29 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

If you were asked to guess what name or event was the subject of the most searches on Google in 2014, what would you say? Malaysian Airlines, ISIS, Ukraine, Putin, Ebola, Gaza, Michael Brown?

No, none of these.  According to Google, the most searched name or event in 2014 was ....

Robin Williams (and his death).

I was a fan too, but I had no idea that he was soooooo popular, that his appeal was soooooo great.

Robin Williams was an extraordinary comedian and actor.  I would like to dedicate this post to his memory, for all the laughter, pleasure and entertainment he brought to countless millions around the world.

A profile

Robin Williams was born in Chicago on 21 July 1951. His father was a senior executive with Ford.  When Robin was 16 the family moved to the San Francisco area. He worked as a bartender and ‘stand-up comedian’ while studying acting. 

His big break came in 1978 in his role as Mork  the alien in the popular TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–82).

His movie debut was in Popeye (1980). Some of his better-known films include: The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), Hook (1991), The Fisher King (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Good Will Hunting (1997), One Hour Photo (2002), and Night at the Museum (2006).

Robin Williams had great depth as an actor, appearing in an amazing variety of roles. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards throughout his career.

He was married three times and had three kids: Valerie Valardi (1978-88, son Zak); Marsha Garces (1989-2010, daughter Zelda & son Cody); and Susan Schneider (2011-)

On 11 August 2014, aged 63, Robin Williams committed suicide (by hanging) at his home in Paradise Cay, California.

What drove this remarkable talent, much loved and much admired, to end his life?  Some people blamed depression, others alcoholism (after 20 years on the wagon he was drinking heavily again). His wife speculated that the trigger may have been a diagnosis of early-Parkinsons Disease. His last movie was 'The angriest man in Brooklyn' about the meaning of life - could that have triggered something?  

We’ll never know what drove this brilliant man, who seemed to have everything, to take his own life. A harsh reminder how little we really know of what goes on in anyone's mind.

I like President Obama's tribute: "He was one of a kind.  He arrived in our lives as an alien and ended up touching every element of the human spirit."

Robin Williams was a master of “one-liners’. I think it is fitting to farewell him in the company of other ‘one-liners’ – see table below.

Table 1: A selection of famous & infamous one-liners (alphabetical, after Williams)

Robin Williams	“See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to run one at a time.” “Ah, yes, divorce...from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man’s genitals through his wallet.”
Woody Allen	“Having sex is like playing bridge; if you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand.”
George Burns	“The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and have the two as close together as possible.”
George W Bush (2003 comment on Iraq)	“Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties."
Mariah Carey	“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry; I mean, I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.”
Tom Clancy	“I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy.”
Billy Crystal	“Women need a reason to have sex; men just need a place.”
W.C. Fields	“A woman drove me to drink – and I hadn't even the courtesy to thank her.”
Zsa Zsa Gabor	“I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.”
John F. Kennedy	“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Steve Martin	“You know ‘that look’ women get when they want sex? Me neither.”
Groucho Marx	“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.”
Spike Milligan	“Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.”
Ronald Reagan	“I am not worried about the deficit; it’s big enough to take care of itself.”
Brook Shields	“Smoking kills; if you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.”
Elizabeth Taylor	“When the sun comes up, I have morals again.”
Mark Twain	“Don't go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first.”

The most prolific ‘one-liner’ in history was probably the great Chinese sage Confucius who, 2,500 years ago, was the first to proclaim the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you want them to treat you.” His 497 sayings are contained in a book called The Analects. 

Robin Williams is in good company.  May he Rest in Peace.

Here are some photos of Robin Williams

In  his High School Yearbook, he was described as the funniest in his class, and also the LEAST LIKELY to succeed.

While filming Popeye in 1980 Robin took time out to visit a Playboy Club.

One of his greatest comedic performances was as Mrs Doubtfire (1993).

Master of  'one-liners'.

Robin Williams with his 3 children  (Cody, Zak & Zelda) and second wife Marsha Garces. 

