On January 19, English Language Fellow Susannah Bien-Gund visited Chengdu Summit International High School (CDSIS) in Chengdu, China to share language-learning strategies with students and a workshop on grammar games with the school’s English teachers.
During a morning lesson, Bien-Gund first got to know high school students from different parts of Chengdu who board at the school during the week. She shared five “M’s” that could help them in their language learning: motivation, enjoying music, watching movies, making connections with other language learners, and making memorization fun through apps and games. Bien-Gund and the students practiced strategies for learning through music by singing along with “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers and (by student request) “We Are Never Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. Students enjoyed the opportunity to share their interests and motivations for English language learning with a native speaker and particularly seemed to like practicing strategies for learning English through popular music.

For Bien-Gund, the visit to CDSIS was also a great opportunity to understand the education system in China. She got to visit dormitories, the school cafeteria, and other areas on campus with teachers and students, and she benefited from discussing different educational experiences in China with students, staff, and administrators.