English courses turn to cartoons to hold students' interest

As Chinese students start learning English at an young age, some training organizations now use cartoon characters and other attractive images to make learning more interesting.

RISE, an English education company, has the authorization of Universal Pictures to use the images and stories from “Kung Fu Panda” in its teaching.

RISE said it will produce “Lessons by Master Panda” for children aged from 3 to 8 and develop English cartoon books, short-term courses and other products with some content from the films.

ITutorGroup, an online education firm, last year made AI-powered robot Sophia, a creation of Hong Kong-based startup Hanson Robotics, a companion, assistant and teacher of its students.

EF Education First also released its study buddy, an intelligent voice box with a bird image that can interact with users, last month to stimulate the interest of children aged between 3 and 6.

Hu Yu, vice secretary-general of the Shanghai Society of Education, said the age group was the golden period for language learning and such practices were helpful for children to develop an interest in learning, a solid foundation for lifelong learning.