We focus on creating engaging curriculum, as well as exposing our students to cultures and traditions from around the world. Our teaching and curriculum teams strive to not only bring quality education to our students, but also ignite a life-long passion for learning.
In a tiny village nestled in the mountains of southeastern China, a heavily accented teacher lectures on the English past tense at a blackboard almost white with use, as students bleakly stare out the crumbling wooden window. What could have been lessons that opened students’ minds to new cultures, give them advantages in China’s ultra-competitive job market, and help them become more involved in the global world slip by under their dreary eyes. The poverty of the villages only handicaps their studies further.
Education For All Foundation dedicates itself to serving these poor, left-behind, and under-resourced schoolchildren of rural China. Run by students and immigrants experienced in both Chinese and Western education, EFA's Education Department recruits North American high school and college students as long-distance teachers. They instruct a live weekly classes of 10-30 students via Zoom video conference after undergoing an intensive 2-month training process designed by professional ESL instructors.
In our virtual classroom, which replaces one to two of their regular English classes each week, volunteer teachers engage students in active learning, facilitate thoughtful discussions, and exude a unique energy. They expose students to cultural connections from across the globe. These lessons not only help students retain information, but also ignite a lifelong passion for learning.
Learn more about the students, learning conditions, and ways we help our partner schools!
EFA’s English Education program establishes the channel through which the students open their eyes to the global world. We work on listening, speaking, reading, and writing based on our own curriculum, designed with the advantages of Eastern and Western ESL styles. The curriculum possesses fun practice activities, as well as lectures, videos and music about cultures around the world. Students are given ample time to discuss and practice their skills. We strongly encourage them to actively participate in the classroom and give their own opinions on all matters.
Yang Lin Ai Xin Primary School
Tian Li Elementary School
Ling Xia Elementary School
Tang Li Elementary School
Di Cun Elementary School
De Ling Shan School
2nd - 6th Grade
1st - 4th Grade
1st - 4th Grade
1st - 4th Grade
1st - 4th Grade
1st - 2nd Grade
Our partner schools serve the “left-behind” children of local villages; these children have migrant-worker parents who are employed in large cities, and only visit their homes for a few months each year. Due to the remote location, the kids’ education is nowhere near the caliber of large, urban schools. Teachers come and go; a single teacher often teaches more than 3 subjects. Funding is scarce: the only computers the schools have are akin to Frankenstein’s Monster next to today’s sleek, lightning-fast models. With poor living conditions, little educational opportunities, and a lack of parental support, the left-behind children’s futures are dim.
We first ventured into teaching via Zoom during the 2018-2019 school year (Sept. 2018 to Jul. 2019), partnering with Dagouyan Elementary School in Ningxia, China. We taught a weekly 45-minute lesson to a class of third grade students, taking a part of their regular English curriculum. During this time, we recruited by word-of-mouth, as well as reaching out in student groups on social media. Our passionate volunteers scrambled to sign up for two spots each week to teach. When we visited the village school again in 2019, students were exhilarated to see their teachers in person, and the local teachers praised us for not only the quality of lessons, but also our enthusiasm.
2018-2019 School Year
However, there were challenges. Our lessons consisted of mundane lectures and monochromatic Word documents. We had a fluctuating pool of 10 teachers with varying skill sets; some were excellent, others lacked experience.
During the 2019-2020 school year, we expanded to 3 schools with a total of 5 more weekly classes: Hanfeng Elementary in Chongqing, Yanglin Aixin Elementary in Jiangxi, and Delingshan Elementary in Inner Mongolia. We formed the EFA Curriculum Team, solely dedicated to creating an interactive, fun, and diverse curriculum. They plan out all lessons, create engaging presentations, and gather all necessary materials for our schools’ needs. For our teachers, we created a two-month training process with input from ESL professionals from Auburn University and our own experience. The workshops include lectures, activities to practice teacher-student interactions, as well as model lessons and actual teaching.
2019-2020 School Year
We will expand to 25 weekly classes at 6 schools in the 2020-2021 school year. We will be teaching the schools’ regular English lessons using material required by the schools’ syllabi, as well as activities, discussions and presentations about various elements such as food, festivals, and traditions from cultures around the globe.
Our 40 bilingual teachers, who are North American high school and college volunteers, will each instruct a weekly class of 10-30 students either by themselves or with a partner for a semester. They underwent our extensive training process in July and August and have taught in our interest-based summer camps held at 4 schools during the summer of 2020. Our classes will have a relaxed yet scholarly atmosphere, with students engaging in proactive learning through discussions and activities as well as lectures.