By Ross Pitcairn, Cui Wang | Training Director, Communications Manager
In the spring semester of 2017, Stepping Stones scaled up its videolink program, going from two small pilot programs in Guangde and Fengxian, to four fully fledged programs in Guangde, Fengxian, Luyi and Dengfeng. The program was run by two full-time Stepping Stones employees: Sherry Jia, program manager, and Ross Pitcairn, Training Director. Key numbers are as follows:
Total number of schools: 4
Total number of volunteers: 103
Approx. number of students: 348
The aims of the program are threefold:
1. To bring English lessons to students who do not usually get them
2. To improve the exam scores of kids who do get English classes but need help to do better
3. To open the minds and hearts of disadvantaged children and give them an unforgettable experience
We faced many challenges during the semester. Firstly, we had to train all the volunteers, so Training Director Ross Pitcairn developed a 3-hour training session that could be done online or face-to-face. We then had to install the hardware and software at each school and check that it worked (the tech check). After that, we had to train the Classroom Teachers (CTs); every videolink class involves two teachers: the Remote Teacher (RT), i.e. the volunteer who teaches remotely, and the CT, a local Classroom Teacher who supervises the students.
We also developed a series of 52 PPTs, for Grades 2 to Grade 5, that follow the national curriculum. Our teaching approach seeks to leverage the biggest advantage of videolink teaching: unlike the childrens' usual classes, the average number of students in a videolink class is only twelve; this allows every student in the class to get lots of speaking and listening practice, and really improve their confidence and skills.
We have seen great progress in the students we have worked with, and have got great support from the four schools so far. We hope to continue at these schools, and also scale up a little more, perhaps taking on two new schools, in the fall semester. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far!
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