Teach Unlimited Breeze 2018-10

OCT 2018 School-related activities Visit Hong Kong Baptist University and City University of Hong Kong on their open days

English Cadet We can actually learn a lot from our surroundings.

As the campus is the everyday-environment for both PMs and students, on 9 October, we held a treasure hunt at TWGHs Kwok Yat Wai College for our English Cadets.

Students were excited to run around the campus to earn their badges by getting clues from tasks. We were glad to hear from students that they would never have noticed the English names of classrooms if they had not participated in this program. We look forward to watching their enthusiasm for English learning grow in the future.

By Cherry Tong

PM = Program Mentor

Through the visit, students from TWGHs Yau Tsz Tin Secondary School knew Hong Kong and the world from different angles. For instance, they were exposed to an English-speaking environment other than English classes at school; initiated conversation with university students and foreigners.

The experience deďŹ nitely broadens their horizon.

But most importantly, with Program Mentors’ supports and guidance, they have started thinking more about how they can make themselves a more respectful person in a way they want to. And that is how a dream/ a direction starts to be shaped.

By Mickey Wong

Jockey Club Teach Unlimited

“Walk with Youth” Mentorship Programme

New Staff Profile

Funded By:

Yoanna Li Hello! I am Yoanna Li, a Year 1 Program Mentor serving at Tack Ching Girls’ Secondary School. I graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, with major in Environmental Science. My interest in education was sparked through tutoring students, and an internship supporting the planning and delivery of educational programs.

Marshall Hui Hello! I am Marshall, a Year 1 Program Mentor currently working in Lions College. I graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with major in Psychology.

I always enjoy serving the community and interacting with people from different backgrounds. TUF is a great platform for me to contribute to the society and spend time “sharpening our saws” with young spirits. My goal this year is to build friendly relationships with pupils and help them to discover new possibilities in their lives! I believe education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.

When I asked students about their dream jobs, one boy said, "I have no idea. My mum doesn’t think I can get into university."

I then realized education isn't just about teaching. Students also need motivation, inspiration, and guidance to develop and achieve their future goals.

Mentoring will be challenging but I am sure it will be rewarding.

Ocean Ng Hello! I’m Ocean NG, a Year 1 Program Mentor in Lions College. In the coming year, I will be supporting class 2D’s English learning as well be their class teacher.

Throughout my university life in CUHK, I devoted myself to education-related activities, from policy research to tutoring.

The reason is simple: I enjoy learning and I am eager to share this joy!

My partner, Marshall, and I have kicked off our mentoring work in school. I believe, with motivation, each of our students can meet their life challenges and go far in the future.

01 Recognize a successful experience

Student Story

During an English lesson, students were asked to write about a personal success.

One student showed hesitation. “Can you recall a successful experience?” I asked. “Not yet…” he replied. “Any success counts, like waking up early to be on time for school.” I encouraged him to recognize even small achievements. “Maybe I have one …actually I did not pay attention in English lesson last year, but now I do because the teacher is nice.’’ “Oh, this is a big improvement!” I praised. I helped him translate his story into English and he was satisfied with his work.

Recognizing successes contributes to positive self-esteem because we realize our ability and efforts from these experiences.

By Joyce Cheung

02 From reluctance to confidence

E, who was my mentee, always gave up when facing challenges. Except this time, he was willing to challenge himself to be the host of the Joint-School Board Games Fun Day. The first time he practiced the script, his voice was soft and full of hesitation. However, in the next session, he was able to read the script loudly and smoothly. I was surprised he had made a great effort to practice it. On the day of the event, he was a confident first-time host on the stage.

I was proud of his courage to take up the challenge and his effort throughout the preparation. He stepped out of his comfort zone and tried his best.

By Sonia Lui

Program Mentor Orientation Camp and Inducation Training

Program Mentor Orientation Camp and Induction Training

Program Mentor Orientation Camp New Program Mentors for the cohort 2018 – 2020 were officially welcomed into the TUF family as the 3-day Program Mentor Orientation Camp kicked off on 26th July 2018 at the Hong Kong PHAB Association Jockey Club PHAB Camp.

