Our education has been undergoing a significant reform: the “108 curriculum” aims to foster students’ overall core competency, so that they can each develop a passion for life-long learning. For rural schools also implementing the reform, students may be having further difficulty jumping on the reform bandwagon.
At the end of 2021, the TSMC Charity Foundation and MyGrain Educational Company Limited went to the Si Wei Elementary School, located at the south of the Dadu River. With a series of remedial courses, we hope to get the students on the right track of learning.
Let the Children Grow Up Safely, and Enter Society on an Equal Footing with Others
“The block is now two times six, if we add one more horizontally, then it becomes four times six.” From using various block combinations to teach children math, to utilizing mind maps to instruct children to find keywords in reading, TSMC volunteers have been adopting visual strategies and interesting approaches in the remedial courses. This could not only help children achieve better understanding of basic subjects, it could also prevent further complex questions turning into learning barriers.
A TSMC volunteer, left, teaches children math with blocks. TSMC Charity Foundation Chairperson Sophie and CEO of MyGrain Educational Company Limited Huang Yun-Ting, center, discuss the course syllabus and children’s response.
After carrying out storytelling voluntary service at the Si Wei Elementary School for 9 years, the TSMC volunteers have helped the students develop reading habits. Through reading, children have been able to acquire knowledge and character-building lessons.
As for the reason behind the remedial courses, it was because Chairperson Sophie Chang has always believed that children should not only grow up safely, but they should also enter society on an equal footing with others. Hence, remedial courses were launched in November. On December 10, Sophie Chang and TSMC’s Taichung 15B plant director Su Bin-jia paid a visit to the Si Wei Elementary School, where they asked the frontline volunteers about the students’ performances in the remedial courses.
To catch up on school work, the TSMC volunteers do specially-designed supplementary materials for the Chinese subject with the children.
Teaching Students in Accordance with their Aptitude, Giving Children What They Need
When designing the remedial courses, Sophie kept reminding the team that the courses need to arouse the students’ interests, and that the volunteers should teach according to the children’s learning speed and adjust the materials’ level of difficulty when necessary.
CEO of MyGrain Educational Company Limited, Huang Yun-Ting, has shared her experience. While she has been mostly dedicated to the cram school business in urban cities, TSMC has given her company an opportunity to design the remedial courses this time. She found that since children living in rural areas may have less resources and support in their environment and daily lives, they would have to introduce a new kind of course plan according to the children’s response.
As a result, they retained about 70% of the original content, and put emphasis on “learning by doing” to increase interest and learning outcomes. When teaching, the volunteers have always born in mind Sophie’s words. They paid meticulous attention to see if the children were keeping up, and gave constant feedback to the teaching team. By making necessary adjustments to the pace and their teaching methods in time, the volunteers were able to establish a better learning model for the children.
The TSMC volunteers also taught the children about science. The volunteers demonstrated the concept of mechanical equilibrium using cola cans, showing the children that science is everywhere in our daily lives.
From Virtual Learning to In-person Learning, Endless Growth and Dedication
During the pandemic, they were worried that the children’s learning would be forced to halt because of class suspension, said the principal of Si Wei Elementary School Shen Tsui-lien. However, with the help of the school and the TSMC volunteers, the children have never stopped learning thanks to the TSMC’s rich array of events, such as the storytelling service, online science courses and the remedial courses. She was grateful for the time and efforts of the TSMC volunteers and for being the children’s strongest support.
Near the end of the event on the day of the visit, Sophie, the storytelling volunteers, and the 15B plant volunteers have gathered together to share their thoughts:
“What we are doing now is to help the society build a cycle of benevolence, so that when we become old, these children would then be adults helping others. Nothing is more important or moving than seeing that happen.”
Whether it’s the warm sun in winter, the concentrated faces on children, or the heartwarming company of teachers and volunteers, the TSMC Charity Foundation has brought together happiness and laughter to a school beside the Dadu River on a golden afternoon.
