See Change Education – a Speech & Debate Online Academy for “21st Century Life Skills”

Reimagining Education When Learning is Disrupted by the Pandemic 
Entering the third year of the pandemic, many students in Hong Kong are currently on their early summer vacation, which started in early March, four months earlier than usual. Around the world, the pandemic transformed teaching and learning. Students, teachers and parents have had to contend with class suspensions, new technology and distance learning tools, and challenges in maintaining individuals’ physical and emotional health. 

The Group’s education business See Change Education (See Change) was established in 2020 to nurture a community of young leaders and future world-shapers, and to capture business opportunities brought about by new education trends under the pandemic. It offers both in-person and online courses to support children aged 5-18 to develop “21st century life skills” in critical thinking and persuasive communication.

Ms. Rita Pang, Founder and Director of See Change, launched this online academy in Speech & Debate before the worldwide spread of COVID-19, and it turned out to be a unique advantage for See Change. Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, and take less time, meaning the changes in the education system brought about by the coronavirus may be here to stay.¹ The online learning trend, or at least a hybrid model of traditional education and online learning, is likely to persist post-pandemic.

21st Century Learning vs Traditional Classroom
Based in Hong Kong, most of See Change’s students come from local families. But with the “global classroom” concept, there are also students from regions such as Singapore, China, India, and even the United States. “I learned about different global issues through lively discussions with my teachers and classmates”, said a See Change student. See Change classes are different from traditional classroom learning:

•    Scope: See Change does not focus on schoolwork tutoring; instead, its speech and debate programs are designed around what is not taught at school - the critical life skills.  

•    World Views & Leadership Skills: For students who move beyond the beginners’ level where coaches focus on nurturing creativity, confidence, and English proficiency primarily, the discussion topics rotate around six core areas - from technology, art & culture, sustainability, policy, economics, to day-to-day matters. Students will develop world views and be connected to current affairs and the world around them. At the same time, students develop 21st century life skills in critical thinking and persuasive communication, and in doing so, they are supported to find their inner passion and their own voice. 

•    High Engagement: “We are always outcome-based. When designing courses, we want to make sure our students will enjoy them and most importantly, gain something useful. Otherwise, it will simply be a waste of their time.” See Change Education currently implements small class size (capped at 6 students for its regular programs) in order to maximise student engagement and learning outcome.

•    Blended Learning: For secondary students, we blend online and offline learning, a/k/a “flipped classrooms”. More advanced students are assigned videos and readings online at home and work on projects, and interact with faculty while in class. Such a hybrid model can even improve student performance in traditional in-person classes.

•    Applied Learning: See Change also organises international debate and public speaking competitions for students to apply what they know and to use their “voice”. “We hope that every child can find what drives them and to use their voice to influence and create impact.” Ms. Pang said. 

Communication is the Key to Building Harmony 
See Change offers a variety of courses ranging from digital life skills, creative writing, videography to production management skills, but its primary focus is English speech and debate. “English is a global language, and good English skills can improve interpersonal communication and build harmony”, Ms. Pang said. To ensure high-quality teaching, most speech and debate tutors in See Change are Ivy League or Oxbridge coaches with extensive teaching experience, and many are award-winners of international or national debate and public speaking competitions. 

Easter Holidays are on its Way! 
Check out our Easter Program in Speech and Debate, as well as Enrichment Programs with Science Camps and Model UN Conference! UK-bound students can join our standardised test prep program.

AAI Friends & Family Discount Code: AAI (10% off)  

Not too late to join the AIM Cup Public Speaking Competition on the theme of “play”. Winners may share their stories in broad range of channels, and will be eligible to be selected as the Playright Ambassador. Let your voices be heard. https://www.aim-cup.org/