Aldrich Bay Government Primary School

Transcription

Aldrich Bay Government Primary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : NG Kit Chee
Diversified School-based English Language Teaching Design
Introduction
In designing the teaching strategies, tasks and activities for each unit, I have to consider a lot of things. My
teaching design must suit my pupils' characters, interests and needs. It must help to foster their four language
skills. It must help to develop their generic skills of which I would especially emphasize communicative skills, cooperation and creativity. It must help to generate pupils' positive values and attitudes in English Language
Learning. A variety of tasks and learning activities can provide a wide range of learning experiences for our pupils.
They are also exposed to different text types. Through participating in the tasks and learning activities, pupils can
"use" the target language for communication. A variety of teaching design can help to solve the problem of pupils'
different learning style and at the same time, it can cater for the individual differences of the pupils.
The following are the photos that show a variety of tasks and learning activities that lead to effective learning.
Designing advertisements
Advertising
Practising past tense with the help of
2 photos of himself --- oral presentation
Practising past tense with the help of
2 photos of herself --- oral presentation
Story re-writing--- group project
Acting out their own story
Drama
Drama---the costume was made by
themselves with the help of their parents
Model making---presentation and debate
Designing a clothes shop
Designing a toy shop
Creating an English learning
environment
Pupils' writing on current hot issue --Tsunami Disaster
Pupils' writing on current hot issue --Tsunami Disaster
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Way of Access to Further Information of the above Teaching Practice
Please contact Ms NG Kit Chee for further information.
Preferred Way of dissemination / collaboration
Talks or seminars
Contact
Ms NG Kit Chee
Mobile phone no.: 9182 6116
E-mail: ngkitchee@yahoo.com.hk
Remarks of the Assessment Panel
Ms Ng is a committed, experienced teacher who excels in motivating her students to learn English. She
has achieved this by shifting the foci of her lesson design from "teacher" to "students", from "teaching" to
"learning" and from "learning about the language" to "using the language". She has demonstrated strength in
mixed ability teaching. She has devised a wide range of tasks and learning activities to address individual
differences and to empower students with low language proficiency.
Apart from designing the refined learning process, she always experiments with her newly gained
academic knowledge intelligently in her work with her never-ending zeal for professional development. She
provides various learning modes to her primary school students, namely, doing magic tricks, experiments,
new inventions, story writing, role play and drama, designing advertisements, etc.
Ms Ng has demonstrated herself to be a highly competent teacher. The lessons that were observed
were structured and the teaching objectives were clear and achieved effectively by a series of learning tasks
and activities. These activities and tasks usually required students to work in pairs or groups. Students had
the opportunity to use the target language for communicating ideas of their own within their groups and
before the whole class. Students responded well to the instruction and learning tasks and activities. She has
also developed very good rapport with students.
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HHCKLA Buddhist Wisdom Primary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Leung Chui Chun
How Teachers' Belief on 'What is Achievable in English Teaching?' Changed through the
Development of the School-based English Language Curriculum
Introduction
Our students’ out-of-school source of support in English learning and exposure has been and is still far from
satisfactory. Some teachers in our school fell prey to the defeatist belief that what can be done for our students in
the learning and appreciation of the beauty and utility of English was severely limited. Expectations on students
were low. Many of our English teachers were frustrated by the lack of student progress. Input of teacher effort in
daily ‘routine’ practice and drills of patterns, design of language tasks and assignments etc. was escalating but
with no comforting evidence of student learning and motivation surfaced. Our professional role and the
meaningfulness of our curriculum routine were my concern when I approached proficient level in my classroom
teaching. I saw what would be coming if we did not find a way out.
I started experimenting with process writing in my class in 1998. It was because we found that our students
were not interested in our conventional Guided Writing. Pupils were handing in writing assignments with little trace
of their own views or feelings. No generation of ideas was needed. English was not activated as a vehicle of
students’ emotions, concerns and their connections with their world. Students were just like assembly-line workers,
turning in combined pieces of words which bore no relationship to their lives and interests. Something had got to be
done. I believe that students can be motivated to write by adopting a process-writing approach. I tried out process
writing in my own class. It was quite effective. I was amazed by the work of my students. Their motivation and
confidence were so different than before. I was convinced and continued to improve the way of process writing.
I tried to persuade my colleagues by sharing with them my experiences through informal interaction. I showed
them the work of my students. They were impressed and were willing to experiment this approach in their own
classes. It was, however, not a plain sailing process. I had to provide my colleagues with evidence and allow much
time for them to accommodate my messages. Supporting measures and revamping of some ineffective practices
in our English panel were consolidated. In most cases, colleagues’ participation in the decision process was my
top priority. More and more colleagues were convinced and willing to take up the challenge. Our P.2 to P.6 students
now have process writing.
With the concerted efforts of my colleagues, we have now developed a whole set of process writing tasks that
are related to the themes in the textbooks. Seeing that the children are really changing, some colleagues initiated
changes by themselves. For example, they suggested compiling a series of mini-writing tasks so that our children
have more platforms to express themselves in English.
As students have a sense of satisfaction in the process of writing, they are more willing to learn English. Their
motivation to learn English is enhanced. They want to master the language because they know there are many
platforms for them to use the language meaningfully in our school. All children love to express themselves once
appropriate guidance or comment is provided. And teachers are the ones to establish this platform for them. We
also understand the importance of a conducive language environment for our students in a society with English as
the second language. Therefore, all our colleagues work together to provide a wide range of English activities for
our students outside the classroom.
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Defeatist beliefs are weakened. The changes in students' attitude and performance in writing effected a
change in paradigm among some of my colleagues. They are more ready to change for the benefit of students.
They are much more ready to try new ideas and take up challenges. From then on we have developed different
school-based practices including phonics teaching and reading workshops. We even join a large-scale seed
project on English reading.
Good practices are promoted through consensus building, collaborative working culture as well as in-house
sharing in our school. Most of the endeavours are therefore introduced through colleagues' suggestions and
initiatives or after consultation. Teaching is not individual work. Our colleagues work collaboratively. Good
experiences and practices are disseminated in our school through various systematic in-house sharing.
Experienced teachers on a certain area would work as mentors to try out alternative strategies. We also seek every
opportunity to upgrade our expertise or to obtain external professional support. I am proud of being a member of
our team of professional teachers of English.
The above was my prime focus in these few years. I also helped head-start our curriculum change for the
whole school about five years ago. The general approach was the same. Paradigm change among our colleagues
was the first agenda. Capacity building was the second. The aim was to develop a mechanism so that our students
can learn much better and have the most enlightening school experiences. We had advice from external experts at
the beginning. We introduced project learning, life-wide learning, social services, etc. All these are now embedded
in our school curriculum. In the process, professional autonomy, ownership, joint decision-making and evidencebased decision-making are some of the more important elements that we would like to promote in our school.
However, there are still many frustrating cross-roads ahead. Our curriculum reform effort is still under development
and review. In spite of the escalating workload and coordination problem, our school will continue to strive for
excellence with our colleagues' commitment and readiness for capacity growth.
In these few years, I see in my students how small and yet meaningful successes bring joy, confidence and
uplifted values about oneself as a person. They manage to excel in an area which they think is insurmountable.
Their perspectives have changed and they have higher expectations of themselves. Many of my colleagues were
'converted'. They believe that with appropriate support, every student can grow.
English Guide reads a book with junior schoolmates.
P.1 children participate actively in English
reading workshops.
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Please contact Ms Leung Chui Chun for further information.
Sharing sessions
Contact
Ms Leung Chui Chun
School tel. no.: 2668 9088
E-mail: school@wisdom.edu.hk
Ms Leung possesses excellent teaching skills and sound knowledge of the English curriculum. She is
an outstanding teacher with fabulous insights into English Language teaching, a competent and highly
committed teaching professional who has successfully established a collaborative culture among her
colleagues.
Ms Leung shows great dedication and a passion for educating young learners. Holding a fervent belief
in the impact of process writing approach on the students’ English language skills, she has successfully
enhanced the students’ motivation to write and confidence to use English in their daily interactions. More
importantly, she has helped unleash her students’ drive to excel.
Through the collaboration of her fellow teachers, Ms Leung has introduced various curricular changes
to address issues like compartmentalization of subjects and lack of coherent learning experiences of the
students. She has also initiated a number of curricular changes which include integrating the teaching of
phonics and process-oriented writing approach into the school-based English curriculum. She adopts the
strategy of “think big, start small and move in small steps” in the curriculum reform, usually starts with better
classes to test for workability before extending to the whole school. In this way, she has successfully steered
the school towards a whole-school approach to the teaching of process writing. She always sets a good
example of personal commitment before introducing any changes. Not only has this bottom-up approach
earned Ms Leung the trust of her fellow teachers, it has also effected a change in paradigm among some of
her colleagues.
Ms Leung is not just an English teacher but an exceptionally committed educator. Her significant
contribution to the school-based curriculum development, her readiness to go beyond the school for further
contribution to the education of Hong Kong, and her pursuit of professional development are commendable.
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Good Hope School
Name of Awarded Teachers : Petunia Gnanadorai, Law Chan Yuen Lan, Ann,
Grace Pow, Law Yim Ling, Helen, Mabel Lee
Good Teaching Practices - Teachers Walk the Talk
Introduction
The most significant lesson I have learned as a student of the Post-graduate Certificate of Education at the
University of Hong Kong is, "Never ask your students to do something that you have not or cannot do yourself". For
me, this statement is applicable to every aspect of my life as a teacher.
