{"id":9165,"date":"2019-12-19T16:53:07","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T08:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mediazone.com.hk\/hkmvc\/?p=9165"},"modified":"2020-02-24T17:14:39","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T09:14:39","slug":"transforming-lives-through-innovative-english-language-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediazone.com.hk\/hkmvc\/2019\/12\/19\/transforming-lives-through-innovative-english-language-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming Lives through Innovative English Language Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe are eager to make significant changes to the language education environment in Hong Kong, because language transforms lives,\u201d says JACK WAN, Director of EUREKA LANGUAGE SERVICES LTD.<\/span><\/h1>\n
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Jack Wan, Director<\/p><\/div>\n

Boosting English-language competency can only bode well for Hong Kong\u2019s upwardly mobile workforce as local companies expand their geographical footprint world-wide. Jack Wan, director of Eureka Language Services, knows this from his company\u2019s experience in encouraging Hong Kong students to invest time and effort to embrace the English language from a young age.<\/p>\n

\u201cLanguage learning experiences can occur in different contexts outside the school and the business world is one of them. I think it would be beneficial if the government could help to forge connections between international English-speaking companies and schools. Through these connections, schools can be encouraged to organise company visits, which can benefit students as they gain more exposure to real-life workplace English, realise the importance of it, and thus better prepare themselves for their future career prospects,\u201d notes Wan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing the government can do is to create English-speaking communities by promoting the use of English within revitalised industrial buildings. For example, the government can provide monetary incentives (e.g. reduced rents) to tenants who are able to commit to running their businesses in English.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d say, don\u2019t put students off learning English by insisting on absolute perfection. Instead, encourage students to appreciate the malleability of the English language and just have fun,\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Jack Wan, Director<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What Schools Must Rethink\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cGood students make improvements through a trial-and-error process, and good schools allow them the freedom to do so because failure is an essential part of any learning processes,\u201d says Wan adding that \u201cthe Hong Kong education culture has always placed a great emphasis on the value of success while neglecting the value of failure. In order to succeed in language education, it is extremely important that schools help their students overcome their fear of using the language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say, don\u2019t put students off learning English by insisting on absolute perfection. Instead, encourage students to appreciate the malleability of the English language and just have fun! In fact, that\u2019s how many polyglots master languages\u2014by having fun with the language.\u201d<\/p>\n