Foreign Teachers’ Department held Symposium on Mid-term Teaching Inspection on May 18 afternoon at Room 612, Teaching Building I of Fuchenglu Campus, with the intention of filling the gap between Chinese teachers’ and foreign teachers’ pedagogic work. Professor Miao Tianshun, Dean of Foreign Language School, Li Yingjie, Quan Fengxia and Han Jitong, Directors and Secretary of Foreign Teachers’ Department, and all foreign teachers, including Thomas, Damien, Kerryn, Michael and Joshua attended the symposium.

Mr. Miao showed his concerns and expectations to foreign teachers. He encouraged them to hold more extracurriculum activities to improve students listening and speaking skills.

Hosted by Ms. Li Yingjie, the symposium put forward some problems in foreign teachers’ work, which were from the feedback of students and liaisons or Ms. Li’s observation of foreign teachers’ class or from the WeChat group New Home to Foreign Teachers, were discussed.

Ms. Li pointed out that in the mid-term teaching inspection, students were generally satisfied with foreign teachers’ work. Some suggestions were also put forward. She confirmed foreign teachers’ strengths in offering students access to western culture, humorous teaching style and a large variety of teaching approaches. And their weaknesses were also presented. For example, their classes were a little simple and lack of challenge and had little to do with the CET 4, loose control of students’ attendance and so forth. Then a discussion proceeded on how to attract students’ attention on the class, how to involve them fully, how to help them with their speaking and writing skills, how to prepare them to CET 4. It was generally agreed that from next term, foreign teachers would use the same textbook in the class, which was then written with joint efforts of Chinese and foreign teachers.

Miss Han was such a great asset that as a French major, she could teach herself English so that she could communicate with foreign teachers with English. It being quite demanding, Han’s pains were rewarded, seen from her improvement of English proficiency.

This symposium fully confirmed the achievement we made before and made clear the measures to better the future work. It made a contribution to further pedagogic reformation of our school and to reach the comprehensive goal of BTBU students’ different prospects, including postgraduate entrance examination prospect, studying abroad prospect, and employment prospect.