From July 2nd to Aug 5th, a 12-day English summer camp entitled “A Travel to the Wonderful SEU-Yunnan Dream” was successfully held in Nanhua No.1 High School affiliated to Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture and Yongsheng No.1 High School in Li Jiang, Yunnan Province. The theme of this summer camp was Pageant of Knowledge, Beauty in Youth, aimed at improving English teaching and learning in the poor areas in Yunnan Province under the help of a team from SEU. The team was composed of 10 teachers and graduate students, including Mr. Tang Dinghua, Deputy Party Secretary and Vice-dean of School of Foreign Languages, Mr. Ji Junfeng, Director of Management Office of Graduate School, Ms. Xu Xuening, Secretary of Youth League Committee, and Ms. Wu Chan, Staff member of the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee. It is worth mentioning that 6 graduate students spent more than 90 hours on the round journey by train.
This English summer camp combined the traditional teaching methodology with a variety of extracurricular activities for the purposes of stimulating local students’ interest in English, developing their good learning habits and encouraging them to aspire to the scientific and cultural knowledge as well as university life. Besides English learning, the local students were also advised to establish their positive values and life goals in the senior year in high school.
Based on the experience of last summer, the graduate students carried out rich and colorful teaching practice such as listening practice, oral English salon and interesting writing, which won great favor from local students. Moreover, they arranged various extended class activities, like movie appreciation, song learning and English games, to expand the students’ vision in British and American culture. In Nanhua No.1 High School, this summer camp attracted many local students who participated in the camp of last summer as well. Realizing the importance of knowledge in life and experiencing the happiness of struggling for success, the local students swore to be admitted to ideal universities and achieve their dreams.
The English summer camp was initiated to strengthen the cooperation and linkage between Southeast University and the schools in the poor areas in Yunnan Province last year. As a brand-name activity, it is beneficial not only to improve graduate students’ social practical ability and their ability to plan and organize activities but also to foster their spirit of cooperation and sense of group honor. In this sense, this activity can be viewed as a window that presents the good spirit and positive sense of social responsibility of SEUers, through which the positive energy can be delivered to the society.
(Translated by Wang Linshan)