Robin Williams in 2014 (aged 63).

...

That's it for this post.

Last night we had a few people around for an end-of-year dinner (Vera excelled herself yet again!), and on Wednesday night they will return to help us see in the New Year.  I'll include photos in a future post.

Keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn/english/
Monday, 29 December 2014

27 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

This post is a continuation of the last post (24 December) on aspects of college education, but before I get into that subject let me make a brief comment on Xmas.

'Tis the festive season, a time to rejoice with family and friends.  Also a time to reflect on the past year, and look forward to the coming 12 months.

Probably the most significant event which happened on Xmas Day in our life time was the disintegration of the Soviet Union on 25 December 1991.  After more than 40 years of ideological struggle (the Cold War) the "Great Satan" was vanquished, and in its place 15 independent countries were created.

It was a miracle. We owe you, Gorby!

And, arguably, the most important development since that cataclysmic event in 1991 has been the dramatic rise and rise of China.

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across an interesting article in Toronto's Globe & Mail newspaper of 12 December, written by their Beijing correspondent Nathan Vanderklippe. He illustrates China's extraordinary economic development by profiling six locals who have made it good - but Nathan also contends that with the headlong pursuit of materialism has come a moral vacuum in The Middle Kingdom.

The article commences with the following statistics comparing changes in the USA and China in the 35 years since Deng Xiao Ping's 'opening & reform' policies were introduced (see Table 1).

  

Table 1: Changes 1978 to 2013

	USA Change 1978 to 2013	China Change 1978 to 2013
GDP per capita	402%	4,293%
Disposable income per capita	660%	7,761%
Imports	1,204%	17,809%
Exports	1,021%	22,560%
Number of air passengers	172%	22,809%
Urban population	10%	196%

Aren't these figures mind-boggling?

China has averaged GDP growth of near-10% for more than 30 years - I doubt any other country has ever grown so fast for so long.  Will it continue?  The economy is certainly slowing down. In 2015 China's GDP is expected to grow about 7%, the slowest in a while but still a very substantial number, don't you think?

It's strange - Western media seems critical of China for having a growth expectation of "only 7%", when their own economies are struggling to achieve 2% (is that part of a sub-conscious double-standard in reporting on China?).  Chinese media says 7% is about the minimum required to create the jobs for school and college leavers.

Actually, it's probably more sensible to grow at a steady 5% or 6% per annum as the economy matures.

OK, that's enough ... let's get back to the main subject.

...

Comparison China / US college

In my last post (24 December) I described the study workloads of Chinese students and mentioned that I would include comments by an American teacher.

When I was teaching at CUP's Dongying campus I met Ally Tredaldi, a young American teacher at nearby Sheng Li College.  Ally was a recent graduate of Skidmore College in upstate New York.  I thought it would be good for my students to meet someone closer to their own age, so I invited her to address my Western Culture class.

Ally was a great hit.  For over an hour, she stood in front of the class and answered questions.
 

One of the things Ally said, which greatly impressed the students, was that she was from a poor family (her mother, divorced, brought up 3 kids) and from a town in New York State with significant social problems (unemployment and gang violence).  

When Ally turned 15 she got a weekend job in a local shop.  At university she had three part time jobs to pay her way: she worked in the cafeteria, in the Administration Office, and also did some tutoring. 

Most Chinese have an image of America as being full of rich, happy people, so Ally’s comments were a revelation. 

China: harder to enter college, easier to graduate

Ally’s assessment was that in China it is harder to get into university (so much competition), but once in, it is easier to graduate (the ‘system’ encourages and supports students to study and pass exams).  In America, it is easier to get into university, but harder to graduate.

She explained that although Chinese students have twice as many lectures as American students, in her opinion that actually made their learning easier.  They get most of their knowledge and information direct from their teachers in the classroom, whereas in America students have to do much more self-study and research.

Ally majored in history, and every 2 weeks had to submit an 8-10 page essay on some historical event or issue.  It wasn’t enough to just state the facts, she had to explain her conclusions with carefully-argued reasoning.  The Chinese students were shocked - they said that this was very different from the minimal homework they were given.