To foster good teaching practices in the classroom, it is imperative that the Panel as a group and each teacher
individually walk the talk of what we expect our students to learn and how we expect our students to behave.
Here at Good Hope School we believe in this principle of practicing what we preach. The English Panel, like
a flock of geese on its flight path, works as a unified group with each member sharing in the role of leadership and
accepting the responsibility that comes with that role.
The English Panel comprises of 23 qualified, competent and dedicated teachers coming from very diverse
cultural and international backgrounds. The strength of the panel is not in its numbers but the fact that everyone
works towards common goals drawing on one another's rich experience in a congenial and co-learning
atmosphere.
There are three Rs that work as the guiding principles of the panel. They are RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and
ROLES. Everyone has an important role to play within the panel, takes their responsibility seriously and has great
respect and regard for other members of the panel. This has been achieved over the years by making the working
of the system transparent and by cultivating accountability for all work done.
Each member of the panel is given an important role to play according to their talents, wishes and workloads.
Everyone is accountable for work done by means of evaluation, meetings (personal and panel), team teaching,
check marking, peer observation by panel heads, group work and division of labour.
Rewards are a motivating factor in fostering team spirit and bringing the best out of every member. Positive
feedback, encouragement to try new ideas and assistance to implement new strategies are some of the rewards
that work well. Regular social gatherings and celebrations of birthdays/festivals create a bond that strengthens the
working spirit of the panel.
Having cultivated such work ethics, the panel works willingly and enthusiastically. The entire panel is
instrumental in the continuous development of the teaching practices at Good Hope School. Each member is very
proactive in putting into practice new teaching methods that have brought about the desired outcomes.
The panel works as a team, the members helping one another with teaching ideas, pooling resources and
constantly checking with and consulting each other regarding work. English teachers have the freedom to try new
teaching strategies with their classes and share good ideas that have worked well. The flexibility of the panel and
the freedom to be innovative are a motivational factor resulting in high staff morale. Also the easy camaraderie and
sharing makes for a very harmonious work atmosphere.
However, we cannot deny that there are challenges and obstacles that we face every now and then. These are
dealt with by means of open communication channels between the panel head and panel members.
Having established a culture of airing opinions, speaking up when facing difficulties and taking into consideration
everyone's viewpoints, the problems are dealt with efficiently or minimized with decision making that satisfies
the majority.
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The work environment that has been established empowers the teachers to teach what they experience as
members of the panel. They exude the same enthusiasm that they enjoy working with their colleagues and impart
knowledge by designating roles, entrusting responsibilities, delegatingwork, giving positive feedback and
encouragement. The students are the privileged beneficiaries of the panel's work ethics giving them an inheritance
that will last a lifetime.
School should not be a preparation for life. A School should be LIFE. - Elbert Hubbard
EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT
NAME
1. Corina Chen
2. Ann Law
CLASSES TAUGHT
I
I, III & IV
3. Helen Law
4. Grace Pow
V & VI
IV & VII
5. Betty Fung
6. Mabel Lee
/
II & III
7. Monique Lok
8. Angela Lee
9. Jennifer Mckay
10. Anne Yam
11. Vivian Liu
I, II & IV
IV
II & VI
I
I
12. Lesley Crof
13. Annie Cheung
14. Bong Sil
15. Nalini Fernandes
16. Johanna O'Hanlan
17. Petunia Gnanadorai
I, II & V
I, II & III
I, II & III
II & III
I & IV
VI & VII
18. Gareth Lam
19. Eason Chan
20. Wilfred Choi
21. Ross Campbe
22. Peter Ch'ng
23. Andrew Wilson
I, II & III
I, III & V
I, II & V
ll IV & V
I, II & V
I, II & III
DUTIES
Dean of Studies and Choral Speaking
Junior Panel Head, Teacher Mentor
ERS - Teacher-in- charge
Assistant Convenor Form V & VI
Convenor Form VII & English Resource
Book Teacher-in-charge
Choral Speaking Teacher-in-charge
Assistant Convenor Form I IT Resource
Person - English Panel
Convenor Form 1
Convenor Form IV & Teacher Mentor
Convenor Form VI & Debating Society
Pastoral Care and Teacher Mentor
Asst. Choral Speaking
Literature Resources (Form I and II)
English Resources (Online and worksheets) ERS
English Resource Book
ERS, English Resource Book & Social Secretary
Small Group Drama & Debating Society
English Resources & English Doorway
Speech Festival, Inter-class Debates & Debating
Society & Panel Head
Convenor Form II & ERS
Convenor Form III & Social Secretary
Convenor Form V, ERS & Social Secretary
English Doorway Teacher-in-charge
English Doorway & English Resources
Small Group Drama & English Doorway
I touch the future. I teach. – Christa McAuliffe
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Please e-mail to the ATE Secretariat (ate@emb.gov.hk) stating the specific information you would like to obtain.
Please refer to the latest news of sharing activities organized by the ATE Teachers Association.
Website: www.ate.gov.hk
Contact
ATE Secretariat: ate@emb.gov.hk
This group nomination is made up of a strong team of five highly committed and competent English
teachers, who put together a comprehensive and integrated curriculum to ensure a rich language
experience for their students. Apart from learning from the formal curriculum, students are actively engaged
in innovative project work, which develops their independent learning ability. Moreover, a wide variety of
interesting extra-curricular activities are held to strengthen students' language ability and foster their
creative thinking and expression, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Student groupings are
carefully thought out to facilitate effective language learning.
The strengths of this nomination lie in the very close collaboration among the team members and their
creative curriculum design and implementation. Team members work closely together to develop interesting
learning tasks and share teaching ideas and resources. Small group teaching and strong team work among
English panel members help to produce positive learning outcomes. The school boasts value-added
student performance in public examinations for the past four years and outstanding results in inter-school
public speaking activities.
The team demonstrates outstanding performance in all the five domains and provides an
excellent example to show how teamwork elevates the quality of learning and teaching.
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Kowloon True Light Middle School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Chan Pui Yee, Pearl
Extending English Learning Horizons through IT
Introduction
English learning involves development of language skills. It takes a long time to master English.
Self-motivation and a positive attitude towards English learning are crucial. Effective English teaching practices
can establish English as the main language of communication between the learners and themselves both inside
and outside the classroom. Effective English teaching practices foster a genuine liking of learning English
independently and continuously, even after class and graduation. Weaker students may not make an immediate,
remarkable improvement in their performance in the English examinations but, with a positive attitude towards
English learning and the correct approach of developing essential language skills and study skills, sooner or later,
they will be proficient in English. "Practice makes perfect" is always true provided that learners practise persistently
with proper, effective strategies.
The role of a good English teacher is not a transmitter of knowledge of English but a facilitator to promote the
development of essential English skills and a positive attitude towards English learning in order to maintain an everincreasing capability for improvement throughout life. The mission of an English teacher is to enable students to
see the need to improve and ways of improving their English proficiency, to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Effective English teaching should promote not only instrumental motivation but also intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation facilitates lifelong, pleasurable learning of English. To foster intrinsic motivation to acquire
English, language learning activities must be related to the learners' needs, interests and daily life experiences;
they must be authentic and purposeful, as well as engaging the learners in genuine acts of communication.
Language tasks and projects such as tourist interviews, variety shows, sending e-cards, chatting on the bulletins in
the e-class, helping to run English activities for other students in other forms and the Thanksgiving project, are
effective activities for the development of communicative competence. Learning through these communicative
activities enhances learners' long-term language development. Since these activities are learner-centred,
teaching efficiency and effectiveness are improved. Students are actively involved in the learning process and
they have autonomy of their own learning. They treasure the time they cooperate with their peers and the products
they create. They experience the use of English in authentic situations. With the accomplishment of the tasks and
projects, students boost their confidence by applying their knowledge of English and generic skills (collaboration
skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, self-management skills, negotiation skills,
creativity, information technology skills and study skills) for purposeful communication in real-life situations.
With the introduction of the English mass media like the SCMP, the RTHK, TVB Pearl, ATV World,Discovery
Channel and magazines, students are gradually exposed to a widening range of contexts, thereby extending their
experience beyond that of their immediate environment. Effective English teaching enables learners to develop the
awareness that there are many varieties of English, as the language is used in many parts of the world with different
traditions.
It is vitally important, in this day and age, that, as teachers, we recognize the strengths and weaknesses of our
students. They are individuals and, thus, by adopting a wide range of teaching methods and adapting
programmes to suit particular needs, teachers cater for each student in the class. A range of these, as set out
below, focusing on Information Technology.
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(1) School-based Curriculum Project - Using e-cards to promote creative writing
This project covers the use of e-cards and word processor from F.1 to F.7 to promote creative writing and peer
editing. It exposes students to authentic social English and arouses their interest to read and write to others
beyond the formal curriculum. Some assigned writing tasks strengthen students' reasoning while others boost
their creativity. It enlivens the traditional English lessons with some Language Arts activities and information
technology skills. Peer editing enhances the confidence of S.6 students in using English and their
understanding of English grammar. The rationale and procedures of running the project, the students' work
and feedback and the evaluation report are kept as CDs.
