The University of Macau (UM) strives to create an environment conducive to language learning. English is the main medium of instruction at UM, so students are exposed to the language on a daily basis. All the courses at UM are delivered in English, except for the language courses in Chinese, Portuguese, German, and Japanese. In the residential colleges, students not only can practice speaking English with international students from around the world, they can also talk to instructors who are English native speakers.

The faculty team at UM’s English Language Centre (ELC) consists of instructors and teaching assistants from various backgrounds. They organise fun activities and workshops to help students improve the four language skills, namely reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The activities include English dramas, cooking workshops, public speaking workshops, and talent shows. In addition, the ELC holds an English festival twice a year, with the aim of improving students’ English through extracurricular activities.

UM students are also encouraged to practice English through participating in Shakespeare plays. ‘A play text comes alive only when somebody speaks it. So it’ll be wonderful if I can get the students to act it out, to speak the lines on stage, rather than just read it at home. It works wonderfully because it’s a challenge,’ says a faculty member of English studies at UM. Another project that helps immerse the students in the English language is intensive training in English Debates. ‘In the debate training, we talk a lot and exchange views on what we’ve read in the newspaper, and all of this is done in English. It enhances not only our understanding of current affairs but also our language ability,’ says Sindy Leong, a member of UM’s English Debating Team, who has received the Best Debater Award in the Australasian Debating Championship.


For the full version, please refer to the Chinese version.

Source: Communications Office
 

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