Chinese President Xi Jinping stresses that the key to poverty alleviation is to inspire ambition and provide intellectual support. Education is an important link in the work of poverty alleviation, playing a fundamental role. In order to better implement the spirit of President Xi’s important speeches, to promote the “Plan for Targeted Poverty Alleviation through Education”, and to enhance the sense of social responsibility of college students in serving the country and the people, from July 17 through July 23, the XMU “Action for Guizhou” Doctoral Students Regional Economic Development Service Group staged a series of educational activities in Pingba District, Anshun City, Guizhou Province.

The XMU doctoral students pose for a group photo with Pingba No. 3 Middle School teachers

On July 18, with the first ray of sunshine in the morning, the social practice group kicked off their voluntary courses with a simple opening ceremony in Pingba No. 3 Middle School. The “head teachers” showed a promotional film from Xiamen University, allowing the schoolchildren to feel the beautiful campus environment and strong cultural atmosphere of Xiamen University. The spirit of Tan Kah Kee, Nanqiang style, world-class institution, Chinese characteristics …… the image of an ideal university took shape in the hearts of the schoolchildren.

The schoolchildren watch the XMU video with great interest.

Afterwards, formal classroom teaching began in an orderly manner. The practice group had meticulously designed five courses: English phonetics, English speaking, English songs, European and American culture and tourism, and European and American film and television. These courses were intended to consolidate the schoolchildren’s English foundation and enhance their comprehensive ability to use the language.

In the English phonetics class, XMU doctoral student Gu Jiangyi started with 48 basic international phonetic alphabets and helped the students grasp the accurate pronunciation method by means of “mouth imitation”. After that, Gu Jiangyi stepped down from the podium to tutor the students one-on-one and patiently correct their pronunciation problems.

A member of the XMU social practice group explains English pronunciation methods to the students.

In her English-speaking class, Wang Yiqi, another member of the social practice group, taught the students how to speak English with confidence in public. She first explained the concept of “speaking” from the theoretical prospective, so that the students could have a clearer understanding of the speech activities. Then, she conducted speaking drills for the students, guiding them in every detail, from the pronunciation to delivery. In the European and American film and television course, she played the film “Freaky Friday”. She introduced the plot of the film using simple words and guided the students to reflect on the parent-child relationship. Inspired by the practice group members, the students learned the importance of thinking for others.

A member of the XMU social practice group gives the students English speaking tips.

In the English song class, the practice group member Zheng Yalun prepared various interesting games, greatly stimulating the students’ enthusiasm for English learning. She helped the students consolidate their knowledge of grammar while practicing English songs by using lyrics to form sentences. In the European and American culture and tourism class, Zheng Yalun led the students on a journey to explore European and American culture. She not only introduced the geographical location, history, culture and scenery of Europe and the United States, but also taught the students related English expressions and analyzed the grammar knowledge in the example sentences. The relaxed and joyful “European and American cultural journey” opened the eyes of the students and gave them a deeper understanding of European and American countries. 

A member of the social practice group teaches the course of “European and American Culture and Tourism” for the students.

In the specific teaching process, the “volunteer teachers” placed equal emphasis on theory and practice and applied their professional knowledge to improve the students’ ability to use English in different situations. The social practice team taught the students in accordance with their aptitude and specific problems, greatly benefiting the schoolchildren.

 In addition, by tapping into CFLC’s strengths in foreign languages, the social practice group prepared two courses, “Getting Close to Japanese” and “Getting Close to French”, for the students of Pingba No. 3 Middle School, taking them on a multilingual and multicultural journey of exploration. These two language courses not only increased the breadth of knowledge of the students, but also enabled them to look at the world from a global perspective.

In the Japanese course, Fan Haopo, another member of the social practice group, helped them to get a preliminary understanding of Japanese culture by playing an interesting short video. The Gojuon (fifty phonetic sounds) is the basis for learning Japanese. Fan Haopo introduced the writing of all Hiragana letters in detail and patiently taught pronunciation. The students not only learned knowledge, but also were delighted by the teaching.  

A member of the social practice group teaches the “Getting Close to Japanese” Course.

In the French course, Shen Jiexin, another member of the social practice group, designed four modules: geography, science and technology, literature, and art, greatly stimulating the students’ enthusiasm for exploring France and the French language. After that, Miss Shen guided the students to practice daily conversations in French.

A member of the social practice group teaches the “Getting Close to French” course.

Although the knowledge taught by the social practice group was limited, their enthusiasm and energy for supporting education was unlimited. The social practice activities were conducted in a down-to-earth manner and produced fruitful results, not only giving full play to the professional advantages of foreign language students, but also bringing a different and vivid classroom experience to the students of Pingba No. 3 Middle School and broadening their horizons. Poverty alleviation is not about helping with money, but with intellectual support. High-quality education is fundamental to poverty alleviation and development.