Rebecca Hollingshead, Winchester University

Rebecca joined our programme in the city of Shanghai in the summer of 2015, please read on for her feedback.

 

Can you tell me about some of your most enjoyable moments of the trip?

I really enjoyed the experience as a whole. I enjoyed teaching a variety of different children and playing many English games with them. I made friends with different members of staff and I enjoyed the schedule of the summer camps so that we also have enough breaks to go travelling for a while. Overall a wonderful experience and I enjoyed teaching throughout.

Which were the highlights of the lessons, cultural excursions and outdoor activities?

The main highlights of a lesson were, as stated by the staff, to make the lessons enjoyable. Therefore, creating a wide range of games and activities for the children were the highlights of the lessons. Also, getting to know the children and their differences between England and Chinese cultures was very interesting.

How would you say the overall experience has benefited you?

I personally feel the overall experience has benefitted me in regard of developing my confidence in teaching and how to ensure progression takes place. I have also been benefitted by working with many different people with different teaching styles and observing what may work in my classroom. I have also been able to see differences in cultures which I always enjoy and will benefit me in the future.

What was the best thing about your experience in China?

Personally, my best thing about my experience was our ‘talent show’, here you could see the children enjoying themselves while singing or speaking in English. You could see how the children loved the language and how they have benefitted from the camp as a whole.

Would you recommend participating to a friend and if so why?

I would recommend participating to a friend as I enjoyed this experience so much that I will probably talk about it for the rest of my life! Therefore, if someone was interested in completing a similar or the same experience, I would tell them about this particular programme.