Summer English Camp in China sponsored by Dongrun Foundation opened on July 4 at Dongshe School in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Nearly 300 left-behind children enrolled at the school took part in the event. Coordinated by the Little Fir Foundation from the United States, 8 voluntary teachers from Britain and the US came to teach at the summer camp. In the next two weeks, they will guide the Dongshe students through a special English learning session, opening a new window to the world for the children with interesting lessons and fun games.
Action Filled with Care Brings Better Learning Experience to the Children
Arrived in Nantong late at night on July 2, eight voluntary teachers rose early the next morning and gathered in Dongshe School with local teachers to discuss teaching plans and class arrangements. The afternoon was spent touring around the campus and nearby countryside to get a glimpse of local culture and the lives of the students.
The eight voluntary teachers have rich experience in children education in Britain and the US. For the summer camp students from Dongshe, they meticulously designed special lessons on literature, science, nature, music and other subjects. With loving care for the children and anticipation of their China trip, they made great efforts to guarantee teaching quality, even shopped in the States for the teaching materials needed for all the courses and brought everything to China.
Help Students Build Confidence and Express Themselves is the Key to Happy Learning
Students attending the Summer Camp are divided into eight classes. Central issue of the very first day was to encourage the children to express their ideas with confidence. Teachers and volunteers of the eight classes invited students to come up to the podium and read to the class, and arranged round-table discussions and group discussions. Various methods were used to break the traditional teaching pattern, helping the students to change their passive learning habits in school. Through games, discussions and other interesting activities, the children were learning to be the dominating force in classrooms and express themselves freely.
Since Summer English Camp in China started, Nantong Ethics Promotion Office, Nantong Education Bureau, Nantong Women’s Federation, Communist Youth League Nantong Committee, Nantong Youth Concern Committee and other local government departments all expressed care and support for the program. Also newspapers and media such as China Education Daily, Tongzhou Television Station and Tongzhou Daily came to the school to report the event. The Summer Camp will last two weeks. The children will not only learn about foreign cultures here, but also experience the fun and happiness of learning. The Camp will be a starting point for rural children to realize their dreams of venturing out of hometowns to see the bigger world.