(2) Thanksgiving Project
This is an extended task from the previous project about festivals. It has been carried out, with constant
modifications, with my sixth formers, since 2001. The students' work is getting more sophisticated in terms of
understanding this unique western festival, creativity and IT skills. Students' oral presentations of their original
webpages about Thanksgiving demonstrate their collaborative efforts and confidence in using English.
Students admit that they enjoy doing this project and really learn a lot about Thanksgiving from it. Integrated
preparatory materials, which prepare students for this project and students' work, are available. Projects about
other issues such as environmental protection and creativity can be run in a similar way.
(3) Using an e-class to enhance English learning
The AS Use of English is a real challenge for F. 6 students and, in particular, to those studying
in the CMI schools, as they have very little exposure to English in the school context. Extra efforts
have to be made to maximize students' exposure to, and use of, English in school and beyond
school. Establishing an electronic platform to foster English learning and communication outside
the classroom after class is an effective way to enhance English learning. In an e-class,
teachers can upload reference notes and foundation courses whilst students can share their
opinions and masterpieces.
For details, please refer to Appendix ufff.
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Way of Accessing Further Information on the above Teaching Practice
Those who are interested in using e-cards or festivals to promote creative writing may go to the English
Language Resource Centre to view the project. Those who are interested in the Thanksgiving IT Project
and e-class learning may visit our e-class by using a guest account.
URL
: http://eclass30.broadlearning.com
Login
: it@ktlms.mysch.net
Password : eclass
Sharing sessions, class visits or establishing an e-class for joint schools
Contact
Miss Chan Pui Yee, Pearl at 2336 4758 during school hours.
To foster her students' intrinsic motivation for lifelong, pleasurable learning of English, Ms Chan relates
teaching to students' needs, interests and daily life experiences using authentic and purposeful
communication. She maximizes their exposure to, and use of, English in school and beyond school in an
integrated learning approach (ILA) across different levels.
Her multi-dimensional practice reflects her zeal in embracing and contextualizing new ideas to develop
creative materials and a good curriculum for her students to acquire English in a more meaningful,
pleasurable and effective way. She has motivated her students from being passive, quiet learners to
become active, self-motivated ones with good results.
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Po Leung Kuk Chee Jing Yin Primary School (AM)
Name of Awarded Teachers : Lau Siu Fan, Man Lan Ying, Nancy,
Tam Kwai Lan, Yu Wai Kwan, Silvia
New Models for New Times
Introduction
New Models for New Times
In facing the challenges of "education revolution", it is clear that it is teachers, the front-line soldiers, who play
an essential and crucial role in this revolution. Just as soldiers need to be very familiar with their new equipment to
perform well, English teachers need to be aware of the new teaching strategies in order to be effective educational
practitioners.
New models of teaching that benefit students are always of interest and we acknowledge the EMB's promotion
of school-based strategies, especially in curriculum development. Our school has a well-established school-based
management system with all teachers being involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of curriculum.
Teachers know their students well and are able to adapt the curriculum and cater for the individual needs of their
classes. Our teachers work collaboratively, with students' needs being the top priority which is reflected in the keen
team spirit of our school. Our philosophy, therefore, is collectively putting students' needs first through four key
areas, curriculum adaptation, learning & teaching, professional development and an enrichment programme. On
reflection, we feel like front line soldiers trying out new equipment. Despite some challenges, this philosophy has
proven highly successful.
Curriculum
We have adopted a thematic, school-based curriculum. Themes are meaningful and relevant to students.
Teachers assisted in organizing learning experiences based on students' interests and abilities. "Themes increase
in relevance when children are given the opportunity to represent their knowledge in a variety of ways". (Davies,
1993). To achieve this, we have selected appropriate units of the textbook and combined and adapted them into a
common theme. Curriculum adaptation initially generated a lot of work but this soon flattened out. As a result, there
are varied, interesting lessons that utilize a variety of teaching models.
Our students work at their own pace through thematic learning activities using communicative and task-based
approaches. Students have ownership of their learning and benefit from the strategies to cope with individual
differences. However, this can create some challenges in outcomes and assessment. Standardized summative
assessments are no longer appropriate due to the variation of tasks and learning styles.
Our New Learning and Teaching Approach
In 2000, we joined the Primary Native-speaking English Teachers (PNET) pilot scheme which was
supplemented by our own Native-speaking English Teachers (NET) Scheme. A culture of collaborative teaching
was thus promoted. We co-plan and co-teach with our NETs. We all benefit from a cross fertilization of teaching
ideas, strategies and methods and enrich our curriculum by integrating different learning materials such as poems,
songs, phonics, stories, chants and riddles, etc. We are working on textbook adaptation, and strive to find more
time to try new ideas and strategies. Our curriculum is richly developed with experiential learning tasks, providing
an authentic learning environment to immerse students like visiting parks, making sandwiches, tasting ice-cream
and visiting supermarkets. In this real life, stimulating learning environment, our students can practise and
internalize the target structures of English language smoothly and naturally.
Another innovative idea that is being implemented currently is "Cooperative Learning". Students have more
opportunities to work in pairs or groups with various patterns such as 'big brother little brother' (weaker students
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paired/grouped with higher ability students.) "Cooperative learning increases thinking, the quantity of learner
speech, social integration, motivation and independence." (Jacobs, 1995) Through cooperative learning, passive
students are less anxious about contributing in group tasks. As a result, we find that our students speak more
confidently in class and have increased enthusiasm in completing their work.
We also use the power of praise in class. The "Peer Award System" encourages our students to praise one
another so as to motivate their learning. Students design their own stickers with encouraging words such as
"well done, wonderful, fantastic" and give them to their schoolmates or classmates whenever they speak English.
Under this program, students are motivated to speak up and develop their confidence and ability to use the
language effectively.
Enrichment programme
We all know that children are individuals and therefore
our students learn at different pace and in different ways.
We have introduced programmes for gifted students such
as English ambassadors training, speech training and
Buddy Reading leaders training, etc. Gifted students
frequently use English outside the classroom and gain
experience in leadership, cooperation and interpersonal
interaction when they participate in these activities.
Drama activities can be a powerful tool for the learning
of a language. We have organized an English drama club
and have found that members gain great confidence in the
use of English on stage. They are motivated to read stories in English and speak naturally with others in English.
They are “falling in love” with English through drama and are proud of being members of the club. Having seen the
effectiveness of drama in education, we feel the need to bring it into the classroom. We can find the abstracts of life
in drama and this fosters communication, a key to language education. At this stage, we are trying to use more
theatre activities to foster creativity and develop different senses in our lessons. It is hoped that we have opened
the door of the English Drama world to all students.
As we are involved in the English language education policy of our school, we sometimes feel like front line
soldiers grappling with new challenges in language teaching. Curriculum is definitely not only the textbook itself,
but also the process of learning and teaching in or even outside the school. As teachers, we should strive to create
the optimal learning environment with ongoing evaluation to ensure it is always for our students’ best interests. As
our teaching methods change, we find students learn in an increasingly enjoyable and meaningful environment.
We are cheered when we see the positive results in students learning. New models of teaching for new times do
mean that teachers need to become familiar with this new ‘equipment’. We think it is a very worthwhile investment
for students and teachers alike.
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Please contact us as below.
Thematic talks / workshops
Contact
PLK Chee Jing Yin Primary School (AM), 6D Sha Kok Street, Pok Hong Estate, Shatin, New Territories
School fax no.: 2647 2056
Web Site: http://am.plkcjy.edu.hk
E-mail: plkcjy@plkcjy.edu.hk
This is a strong team of four English teachers who developed a School-based Thematic Approach
Curriculum. They used language arts and dramatic activities which provided an authentic learning
environment for students to undergo experiential learning. There is also emphasis on formative assessment,
co-operative learning, and enrichment for gifted children.
The students we interviewed experienced pleasurable learning at the school. The parents commented
that the English learning atmosphere in school is encouraging. Students are stimulated by the activities
designed by the teachers - story telling, reciting poetry, discriminating good and bad English in interviews
on TV and designing posters.
This English team has successfully created a good English learning culture in school. Collaboration
among teachers is developed smoothly. Children experienced pleasurable learning and are looking forward
to various interesting activities designed by the team.
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St. Clare's Girls' School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Rosita Gatchalian Chow
Thinking outside the Box
Introduction
The key to success in the learning of English or any other language lies in
motivation and what is a better motivator than fun. When the element of fun is
introduced, the whole classroom lightens up and real learning begins. Learning and
teaching English can be fun despite what students and teachers claim to be the
contrary. This is one of my beliefs and one which I have put into practice in my thirty
years of teaching and has been proven to be true and effective.
Within the classroom and beyond, it is essential to be able "to think outside the box", not to allow oneself to be
confined to traditional pedagogy, the limits of the four walls of the classroom, the setting and most important of all,
the limited confines of a mindset that one has grown accustomed to. Allow plenty of room for innovative, incredible
and the most far-fetched ideas. Turn the classroom into a playground, a theatre, a supermarket or whatever your
fancy dictates. Let your imagination run wild and learning goes on without anyone but the teacher being aware of
it. It is to sugar the pill that makes it palatable.
