Tammy: my learners

My learners are primary students at the age around nine to eleven (grade 3-4). There are about 25 to 30 students in each class, and the school is located in a rural area in Taiwan. Students attend English classes twice a week starting from grade 3. Most of them enjoy having English classes since they have great fun and can express themselves freely in the classroom, which is not common in the classrooms of other subjects. Students have considerably comprehensible communicating skills by speaking basic classroom English or using body language in order to express themselves to fellow classmates and teacher. But they have rare opportunity to interact or use the language in their daily life.
Learning English has obviously become a national enthusiasm since the practice of English language teaching was amended to primary school level by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan in 2002. Although the majority of the parents of my students are in labour-consuming careers, which means that they do not have much time accompanying their children and providing them help with school works, they have great enthusiasm for their children learning English. GTA is the major teaching technique used in secondary school. Although young learners have fun learning English language and consider English language class an interesting course, they will have to learn it through GTA eventually.
I was trained as a primary school English teacher through a training program held by Teachers’ College in Taiwan. So far I have been teaching English to young children for two years. The education bureau of the county where the school is located has a team which provides many supports and assistance to English teachers who teach in the county, even though the resources are limited.