A learning fad that's truly crazy

[Long Pan]

China Daily today columnist which might interest English teachers. About Li Yang "who has invented his own pedagogy called Crazy English" and who recently has been "encouraging his students to kneel in gratitude towards him". Read more about it here.

[muyongshi]

That is so sick! I never liked the guy because the only benefit of yelling is getting out of your comfort zone but does not help with anything else. I always thought something was wrong with him and it never sat right with me. Always told my friends that their are better places but now, he got on my bad side and I'll be damned if I see my friends bowing before this guy.

[zhwj]

Li Yang's explanation:

(1) the students weren't kneeling to him, but rather to their own teachers, who were at the opposite end of the venue (diagrams here). That seems reasonable enough.

(2) it was spontaneous on the part of the students. Less convincing, if only because I'd guess no one wants to be the one person standing up when 3000 other people go down on their knees.

There's too much nationalism and notions of sacrifice wrapped up in Crazy English for my taste. Sure, it's difficult to learn a foreign language, but I don't see any reason to drive people to tears over the impossibility of the task, the sacredness of the mission, or the selflessness of one's parents.

[muyongshi]

I'm sorry that is not reasonable at all.

Okay bowing 鞠躬 is one thing. A sign of respect and most people would find that acceptable, basically prostrating themselves is just wrong! It shows servitude not gratefulness. Spontaneous or not it shows there is something wrong deeper in the environment they have created for studying. I do think that there were many that just followed suit but it still shows that they have created a cult like environment. Also, it's not just us that are finding this disturbing it is many Chinese people as well so it goes far beyond the culture of respect.

[muyongshi]

Here is another place that lists many responses, reactions, and explanations of the events.

[roddy]

Can't believe that guy is still going. I remember back [wishy-washy effect over screen which resolves into a black-and-white scene in late 1990's china] back in 1998 you'd run into Chinese people who would start their Crazy English spiel with an introduction and then segue seamlessly into a joke or two and never let you get a word in edgewise - and if you ever did manage to ask a simple question or two they were flummoxed, as you were inevitably deviating from the rote-learned crazy English script.