pressure on high school students.

Students begin to feel academic pressure at a young age. Attendance at a competitive high school is determined by scores from tests taken in junior high school, and elementary school students need to prepare for tests similar to U.S. standardized tests, which include an English test. Outside of regular school hours, many students attend cram schools for subjects like English, mathematics, and natural sciences. In general, children in Taiwan begin worrying about school, exams, and homework at a much younger age than their U.S. counterparts.

Taiwan’s education system has been criticized for placing excessive pressure on students and eschewing creativity in favor of rote memorization. Still, Taiwan’s literacy rate is over 96% and the system produces pupils with some of the highest test scores in the world, especially in the fields of math and science.


Elementary School

Students spend six years in elementary school, which begins in first grade and ends in sixth grade. Classes are held Monday through Friday, typically from 7:30 am through 4:00 pm (or noon on Wednesday). Primary subjects include Mandarin, mathematics, science, social studies, and English. Music, art, and additional language classes (Taiwanese or Hakka) frequently supplement the curriculum.

As in middle school, students are typically assigned to the elementary school closest to their registered place of residence. This leads some parents to file their children’s household registration with other relatives or friends for the purpose of sending them to better schools.

Middle School (Junior High)

  As middle students in Taiwan will face their senior high school entrance exam in every May, the English classes will be focused on more textbook and test-oriented practice. Therefore, ETFs & ETAs will be expected to be more active to provide teaching ideas and might do some solo teaching (with a LET to help aside) after discussion with LETs. In short, ETF/ETA who wants to enjoy more English conversation interaction with students or interested in seeking more actual teaching expereinces for future teaching career, will feel more suitable and comfortable teaching in middle school.  


School Culture

When you first arrive at your school, other teachers, staff, or administrators might not immediately approach you. There is a chance you could feel like you are being ignored, or going unnoticed. This is not the case; your presence is noticed but some people are shy. You may just have to make the first move by integrating yourself into the school’s culture. A good way of initiating contact with others is sharing food.

 There are many good reasons why you should try to integrate yourself into the culture. If you are familiar with a few of the school’s staff members or your LET, the school may indirectly communicate with you through them. Communication may be more open this way, as information, advice, or concerns may be communicated through them to you, as others may feel more comfortable having someone else you know in the school talk to you. 

Additionally, you can ask school friends for advice, given their familiarity with the school and its culture. Many things in the school will go unsaid, or, if they are said, they are said in Chinese. Many situations have backstories. If you talk to a number of sources at school regularly, you will stay more informed and have a better sense of your surroundings. 

You will find that you have very little alone time at school. There is a great deal of interaction between teachers and between teachers and their students. Actively try to understand the social environment. Try to see what your LET is doing in the classroom, what kind of constraints, goals, and needs they have, and how you can help them out with the skills you possess. Be flexible in your perception of your role in the classroom.


Changhua ETA School

2018-19 8 schools in Changua ( 5 elementary; 3 Junior High).
2019-20 11 schools (6 elementary; 5 Junior High).
2020-21 19 schools (14 elementary and 5 Junior High)
2021-22 9 schools ( 4 Elementary; 5 Junior High) / addintional 8 ETF schools
2022-23 10 schools (10 Elementary+ 8 Junior High) /addintional 8 ETF schools

Moreover, to expand ETAs’ creative teaching and cultural exchange influences in Changhua, each ETA may teach more than 1 school depending on every year’s project. 


 
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Do you co-teach or do you teach more independently in Changhua? 

Co-teaching requires cooperation and compromise between both the ETA and LET.  Co-teaching allows there to be a better student-to-teacher ratio; and, since most ETAs have had limited previous teaching experience, working with an LET is a great introduction to teaching EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in Taiwan.  Your co-teacher has more familiarity with the course materials and with students’ needs.  On the other hand, as an ETA you will bring American cultural knowledge and native fluency to help foster a more authentic language learning environment. As mentioned above, compromise is a huge component of co-teaching.  You may not always be able to accomplish everything you would like to; your LET may believe that there isn’t enough time for every activity that you want to try; and, it takes time to build rapport with your co-teacher and your students.  However, when conflicts, misunderstandings, and miscommunications arise, you should not take it personally.  It is not necessarily a reflection of your own or your LET’s teaching ability.  Co-teaching requires patience and practice and is part of the cultural exchange you'll experience during your time in Taiwan.

In Changhua, schools that have ETAs in consecutive years are more used to co-teaching and lesson planning with ETAs, but it still depends on how you and your LET are discussed. However, since ETAs in Changhua might be placed in Junior High that need to have more independent teaching like “one teaching and one assist” model. And just a heads up, every year we will have new schools to join the ETA program that you might need to be the pioneer of bringing the ETA spirit into the new schools!   


What is the role of Chinese in the English classroom?

