How "Losing Face" Can Affect Teaching Styles

No one enjoys losing face. It's not fun. Yet everyone experiences it in life. You could even say it's a time of growth, gaining wisdom about yourself or others that you didn't plan on obtaining.

For the past six months I have had the opportunity to teach English to university students in China. They have proved themselves to be intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, and kind. Additionally, they show a great deal of creativity and most want to do well in their studies.

Before venturing out on this great endeavor, I was given lots of very good advice on teaching in such a different culture. Give them chances to participate in strict rote memorization. Ease into different cultural styles of teaching. Use lots of 'repeat after me' activities. Don't set them up for losing face.

Losing face. They don't enjoy this. It's not fun. This concept equals great shame in their culture. So how would I avoid this? How could I keep the confidence flowing in my classroom? There was a lot of advice about this too. Don't call on a student unless you are sure they can give you the correct answer. Don't gush over a particular student in front of the class. Try your best to take care of discipline quietly. Don't ask the class, as a whole, open-ended questions - they won't raise their hand, they will just stare at you. Students in this culture don't view themselves independently - they view success on how well their class fairs as a whole.

So many don'ts! I felt nervous and worried. One wrong move and I could bring shame on an innocent hard working student, their class, and even their family! As I began teaching I did my best to follow these rules and keep the confidence flowing. However, as the semester raged on, I began to see students beginning to ask questions, confidently displaying creativity, and just generally emerging from their shells. Although the previous advice rang to be true, I saw that I did not need to work inside a rigid fearful environment where I could break these fragile minds with one harsh word.