At the China University of Petroleum a student’s score for a subject is based on 70% final exam and 30% class attendance and participation.  I understand that is the norm throughout China.  Ally said that these numbers are reversed in America (30% final exam and 70% performance during the semester).

In America, if students fall behind with their homework, or submit shoddy work, or miss too many classes, their enrollment is re-assessed and they can be, and regularly are, asked to leave the college.  That rarely happens in China.  Once a student manages to get into university here, the teaching system actively supports him or her and helps them to attain graduation. 

Ally said that in China 'the system' wants students to pass and graduate, whereas in America 'the system' doesn’t care if a student succeeds or fails – it’s up to the individual.

Cheating

The discussion then turned to cheating.  In theory, cheating is forbidden in both America and China, but there seems to be a much greater tolerance of it in China.

 

In America it is a ‘black & white’ issue  – if a student is caught cheating, he or she is disciplined.  If it involved plagiarism in an essay or other research work, the student is given a warning.  If cheating happens in an exam, the student is immediately expelled from the room and given an F (Fail) mark.  There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ – you fail that exam and you could even be expelled from the Faculty and university.  Cheating is taken very seriously.

In China there seems to be a more tolerant attitude towards cheating.

 

China is a very competitive society and academic attainment is regarded very highly – it is the primary yard-stick of a person’s worth – and exam results are the measure of a person’s ability. 

From an early age, beginning in primary school, children are told that they must succeed and the measure of their success is judged by their exam results.  Anything which helps them achieve higher scores is regarded as acceptable. 

Friends are expected to help each other.  If someone knows the answer to a question, they are expected to help others, through hand signals, the passing of notes, or whatever.

Apparently some Chinese teachers turn a blind eye to cheating and students quickly work out what they can get away with and with whom. 

I asked a couple of Chinese English teachers about this recently, as the Final Exams for this semester are fast approaching.  They said that if they see students cheating in an exam they will admonish them and tell them to stop, but they will not expel the culprits from the classroom.

I certainly don’t want to imply that all or even most Chinese teachers ignore cheating. Actually, teachers who have helped me supervise exams have all seemed diligent and careful.  But that is a small sample, and in the presence of a foreigner.  But the overall impression I have gained from talking to people is that there is a more relaxed attitude to cheating here then back home - perhaps part of the ‘helping students to graduate’ approach?

My classes will have their final exams soon - will let you know if anything untoward takes place.

...

Well, folks, that's all for this post.

Exciting day: This afternoon Qingdao TV is featuring a program on foreign experts of which I am one.  Wonder how Vera & I will come across? Tonight all the foreign teachers have been invited to an end-of-year dinner by Professor Zha Ming, Vice President in charge of international matters (including foreign teachers), so will be nice to get a decent feed.

OK, must go.

Best wishes, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn/english/
Saturday, 27 December 2014

24 December 2014

Gentlefolk,

SEASONS GREETINGS, EVERYONE!

Although the shopping malls are full of Xmas decorations and music, Xmas Day is a normal workday in China. Actually, the university told us that we can have the day off if we re-schedule classes, but its difficult to arrange that at this late stage in the semester.

Being of European heritage, we always celebrated on Xmas Eve with family in Australia. Instead, tonight we'll go to a concert being organised by the International Students.

Hopefully we'll get to skype with Jennifer (Adelaide) & Andrew (Melbourne) & families, and also my sisters in Canberra.

What's my schedule for tomorrow, Xmas Day?  Bet it's different from yours.  I'll be up at sparrow's fart to teach my usual Thursday morning class from 8 - 9.50am.  Then off to the dentist (ugh!).  A Chinese professor has invited Vera & me to his home for dinner tomorrow night - will be nice to spend time in a family atmosphere.

I've been meaning to do a post on students and their study workload, so here goes.

...

Why do Chinese students perform so well when they study in Australia and other foreign countries?