The use of Chinese varies and typically depends on the LET.  Usually, in Changhua, most LETs encourage students to speak only English in the classroom. To know Chinese is of course a plus for you to get to know your students more, but as an ETA you do not necessarily need to know Chinese or use it in class.

 

How many hours do I need to teach in my school? 

Each ETA has about 12-16 teaching hours in their main/pair schools; However, ETAs will be paired up as a group to visit different schools every Thursday for the “ON THE Go“ project in Changhua County for a one-day English activity.

 


Elementary Schools 

文德國小 WunDe Elementary School

  • Total Number of Students: around 87

  • Grades Taught: 1-6 grades 

  • Number of Co-teachers: 2


同安國小 Ton An Elementary School


萬合國小 Wen He Elementary School


明湖國小 MIn Hu Elementary School

  • Total Number of Students: around 50

  • Grades Taught: 1-6 grades 

  • Number of Co-teachers: 2


圳寮國小 Zun Lioa Elementary School


潮洋國小 Chao Yang Elementary School


Junior High Schools 

     As Junior high students in Taiwan will face their college entrance exam, the English classes will be focused on more test-oriented practice.  Besides, some ETA will need to do some solo teaching time by time after discussion with LETs.  Therefore, ETA who has more teaching experiences will feel more comfortable teaching in Junior high.  


二水國中 Ershui Junior High School

  • Total Number of Students: around 176

  • Grades Taught: 7-8 grades

  • Number of Co-teachers: 3

Ershui Middle School is tucked in the foot of Bagua Mountain and surrounded by rice fields. It is a small school with about 200 students in the 7th-9th grade. The school prides itself on its focus on outdoor and environmental education. Every year, the township holds a Water Running Festival, which celebrates the Babao Canal found near the entrance of the school. The canal splits the Zhuoshui River (Taiwan’s longest river) in half, and it is central to Er Shui’s agriculture. Students from the middle volunteer as tour guides for the festival, and they are very enthusiastic about showing off their Township. The middle school has a rock-climbing wall and adventure course, which students use for competitions. Students also participate in the marching band and tchoukball. Overall, the school has a strong sense of community among the students and teachers. 


溪州國中 Xi zhou Junior High School

  • Total Number of Students: around 200

  • Grades Taught: 7-9 grades

  • Number of Co-teachers: 3 


草湖國中Cao Hu Junior High

  • Total Number of Students: around 175

  • Grades Taught: 7-8 grades

  • Number of Co-teachers: 3

If you like mushrooms, then Cao Hu is the school for you. If you don’t particularly like mushrooms but enjoy hefty supplies of  lettuce and hibiscus flowers, then Cao Hu is still the school for you. Cao Hu Junior High is a small school of about 175 students located in the coastal farmlands south of Lukang. Central to the Cao Hu ETA program is the freedom to move away from the textbook and create a unique English curriculum, which is ultimately more interesting for both the ETA and the students. When not in class, students can be seen tending to the school gardens, training with the winning unicycle team, practicing for traditional lion dance competitions, and casually playing croquet with Charles the Gentleman (P.E. teacher). 

Last thing: if you are invited to meet the “Mushroom Bosses,” say yes. You’ll probably leave with 5 lbs of mushrooms and a hydroponic mushroom grower for your house. If not, then there’s always the hibiscus bush on campus.


鹿鳴國中 LU MING Junior High School

  • Total Number of Students: around 200

  • Grades Taught: 7-9 grades

  • Number of Co-teachers: 3 


萬興國中 Wan Xin Junior High School

  • Total Number of Students: around 200

  • Grades Taught: 7-9 grades

  • Number of Co-teachers: 2



Other English Projects

On The Go

To expand the English influence on students in Changhua County,  Changhua English Resources Center (CIEETRC) set up an “ON THE GO“ project for ETAs to visit those schools that are not cooperating with Fulbright Taiwan each year. By allowing ETAs to interact with students outside the ETA program, we hope students all in Changhua County would receive more American cultural experiences and interact with ETAs.

Each Thursday, CIEETRC will assign ETAs to visit different schools. ETAs will need to prepare their own free lesson such as,  storytelling, fun activities, songs, or any cultural content. The best part of this project is,  ETAs don’t need to follow textbooks and can have more interaction with students.

Changhua County Wide English camp

In Changhua, for bringing more culture and increasing the chances to communicate with local students, Changhua’s ETAs and ETFs lead and organize the County Wide English Camp. With the support from CIEETRC office, (Changhua international education and English teaching resources center) ETAs and ETFs be able to design logo, teaching materials and activities by themselves. The purpose of the county wide English camp is bringing local American culture to the students, let Students experience different cultures such as music, dance or recess activity. The county wide camp usually gets held in the 2nd semester. Here are the English camps information sharing:

2018-19 All American Road Trip (held in 員林國小)

2019-21 Cancelled due to Covid

2021-22 All American Field Trip (held in 田中國中)

2018-19 All American Road Trip