English classes go the extra mile with classes on board bus

LEARNING English can be as simple as taking a bus ride in a new educational programme launched by the British Council.

Participants in the English Adventure scheme learn on a modified double-decker bus, which has been equipped with 21 multimedia computers and can accommodate up to 40 students.

The computers are installed with interactive learning programs and educational tools.

Launched last Tuesday, the educational bus is available for bookings by schools four days a week.

Schools that sign up for the free scheme will be provided with teaching materials and methods beforehand.

'Nowadays students spend a lot of time on computers,' says Ann Wong, a British Council spokeswoman.

'We hope interactive teaching with computers will raise their interest in learning English.'

According to students who have taken part in the programme, learning on the bus is fun and effective.

'It's very interesting. We listened to the English news and when there were words that I did't know, I asked my teacher immediately,' said Polly Chaw Poi-man, a 15-year-old Form Three student from ELCHK Lutheran Secondary School in Yau Ma Tei.

The mobile classroom is also popular among teachers. Mark Malby, an English teacher at Lutheran Secondary School, said the bus classroom was an effective teaching tool.

'There are schools that don't have computer labs, so this bus makes it much easier for them,' he said.