I don’t think they are smarter than Western kids, but what sets them apart is their amazing work ethic.  China, with its huge population, is a very competitive society. And competition starts early. 

From a young age, from primary school, kids spend a lot of time studying. It gets tougher in Middle School, and the three years of High School leading up to the National College Entrance Exam get a bit crazy. In Shandong Province it is normal for students to study from 7am to 10pm, or later, leading up to the Gao Kao.

They get a shock when they start College and might “only” have 30 contact hours a week. They sometimes complain of not knowing how to fill in their free time!

Class timetable

The China University of Petroleum has split each working day into 5 classes - each class comprises 2 lessons of 50 minutes - as follows:

Class 1 & 2:  8 – 8.50am and 9 – 9.50am

Class 3 & 4:  10.10 – 11am and 11.10 – 12 noon

(There is a two-hour break from 12 – 2pm. A nap after eating lunch is common)

Class 5 & 6:  2 – 2.50pm and 3 – 3.50pm

Class 7 & 8:  4.10 – 5pm and 5.10 – 6pm

Class 9 & 10:  7 – 7.50pm and 8 – 8.50pm.

A siren sounds at the beginning of each lesson and again after 50 minutes.  The 10 minute break between lessons is used to go to the bathroom, make calls, stretch, etc. 

I have a student list for each class and always begin each class with a roll call.  When a student misses a class, usually due to illness, they will give me an official note afterwards.

Final marks at the end of the semester are based on 30% ‘daily performance’ (ie their attendance and contribution in class) and 70% final exam.  So regular attendance and participation in class activities is taken seriously.

Lecturers are expected to teach for the full 50 minutes of each lesson. 

One of my colleagues told me that at the beginning of the semester he finished a couple of classes 10 minutes early.  Each class has a designated leader called ‘monitor’.  The class monitor approached my colleague and requested that he teach them for the full 50 minutes – the students preferred learning to getting early-marks! 

The students are polite in their interactions with teachers.  If I ask them a question, they stand up to reply.  At first I thought that was a bit formal and told them that I didn’t expect them to stand.  But they prefer to stand – a habit they have grown up with – so after a while I just let it happen.

American-style descriptors are used to describe which year a student is in.  A first year student is called a Freshman, as second year student is called a Sophomore, a third year student is called a Junior, and a fourth year student is called a Senior. 

Student workloads

To get a better appreciation of the pressures the students are under, I asked some of my students for details of their workloads. 

Table 1: Weekly class schedule for English Major 1301,  2^nd Year students

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8 – 9.50am	Writing English	Oral English	Listening English	Translation	-
10.10 – 12noon	Physical Education	Western Culture	Reading English	Inter-cultural communications	Reading English
2 – 3.50pm	Marxism	Communication	Writing English	Communication	-
4.10 – 6pm	-	-	Marxism	Elective	Elective
7 – 8.50pm	Elective	Elective	-	-	-

The students are encouraged to take one or two elective (optional ) classes on top of their compulsory classes.  They can choose from a wide range of subjects, including: Oil & gas in China; Nuclear power; Career planning; International relations; Chinese history;  Military history; Psychology; Marketing; etc.

English major students must study a second language, starting in the 2^nd semester of their Sophomore year (ie next semester for this class).  French and German are popular.

English Major class 1301.

Table 2: Weekly schedule for Double Majors International Trade & English, 2^nd year students

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
8–9.50 am	Economics	Math	Math	English listening	English Oral	elective
10.10-12	Math	English writing	English writing	Math	Marketing	elective
2-3.50pm	Marxism	PE	English reading	English reading	International  trade	English reading
4.10-6pm	-	Western culture	Marxism	English listening	English Oral	-
7-8.50pm	Marketing	Economics	International trade	English reading	Accounting	-

The Double Majors have the heaviest workload of all students.  These students are doing a double-degree.  On graduating they will receive qualifications in their ‘main major’ (accounting, or computing, or chemical engineering, or geology, etc) as well as in English.  These students typically have around 25 classes a week – ie around 50 ‘contact hours’ with lecturers per week.

