Disney English

Disney English

Type	Subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide (Disney)
Industry	Educational
Founded	2008
Headquarters	Shanghai, China & Glendale, California
Key people	Andrew Sugerman, senior vice president, general manager, Disney English
Parent	The Walt Disney Company
Website	disneyenglish.com

Disney English (迪士尼英语) is the Disney educational program for teaching English as a second language to children using the Disney characters and stories. The first Disney-operated learning center opened in Shanghai, China in October 2008. The curriculum is developed in the U.S. and taught by native speaking English trainers.^[1] The program is designed to help extend Disney's brand in China through childhood marketing.^[2][3]

As of May 2011, there are currently 23 Disney English Learning Centers in China.^[4]

Program

Classes are for students ages 2 to 12 and taught by native speaking English teachers and local bilingual teaching assistants. All Disney English foreign trainers are TEFL-C (Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Children) qualified. The innovative program incorporates singing, interactive games, role-play and other fun activities toward engaging children with the language. Classes average only 12 and each child receives individual attention. The program includes relevant vocabulary, sentence patterns and common topics in daily Chinese conversation.

The flagship school kicked off their first term on September 19, 2008.

Advisors to the program include Dr Jun Liu, head of the English Department at the University of Arizona; and Dr. Renee Cherow-O'leary, Professor, English Education, Teacher's College, Columbia University.

The program costs 3,000 - 12,000 yuan annually. Classes are taught by a native English speaker, who is assisted by a Chinese-speaking person, and take up 1.5 to two hours each week.^[5]

Learning Centers

The outside of the first Disney English learning center on Mao Ming Road in Shanghai, China.

Each Disney English learning center has between 5 to 10 classrooms themed to different Disney properties all of which including their interactive "Magic Theater" which combines hardware, audio and propietary learning content.

The first center, located on Maoming Road in Shanghai, China, was opened in September 2008 and has seven unique classrooms: Snow White, The Lion King, Cars, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Winnie The Pooh, and Toy Story.

China now hosts a total of 30 Disney English centers, Beijing has six, Shanghai has 14, Ningbo has 3, Nanjing and Tianjin have 2, and Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Chengdu each have one.

Company structure

Disney English is a business unit of Disney Publishing Worldwide which is a division of Disney Consumer Products. Andrew Sugerman is the senior vice president, general manager for Disney English.

Counterfeit schools

With the launch of the Disney owned program, several unauthorized schools using the Disney name or characters have been closed.^[6]

Criticism

The program has been criticized as an effort to market Disney in China. Shang Yang, chairman of Shangyang Enterprise Management Consulting has stated that "They're [Disney] starting years early, brainwashing Chinese children and cultivating them as potential clients in a very indirect, yet penetrating fashion."^[5]

See also

• Disney Publishing Worldwide
• The Walt Disney Company

Notes and references

1. ^ "Corporate Information". Disney Publishing Worldwide. https://enterpriseportal.disney.com/gopublish/sitemedia/dcp/Home/Our%20Businesses/us_lob_dpw_fact_sheet_021009.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 
2. ^ McLoughlin, Damien; Aaker, David A. (24 May 2010). Strategic Market Management: Global Perspectives. John Wiley and Sons. p. 218. ISBN 9780470689752. http://books.google.com/books?id=tpW22FvYvn8C&pg=PA218. Retrieved 10 June 2011. 
3. ^ Institute, Worldwatch (11 January 2010). State of the world, 2010: transforming cultures : from consumerism to sustainability : a Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 64. ISBN 9780393337266. http://books.google.com/books?id=bTeRWMK-uM8C&pg=PA64. Retrieved 10 June 2011. 
4. ^ "Disney English Website". http://disneyenglish.com/EN/centers/disneyenglish-center-sh.html. Retrieved 11 June 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Some Chinese Kids' First English Word: Mickey". BusinessWeek (June 13 -June 19, 2011): 24–25. June 9, 2011. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_25/b4233024744691.htm. 
6. ^ "Bogus 'Disney' school told to refund parents". Shanghai Daily. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200902/20090204/article_389809.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-11. 

• Chinese Learn English the Disney Way, Wall Street Journal, retrieved 2009-04-20
• Learning English the Disney way in Shanghai, Shanghai Daily, retrieved 2009-03-11
• Disney sees big market for schools venture in China, guardian.co.uk, retrieved 2009-03-11

External links

• Official Site
• Disney A to Z: Official Encyclopedia supplement (page 13)