The English pronunciation tutoring service, offered by the party members of the Department of Foreign Languages, began on October 26th and ended on November 10th. Aiming at helping students improve their English pronunciation, this activity involved 10 teachers, 9 of which are party members, and 6 teaching assistants. During the three weeks, nine tutoring sessions were given, three of which were held on Zhong Guan Cun campus, with 5 teachers providing tutoring service to 60 students; six of which were held on Yu Quan Lu campus, with 10 teachers and 6 teaching assistants providing the service to over 550 students.
This activity helped students identify their pronunciation problems and address them with reasonable strategies. It features personalized tutoring, which means each student gets the opportunity to receive the most targeted tutoring service.
The past three weeks saw a surge of pronunciation-improvement enthusiasm. In each session, the classroom was packed with students. To ensure that every student gets personalized tutoring, the teachers had them take turns to speak English, helped them identify their pronunciation problems, and then offered strategies targeted at the students’ individual needs. The teaching assistants also played a very important role. They acted as patient listeners and willing helpers, tutoring the students on the one-to-one basis.
However, the tutoring service was not limited to pronunciation. The teachers also answered the students’ questions ranging from English learning strategies to English exams for studying abroad, which are within great concern of the students. The tutoring service not only won the students’ praise, but also inspired them to become active English learners.
According to the secretary of the faculty party branch of the Department of Foreign Languages, the pronunciation tutoring service will continue to be offered in the future, but more focuses will be included so as to provide better help to the students with their English learning.
