Mayan Qinghe

2254380281@qq.com

“WELCOME to English drama class! Today, we are going to play Cinderella!” exclaimed Lin Xiao, one of the volunteer teachers from the College of International Studies (CIS) at Shenzhen University (SZU). In front of her, there were 45 country school fifth graders listening excitedly and eagerly.

In response to the government’s call for the revitalization of rural education, the Volunteer Teaching Program of CIS was jointly established by teachers and students in 2021. For three consecutive years, volunteers like Lin have dedicated their summers to teaching in Shangbao Village, Ganzhou City, in Central China’s Jiangxi Province, with a mission to bring English courses to village schools.

As the vice captain, Lin arrived in Ganzhou with her team July 10, 2023. Despite challenges like tough living conditions, she believed the experience was deeply gratifying and worthwhile in influencing the lives of her students.

Based on prior research, Lin and her team found that students in village schools often lack interest in learning English due to limited resources and minimal opportunities to use the language. “It’s important to build up their confidence and interest,” Lin noted.

To achieve this goal, Lin and her team designed unique activity-based English drama courses to encourage children to express themselves bravely and confidently.

“It is more suitable for village students to learn English through interesting acting lessons because they will have many opportunities to get involved in the class and have more fun,” Lin explained.

During rehearsals, Lin guided the children in understanding the storyline, practicing words over and over again, and fostering cooperation among them. She observed a significant shift in the students’ attitudes toward English, with many becoming highly engaged and passionate about the activities.

“The brief summer may not bring significant changes to the children, but I hope they can learn to love English through my drama courses,” she said.