English Language Teaching in China

Book excerpt: This book examines the importance of English language teaching in China, but also the need for this teaching to be modernised in order for China to better join the world economy. The current trend within English teaching in China is for 'communicative competence' - that is, being able to communicate with linguistic, pragmatic, discourse and strategic competence. This volume argues that such a theoretical framework of communicative competence needs to be expanded to address both global needs and local contexts, if English language teaching in China is to be successful. The contributors to this volume examine every aspect of language teaching and suggest new ways in which communication and grammar can be balanced. The chapters include coverage of: * the importance of English in a global world * the theoretical framework of communicative competence * the role of grammar in learning English * assessing and evaluating communicative competence * the starting age of learning English * teaching language skills in the post-methods era * using multimedia in teaching and testing * online learning and self-learning * teacher training through empowerment. With its balance of theory and practice, and internationally renowned contributors, this guide to new approaches, perspectives and standards in language teaching will be essential reading for academics interested in applied linguistics and second language acquisition, and English language teaching professionals.