Challenging Misconceptions
作者：Timothy Henry Bullins 老師
學歷：M.A. of Gaylord College of Journalism,
　　　 University of Oklahoma
現任：文藻外語學院英文系 專案講師
　　My experiences in teaching at Wenzao have helped me grow more as an educator and learn about the intricacies of being a student in Taiwan. Although students in Taiwan and the United States have many things in common, there are many very telling differences. As a teacher, I feel duty-bound to be aware of my students’ concerns and address these in the course of my lectures but I also realize that sometimes students need guidance in areas that they might not be aware of.

　　For example, the majority of the students that I have encountered while in Taiwan are unaware of the need to develop critical thinking skills. Most focus their attention on passing the course, a major exam, or some other goal. They fail to see that the journey is just as important, if not more so, than the ultimate goal. This observation is by no means meant as a criticism but it has led me to adjust my teaching methodology as well as my expectations.

　　The courses I teach at Wenzao are advanced ones which require more than just rote memorization. They are also not the last ones most students will face. Therefore I think my students should leave my classroom at the end of the semester prepared to face more difficult classes or challenges in life. I devote a portion of each class to them to critical thinking exercises and attempt to guide them in using critical thinking throughout the semester. I firmly believe that an educator is not just responsible for ensuring that students learn the materials the course is designed to teach but also that they experience some kind of overall growth in the way they approach learning.

　　The purpose of an advanced education is not to get a diploma, find a better paying job, or any other such short-term goal. It is to challenge ourselves to the utmost of our abilities and then a little more. It is to help us become better citizens in a global community where people share the responsibility for a planet that is being threatened by not only pollution but a myriad of terrorist’s factions, irresponsible leaders, and uncaring business tycoons. When my students leave my classroom, I hope it is not with disappointment because they did not get an ‘A,’ but with delight that now they see things in a broader light. I do not attempt to change their thinking so that they agree with me. That is not my ambition. My goal is to help them form and support their own opinions by looking at an issue with a critical eye.

　　Another area some students have difficulty with is cultural differences. Their exposure to Western culture has been an abundance of television dramas which are loaded with misconceptions and false impression. Although many students express concern that I sometimes discuss cultural differences within my classes, I feel it is necessary to try to dispel some of the damage that mass media has done. Also it is a fact that languages do not exist in a vacuum. Languages develop in and around a culture. A very good example of this is the term ‘catch-22.’ This is a common phrase used in the United States, which means basically “a situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions,” yet many people studying English as a foreign language are unaware that this comes from the title of a novel written by Joseph Heller.

　　

　　Although knowing where a phrase or bit of slang comes from is not always necessary for studying a language, it certainly help a student retain the information a bit longer thereby giving him a chance to incorporate it into his working vocabulary. Even more important than this, is the fact that some words and phrases heard by non-native English speakers while watching movies or listening to audio are not considered politically correct in many situations and quite offensive is some instances. Any person wishing to travel abroad to a country where English is an official language should be aware of these and guard against using them. Pop music is quite popular in Taiwan but the lyrics in many rap songs are offensive when repeated to an individual on the streets.

　　I believe the responsibilities of a good educator are to fill in the gaps left in a student’s education by the inadequate textbooks and living in a different culture. The majority of textbooks that I use in my classes are woefully sanitized for the second language learner and although they might reflect one section of the United States’ population, I think they do not address practical issues for someone who might be traveling across the country and find himself faced with the ‘average’ American. My students are shocked when I point out that the ‘average’ citizen of the United States does not go to the university, does not travel abroad, and has very little interaction – if any – with someone from a different country or culture.

　　In conclusion, I have found the students at Wenzao to be extremely motivated to learn about many new things; however, as with most people, their view of the world started being shaped when they were very young. Many are resistant to the truth since it varies from some of their preconceived notions. This is not a fault nor is it a deficit – it is merely human nature and as they experience more in life they will grow to understand that television dramas are not reality. They will travel more and encounter people with different backgrounds from different countries.

