111 關西高中教甄
“Teaching in English” is far different from “the teaching of English”. When implementing EMI
(English as a Medium of Instruction) in senior high schools, what are the possible difficulties teachers
might encounter? To cope with these problems, what solutions or strategies could be implemented?
The importance of English-medium instruction (EMI) has been enormously stressed in Taiwan’s English
education in recent years. Although the application of EMI in classrooms helps enhance students’ English
proficiency, it presents potential problems to high-school educators.
Perhaps the biggest challenge that subject teachers are facing is their lack of confidence in teaching subject
content in English. Since an effective EMI class requires not only the expertise and mastery of a subject but
also the employment of integrated English skills, subject teachers who have long been accustomed to utilizing
their native language to provide instruction will inevitably have a hard time switching to English. Consequently,
they will probably be less confident and even unwilling to embrace the change. Another challenge is the
insufficiency of time to plan EMI lessons. In other words, utilizing English language to teach academic subjects
does not just mean translating the content into English. It also involves the modification of the instructor’s
original lesson plans to meet the learners’ needs, which will undoubtedly take up a great deal of preparation
time, leading to the sacrifice of teaching effectiveness. Last but not least, the teachers might have the students
who have already had trouble understanding the subject knowledge and who have not yet equipped with basic
English proficiency levels. There is every likelihood that those low achievers will just give up and even develop
a sense of powerlessness in learning.
While the implementation of EMI constitutes a challenging task for all class participants, there are some
measures that could help overcome the possible disadvantages. For one thing, to boost subject instructors’
confidence in applying EMI in classrooms, it is necessary for the government to provide resources or incentive
for them to organize learning communities in which they can consult experts, share experiences as well as
engage in co-planning, class observations and discussions. In addition, to reduce the burden of those who are
willing to employ English as a medium of instruction, the school authority could reduce their weekly teaching
hours. Once they are given ample time to design their teaching plans, they will be more likely to put more
efforts without becoming exhausted. Finally, the school could start sessions for the students with lower
achievement in English learning. By offering them extra support, they will have a chance to re-examine and
improve their language learning strategies, which might increase their motivation for English acquisition as
well as reduce their fears of lessons based on EMI.
In conclusion, it is inevitable that EMI will pose challenges to everyone engaging in senior-high education.
However, I am firmly convinced that it is also a great step towards the national goal of turning Taiwan into a
bilingual country.
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