I have experimented with a variety of ways to achieve the purpose outlined above. Chairs and desks can be
rearranged in different ways to become stalls in a market, the lanes in a supermarket, a maze for the practice of
giving and following directions or even pushed to the sides lining the walls to allow ample room for free physical
movement or sitting on the floor. Windows and walls provide space for putting up signs and words. Even strings
attached to the windows and doors can be used to hang them with the simple use of clothes pegs. Mobiles with
words and their associations or words frequently spelt wrongly can be hung from the ceiling.
The use of visual aids is definitely the way to focus students' attention. You may not realize that students are
already equipped with a rich repertoire of English vocabulary and phrases as they have been learning English
since kindergarten. What they lack is the opportunity to recall these. What is also lacking is the practice in order to
internalize what is learnt.
Puppets make magical teaching partners and students talking to each other
through the mouths of puppets are not only enjoying the practice but also have the
illusion that it is the puppets talking and not themselves. In this way, they find it easier
to express themselves without any inhibitions. They can be used to broadcast news,
tell a story, explain how to cook a dish or make a weather report. There are infinite
uses for them. In actual fact, anything you can lay your hands on can become a teaching material. Brochures,
promotional leaflets, maps, advertisements and even used toothpaste boxes can be turned into resources for
comprehension passages! Toys and props as well as classroom setting can help create the environment that is
both fun and very effective to encourage students to participate actively in the learning process. The key is to use
a bit of imagination.
Providing authentic experience and situations would convince the students of the usefulness and practical
nature of learning to speak and use the language. Daily life provides a rich resource for language learning and
practice. I have brought students of every class in the junior forms to a restaurant to practise reading the menu,
ordering food and chatting with lunch partners. Of course, this is after having given them a series of lessons on
food, how to order dishes and role play in the classroom. They have been taken to the supermarket to find out the
85
different sections and the names of food. Then, a supermarket was set up in the classroom for practice. On one
occasion, I brought students on a tram ride to see the different parts of Hong Kong, take note of their special
features, take photos on the way and return to school to report on their findings. Organizing all these activities
involve a great deal of preparation. But it is worth spending the time on and can be made into resource packages
for future use. I strongly believe that students, when placed in daily life situations, will practise their vocabulary and
sentences and acquire greater confidence in using English.
Look around school for any possible locations for English activities. I have converted a storeroom into a video
watching room, a veranda outside the chapel at school into a Cafe, where students can have a drink, some cookies
and chat away in English. Students of Forms One and Two were assigned to take up the duty of being waitresses
in turn. It was also the place for different activities like storytelling, sing-a-long, and games. It was a much
frequented place.
The English Society has organized large scale events every two months. To date, events have included
Halloween Festival celebrations which featured a fashion show and a haunted house, Christmas and Chinese New
Year Fairs, Valentine Day's flowery delivery service, whereby teachers and students were sent roses with an English
message attached, Easter Egg Hunt and Hat Parade. For some of the events, admission was based on their
participation in other regular events like English speaking week, English room activities and competitions like "Take
Five", a simplified version of Scrabble and so on. They will receive the coveted tickets only if they have made effort
in the course of the two months.
Exposure to the language and constant contact with it is a great help in learning a language. This is done by
using an English Bulletin Board displaying students' work and articles of interest. Idioms and proverbs are posted
around school and along the corridors. It was made compulsory to make all announcements in English.
To succeed in creating an English environment, it is necessary to adopt a whole school approach. Teachers of
other subjects are invited to participate in English activities by speaking to students in English and handing out
stickers to them during the English Speaking Week. They are invited as adjudicators in competitions, to chat with
students in the English Cafe and to accompany them to the English "High Tea" after school. The English Society
also organizes a "Spelling Bee" competition where teachers of various subjects supply the words that students
frequently spell wrongly and these were compiled into spelling lists for students to study before the mid-term and
final examinations. Senior form students are invited to be e-pals with junior forms and allow them to write to them
regularly. The rule is to use proper English sentences and not e-mail or ICQ language.
Teaching can be very demanding especially with the rapid changes these days but it is definitely very
meaningful and rewarding. As a teacher, I have chosen never to be dampened by whatever obstacles that may
beset me and to be as enthusiastic as I was the first day I chose teaching as a lifelong commitment.
86
Contact
Mrs Chow is an expert teacher who demonstrates exemplary practice in all the five domains. She is a
living model of teaching excellence. Her rich experience in teaching and departmental management will
provide valuable insights to her fellow teaching professionals.
In order to arouse students' interest in learning English, Mrs Chow has built up a bank of very interesting
teaching resources, which she readily shares with her colleagues. She has also designed a variety of
interesting extra-curricular activities to enhance students' authentic use of English, such as the Idiom Quiz,
the English Speaking Week, Halloween Fashion Show, Christmas Hip-hop Bingo, and the Easter Hat Parade.
Her mind is constantly filled with innovative ideas to make learning English an enjoyable experience for her
students.
Furthermore, Mrs Chow has successfully incorporated the teaching of thinking skills into the Form Six
curriculum, demonstrating to her students how to make effective use of concept maps when reading or
generating ideas. When teaching junior form students, she does not only rely on textbooks. Instead, she
makes use of games and fun activities so that students can learn English enjoyably. Her curriculum is made
up of a wide variety of language activities related to students' daily life experience.
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St. Paul's Convent School
Name of Awarded Teachers :
Ng Kit May, Angela May, Kevin Brunton, Au Yeung Yau Wai, Janet
The Birth of the Integrated Humanities Curriculum at St. Paul's Convent School
Introduction
Recent education reforms have encouraged a change in
classroom teaching style. Ideas for change are based on
social changes and needs and also the research findings of
prominent educational psychologists. They suggest that
teaching must take into account the personalities of learners
and different cognitive types.
Howard Gardner of Harvard University has identified
seven distinct intelligences. Recent cognitive research has
identified that students possess different kinds of minds and
learn, remember and understand in different ways. According
to Gardner, all students are able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial
representation, musical thinking, and the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of
other individuals and an understanding of ourselves. He also stresses that individual students will have different
levels of different intelligences.
These differences have challenged the traditional system of education which shares the thinking that all
students are similar and learn material in the same way. Gardner states that most students would be better taught
if material was presented in a variety of ways and different methods of instruction are used.
Integration allows teachers to plan a variety of lessons around a broad topic without restrictions and
boundaries between subjects. Teachers have the freedom to design lessons that incorporate the basic skills of
each subject area and at the same time educating the students in a more socially aware and responsive manner.
Lesson content can be chosen on the basis of interest and
relevance, taking into account the desired learning outcomes.
Our Integrated Humanities programme places much
emphasis on the development of the individual as a knowledgeable
and responsible member of society. We firmly believe that quality
education requires educating students who are able to respond to
social, political and economic change. This includes moral
awareness and educating students to understand their
responsibilities towards themselves, their family and the society.
Quality education should also develop a student's self-esteem and encourage respect for their culture and
cultural values, as well as respect for others. It is not enough to teach students just to know facts and information.
If we are to equip our students for a complex and changing world with an ever changing society, they need to be
independent, flexible, confident, socially aware and morally grounded.
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Students need to be educated to think critically and constructively. We need to equip our students with the
confidence to respond to change, to meet challenges and difficulties in their lifetime. Learning is thus, a lifelong
process, therefore, we should enable them with the skills to:
• Learn how to learn
• Research
• Anticipate and respond to change
• Analyse intelligently
• Critically evaluate situations
• Take responsible actions
• Understand events in the perspective of a wider political and economic context
• Work collaboratively and independently
With all these in mind, we boldly took plunge into this great challenge in developing our Integrated Humanities
curriculum. We believe that the curriculum will best support effective learning and help shape our students' value
and integrity, such that they will be responsible and caring citizens of Hong Kong.
Contact
The strength of this nomination is the group's innovative school-based English across the Integrated
Humanities curriculum, which has been implemented in Form 1 since year 2000 and later extended to Form
2. They have incorporated English Language, English Literature, and the Integrated Humanities, i.e. History,
Geography, and EPA, into the new curriculum, aiming to foster stronger language skills and generic skills.
Students learn through doing group projects and oral presentation.
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Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Lau Siu Pei
Learning English Pleasurably and Effectively through Drama in Education (DIE)
Introduction
(The following points are extracted from a PowerPoint presentation, the full version of which is at Appendix XIV.)
Definitions (By Dr. Laurie Brooks - New York University)
• Drama in Education (DIE) - Also called Process Drama, DIE uses techniques such as games and improvisation
for learning and making meaning through experiencing without culminating in a performance
• Theatre-in-Education - A theatrical presentation integrated with drama activities, before, after or during the
performance; designed as a catalyst for learning and discovery
The effectiveness of using Drama as a learning medium
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create a pleasurable and safe learning environment and encourage actively "no penalty", risk taking
Motivate students to learn
Get the students so involved in the action
Encourage students to speak and give them chances to communicate verbally and non-verbally
Allow different possibilities
Provide different ways of seeing the situation
Produce atmosphere of confidence and encouragement
DIE process
•
•
•
•
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Denouement
Methods to implement Process Drama / DIE
•
•
•
•
Dramatic conventions
Theatre conventions
Drama techniques
Theatre techniques
What demands do students face in the DIE process?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Take responsibility
Use imagination
Offer alternatives
Come up with solutions
Do some research e.g. consulting dictionaries, books, interviewing others
Given a need for speaking
What will my students need to do in the language in order to carry out the activity successfully?
