The purpose of the study is to compare divergent teaching methods in Canada and China and identify which teaching approaches are effective for Chinese ELL students. The research contains pre- and post-tests and an open-ended survey of 20 Chinese ELL students at a Canadian university. English as a communication tool occupies a prominent position in the Chinese curriculum (Liu, 2012). Learning English as a second language (ESL) has seen its growth in China (Qiang & Wolff, 2007). Mastering English is an asset for students in their job search and higher education. Because academic achievement is highly valued in Chinese culture, students are expected to obtain high grades on English tests (Liu, 2012). University students must pass national English proficiency exams, which are part of the assessment for obtaining degrees (Wolff, 2010). Students attend after-school English classes to improve their English due to pressure (Liu, 2012). Most ELL students aim to improve their scores on international English proficiency tests, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). ELL students are more motivated in after-school English classes because of the high-target learning environment. However, the teacher-centered learning procedure neglects the long-term improvement of students' English level. Ignorance of long-term development is due to less student involvement during the teaching process (Mo, 2012). Some Chinese ELL students choose to take ESL courses abroad. The reasons are that they can have a better language environment (Wolff, 2010) and can put more effort into the learning procedure (Smith & Hu, 2013). The purpose of the study is to compare teacher-centered teaching in China and student-centered teaching in Canada, and examine efficient teaching methods for Chinese-speaking ELL