SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITY: From public speaking to building an app, there’s a workshop for everybody
SOME students who score well in written exams find it hard to articulate the simplest of ideas in English. The upcoming New Straits Times School Holiday Workshops happening end of November and in December has something for school-going students of all age groups to build confidence to speak the language.
Let’s Speak English workshop is targeted for young learners aged 7-9; Adventures in Writing will be for 10 to 12-year-olds and Speak with Flair is designed for students between the ages of 13 and 16.
Ridzuan A. Ghani, or best known as Coach Ridz, the facilitator for Let’s Speak English, said his two-day workshop allows the young to boost their self-confidence through self-expression in various fun and meaningful activities that will allow them to be comfortable to speak in English.
“The activities during the workshop will give them the chance to share their feelings and emotions in English phrases.
“Students will discover different useful words related to human feelings, beyond the simple ‘happy and sad’ or ‘standing and sleeping’ range of vocabulary, and how to use them with the correct pronunciation,” he said.
Ridzuan, who has conducted English workshops since 2003 added that students will also be exposed to descriptive words like action verbs to build their vocabulary.
Speak With Flair workshop for ages 13 to 16 will introduce students to the art of public speaking. Conducted by Jacob Mathew, an experienced school teacher who has trained and coached students for choral speaking and public speaking competitions said, participants will be able to overcome stage fright, learn how to face the audience, control their voice, pick up knowledge on protocol and write a script.
“What I aim to provide is a fun time for all activities and make the participants realise it is not difficult at all. Anyone can speak and everyone should speak. It’s an entirely activity-based workshop. The students will gain confidence, improve speech and try out new ideas,” said Mathew.
At the Adventures in Writing workshop, those aged 10 to 12 will also be exposed to speaking English, besides the chance to practice their writing skills. Through fun and interactive activities students will not only be introduced to different writing styles but also grammar.
Apart from these three workshops, there is also the Innovative Writing workshop for those aged 13 to 16, where they will be exposed to different purposes and styles of writing.
At the end of this workshop, students will be equipped with the right tools to produce creative written work either for academic work or for their own selves.
There are also four other workshops offered during this school holidays.
Two new workshops — Be a Mobile App Developer and Create Your Own 3D Models — are also introduced this year. The facilitator for Be A Mobile App Developer, Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin said, the workshop allows participants to learn how to build Android applications. The workshop, for ages 13 to 16 will cover the techniques — from idea creation to designing user interface and experience as well as learning how to use the tools and resources — to build an Android app.
“They will learn how professional mobile apps are created, building a Minimum Viable Product, creating value and marketing the app.
“Participants will also have a chance to build their own apps during the workshop. They will learn to convert text to speech, use accelerometers or even build simple games,” she said. Nuraizah is also the managing director of Madcat World, a startup company focusing on mobile application development.
“We have been working with children and young adults since 2012 to help create more talent for the mobile industry,” she said.
Nuraizah is also the Regional Ambassador for Technovation Challenge, a United States-based organisation that encourages girls aged 10 to 18 to compete in an annual global mobile app competition. She added the workshop will not only encourage children to learn how mobile apps are being created and used, but also to get them excited about choosing technology fields to further their studies.
Nowadays, children are exposed to 3D modelling from the earliest age — in the movies they watch and the games they play. Students can learn to create their own design in 3D using TinkerCad if they attend Create Your Own 3D Model workshop conducted by Cain Lam.
Applying the concept “Sketch, Design & Print”, Lam said: “We allow each child to see how a sketch applied in 2D can be transformed in a 3 Dimensional world using the latest technology in design.
“In turn, this can be printed out using a 3D Printer,” he said.
Lam said: “Each child comes to us with their own creative vision. And we are playing the part of enhancing and enriching their vision by thinking and imagining in 3D using technology.
“So, we hope that the workshop can be a creative outlet that each child will gain when they sign up for this workshop, limited only by their imagination,” he added.
The other two workshops — The Young Champ Boot Camp and Take Good Photos — are open for students between the ages of 13 and 16. The former is aimed at transforming the mindset and thinking of youths, making them self-aware, innovative and responsive individuals. For the photography workshop, students will learn how to handle their camera, make full use of DSLR features, learn the basic photography techniques and digital photo editing.
All NST school holiday workshops are conducted in English and each workshop runs for two days.
For more information or to register, call the NIE Unit at 03-2056 9692 or 1300 22 6787 ext 3244 between 9am and 6pm, Mondays to Fridays.