• Talking about facts
- describing facts (reporting e.g. Collective Drawing in Happy Prince)
- stating facts (comparison e.g. Tableaux in comparative adjectives)
• Eliciting information
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• Direct questioning
- for yes/no response (Animal game)
- for identification (Animal game)
• Expressing agreement and disagreement
The role of a teacher
•
•
•
•
•
•
Create a learning situation for students
Give students opportunities for struggling with problems
Facilitate, encourage, guide through sensitive intervention and not to correct language errors
Prepare the language we wish the students to practise
Surreptitiously steer the way the language is used
Encourage student creation and participation in order to generate meaning
Points to remember
•
•
•
•
Drama in the language classroom is about questioning and reflecting, not performance
There are no right answers
Everything contributed by the participants will be considered
Language abilities are not on show, the aim is communication not grammatical accuracy in the early
learning stages
Contact
Vivacious Ms Lau has been integrating Drama into a S1-S3 school-based curriculum of English with her
colleagues, merging it with the core English curriculum and synthesizing the drama activities with the
language items of the course books. In so doing, English drama lessons are not only pleasurable but also
solid and substantial to students. The success of Drama in Education has been rooted in the balanced
language-oriented curriculum and the daily effort of Ms Lau and her students.
The Assessment Panel observed that holistic education was fully actualized. Having Ms Lau as their
class teacher and drama training in both English and Chinese for three years, her students have diversified,
holistic and dynamic development. Their imagination, creativity, artistic talents and language proficiency
were mingled at the group level and displayed in their 100-word scripts, paper props design and
performance. Students' autonomy, ownership and individuality were also addressed in each activity in the
light of individual personality, thinking skills, learning styles and language ability.
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Yuen Long Public Secondary School
Name of Awarded Teachers : Wong Suet Ming, Lee Ching Ying,
Tang Mei Kwan, Kam Po Shan
Task-based Thematic Approach
Introduction
The Team
The Team consists of four members:
Miss KAM Po Shan (S4A)
Miss LEE Ching Ying (S4C)
Miss TANG Mei Kwan (S4B, S4D)
Miss WONG Suet Ming (S4E)
Target Group of Students:
Secondary 4 (Two Science classes and three Arts classes of varied abilities and learning difficulties. S4E is
exceptionally weak in almost all subjects. Extra attention is paid to that class helping them to find interest in learning
and directions in their lives. Each teacher also exercises discretion on materials and teaching modes which best
cater the needs of their students.)
Setting the Themes
Seeing, in general, the fading enthusiasm of students in the English language and the continuous distraction
from the materialistic world, the Team realized that a change or modification in the learning and teaching mode
should be made to arouse students' interest, uncover students' potentials in the subject, inspire students to
appreciate the beauty of the language and attain proficiency. The Team sat together before the term to discuss the
various 'possibilities' - efficient, creative and novel approaches, which it might employ to avert the downward trend
- plummeting results, dropping motivation, losing interest and lack of confidence in the language. Finally the Team
resolved that 'Thematic Approach' might be worth trying out to attain the desired learning outcomes.
The Team then identified themes the 15+ groups would be interested in. Four themes were initiated, namely,
Teenage Idols, Mass Media, Love and Relationships, and Healthy Lifestyle. The first tried out theme was "Teenage
Idols" which the Team believed students of that age group would be attracted to.
Thematic Approach may not be a new idea in teaching but in our school, the attempt of the Team to adopt it as
a learning and teaching strategy is definitely first of its kind.
Organization and planning of Teaching Work
The Team's preparation started with brainstorming the various areas they would like to look into related to the
chosen 'theme' - Teenage Idols, and then designed the teaching activities. Teaching strategies were tailor-made to
the relevant target group of students and curriculum. When planning the lessons, the four skills were taken into
consideration. The Team made sure the generic skills were integrated into the various learning tasks. Work was
distributed among team-mates such as setting worksheets, making word cards, searching information on the
Internet, finding appropriate passages and practice papers, drafting instruction sheet and designing
questionnaire.
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Flowchart of the Organization and Planning of Work
Looking into the Existing Situation in school
Collecting information and evidence
Identifying Learning Problems
Finding Solutions
Structuring Action Plan
Evaluation
Feedback
Initiating next cycle of experience sharing
School-based curriculum and class-based needs
Different students work differently and are endowed with different potentials. It is never an easy task to find one
curriculum to suit all. The Education and Manpower Bureau greatly encourages schools to cater for school-based
or student-oriented needs by making appropriate adaptation of the curriculum to help students reach the desired
learning targets. The Team adhered to this sound principle - designing a learning syllabus for the Secondary 4
students, taking into consideration their interests and abilities. All the tasks planned were within students'
capabilities. The worksheets designed were of different levels of difficulty. Students who were more capable are
given more challenging tasks and were required to produce higher quality of work. Students who were less capable
are given extra help with their work. Such practice would not discourage students from giving up (as most students
find English one of the most difficult subjects).
Passages of different level of difficulties were provided to cater for individual class difference. Teachers taking
up different classes can exercise discretion to make appropriate adaptation of the materials to help their own class
achieve the desired learning outcomes. Grammar items were put into lessons helping students understand the
tenses used and the choice of words on describing people. Practice papers were given to help students apply
what they have learnt.
93
Collaboration and sharing of ideas
If you question how collaboration was demonstrated among the team members and how much students learnt
from such kind of teaching, I can tell you that we did make an effort in this area. Brainstorming sessions and lesson
planning meetings were held regularly. These meetings were always held after school. The four members sat
together discussing the teaching steps and designing the teaching activities. Hours and hours of hard work ended
up in interesting lessons for the students and realization of the teaching objectives.
Due to the heavy workload - teaching, marking, administrative duties and extra-curricular activities, it is hard
for the Team to schedule time for meetings of the four. The Team set up an e-group (www.groups.yahoo.com/group/
ta_tba_ylpss) in Yahoo.com to foster better communication. This is proved to be one of the best means of
communication. The e-group also demonstrates true collaborative work. Members would post their work there for
scrutiny and comments. New teaching ideas and activities could also be shared there.
Conclusion
No matter how well-planned a lesson is, if it cannot arouse students' interest, it will not yield harvest. The Team,
when planning the lessons, always bear in mind the students' interest. Thus, the learning and teaching activities we
plan are especially for our students. Students are attracted to them and enjoy working with the teachers. The Team
believes that once students' interest is aroused, they will love the language and make great improvement in it.
It is still too early to conclude that this Approach is the best for our students. However, the Team has
confidence that it can definitely change some of the students' mind that English is a boring and difficult subject.
Contact
The group shows a strong commitment to quality. This is borne out in the level of details and depth of
their collective lesson planning. It was such depth of lesson planning that accounted for the rich variety of
innovative activities generated to enhance students' learning. There were always new elements in their
teaching. Such an approach of lesson preparation and planning not only facilitated the professional
development of the teachers but also gave students the opportunities to experiment with different learning
strategies.
The group brought in the first ever Thematic Teaching Approach to the school. The curricular initiative
evidences the group's clarity of purpose, unified and collaborative effort and a clear understanding of their
students' learning needs, interests and abilities. The themes chosen were all based on students'
experiences and interests. Teaching materials that improve practice on the four language skills as well as
generic skills and information technology skills, were specially designed and tailor-made for the students,
with worksheets graded for different levels of difficulty.
94
Buddhist Wong Cho Sum School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Lit Suk Han
Using IT as an Effective Tool of Learning English
Introduction
Many students in Hong Kong are not motivated to learn English because they think that English is a very
difficult subject.
As a teacher of English, I try my best to use different strategies to motivate and then build up students’
confidence in learning English. Since many students enjoy playing computer games and surfing the Net, I always
wonder if I can make use of IT to help my students to learn English in an effective way.
My school has been the pilot IT school since 1998. We have IT facilities in each classroom and it can facilitate
our teaching.
How can I implement IT in our school-based curriculum?
I started a small reading project that involved one Primary Three
class with the help of the Curriculum Development Institute (CDI) of the
then Education Department in 1998. In that project students learnt
reading in an interactive way by using E-Story software. The students recorded their speech on the computer and
practiced their intonation. They all enjoyed the visual effects of the teaching package and we found that their
motivation was aroused and they enjoyed reading the E-Books.
This was a good start and it also built up my confidence in using IT
to teach English. I discussed this with my colleagues and thus we
designed more IT programs for improving their writing skills.
In 2000, we worked with the CDI again. We taught Primary Six
students to use IT and completed a project about animals. They made
a ‘Cyber Zoo’ on the web page and then presented their work by using
PowerPoint and a presentation tool called ‘MP Express’.
We then uploaded their work on our school homepage and asked
the whole school to vote for their favourite animals by using the on-line voting tools. We also hyper -linked our
‘Cyber Zoo’ to a world project web site called ‘School World’ so that all the people around the world could visit the
‘Cyber Zoo’. The students were eager to learn and willing to try. The students showed great interest in this activity.
In recent years, we tried to implement IT in the teaching of phonics and writing. We invited the NETs to
demonstrate the correct pronunciation of the sounds and recorded them as
the teaching resources. In order to encourage students to write more, we
also designed the writing tasks which required them to write their own
piece of work by using E-Writing software. They chose the pictures from the
software according to what they had written. Their interest was aroused.
