Not what to teach, but how

Comment on "English education still a priority" (China Daily, Nov 5)

When I told my students that the significance of English had been reduced in the college entrance exam in Beijing, many of them laughed because they thought English was difficult to learn and they hoped that they would not learn it. Then I asked them another question: "Will you learn more Chinese if you don't have to spend so much time on English? I mean, as English is not so important in the college entrance exam, you can make use of the time saved to learn more Chinese." The students laughed again. It suddenly hit me that students are bored with learning, whether it is English or Chinese. So the crucial problem may be not what they should learn, but how we should teach.

Kebao, on China Daily forum

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(China Daily 11/20/2013 page9)