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【Abstract】This article introduces the ESL teaching classroom at the Applied English Center （AEC） of the University of Kansas.
【Keywords】ESL teaching
I am a college English instructor who has been teaching an EFL class for the previous nine years.My research interest has been on learner strategies for EFL writing，so I have been curious about how American ESL teachers teach their students to write.While visiting the KU Writing Center this fall semester，I observed two of the AEC Reading/Writing classes.I found that in the AEC ESL classroom，with a touch of humanistic concern and well-developed teaching materials and methods，the active teachers and the cooperative students created a positive learning atmosphere through mutual understanding and interactions.
The first thing that struck me was that the AEC teachers at KU are active and humorous in communicating their knowledge to their students.This may be attributed to American academic culture.In China，teachers are supposed to be dignified and composed in the class，so as to maintain a relatively authoritative image.Most of the Chinese teachers are reserved，while the two AEC instructors I observed are relaxed and energetic.I admire their body language in communicating ideas to their students，whether it is a swing of their body or their exaggerated facial expressions.I also admire their sense of humor in conducting potentially boring grammar exercises.When showing her students the proper usage of a comma，one instructor made a funny-looking face and used a comical pronunciation every time she needed to add a comma in the grammatical exercises.The students，as well as I，enjoyed our time in the classrooms with these expressive teachers.
The second significant difference would be the AEC students’dedication to their study in America.The American academic system has high-standard requirements for college students.Chinese students have to work extremely hard in high school in order to enter a good university because of the fierce competition brought by the large population.Once they get their “passport” to a university，they assume that it is their ticket to have fun.However，in America，things are just the opposite.Children’s learning is supposed to take place during their play time，and when they grow up，college is the place where they should work hard and think deeper about their lives.Another factor that can contribute to the AEC students’ dedication to their study is the size of the classes.The numbers of students in the two classes I observed were 19 and 13 respectively.A smaller class size enables the instructor to take each student’s strength into consideration.The teachers know their students so well that they understand what their students need physically and mentally.Martha pairs female Arabic students only with females because they will feel uncomfortable working in pairs with males；she will work one-on-one with shy students or students of lower-proficiency；she even understands the reason for a student choosing to sit in a particular seat all the time.Such considerate and thoughtful psychological care elicits the students’ positivity and cooperation，which is absent in most larger-size EFL classrooms in China. Teaching materials are tailor-made for the students by coordinators of each level at the AEC.It really surprised me when the teachers gave handouts of specific practices on reading，writing or grammar with sentences and paragraphs closely related to the readings in the textbook in use.The idea of having one particular teacher taking charging of this task of teaching material development is efficient.Moreover，creative teaching methods help cultivate an atmosphere of relaxed learning.The teachers at Level 3 visualized the text by using colorful markers.I could see students were really enjoying their time when they were busy building marker skyscrapers during the break，and highly involved in the marking tasks in class.
Students’ degree of dedication is highly correlated with the teachers’ degree of devotion to their career.I admire the luxury American teachers have to work one-on-one with their students frequently.When we are teaching，we help create young people’s lives，and we know that we can influence our students through warmth and positive attitudes towards their study and life.The AEC teachers are setting a positive model for their students by modeling effective learning in a cooperative，interactive，interesting，and relaxing environment.
【Keywords】ESL teaching
I am a college English instructor who has been teaching an EFL class for the previous nine years.My research interest has been on learner strategies for EFL writing，so I have been curious about how American ESL teachers teach their students to write.While visiting the KU Writing Center this fall semester，I observed two of the AEC Reading/Writing classes.I found that in the AEC ESL classroom，with a touch of humanistic concern and well-developed teaching materials and methods，the active teachers and the cooperative students created a positive learning atmosphere through mutual understanding and interactions.
The first thing that struck me was that the AEC teachers at KU are active and humorous in communicating their knowledge to their students.This may be attributed to American academic culture.In China，teachers are supposed to be dignified and composed in the class，so as to maintain a relatively authoritative image.Most of the Chinese teachers are reserved，while the two AEC instructors I observed are relaxed and energetic.I admire their body language in communicating ideas to their students，whether it is a swing of their body or their exaggerated facial expressions.I also admire their sense of humor in conducting potentially boring grammar exercises.When showing her students the proper usage of a comma，one instructor made a funny-looking face and used a comical pronunciation every time she needed to add a comma in the grammatical exercises.The students，as well as I，enjoyed our time in the classrooms with these expressive teachers.
The second significant difference would be the AEC students’dedication to their study in America.The American academic system has high-standard requirements for college students.Chinese students have to work extremely hard in high school in order to enter a good university because of the fierce competition brought by the large population.Once they get their “passport” to a university，they assume that it is their ticket to have fun.However，in America，things are just the opposite.Children’s learning is supposed to take place during their play time，and when they grow up，college is the place where they should work hard and think deeper about their lives.Another factor that can contribute to the AEC students’ dedication to their study is the size of the classes.The numbers of students in the two classes I observed were 19 and 13 respectively.A smaller class size enables the instructor to take each student’s strength into consideration.The teachers know their students so well that they understand what their students need physically and mentally.Martha pairs female Arabic students only with females because they will feel uncomfortable working in pairs with males；she will work one-on-one with shy students or students of lower-proficiency；she even understands the reason for a student choosing to sit in a particular seat all the time.Such considerate and thoughtful psychological care elicits the students’ positivity and cooperation，which is absent in most larger-size EFL classrooms in China. Teaching materials are tailor-made for the students by coordinators of each level at the AEC.It really surprised me when the teachers gave handouts of specific practices on reading，writing or grammar with sentences and paragraphs closely related to the readings in the textbook in use.The idea of having one particular teacher taking charging of this task of teaching material development is efficient.Moreover，creative teaching methods help cultivate an atmosphere of relaxed learning.The teachers at Level 3 visualized the text by using colorful markers.I could see students were really enjoying their time when they were busy building marker skyscrapers during the break，and highly involved in the marking tasks in class.
Students’ degree of dedication is highly correlated with the teachers’ degree of devotion to their career.I admire the luxury American teachers have to work one-on-one with their students frequently.When we are teaching，we help create young people’s lives，and we know that we can influence our students through warmth and positive attitudes towards their study and life.The AEC teachers are setting a positive model for their students by modeling effective learning in a cooperative，interactive，interesting，and relaxing environment.