Over the past few weeks, the 2015 SBC T1 Scholarship Programme has attracted a number of potential students with top academic performance and excellent English language skills for applying. After a comprehensive evaluation process, 35 students were offered places for the T-Week Programme, which was run as a key element of the T1 Scholarship Programme from the 10th to the 16th August.
The SBC T-Week Programme is designed to help participants, who are eligible applicants for SBC T1 Scholarships, to learn knowledge and skills which will be of value to their future studies and careers. During the one-week course, students have created and delivered an academic, research-based presentation while developing their academic skills in areas such as research, referencing, expressing and supporting points in English. By improving their speaking skills in a collaborative learner-centered learning environment, students were also expected to become more confident and engaging speakers with skills for independent learning and critical thinking.
SBC uses a learner-centered approach. Students are considered as an individual, who comes to the learning experience with his or her own skills, strengths, learning styles and motivations, so independent learning is fundamental. As Hannah Jones, Head of the Centre of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has said, teacher and the learners are seen as co-collaborators, working together to construct knowledge and successful learning.
That was a real challenge for all participants of the T-Week Programme. Though they were all excellent students in high schools with good English language proficiency, the students were required to adjust to a completely new learning environment at SBC by engaging actively and participate fully in every class. They were also expected to take responsibility and take the initiative for how learning progresses.
Many participants of the T-Week Programme expressed that it was an extremely busy week for them, with new challenges every day! However, they enjoyed the group works and also the discussions that they had with their teachers. They look forward to their new life at SBC which will begin very soon.
At the end of the one-week programme, on 14th August each student was asked to give a 10-minute presentation on a chosen topic. Wan Yimin from Shanghai No.4 High School and Wang Chunyi, from Rizhao No.1 High School, Shandong Province won the Audience Award for the Most Engaging Speaker in the Class.
The Final Presentations and Awards Ceremony were held on the morning of the 16th August. Out of the 10 finalists, SBC T1 Programme Top Scholarship, which is worth RMB 40,000, was presented to Yan Yiyi, from Wenzhou Ouhai High School, Zhejiang Province and Yao Hanting, from Shanghai No.2 High School in recognition of their outstanding academic performance.
Apart from the core academic components delivered by EAP and subject teachers at SBC, participating students of the T-Week Programme were also offered the opportunity to study with “student mentors” who were there to facilitate the learning process and share their personal experiences of studying at SBC.
Bruno Gargerle, who is from Germany and is now studying Events Management at SBC believes that as a mentor, he can help new students in a constructive way both academically and culturally. Bruno has also worked in various organisations as intern. Recently he has won the top place in the international competition of CEO for One Month, which was hosted by FESCO Adecco with participants from over 30 countries. Currently he is working as a part-time trainee at Messe Muenchen International. With his professional experiences, Bruno added that he had learned a lot about public speech, presentation skills and other things during his time at SBC, and he wanted to share these experiences with other students.
At SBC, employability skills are seen as essential to the future development of students. On 13th August, supported by the SBC Careers Service and Development Centre, all participants of the T-Week Programme took a field trip to the Standard Chartered Bank on the West Nanjing Road. Director and Senior Account Manager of the Bank met with the students and introduced about the history of the Standard Chartered Bank and the daily operation. The purpose of the half-day visit was to help students get to know real-life work environment and hear from the professionals on what employers expect from university graduates in terms of knowledge and skillset.
The element of international art and culture was also incorporated in the T-Week Programme. The SBC English Tearoom offered international cuisine to students with a new menu for lunch every day. All participating students were also invited to have the Van Gogh Live Experience at Xintiandi, which was very well received.
Sabrina Yang, Director of Operations at SBC said: “SBC is committed to offering a genuine international learning environment to students from China and abroad and we are delighted to see that more and more top high school graduates choose to study with us. Personally, I am extremely impressed by the talent and confidence of the students who joined the T-Week. I do believe that SBC will provide them with opportunities for achieving success, both academically and professionally.”
