Summertime Learning Made Easy for Chinese Students - A Chinese Perspective
We have recently welcomed a new addition to our team. Ollie is a Chinese national who is currently completing an internship programme with Kings Hall College. Ollie has provided us with an insight into her experiences whilst she was a student learning English in the U.K.
Ollie’s Story
“Firstly, I will tell my personal experience in summer schools and what it brings to me. I went for two summer schools during my study, with the first one I went to Cambridge University at 15 years old. During high school at 17 years old, I went to summer camp based in University of Westminster Harrow campus in London. These two experience makes me decide my university journey in Britain. Before the experience at summer school, my parents and I was uncertain if I should do my further study abroad or in a Chinese university. Therefore, they can be seen as a foundation to study in the UK.
Based on my personal experience, I benefit a lot from those two summer camps. Firstly, it broadens my horizon. It shows me what the world looks like and the differences in different aspects, from food and landscape to transports and people’s different thoughts and ways of thinking. I also find significant cultural differences and this impacts my daily life after summer schools. Additionally, these experience levels up my English from the perspectives of speaking and vocabulary. Since we had classes every day, we had lots of chances to speak with local teachers who had proper accents. During our discussions, I imitated their way to talk and gradually my accent changed significantly. This resulted in my English teacher at hometown being surprised by my improvement in Speaking. Because we had lots of different topics to discuss in and out of classes, I learned many new words during the process, which I may not learn from textbooks. Moreover, there are different activities every day, students can have a great chance to learn new words in different scenarios. In relation to speaking, there was another significant improvement-the courage to speak out. I used to be too shy to speak out my ideas in front of people, not even mention in front of students from worldwide. During both summer schools, my flatmates and classmates came from different parts of the world and that provided me the chance to communicated with different people, which gradually practiced my courage to talk with others and speak English in public. I still have connection with some friends from Europe known from the summer schools, so they can also be seen as a connection to the world for Chinese students. The last but also the most important advantage for me to attend summer school would be the motivation to study. Since I enjoyed each summer camp, I found that I liked the study environment in the UK and therefore I was motivated to study harder in GCSE and A-level to get into a better university in the UK.
After summarising my personal experience and the advantages, it is also essential to elaborate on objective aspects on why Chinese students need a summer camp in the UK and the relevant benefits. Firstly, enhancing students’ English can be seen as the most obvious benefit. As mentioned above, my English speaking was significantly boost from the perspective of accent, vocabulary and courage. Likewise, many students from China have similar issues. In our classes, speaking is usually ignored in contrast to listening, reading and writing. Therefore, attending summer school is a good opportunity for them to practice their English speaking. Moreover, they may also realise that it is okay to making mistakes and no one is perfect. Because Chinese education focuses on the grade and sometimes may overlook other aspects in teaching such as students’ psychological well-being. When they come here, students may find that learning is not only about right and wrong but also lots of other aspects and therefore, they may also enjoy the learning process. In this way, they are more likely to speak out and share their ideas with others. Secondly, summer school is a great opportunity for those students who prepare to go to university in the UK. They can have a chance to experience what it is like to study and live here. It will strength their decision to study further here.
Lastly, why would parents choose summer schools in the UK instead of other English-speaking countries? There are a few advantages to study in the UK. First of all, British English is the most traditional English and the accent is very elegant. When speaking of the UK, parents tend to have a posh and elegant sense. Secondly, the history of the UK is long and the landscape is extraordinary, so it is worth having a summer camp here and travel around. Finally, because Chinese parents emphasise which university their kids will attend and there are many top universities in the UK, summer school in Britain is a good option for them. During the summer school, parents can also visit different universities.
In a conclusion, there are various benefits to attend a summer school in the UK, from levelling up English proficiency to preparing for British university. Although English speaking is mentioned multiple times in this article, it is worth noticing that English can be enhanced comprehensively over a summer camp.”
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