Meet the Teacher: Jamie on Moving Beyond Exam-Driven Teaching

From teaching students to training teachers, Jamie reflects on the importance of trusting her professional journey and how real classroom experience has shaped the way she guides and supports other educators.

Thinking back on your teaching journey, what was a defining moment for your teacher identity?

I taught junior high English at a public foreign language school, and I genuinely loved interacting with my teenage students. Yet I soon felt deeply confined by the prevailing social mindset of that era: across the whole education landscape, schools, teachers and students were all measured by exam results as the sole standard of success. Restricted by this widespread narrow evaluation system, I made the tough decision to leave frontline school teaching and pursue postgraduate studies in the UK.

My time studying abroad broadened my perspective on holistic, communicative language pedagogy and balanced assessment. After returning to China, I joined FLTRP (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press), a renowned educational publisher, where I delivered nationwide teacher training sessions centred on textbook implementation. This role opened my eyes to a far greater impact: instead of only supporting a single class of students, I could share humanistic, balanced teaching philosophies with hundreds of educators across the country. This career shift became my pivotal, defining moment that reshaped my entire professional identity.

My long-term goal remains consistent: to help more local teachers break free from rigid exam-driven teaching habits, and guide them to deliver communicative, learner-friendly LANGUAGECERT preparation that values students’ wellbeing and real-life communication competence equally.

Is there a routine or technique that you use to hone a feeling of power or efficacy?

I follow a fixed pre-training research routine for every workshop, paired with an interactive hands-on technique delivered on-site. Together, these two practices constantly boost my professional self-efficacy and give me a clear sense of my impact as a trainer.

My consistent pre-workshop routine starts with collecting thorough background information on all participating teachers ahead of time. Different generations of educators hold distinct ingrained teaching philosophies shaped by their own learning experiences, so this overview lets me tailor my content to connect with them better.

After unpacking core pedagogical concepts and LANGUAGECERT assessment principles, I first demonstrate step-by-step how to design practical classroom activities. Then I split trainees into small collaborative groups to create tangible teaching materials on the spot. Witnessing such visible, practical outcomes created by attendees right there delivers immediate confirmation that my training creates real value, which continuously strengthens my sense of professional power and efficacy.

Do you recall a moment when you felt disempowered as a teacher or trainer?

I once delivered a full-day LANGUAGECERT training session where I was struck by a strong sense of disempowerment. Most participating teachers prioritised quick exam score gains above all else and focused heavily on test-taking hacks and drilling strategies. They were less receptive to my core standpoint that consistent English input and authentic classroom interaction are the foundation of sustainable language growth.

I tried to explain that scores can easily plateau if learners’ real communicative competence stays undeveloped. Yet this long-term, student-centred logic failed to resonate with most attendees at first. I even began to doubt whether I could get my message across, given the constant pressure educators faced to deliver fast exam improvements.

I paused theoretical explanations and ran live demonstrations to show how to conduct full-English interactive routines in ordinary classrooms, so teachers could visually witness how consistent oral input facilitates natural student output.

This experience taught me that transforming deeply rooted teaching mindsets takes patience and tangible, grounded support rather than theoretical persuasion alone. It also reinforced my belief that real classroom experience is essential for trainers to offer actionable, trustworthy guidance.

How do you ‘energise your classroom’?

My training classroom, whether in-person or online, stays dynamic through layered interactive arrangements tailored to adult teacher participants.

First, I kick off every session with a targeted warm-up activity informed by my pre-training background research of attendees. The opening task not only breaks the ice but also lets me gauge teachers’ English proficiency and existing understanding of LANGUAGECERT. To prevent fatigue, I avoid lengthy one-way lectures, switching instead between live teaching demonstrations, rubric analysis, small-group discussions, and peer sharing.

Then, I split teachers into small collaborative teams to draft practical activity procedures or full lesson plans within a set time limit. Each group then presents their finished designs to the whole room.

Finally, I build a supportive atmosphere to sustain positive energy. Every small creative idea or honest sharing from participants receives genuine recognition, encouraging more people to speak up and contribute, which keeps the whole training space lively, open and energised.

What would you tell yourself in your first year of teaching?

I would tell myself not to feel defeated by the rigid evaluation system holding me back at that time and I would remind myself to be patient with progress and stop doubting my professional value when change does not arrive fast.

Most importantly, I would encourage my younger self to treasure every minute of frontline classroom practice. All those years teaching junior high, together with my later experience with young learners, senior high and adult students, have become my greatest strength as a trainer. These real classroom experiences allow me to deliver concrete, grounded guidance, making my training sessions credible and truly helpful to every participating teacher I work with now.