Winning competitions can boost your confidence and encourage you to read more. Harry Potter and books by Dan Brown such as the Da Vinci Code are favourites.

A teacher brought a recipe writing class to life by allowing the students to cook. Number the Stars is a memorable book.

A church leader focused on communication and not grammar while teaching out of a textbook.

Crazy English teaches students to communicate. Preparing for IELTS involves careful reading. She read TIME magazine.

Preparing for IELTS was very tiring – working hard every day. English teachers focus on basic language skills and have little time to read more than news websites such as the BBC and The New York Times.

Shakespeare exposes students to exaggeration and similes. Good movies make books interesting.

Collaborative writing and presentations in university allow students to develop together.

A NET inspires with drama and musicals. Craft books are interesting and beautiful.

The accent and teaching style of a NET is more appealing. You can learn through watching movies.

A summer camp led by native English speaking students built confidence because it focused on communication and not errors. Books such as Harry Potter and Tuesdays with Morrie are good for learners.

The passion of a recently graduated teacher helps after-school. Reading is difficult for someone who prefers pictures to words.

A student needed to answer questions about the book ET as part of an entrance test for a school in Macau. He later moved to Hong Kong and remembers English was used in an activity-filled international summer exchange programme in New Zealand.

An accessible NET provides an opportunity for lunch-time chats. The Harry Potter movie created an interest in comics. Playing the violin involves reading English language textbooks.

Watching Titanic in primary school on the Mainland created an interest in the lyrics of the song, “My Heart Will Go On.” The student also watched Harry Potter and Twilight. She briefly looked at the Harry Potter book.

A Maths Teaching major from the Mainland says his secondary school was different because there were many foreign teachers. He also took part in an English summer camp in Hong Kong. He is now reading and studying in English at university.

A Maths Teaching major began to enjoy English after a teacher introduced videos and games. She wonders about the best language to teach maths as she learnt in English and Chinese.

A weekly NET class allowed students to learn in a relaxing environment. Reading past papers for the DSE is a must but new vocabulary makes reading difficult.

An impressive professor used songs and drama in an English class. Reading includes The Hunger Games, Reader’s Digest, and course material.

A visual arts major, who hates English, used English to communicate while holidaying in Nepal. Reading is a necessity for assignments.

Teachers helped this student with drama and reading star letters. She also read Twilight and a book by Roald Dahl. English is used as the MOI in university art classes.

Listening to the BBC and reading online and printed newspapers were part of this student’s A-level preparations. He used a dictionary to check new vocabulary.

English is important for a science and web technology major who enjoys playing the piano. Her secondary school English teacher used songs for writing exercises. She thinks Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is funny.

A student who read Harry Potter recalls how she did presentations and reviews on books and movies. She feels there’s too much writing in the DSE exam.

An interest in dance led to a study trip to Canada where English was used by this student. She also read A Christmas Carol as part of the SBA.

A student enjoyed writing poems and playing games in a workshop on Thanksgiving day at university organised by an international tutor. The workshop was different to secondary school because it was interactive. Although reading English books is hard, she was able to finish Matilda. [4CJ093]

A student enjoyed the TV dramas and movies shown by NETs including Sherlock. She also read the first three Harry Potter books after watching the movie. She finds the smartphone dictionary helpful.

A student who felt frustrated during an English language summer camp practised alone by talking to herself. Most of her reading was past papers for the A-level exam but she now plans to read Gone Girl.

A student communicated with Singaporeans during a senior high school travel programme. She says her teacher recommended some meaningful books to students.

IELTS preparation classes are important for this student who wants to join an exchange programme to the UK. The English reading week at her school involved sharing ideas about books with fellow students. She prefers E-books.

A Christmas-time drama allowed this student to learn without focusing on difficult grammar rules. She read more books exchanging with others after she finished them.

Different modes of learning such as drama and watching films in secondary school are highlights for this student. She describes The Five People You Meet in Heaven as inspiring and educational.

A “great” teacher left a good impression with this student. She bought Harry Potter but couldn’t finish it. She also did some reading exercises to prepare for IELTS.

An English reading workshop in university allowed this student to learn skimming and other skills while enjoying The Sign of the Four. He moved to Hong Kong after beginning his education in Canada.

A Chinese teaching major learnt English through drama during NET-led classes in secondary school. She read Harry Potter and is comfortable reading E-books, and using other online sources such as dictionaries and search engines for vocabulary building.

A two-week exchange programme provided a chance for a student to experience Aussie culture. His reading has mostly focused on preparing for IELTS to secure a place in university.

A performing arts competition helped this student in the speaking part of the DSE exam. She also took part in the daily reading scheme during secondary school. She prefers printed books but also uses an e-dictionary.

Taking part in a drama helped this student polish his speaking skills. He read Typhoon Club Magazine and English Newspapers. Now a Liberal Studies major, he says English is important for writing essays.

Teachers helped this student and her classmates write a drama script which they also performed. She read books and newspapers during a scheduled time during secondary school.

A mother enrolled an English Teaching major in tutorial classes during primary school. She later studied in Singapore for one year. She has read Frankenstein and the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

Trips to Singapore and Australia raised a student’s awareness of accent. She has also read The Trumpet of the Swan, Reader’s Digest, and National Geographic. As an English Teaching major, she feels learning should relate to students.