Teaching English in the Chinese 21st Century Classroom

Since the beginning of this century, both EFL experts and teachers have made great efforts to change the traditional way of teaching English and carry out teaching reforms, some of which proved to be very fruitful. This paper, therefore, reviews the changes and achievements in the Chinese EFL classroom in the past decade. In principle, ELT in China has tended to be student-centered and production-oriented. Some emerging, innovative teaching models such as the Length Approach and the Production-oriented Approach advocate that students acquire a foreign language through pushed production. In practice, various teaching approaches including PBL, TBLL and CBI have been implemented to improve the efficiency of teaching. Teachers have tried to combine teaching of subject matter and teaching of language skills. Students’ future needs have also been taken into consideration and thus both EAP and EOP modules have been added to the traditional EGP. The Flipped Classroom has been practiced and MOOC resources have been introduced into the EFL classroom. In testing, portfolio assessment, diagnostic testing and formative assessment have been performed to complement the traditional summative assessment. To sum up, EFL teaching in China is now entering a new phase, shifting its focus from quantity expansion to quality enhancement. By seizing all the opportunities of the globalization trend and digital revolution in this age, it will embrace a prosperous future.