Some of the students in the combined Culture class English Major 1302 and Double Majors 1303 + 1304.  Vera bought me a pair of fake glasses to look "more professorial" - do they work?

English Majors have 13 or 14 compulsory classes a week, while International Trade Majors usually have around 15 or 16 a week.  Engineering majors (Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, etc) typically have around 20 classes a week, including laboratory time.

Of course, the students have homework and study on top of the direct ‘contact hours’.  If a student has 15 classes a week, that means 30 contact hours.  If you assume at least one self-study hour for every contact hour (1:1) then that student is looking at a 60 hour week, which is a very busy week indeed. 

Actually, from my observation they don't get much homework; some tell me that they usually only do an hour (sometimes two) a day of self-study.  After sitting through 6 or 8 hours of lectures a day I doubt I'd be capable of doing much self-study!

No wonder many students complain of being tired and stressed.  When I see their workload it surprises me that they cope as well as they do.

I asked a couple of friends who have kids at university in Australia.  Arts, law, finance, and economics courses seem to have around 12 – 14 contact hours per week (lectures and tutorials).  Science and engineering have around 20 contact hours a week, plus laboratory time.

On that basis, Chinese university students have at least twice as many contact hours as their Australian counterparts.

A young American teacher I met in Dongying compared College in the US and China, but I'll leave her comments for another post as this one is getting too long already.

My teaching schedule

This semester my teaching schedule is 7 classes per week, from Week 2 (commencing 15 September 2014) to Week 18 (commencing 5 January 2015); 5 classes of Western Culture (total of 206 students) and 2 classes of Oral English (total of 62 students).

In October and December I also taught groups from the Great Wall and Xi Bu Drilling Companies (an additional three classes per week). 

Table 3: Alex’s weekly teaching schedule, September 2014 – January 2015

Time/day	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Friday
8 – 9.50am				EM1303 Culture
10.10 – 12 noon		EM1301 Culture
2 – 3.50pm			Drilling Oral		Drilling Oral
4.10 – 6pm	Drilling Oral	EM1302 + DM Culture	NM199 Oral English		NM63 Culture
7 – 8.50pm	NM64 Oral English	NM198 Culture

Notes:

EM = English Major; DM = Double Major; NM = Non Major (these students are taking this subject as an ‘elective’.)

This semester most of my classes are sophomores (second year students).  The ‘13’ signifies that they started university in September 2013, and these students are now in their second year. 

The Non English Major classes are a mixed bag.  These students are mainly majoring in engineering subjects.  They are a mix of second, third year and fourth year students.  They take Oral English and Western Culture as ‘elective courses’.

University degrees

All undergraduate degrees here are four year degrees; Master’s degrees are an additional 3 years for science majors and 2 years for others. 

The fourth undergraduate year is a ‘light’ year.  In the first semester 4^th year students usually only have 3 or 4 classes a week.  The second semester (ie just before they graduate) is devoted to writing a thesis.  To graduate all 4^th year students have to submit and defend a thesis, on a topic agreed with their principal lecturer. 

Fourth year students are expected to devote much of their time to job-hunting.  Most will either find jobs (to commence when they graduate at the end of the academic year) or will decide on future study options, either at home or abroad, and will apply for relevant scholarships during the year.

Comment

The Chinese educational system is rigorous.  The students don’t have much time for extra-curricular activities, such as hobbies and sports.  Of course getting a good education is important, but there needs to be balance.  University should be a time to develop the ‘whole person’, not just a particular skill.  

There are often suggestions in the media that the system should change, but China is so competitive, and the pressures to succeed so great, that meaningful change will be difficult to achieve.

You can understand, now, why Chinese students in Australia do so well – the strong study ethic which they develop during school and college!

...

Best wishes to you all for Xmas and for 2015.

Keep well, and keep smiling.

Vera and Alex Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn/english/

Wednesday, 24 December 2014