Abstract:

English proficiency course for Chinese undergraduates at a Hong Kong university. The course uses news stories from a variety of sources and mediums in order to stimulate students’ interest both in English and in current affairs.

Until relatively recently, a course such as this would have relied on the limited variety of English language printed newspapers which are available in the university, as well as recordings of television or radio broadcasts. This would lead to a relatively restricted choice of materials, especially in regions where English is not the first language, and would also mean that the majority of materials are provided by the teacher.

With high speed and reliable Internet connections becoming more common, increasing numbers of news organisations providing online services and international broadcasting companies having their own channels on video hosting sites, this course can now use a far greater range of source materials. While in the past, a course such as this often depended on just one news source, now multiple versions from different perspectives can be easily found of the same story. This gives scope to dramatically increasing students’ critical thinking skills, while the availability of online news sources also democratises the classroom, as students as well as teachers can easily find news stories.

In the course presented, the wiki is used to share the different news stories among students and as a forum to comment on the news. News stories are chosen first by the teacher, and then by the students. Students also use the wiki as a self learning diary where they link to news articles which they are interested in and leave a comment about the story. Finally, students complete an assessment on the wiki by presenting a current news story using a range of different media including text, visual and audio. The successful use of the wiki enhances both student and teacher creativity and independence.

Keywords:

wikis, EFL.