19 Bachelor of Education (Languages) students participated in the 15-week immersion programme. The students were deeply touched by the friendship shown them by students of Suzhou University. Let's hear how they described their enlightening and exciting tour.

Putonghua teaching trials for every student

During their stay in Suzhou, each student is required to teach a 45-minute class in one of the listed secondary schools. "It is a nerve racking experience. Teaching in Putonghua represented a great challenge to us, and we have to pay careful attention to the pace of the lesson and the teaching medium."

To enable the HKIEd students to prepare for the teaching practicum, Suzhou University arranged a 15-day school attachment, where students had a chance to observe, to learn and to assist in the teaching of classes. It was a very valuable learning experience and helped HKIEd students get to know more about students in Suzhou.

Gu Beiyu and her classmates put a lot of effort into preparing for the practicum teaching, and the fruits of their labours received favourable comments from the guiding lecturers and the students. Bei-yu shared with us how she managed her first teaching in Putonghua.

"Motivation is the key to learning, we therefore decided to introduce more interactive activities into our teaching. Some of us used computer-aided presentations, whilst others organised classroom activities. The 45-minute class was an electrifying experience for us as teachers. The overwhelming response from students really meant a lot to us, it has built up our confidence in Putonghua teaching and in our teaching skills."

"During lunch hours, we volunteered to arrange some extra-curricular activities like singing and dancing. From the smiling faces of our students, we know how rewarding a teaching career will be!"