Advertisement
Advertisement

City helps students take on the world

Will Clem

Do your homework before choosing to study abroad, Canadian trustee advises

MANY PEOPLE find studying overseas to be the experience of a lifetime - whether it is for a year, a summer or just a few weeks. More parents are seeing the benefits of packing their children off to foreign climes for schooling and going to university overseas is more popular than ever.

Language learning, of course, is the foremost reason given for studying abroad. Making the transition from the classroom to real-life situations is an essential step on the way to mastering any foreign language and there is no better way to do that than total immersion.

But learning to communicate is not the only benefit to be gained from a study trip away from home.

Students who have spent at least part of their academic career overseas tend to be more assertive and independent, and develop a greater cultural awareness of the world beyond their own borders.

Au Chak-kwong, a trustee of a Canadian school board near Vancouver, said students gained a lot from going to school overseas.

'I think it is generally good for students to be exposed to another country or another culture to be successful in later life,' Dr Au said.

Originally from Hong Kong, Dr Au has lived in Canada for 18 years and has sat on the school board in Richmond, a satellite city of Vancouver, for five years. The board controls the educational system for the city's 40 primary and 11 secondary schools, and has close links with local tertiary institution Kwantlen University College.

The district, which has one of the best education records in Canada, is a popular destination with overseas students.

Dr Au said the college preferred taking 'a cautious approach'. He said it usually had about 300 foreign students attending various secondary schools in the district, all from Form Three and up. The limiting factor on increasing that number was finding suitable host families.

'We need to find quality families for the home stays. With 300 students, I am confident I can find that many. But what if we had 900? Then, I'm not so confident.'

While overseas study is generally a positive, character-building experience, it is not always plain sailing.

Dr Au has one word of advice for students planning to study overseas: 'Preparation. First, you need to find the right source of information. Don't rely on second-hand information - go directly to the source. Then, you have to prepare your mind for different ways of learning. People think the greatest hurdle for foreign students is language. It isn't - it's getting used to a different style of teaching.'

Dr Au said many Hong Kong students found it difficult to switch from a largely teacher-driven style of learning to the Canadian style, where they were expected to work independently and be more responsible.

'Lastly, you need to do cultural preparation. It's no use arriving there and saying: 'In Hong Kong we don't do things like that'. If you want things to be the same as Hong Kong, why come to Canada?'

Picking the right destination can be a key factor in determining the success or failure of an overseas study venture.

Dr Au recommends students visit the country of their choice - perhaps for a two-week intensive language course - before committing to a full year or more of study, just to see how well they fit in.

He said students should seek advice on their plans and options from one of the guidance services run by educational charities such as Caritas.

Post