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Mickey Mouse in Shanghai: 
Disney English and the Changing Face of Teaching in China

With English education compulsory in all schools and parents eager to make sure their child succeeds in a highly competitive educational and work environment, China has become the largest market for English as a Second Language instruction in the world.  There are English teachers employed throughout the country, in universities, public and private schools, and English language schools targeted at professionals, young adults, and increasingly children.  Just as other countries in East Asia have been gearing their English language education towards an increasingly younger population, China has begun to focus more and more on the group of the population that can absorb language the fastest and the most naturally -- kids.  Since the early 2000s, English language education has been mandatory in all elementary schools; however, there are still a lack of qualified teachers and very few schools begin teaching English from the 1st grade. 

For parents eager to give their child a leg up, private language schools specifically for children have become increasingly popular over the past 5 years.  These schools focus on the communicative approach, employing teachers from English-speaking countries from around the world to give the children to experience an all-English immersion environment.  This differs from their formal schooling, which remains a system based more on rote memorization than on interacting and communicating in English. In addition, these schools put a larger emphasis on interactive activities to assist children in learning the language in a more heuristic manner and also make the learning process fun and engaging. 

One example of these new languages schools is Disney English (迪士尼英语), which currently has six centers in Shanghai and is expanding to include centers in Beijing in 2009-2010.  Children as young as two years learn English through games and stories from their instructors, who have obtained their TEFL-C (Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Children) Certificates.  The oldest students at Disney English are twelve years of age, and at this age, the children have a substantial vocabulary and understand essential grammar to create their own stories and share them with their classmates.  Well-known Disney characters are used to tell stories and teach different aspects of the language to the students, starting with the alphabet, numbers and colors for the youngest students.  Disney English regularly comes to The Boston Language Institute to give seminars and interview TEFL graduates.  Several have been hired as teachers and one as director of a school.

For the English language instructors who teach at the centers, being creative, energetic and having a sense of fun are very important for young learners.  According to one of the instructors, who graduated early in 2009 from The Boston Language Institute’s TEFL Certificate Program, the Disney English program is one of “edutainment,” with Mickey and the other characters playing a prominent role.  The instructors have several classes per week, with fifteen students on average per class.  Since the classes are geared towards younger learners, many of the classes are held on the weekends after school, meaning that the instructors have their “weekends” in the middle of the week and time off during the day or evening, depending on the age of their students. 

In addition to the opportunity to work with younger learners, the city of Shanghai itself has also been an attractive aspect of the job.  With a population of over 19 million people, up more than 4 million from 2000, the city is enjoying an unprecedented boom, with younger people flooding the city, looking for places to go and things to do.   According to one alumnus of the Institute, the city is on the cutting edge and the cultural scene is second to none.  There is also a buzz and excitement in the air, as well as the sounds of round-the-clock construction, since Shanghai will host the 2010 World Expo (http://en.expo2010.cn/).  With events like the Expo coming to Shanghai, the city is becoming more internationalized and more multinational, meaning that life for expatriates is becoming easier.  Some knowledge of the language and culture, however,  is still extremely helpful in navigating daily life.  With a combination of a great cosmopolitan center and the robust job market for ESL instructors, Shanghai is becoming a more and more popular destination for those wanting to teach abroad. 

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