95
In 2001, we developed our own school-based E-Learning courseware. We joined the E-Schoolbag Project
and became one of the pilot schools. Thus we needed to design learning courseware by ourselves. The
courseware was interactive and with different levels so as to cater for individual needs. The students could learn at
their own pace and develop the generic skills through this project.
http://www.bwcss.edu.hk/~e-schoolbag/
In all, I think that using IT is an effective way of learning English. We can start small but think big. We now have
E-Book learning packages from Primary One to Primary Three. Students work and present their projects by using
IT. It is really meaningful and valuable for me to use IT in the teaching of English. It can arouse their interest and the
most important thing is IT can build up their knowledge in various aspects. We will try our best to develop more
learning resources in the future so as to achieve the aims of learning English with confidence and creating an
enjoyable and a natural learning environment for our students.
Contact
ATE Secretariat: www.ate.gov.hk
The IT learning packages which Miss Lit designed with her colleagues enable students to learn English
actively and pleasurably. The students are encouraged to make use of IT knowledge during English lessons
and they are highly motivated to design their own creative materials. Through the use of IT, students become
more motivated and can gain greater confidence. Apart from sharing her experience with colleagues and
encouraging them to carry out trials, Miss Lit has demonstrated a teaching role model in various experience
sharing activities e.g. teaching demonstration talks, seminars and experience sharing sessions.
96
Caritas Fanling Chan Chun Ha Secondary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Chung Wai Chee, Mary Julia
Cater for Learners' Diversity
Introduction
Since most of my students were low achievers, I had a hard time making them learn. I started off with a word
game. Playing games would be fun and my Form 3 class would surely enjoy it. It was far from what I expected.
I talked to my students hoping to locate the underlying reasons. Some had never done a crossword puzzle, while
others had no idea what prepositions were. I seemed to know so little about the learners. I was not sensitive to
them and had not considered whether their knowledge and skills could cope with the activity.
I realized the vital importance of language input and output. I understood the strategies to tailor and adapt
materials are more than just copying, cutting and pasting. I modified the worksheet. From one puzzle I had two
more activities: (1) a matching game played with preposition word-cards and cue pictures and (2) a worksheet with
the matching exercise. Moreover, the three activities also cater for learner diversity.
As the saying goes, "A change in perspective was born out of failure." After all these years, this incident
remains fresh in my mind and whenever I select or adapt teaching material, it will pop up to remind me. Teachers
tend to believe too much in themselves. They must have realistic expectations of their students and know the
characteristics of the learners well. A student is a person, not a stereotype. I accept unconditionally that there is a
mix of abilities and limitations.
Learning and teaching should be made within the learner's grasp and not bound by textbooks. Tailoring and
adapting is a practical way by which I can control the linguistic and cognitive demands to match students' abilities.
Sometimes I may need to rewrite in their level of language concept. It is advisable to add a small amount of new
learning that can be handled. Even though the content or the subject matter is selected and repackaged to the
students' grade level, suitable teaching methods and approaches are adopted to suit my students' learning style.
I pay attention to individual learner's response to the approach used to teach a particular task. If things go
wrong in the very act of teaching, I stop and re-examine the situation, then try to correct and change in the most
appropriate way in the interest of the students. Thus a supportive environment can be created so learners are
willing to adopt risk-taking language learning attitudes and strategies. They no longer play a passive role
in learning.
I extended my practice beyond my individual classroom to include fellow teachers. Under the School
Curriculum Tailoring Scheme I shared my experience with three other colleagues in designing our own schoolbased teaching materials for the junior forms.
Information technology is used to arouse students' interests and enhance language learning. In "Getting to
Know Some Animals", one of the exemplars in English Language Education KLA Curriculum Guide (P1 - S3)
published by the Curriculum Development Council in 2002, the students use the Internet for English
language learning.
What better way to improve my teaching than to participate in the professional development of other teachers.
Many joys and benefits result from sharing one's knowledge, one's time and one's self. It is a good opportunity to
talk about the issues in teaching beyond the theories and methodology. In the midst of sharing with others,
I rediscovered long forgotten feelings of accomplishment that occurred when I first mastered the craft for myself.
I appreciated the opportunity to pass my techniques and skills to others.
97
Contact
Ms Chung is particularly concerned about "the lost, the last and the least" (3Ls). To cater for their
learning diversity, Ms Chung's teaching practice is characterized by selecting simple but challenging goals,
concepts and teaching styles; a refined learning process to handle the cognitive and linguistic demands
word-by-word, step-by-step, layer-by-layer, task-by-task; designing manageable and learnable contents;
observing and diagnosing students' problems right at the beginning for giving on-the-spot remedial support;
and encouraging and appreciating the diversified presentation of learning outcomes that go beyond
language expression, because the 3Ls students are rich in ideas but handicapped in language.
98
CCC Hoh Fuk Tong College
Name of Awarded Teacher : Chan Yee Man, Anne
Teaching Drama - an Innovative Approach
Introduction
A modified sample of Ms Anne Chan's classroom practice in teaching drama is set out in Appendix us.
It comprises
• Lesson plan
• Students' work: 3 poems written by students
• Choral speaking 'Halloween'- poem
• Teaching and presentation (Powerpoint attached)
The teaching materials are taken from students' course-book and the final performance is a short dramatic
excerpt on the theme 'Halloween'.
The language learning tasks involve reading comprehension, short writing, poem recitation and simple theatre
art presentation. It demonstrates how the routine coursework exercises could be transformed into some authentic
and interesting language activities which students can enjoy and have fun.
Please contact Ms Chan Yee Man, Anne for further information.
Presentation , sharing, seminar
Contact
Ms Chan Yee Man, Anne
E-mail: annechan2001@yahoo.com.hk
Ms Anne Chan is a role model in her pursuit of continuing professional development and engagement in
classroom research. She has successfully cultivated a collaborative culture among her panel members,
initiating a co-teaching reform in Secondary One. Their experiment with this novel teaching approach was
well received by the students who had made significant progress by the end of the school year.
Her determination to improve her professional competence is evidenced not only in this co-teaching initiative
but also in her continual participation in classroom research.
Ms Chan is a highly committed and competent teaching professional who is eager to improve herself.
Her pursuit of professional development, her readiness to try out innovative teaching ideas and significant
contribution to the language development in the school are commendable.
99
Maryknoll Fathers' School (Primary Section)
Name of Awarded Teachers : Leung Suk Yee, Lee Siu Fung, Fung Hoi Wa, Tammy,
Kwok Po Kwan, Maria, Shum Pui Yee, Ester
Happy LearningEnglish Learning Project
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Please contact Maryknoll Fathers' School (Primary Section).
Sharing sessions / seminars
Contact
Contact Person: Miss Yip Lai Fong
Phone: 2778 8235
Fax: 2776 1744
The school-based initiative "Happy Learning through Humorous Stories" aims to cultivate in the students
a love of reading and improve their language skills through the reading of humorous rhymed stories. The
panel has been engaged in curriculum tailoring in order to make room to accommodate children's literature.
The teachers sensibly trim mechanical drilling exercises and cut repetitive exercises.
The awarded teachers have also developed a sharing and collaborative culture among English
teachers. The culture of collaboration and team spirit has been established in the school through
co-planning of lessons, team teaching, mentoring novice teachers, and teachers' reflection on teaching
practices. Through collegial exchange and sharing of resources, the teachers have gained mastery of the
skills in selecting appropriate teaching aids and teaching strategies. The Panel is a good example showing
how teamwork elevates the quality of learning and teaching.
101
Po On Commercial Association
Wong Siu Ching Secondary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Lo Yuk Fong
Outstanding Performance in Curriculum Design and
Implementation in Junior Forms
Introduction
English is learnt best through maximum exposure to an English environment, both inside and outside the
classroom.
To enable maximum exposure, I strongly advise students to read as much as possible. Reading plays an
important part in the curriculum. Continuous reading helps to improve students' English proficiency since class
time is very limited. Many of our students have benefited from the Extensive Reading Scheme since its
implementation. The scheme is individualized and students can do a lot on their own, reading at their own levels
and pace. They are encouraged to take the books home and read anywhere and anytime they want. To make the
scheme a success, teachers' monitoring and support are of vital importance. I encourage them to set targets and
record their work systematically in their exercise books specially designed for this purpose. I reward them publicly
if they have done well. Peer influence and competition are valuable motivators, driving many students to work hard.
Besides the Extensive Reading Scheme, I encourage my students to read English newspapers. Reading the
newspaper not only raises students' awareness of current events in Hong Kong and other parts of the world, but
also takes them out of the classroom.
As reading newspapers can be intimidating, initially I read with my students in class. Later, I advise them to
read at home as well. I find it worthwhile to start with something easy and interesting. Students always have great
fun reading the comic strips or working on the word games. In order to promote reading English newspapers in
Form One, I have also prepared the 'Siu Ching Morning Post'. It is a 'newspaper' including articles and letters from
different sources, and follow-up exercises. By doing so, I can choose the right reading materials for my students in
terms of length, variety and level of difficulty. In addition, the exercises can be interactive and serve different
purposes. For example, open-ended questions can be added to invite students to express their opinions or
feelings on current issues. Students can also be encouraged to read online when related websites appear on the
newspaper. The assignments can also help to consolidate language items taught. Besides written assignments,
they can be turned into oral activities, for example, role-plays or debates as well.
