Education | Summer English course to increase students’ confidence

The University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) recently organized a four-week Summer English Immersion Program for incoming first-year students. Participants exchanged ideas with course assistants and experienced living in the residential colleges. According to a statement issued by the UM, “participants say the program significantly increased their confidence when speaking English and improved their listening and speaking skills.”

The summer program included a series of intensive courses with interactive learning activities, including games designed to encourage students to communicate with each other in English. In addition, a weekly presentation class provided a platform for students to build their confidence in public speaking. After class, students joined a variety of extracurricular classes, including drama, singing, and yoga, to integrate English learning into their daily lives.

This year, 43 program assistants from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden, each with rich experience in teaching English, were invited to assist the event. Participants and instructors stayed in UM’s residential colleges to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.