Representatives of universities and colleges from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan got together at the 8th Cross-Strait Conference on Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, held at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) from Oct 15 to 16, to exchange and summarize educational achievements and experience of teaching foreign languages.

Teaching staffs from the both sides of the Strait found that they would concentrate more on critical thinking and broader knowledge in teaching.

Li Liwen, a professor from the School of English and International Studies (SEIS) at BFSU said that the university had started focusing on reforms in English writing courses in 2003 to contribute better training to students' critical thinking abilities and establish a systematic and efficient writing program.

On teaching method, "the English discipline must return to its position as one of the humanities to enhance professional awareness and concentrate more efforts on training liberally educated English talents with a solid knowledge, structure and wide vision of the humanities and of critical thinking," noted Zha Mingjian, a professor from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU).

Moreover, a cooperative learning (CL) approach to discuss a novel will increase student involvement in reading and interaction in class, stated Professor Liu Xuezhen from Taiwan's Fu Jen Catholic University.

Professor Zhang Ruifang from the English department of Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages in Taiwan, suggested a method of teaching grammar to primary school EFL learners.

The annual meeting was organized by four universities across the Taiwan Strait -- BFSU, SISU, Fu Jen Catholic University and Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages, which aims to promote exchanges on teaching methods of foreign languages between the mainland and Taiwan.