Batam English camp at Tunas Bahru Junior High School

Just last month Dr Paul Choo conducted a seminar on Principle of teaching for the 100 teachers of the seven schools under an Indonesian educational NGO (in English called “New Sprouts”).

Subsequently, Goducate was invited to conduct English camp for their first year Junior high students on the 7th and 8th August at one of the seven schools, called Tunas Bahru.

Camp started at 3.00 pm after school on the 7th which was a Saturday. 54 students came and attended the camp together with 3 of their teachers. How excited the kids were while waiting for our volunteer helpers from Singapore to come and spend time to teach them speech drama and play indoor games that will help them speak English!

We picked up our 7 Singapore volunteers from Sekupang ferry terminal and brought them to the school where the camp was held. We commenced with ice breaker action songs and games to help them break from their shyness and prepare them to converse in English. They were then divided into three teams and each team was to compete with the other at the end of the drama practice. The kids were so full of energy and did their best to speak English.

They spent a night sleeping in the school classrooms and were up early Sunday morning before the sun is up to play volleyball. Thereafter, we continued with our session with them.

The 3 Indonesian teachers really appreciate our coming to help their kids especially foreigners who can speak and teach English. Though not much can be done in term of teaching them to be fluent in English in just two days, yet our coming was an encouragement to the students to see the importance of learning English to prepare for a better future.

We will be back next month for another English camp. Any volunteer care to join us ???

Visit by students to Goducate learning center at Punggur Batam

On the 13 and 14 July we had 15 students and 3 teachers from Singapore Peicai Secondary School to visit our center.

They came as part of the school program to help their students be exposed to life outside their country and to do their part to help the less fortunate children.

Singapore students
Singapore students
Balloon tricks
Balloon tricks

On the first day we brought the students to tour the kampong and visit one family just to let them see the conditions of those who come to our learning center. They also brought some groceries to be given to the family.

Thereafter, they arrived at the center to a group of waiting kids. We sang our theme song, “Smile, smile, smile” for this is what the center is all about. English is our medium of instruction. The Singapore youth then entertained and taught the kids tricks like spinning the wheel, balancing the plate on pole, ball juggling and sculpturing balloons. It was an ice breaker as the kids got to open up to the Singapore youth and enjoy their presence.

Singaporean and Indonesian students
Singaporean and Indonesian students
Four donated computers!
Four donated computers!

On the second day, they taught computer skills on how to do power point presentation. An added blessing to their coming was the donation of 4 good used pcs, complete with tables by travel agency, “Take me to Asia“. How thrill the kids were to have a total 11 pcs to use. Now they have lesser waiting time to use the pcs because we 20 to 30 kids in the queue to use the pcs.

The following day I noticed the kids on the pcs doing their lesson and putting into practice the lesson taught the previous day.

Even though our center provides regular English and computer classes, we appreciate the extra help the Singapore youth gave to help and encourage the kids to learn .

Monthly Goducate English camps in Batam, Indonesia

Our English camps were held with students coming from Tunas Baru Secondary school in Batu Aji, Batam. We had over 45 students for each month of May and June. Their ages are from 14 to 16 years. The purpose was to teach them conversational English through games and drama. Some of these kids are presently attending our Goducate center in Batu Aji which is about 15 mins from the campsite.
On the first day, Saturday, we had 4 to 5 youth volunteers from Batam and Singapore to play games with them. The purpose was to use English as the medium in giving instruction so that they can practice speaking English. We had sack race, passing the rubber band through drinking straws, dog and the bone, tug-a-war, walking on clogs, etc.It was so much fun as they began to break from their shyness to speak English. Next we had about 4 to 5 adult volunteers to teach drama. You name it we have it. We made costumes and props from whatever we can lay our hands on, like trash bags, newspapers, cardboard, masking tape and marker pen.

It was so much fun to see all them participate and speaking and acting their part in English. They were tired out after the 2 days of activities but really enjoyed themselves.

Our English camps are monthly affairs and our helpers are all volunteers from Singapore and Batam.