在英语是外语,家长又急于看到幼儿学习英语成效的情况下,许多幼儿园因此不得不运用一些非常手段,例如:塑造一个全英语、No Chinese 的学习环境,花费许多时间要幼儿不断重复记诵单字、句型、生活对话,经常操练如何以英语表演歌唱、戏剧;如果孩子未能符合进度要求,可能要利用中午睡觉时间,额外进行个别辅导。
外师拿起鸟巢,说明鸟如何学飞: "Soft string, mommy and daddy take that off. Baby birds, ooh, ooh, and they start to move out on the side of the nest, sit on the side. And then maybe they'll start to fly, just a little bit. Hue~, and then, mommy birds come and put them on the back. Then they go flying, flying, flying. And mommy's gone, and the baby bird goes fall, fall, fall. Mommy bird, hue~, comes and catches the baby bird. So baby bird goes on, and mommy shakes him off. And he flaps, flaps, flaps and says, I'm flying! I'm flying! Look! Mommy! I'm flying! I can fly! I'm big enough. Spring, summer, the baby birds are big enough to fly. So now we look at the summer, we look at the nest. M, m, they're out. Baby birds are flying. Baby birds learn to fly. Let's pass it around. You can see the baby, see the mommy feed the baby."。
有一次,外籍教师对于身体不适的幼儿,并未敏锐察觉,也未予以口头或肢体上的关照。之后该名幼儿忍不住呕吐在教室后方的垃圾桶中,此时,教师仍未察觉,经研究者趋前协助该幼儿并提醒教师时,教师尚且责怪该幼儿未能及时走到洗手间呕吐。在清理环境的过程中,也不时表现出对该名幼儿不耐烦和不屑的眼神与态度。她说:”Everybody, if you want to throw up, go to the toilet or the sink outside.”(小孩,如果要呕土,要去厕所或外面的水槽!),大多数孩子不太知道外师究竟在说甚么。后来, 外师对研究者及所有孩子说:”Even for my own child, I hate this smell”(就算是我自己的孩子,我也会很讨厌这种臭味!.)。(许月贵,民90)
在台湾,英语是外语(foreign language),而不是第二语言(second language)。如果期望孩子从幼儿阶段开始学习英语就能达到广告所说的「让孩子自然而然学会两种语言」,困难度其实相当高!因为孩子光学一句 ”May I go to the bathroom?”(我可以去厕所吗?)可能就要学习一整个礼拜(许月贵,民90)。家长和老师携手合作,投注无数的时间、金钱、和努力,创造所谓「浸泡式」「双语」环境的期望和作法,其实非常不符投资报酬率。何况,为了达成英语说听读写的学习目标,许多全英语幼儿园难以避免强调覆诵、记忆或灌输的教学方式,反而可能提早扼杀了一些孩子对英语学习的兴趣。
下午美术课结束后,每个人都满手满桌的泥泞,中师是想等所有孩子都把作品放好后,再一起去洗手,但她没空向外师解释。外师看到已放好笔筒的Megan手上都是泥巴,便要她去洗手。中师看见Megan走到门边,就对她说:「等一下再一起洗!」,于是Megan便回座位坐好。外师以为Megan不想洗手,便将她抱出椅子,要她再去洗手,Megan只好又走向门口。中师却大声说道:「不可以!等一下一起洗!」,Megan就再回座位,对外师说:"Ms. Lin say no."。外师才没再坚持。