As a teacher of English, I have tried my best to provide an English environment, especially in the classroom.
However, many students are afraid of making mistakes. They just keep quiet and are tongue-tied. The phobia of
making mistakes hinders their learning process. I inculcate in my students that making mistakes is unavoidable.
I also try to create a learning environment where risk-taking is encouraged because students learn a lot from their
own mistakes.
Very often, teachers find it difficult to get students speak up, even in oral lessons. In recent years, I have tried
'Jazz Chants' with my Form One students and they have enjoyed the lessons very much. Jazz Chants introduce
students to the characteristics of spoken English, including intonation, stress and rhythm. With careful selection of
the right chant, the oral lesson can be turned into a multi-purpose one incorporating listening and revision of
language items.
102
In order to build up students' confidence to speak in public, we encourage every student to take part in the
'Lunchtime Show'. Students perform in English in different ways, including drama, simulation, demonstration,
tongue-twisters and so on. Students enjoy it very much as there is great fun. It provides a valuable chance for
students to work closely together, too.
I continuously modify my teaching strategies to improve the quality of teaching. It is hoped that all my students
will enjoy every English lesson and continue learning English on their own beyond the classroom.
Please contact Ms Lo Yuk Fong for further information.
Contact
Ms Lo Yuk Fong
POCA Wong Siu Ching Secondary School
2, Tai Pa Street, Tsuen Wan
Ms Lo is a dynamic and resourceful teacher who sets clear objectives for her lessons. Her lessons are
well-organised, lively and interesting and her teaching style interactive. She gives clear instructions for her
students to follow and monitors their progress closely. In charge of the Form One language curriculum,
Ms Lo makes very sensible use of the coursebooks, selecting only topics she finds interesting and relevant
to the students. Apart from making use of the set textbooks, she also supplements her curriculum with
interesting learning materials.
Ms Lo is a highly committed and competent teacher who is eager to improve her teaching practice.
Her readiness to try out innovative teaching ideas and her contribution to the language development in the
school are commendable.
103
Sacred Heart Canossian College
Name of Awarded Teacher : Yip Wong Chau Yee
Developing a Collaborative Teaching and Learning Relationship
Introduction
To serve the needs of our students, integrated efforts have been made for the English Department to be
steered into adopting the changes that were initiated by our School Principal in her launching of a whole-school
approach to thinking skills teaching. The following flow-chart illustrates the needs and the inter-relationship of the
stakeholders concerned.
School/Social needs
A whole-school
approach to thinking
skills teaching:
curriculum design,
implementation and
evaluation
Student Needs
Accurate and
competent
mastery of the
4 language
skills
An ability to
think critically,
reflectively in
problemsolving
processes
Teacher Needs
Integration of
School/
thinking skills
departmentand task-based based training
learning
on thinking skills
Enhancing and
teaching
incorporating
grammar
Sharing of
teaching
teaching ideas
and resources
School-based training and development is the key to successful cultivation of a collaborative culture among
members of the English Department. With over 15 members having an impressive combination of teaching and
learning experiences, we hold frequent formal and informal discussions to exchange views, share teaching ideas
and resources to improve our teaching efficacy. To supplement Task-based Learning (TBL), the following chart is
worked out to serve as a rubric for developing junior form students' accuracy and competence in speech and
writing.
Descriptions of Performance Standards
Grade
A
B
C
D
E
F
Suggested Performance Standards
Outstanding in all aspects. Accurate and fluent mastery of speaking and writing; excellent
organization of ideas and line of thought.
Very good grammar; relevant and clearly expressed ideas; able to communicate fairly accurately
and fluently.
Fair grammar; ideas quite sensible though lacks originality of thought; able to communicate clearly
and accurately in speech and writing.
Satisfactory grammar; ideas quite easy to follow though obscured by prominent slips in usage and
sentence structure. Able to speak quite clearly and accurately in presentations.
Weak in grammar and expression of ideas; frequent errors in sentence construction. Weak
comprehension and have difficulty in expressing ideas in speech and writing.
Need close attention in all aspects.
Integrating Task-based Learning with grammar and thinking skills teaching is essential in strengthening our
students' language competence in speech and writing. The following table gives a brief outline of the
implementation process with teachers taking the role of the 'monitor'.
104
Time
Targets
Level
Integrated Learning Activity
Sep
Goal setting
F1-3
Oct
Group work
F3
F3
• Setting individual goals
in response to school target
• Journalistic writing
on daily activities
or current issues
• Active participation
in Inter-class Debate
• Students design group
projects and develop
problem-solving skills
• Oral presentation skills fluency and intelligibility
• Forming own opinion
through practical tasks
• Reading up for information
and data collection
on chosen topics
• Use of MMLC for writing
F1-3
skills development
• Revision of language skills
F1-3
Nov
Oral &
practical skills
F1-3
F3
Dec
Task Managing F1-2
Jan
Exam
Feb
Self-Motivation F1-3
• Self-access learning
on individualized reading
and listening
Mar
Active
Participation
F1-3
Apr
Language
enhancement
F1-3
May
Writing and
thinking skills
F3
F1-3
Jun
Planning,
assessment
F1-3
• Whole-school project-based
learning presentation
• Addressing and responding
to the audience
• Engaging in active
discussion of current issues
• Revising key language
patterns to express own ideas
with sensible reasoning
• House Literary writings
• Writing reflections for Reading
Enhancement Schemes
• Reflections on progress
• Plans for speaking and
writing skills enhancement
105
Outcome Indicator
Monitor
Being responsible
& Self-motivated
Being reflective
and critical in
thinking
Active participation
Creative project work
Helping students
to proofread
to ensure accuracy
Training
on project skills
Eloquence in speech Paper setting
& Improved
workshop
knowledge
& peer coaching
in current issues
Competence
in IT Increased
world knowledge
Preparation
for Exam
Fair mastery of
exam skills
Exam and
Evaluation
Meeting
Book inspection
& class
observation
Being Responsible
in own learning
Have confidence
in presentation
and improved
rebuttal skills
Adjudication
& class training
Being critical
and reflective
in own learning
School-based
training &
peer observation
and good reasoning
skills
Responsible for
self-enhancement
Class training
Evaluation
meeting
To make assessment a truly effective means to reflect students' learning and mastery of the target language,
formative assessment that includes students' performance in the course of learning has been introduced. Details
of the components and the corresponding percentage are illustrated below.
Assessment Components
Aspects of Exam Paper I:
assessment
Composition and
creative writing
reading and
writing
Percentage 25%
Time
1 hr.
allocated:
Exam Paper II:
Common Test:
Integrated
Comprehension
Listening
& Usage (5%)
reading and
writing & Usage
35%
5%
1.5 hr.
F.1-2 : 45 min
F.3 : 1 hr.
Task-based learning
Course work:
Portfolio - research,
data collection (5%)
Core tasks, (10%)
Composition (10%)
25%
Course work:
Course work:
Oral
Presentation
5%
Total: 100%
5%
Through interacting and supporting each other in the process of learning and teaching, we have established
a collaborative culture that strengthens our rapport and confidence necessary to take on new and radical changes
in language teaching.
Contact
Mrs Yip is a competent and highly committed teaching professional who has successfully established a
collaborative culture among her English panel members. She has successfully encouraged the sharing of
teaching ideas and resources among her colleagues. She has also initiated a number of curricular changes
which include integrating the teaching of critical thinking skills into the curriculum and designing a grammar
curriculum to supplement the task-based curriculum.
Mrs Yip is also an experienced teacher administrator who has successfully cultivated a collaborative
culture among members of the English panel. Through the help of individual form co-ordinators, she has
introduced various curricular and assessment changes to steer the school towards a whole-school
approach to the teaching of thinking skills. She gives clear directions to her colleagues before introducing
any changes and sets a good example of personal commitment and continuous professional development.
106
Sir Ellis Kadoorie (S) Primary School
Name of Awarded Teachers : Mok Yin ping , Lau Po chi
English Learning Network
Introduction
The English Learning Network which aimed at providing an authentic situation for pupils to communicate has
been run for three years. A total of 77 schools joined our network in the past three years with more than 3200
Chinese children and 9000 South Asian pupil-times involved in the network activities. It was formed under two
modes, namely writing and communication.
Under the writing mode, our students formed a learning partnership by pairing up with students from local
Chinese schools as their pen-friends. They communicated with each other through letter-writing for the whole
year. Teachers served as the facilitators for children's writing tasks. They provided guidelines and gave guidance
to pupils during the writing process. Pupils were invited to share their letters with others during lessons. It was
interested to notice that pupils loved so much to share their letters as well as their friends' letters with teachers.
The writing activity also enhanced understanding between different ethnic groups because children shared
their cultural activities with each other in their letter writing. It helped the local people understand the South Asians
and our children understand the Chinese better.
At the end of the academic year, all children were invited to join a whole-day activity and meet with their penfriends at the gathering. Children were eager to find their friends. Children had a chance to know each other better
by working or playing meaningful games together.
Under the communication mode, children from the Chinese schools joined our co-curricular activity lessons on
Friday. Children had different kinds of activities. Some had music activities, adventure games, craft making, etc.
