International Journal of Education

College English teaching should be effectively integrated into the system of curriculum-based ideological and political education, making it play a key role in achieving the basic mission of cultivating virtue and developing talent in higher education institutions. However, to fulfill the unity of “knowledge” and “action” in ideological and political education, depending just on knowledge transmission in the first classroom is not enough; it is necessary to expand the practical educational functions of the second classroom. Taking College English for Undergraduates at Weifang University of Science and Technology as an example, the study systematically explores the construction method of the second classroom under the linkage mechanism of the “First Classroom+Second Classroom”. By encouraging students to participate in practical activities such as bilingual volunteer services at international exhibitions, academic competitions, and local culture external publicity projects, language training is systematically integrated with ideological elements like patriotism, global vision, and professional ethics. It shows that the second classroom remarkably promotes students’ cross-cultural communication skills, sense of social responsibility, and internal learning drive, forming a practical education model characterized by “promoting learning through competitions, fostering action through service, and stimulating innovation through projects.”

College English; Curriculum ideology and politics; Second classroom; Volunteer service; Academic competition