Old and new Program Mentors got to know each other and learnt the values and vision of the organization and the role of a Program Mentor. Through inspiring and stimulating activities, the training camp was packed with activities for team building, self-exploration, basic skills practice and goal setting. With guidance and sharing from graduated Program Mentors, the 3-day camp was fully-charged with passion and positive energy, allowing the team to reflect on their beliefs and better prepare themselves for upcoming challenges. The Program Mentor Training Camp ended with laughter and happy tears, as new PMs begin their Teach Unlimited Foundation 2-year journey.

Program Mentor Induction Training Through the August induction month, Program Mentors were guided through training and sharing by board members, trainers and alumni. They had training sessions on the core of their work – the mentoring framework, and specific skills required for the work in schools. The comprehensive leadership development program aims at introducing leadership practices and how they can be reinforced through the role as Program Mentors. They were also trained on communication and presentation skills. Discussions on social mobility and education deepened their understanding of the value of the PM role in the current education system. Throughout the month, constant consolidation and reflection equipped PMs to develop their ability of effectively delivering TUF’s approach in schools.

Representation of Teach Unlimited Foundation

Addi Chung, TUF Alumnus

at the Asian Conference on Education in Tokyo

It was my great honour to participate in the Asian Conference on Education 2018 on behalf of Teach Unlimited Foundation (TUF) in Tokyo from 13 to 15 October. The conference was organized by the International Academic Forum (IAFOR), a research organization, conference organizer and publisher dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary discussion, facilitating intercultural awareness and promoting international exchange, principally through educational interaction and academic research.

The theme of the annual conference is ‘Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change’. Since its inception, TUF has been advocating education change through dynamic personalized mentoring. At this conference, the dynamic learning experience of our signature “English mentoring program” was highlighted. The strategic establishment of rapport between mentors and mentees leading to the enhancement of learning motivation and self-esteem of the unmotivated students unexpectedly rang a bell among the audience. Incidentally, the key message responded to the keynote presentation delivered by Dr. Zachary Walker, Associate Professor of the University College London Institute of Education, who reminded educators once again in his speech the importance of relationships in making changes.

Keynote Presentation

Poster Presentations

The most memorable part of the conference for me was an interaction with a college professor from Canada. She has been teaching Chinese students who lack of English proficiency and learning motivation for some time. In the hope of helping these students adapt to the English-rich school environment, the college launched a mentoring program to provide additional language support but the impact has not been satisfactory. After sharing our mentoring experience, I was glad that she was inspired to focus on not only the relationships between mentors and mentees, but also the bonding between mentees. This encounter reveals the power of being generous and sincere in sharing experience as it could spark new ideas.

To sum up, the presentation in this international conference not only help to spread the spirit of TUF but also is a fruitful learning experience conducive to my professional development. I appreciate very much the support and encouragement of the TUF Board throughout my participation in the academic conference.

ED’s Words This is my first article for TUF’s quarterly newsletter Breeze. Just like its name, my three months in TUF have passed like breeze, gentle but real fast.

My first month was spent travelling back-and-forth between office and Dream Impact, the venue where the induction training for our newly hired Program Mentors (“PMs”) was held. I, being a new joiner myself, was one of the “trainees”. The training was intensive but informative and very useful.

With the quick slippage of the “honeymoon” month both for myself and the PMs, we were hit by the real stuff, that is, day-to-day operations and interactions with our stakeholders. While I was busy familiarizing myself with TUF ways of working and overseeing our PMs’ work progress in their respective schools, I noted the various challenges our PMs were facing. Reading their blogs, hearing/”overhearing” their experience sharing, I can genuinely feel how uneasy their work is, especially for this group of youngsters who freshly came out from universities and who have high demand on themselves.

But I strongly believe in the circle of “giving and receiving”. The more patience, care, dedication and time our PMs show to their pupils, the more positive responses they are going to receive from them. I cannot and will not forget a phrase that one of our partner school principals used to describe TUF’s work : “深耕細作”. It means our work requires a lot of persistent cultivation. How true!

Let us await patiently and with faith that we are going to see golden harvest after our hard work.

By Angela Low Executive Director

Special Thanks Jockey Club Teach Unlimited “Walk with Youth” Mentorshop Programme is funded by

Sponsors (in alphabetical order)

Leung Hon Hung Scholarship Fund

The PCD Charitable Trust

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