Vocabulary:
  1. misconception (n.) 錯誤觀念；誤解
  2. intricacy (n.) 錯綜複雜難懂之事、物
  3. telling (a.) 顯著的
  4. duty-bound (a.) 有責任義務的
  5. be aware of … 知道、察覺…
  6. address (v.) 提出
  7. encounter (v.) 遇見
  8. ultimate (a.) 最終的
  9. by no means 絕不是…
  10. adjust (v.)調整
  11. devote … to … 奉獻…於….
  12. ensure (v.) 保證
  13. diploma (n.) 文憑
  14. a myriad of … 大量的
  15. faction (n.) 派系內訌鬥爭
  16. uncaring (a.) 不在意的
  17. tycoon (n.) 企業大亨
  18. an abundance of … 大量的
  19. dispel (v.) 驅散、消除
  20. inherently (adv.) 固有的
  21. retain (v.) 記住
  22. offensive (a.)冒犯的
  23. inadequate (a.) 不適當的
  24. woefully (adv.) 令人遺憾地
  25. sanitize (v.) 消毒
  26. be resistant to … 抵抗…
  27. preconceived (a.) 已有成見的、已先入為主的
  28. deficit (n.) 不足

【面臨挑戰的錯誤觀念】
-本文大意-

　　來文藻教書，不但讓自己更像一位教育者，也讓自己了解到台灣學生一些錯綜複雜難懂之事。雖然台灣學生和美國學生有很多共通點，但仍有許多明顯差異。身為一位老師，我覺得我有責任了解學生所關心的事物並在課堂中與他們討論，但我也體認到有時學生需要別人的帶領，去認識他們可能不知道的領域。

　　舉例來說，我在台灣碰到的學生大多不知道培養批判性思考的必要性。大部分學生一心一意只想順利拿到學分、通過考試或達到一些其他目標。他們不能夠看見人生有更重要的目標。這點觀察絕不是批評，但是卻改變了我自己的教學方法和期待。

　　我在文藻所教授的課程都是一些不能單靠死背的進階課程。因此我認為我的學生在期末時應該就能準備好接受人生更高難度的課程或挑戰。因為課堂中我會花些時間訓練他們批判性思考，並嘗試整學期都帶領他們使用。我堅決相信，一位教育者不是只確保學生學到教科書內容而已，也應讓學生透過學習，經歷其他層面的成長。

　　高等教育的目的不在於拿文憑、找到更好待遇的工作或為了任何其他短程目標。我們接受高等教育，目的應在於使自己能成為地球村中更優秀的一份子；在當中，大家共同為這個遭受污染、一堆恐怖份子分化、不盡責的領導者、以及默不關心的商業鉅子威脅的星球盡責任。當我的學生離開教室時，我希望他們不會因為得不到好成績而感到沮喪，而是會因為他們現在能以較寬廣角度去看待事物而感到喜悅。我不會為了要他們認同我而嘗試去改變他們想法。我的目標在於幫助他們能夠從批判的角度去看待每一議題，去建立自我想法並支持自我想法。

　　另一個學生可能會感到難以理解的地方，就是文化差異。學生接觸到的西方文化多半是從佈滿錯誤觀念和假象的電視戲劇而來。雖然許多學生對於我有時在課堂中探討文化差異覺得擔心，但我覺得盡力去消除傳播媒體造成的傷害是有必要的。再說，語言不是無中生有的，它是因文化或圍繞著文化而生的。

　　雖然知道一個片語或俚語的出處，對學習語言來說，不見得必要，但知道片語或俚語的出處的確可以幫助學生記憶、加深印象，進而讓學生有機會使用。更重要的是，有時外語學習者從看電影或聽音樂學到的用字遣詞，在許多場合是視為不正確，或是被視為有點冒犯他人的意思。任何一位想到以英語為官方語言的國家旅行的人都應該注意這些並謹慎避用之。流行音樂在台灣雖然很受歡迎，但許多饒舌歌曲的歌詞，當被重複用來對著街上某一個人說時，卻是種冒犯行為。

　　我相信一位好的教育者的職責在於填補那因教科書使用不當或因生活在不同文化背景所造成的不足。我在課堂中所使用的教科書，很遺憾地，大部份都被淨化。 或許這些教科書反映了美國人民的一個面向，但我認為這些書並沒有真實反映美國其他實際面向。當我指出一般美國人並沒有上大學、並不旅行、和來自不同國家或文化背景的人很少互動時，學生都感到很意外。

　　我發現，雖然文藻學生對於學習新事物都很積極，但是因大部份學生對於這世界的認知都是從小建立，使得他們會排斥接受不同於先前的認知。這樣的反應，不是錯，也不是個缺陷-----它只是人性罷了。當他們有更多的人生經歷，他們會逐漸了解到電視戲劇所呈現的不是真實的。他們日後會到更多國家旅行，會遇到許多來自不同國家、不同文化背景的人的。

 

from 教育部南區英語教學資源中心

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