The English Language Centre (ELC) of the Faulty of Arts and Humanity (FAH), University of Macau (UM), recently held the ‘English Festival X,’ which attracted many UM students. Participants say the festival improved their English language skills and boosted their confidence when using English.
Apart from talks and workshops, the ELC also held the first talent show ‘UM Idol’ as a closing programme of the festival. Contestants who performed at UM for the first time hope to inspire the audience with their performances and look forward to participating in similar competitions in the future. The festival also included an English debate performance and a speech contest performance jointly organized with the Student Affairs Office (SAO).
Participants enjoyed practicing English by making artworks, taking photographs, and participating in contests and tasting cuisines from different places, adding that the festival will also help to enrich their lives at UM as they can expand their social networks through English.
‘The festival is an important fixture on the ELC event calendar, as it gives students the opportunity to improve their English in a relaxed atmosphere,’ says Dr Sean Grant, a senior instructor from the ELC and one of the judges of the UM Idol. ‘For UM Idol, the number of contestants and the level of their talents far exceeded my expectations. ELC hopes to continue to organize this event in the future to help students improve their English skills.’
The opening ceremony for the three-day event was attended by Prof Hong Gang Jin, dean of the FAH; Prof Antony Kunnan, associate dean of the FAH; Mr Elvo Sou, head of the Student Counselling and Development Section of the SAO; Dr Sean Grant, Mr Kevin Maher, and Ms Miranda Ma, senior instructors from the ELC; as well as Prof Fan Fang from Shantou University and Dr Kathrine Chen from the University of Hong Kong.