They had the opportunity to use English to learn other than during English lessons. They had the chance to use
English to communicate with pupils of other ethnic groups. The arrangement of the network provided opportunity
for children to use English unconsciously. They really see the need to use English to communicate.
The network also enhanced the relationship between schools. It brought teachers together in promoting
learning and teaching. Teachers shared and collaborated to have the network run smoothly. Our pupils were
invited to join other schools on their English Activity Day.
107
English Learning Network
Writing Network ~ English Learning Day
Ice-breaking
Newspaper cutting
Looking for the pen-pals
Word-making
Communication Network Activities
Booklet of English Learning Network published by SEK / contact English Panel Convener
Preferred Way of dissemination/ collaboration
Workshop (for dissemination); join our Network (for collaboration)
Contact
Ms. MOK Yin-ping (Tel. No.: 27287627; Fax no.: 27089854;) e-mail address : evonnemok@yahoo.com)
Ms. LAU Po-chi (Tel. No.: 25773489; Fax no.: 28824520; ) e-mail address: van_lau2003@yahoo.com.hk)
The English Learning Network (ELN) designed by Ms Mok provides an on-going network for South
Asian students of her school to interact literally or verbally with local Chinese students from different schools.
Gradually, a multi-cultural environment has been created. After joining the ELN, all the participating students
are motivated to communicate in English.
108
St. Rose of Lima's College
Name of Awarded Teacher : Lin Mau Tong, Kitty
School-based Curriculum, Self-Access Learning,
and Mentoring as Learning and Teaching
Introduction
An English Classroom
It is always fun and rewarding to be a teacher, especially an English
and English Literature teacher. English and English Literature teachers
always enjoy great freedom in their classrooms. Unlike the teachers of other
subjects, we can design our syllabus and learning activities since we are
not held back by the fixed number of passages we have to cover. This
freedom allows me to exercise my imagination and creativity with my
students in language learning. We explore the language and culture
everywhere, making our classroom beyond our classroom.
When students realise English is a language but not a subject, they will
find learning English interesting and fruitful. When students realise that their
English classroom is no longer restricted to a classroom physically, they will
find more opportunities to learn and use the language. Thus, giving
students more learning experiences certainly enables them to grow with
the language.
School-based Curriculum
To boost students' confidence and enhance their creativity in learning English, a module-based literary arts
curriculum was introduced since 2001. Our Reading lessons were restructured as Literature lessons. Besides
teaching students' reading skills, we put our emphasis on reading and appreciating the world and different
cultures. To align with the course in English Literature in senior forms, we start to teach different genres to students
and motivate their interest in reading literary texts. The following is the syllabus:
Form One : Comic Strip, Poetry, Drama and Author Appreciation
Form Two : Radio Drama, Essay writing, Female writing and Poetry
Form Three : Greek Mythology, Drama, Novel and Poetry
Take poetry as an example. Besides the different types of poems, students also learn poetic devices which
can facilitate their reading and understanding of poems. Form One students learn sound devices whereas Form
Two students learn visual devices. Form Three students are required to have a more comprehensive
understanding of the various poetic devices. For assessment, Form One and Form Two students write their own
poems, using some of the devices they have learnt. Besides writing their own poems, Form Three students also
need to answer questions on unseen poems to show their understanding and appreciation of poems.
There are set texts and worksheets for the modules. Form One and Form Two students are required to do
individual or group projects as assessment. They do not need to take examination as we believe that continuous
assessment is the best way to assess students' learning. Standards-referencing is adopted and students are given
clear guidelines for their projects. Both teachers' and peer assessments are adopted. Students are thus trained to
read their and others' work and performances. Their products are works of art and very true reflection of their
learning, originality and creativity.
109
Our curriculum can be considered as an exemplar of how to integrate language arts in the English curriculum.
Language arts provide fertile soil and breeding ground. Poems, songs, films, comic strips, short stories, etc. are
very meaningful, interesting and useful tools. Students will certainly find them more interesting comprehension
passages and like reading more.
Self-Access Learning
Besides "what to learn", we hope our students can also learn "how to learn". Training on skills is particularly
important. When students are willing and able to learn independently, they will learn more and in a better way. Our
two Self-Access Learning Centres can cater for students' needs and interests. One is for viewing films, surfing the
internet and playing board games, and the other one is for listening to music and exercises, reading and self-study.
Besides books and resources, we have also tailor-made some worksheets for students. Based on their interests
and abilities, students can choose the worksheets and do the exercises in their Self-Access Logs. They can check
the answers by themselves. The worksheets are of three levels of difficulties. Level One comprises comprehension
questions; Level Two is a combination of comprehension questions and questions requiring higher order thinking
skills. Level Three requires students to have reflections and relate the texts to their daily lives or current issues.
Students can design their own learning programmes at their own pace. When they finish the tasks, they are
encouraged to have self-evaluation by filling in a table in their Self-Access Logs. By doing so, students learn to be
responsible for their own learning and widen their learning experiences. They will realise the importance of
lifelong learning.
Mentoring as Learning and Teaching
A collaborative culture is definitely the key to effective learning and teaching. Sharing among teachers,
especially language teachers, is a path to professionalism. We share, reflect and evaluate our school-based
curriculum and teaching methodology. The platform for professional dialogue is set up.
My belief
When we enjoy our teaching, our students will enjoy their learning.
E-mail: kittylin@eservices.hkedcity.net
Public dissemination and discussion
Contact
E-mail: kittylin@eservices.hkedcity.net
Ms Lin is a very experienced English and English Literature teacher who has initiated significant
curricular and assessment changes in the school, such as the introduction of the module-based literary arts
curriculum and the implementation of project work as an assessment tool.
Being an experienced English and English literature teacher, she has provided valuable guidance and
support to new teachers and encouraged panel members to engage in teamwork. She has also co-taught
with colleagues to show them how to teach poetry effectively. She is a role model to both her students and
fellow teachers.
110
St. Stephen's Girls' College
Name of Awarded Teachers : Au Sin Wan, Anita, Terri Donlon, Cheung Hiu Tung, Becky,
Lau Man Chu, Man Chan Rebecca Eva
Task-based Learning, Teaching and Assessment in English
Introduction
Our group of Form One English teachers started the task based approach in September, 2001 with a strong
belief that teaching should be student-focused, interactive and task-based.
We carefully chose the teaching modules in the best of interest of our students and designed activities which
could be shortened or extended to suit the various needs and abilities of them. In order to make learning and
teaching more effective, we use IT in preparing our lessons and provide students with a lot of chances of using
computer courseware in their learning.
From time to time, formative assessment, peer assessment and evaluation are implemented to check the
effectiveness of learning and teaching. Our group is also willing to reflect and share our teaching ideas with other
teachers.
Innovative ideas from the task based curriculum
We have exercised much flexibility when tailoring the syllabus to suit the situation of the school and the
different needs and interest of students.
The modules selected and activities designed are revised from time to time. The unit of SARS was introduced
when classes were resumed after the suspension of school in 2003.
Computer Courseware that enhance teaching and learning
Two teaching packages were developed to make English learning and teaching more effective. They are a
'Bridging Programme for Form One' funded by the Quality Education Fund and a collaboration project on
'Shopping' with the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB).
The 'Bridging Programme for Form One' is an orientation programme designed to help first formers get
comfortable using English every day, with teachers and classmates. There are five parts in the courseware through
which students can practise their listening, reading and writing skills. There are also language exercises for
students to revise basic tenses. This courseware is not only used as a 'Bridging programme but also in the unit of
'School Life' at the beginning of the term.
The courseware on 'Shopping' was developed in coordination with EMB. The first section consists of different
kinds of games. Students get more familiar with the vocabulary items of the products sold in different shops.
In the second section, students can browse the websites of four selected shopping malls and make
comparisons of the features found in each of them. They can vote for their favourite shopping centre before and/ or
after discussing the facilities available and plan a shopping trip in their favourite shopping centre.
The third section includes several writing tasks. After the shopping trip, students need to send an e-mail
message to their friend reporting their shopping trip, describing to him/her what happened.
These programmes can be accessed in classrooms, libraries or at home at any time convenient to students,
therefore students are given certain degree of autonomy to work on their own at their own pace. Students from the
remedial classes would definitely benefit more and feel more comfortable using English.
Poetry writing and appreciation
Our team of teachers believes that there are important values introducing students to different forms of
language arts. Poetry, to these teachers, is a medium of expression. It can take many forms and is not always
111
bound by rules. That is why we have chosen poetry for Form one students and have developed a poetry teaching
package. In this unit, several different forms of poems are introduced through a series of PowerPoint presentation.
Students learn the sound pattern and rhythms of spoken English through reading poems. They even learn some
simple poetic devices and are encouraged to write their own poems.
Learning English outside Classroom
We also believe that learning can take place beyond the classroom.
Students are encouraged to surf on the web for interesting information in the unit of 'World records' and
present their views on the constraints and benefits that the record holder may encounter in his/ her daily life. This
helps to nurture not only their analytical and thinking abilities but also their creativity for they have to come up with
an idea to set a class record at a later stage. This helps to build up their confidence in using English particularly for
the group of students who have limited exposure to the language environment. The teachers also tried to arrange
outings for remedial students so that they could learn English in authentic situations in the units of 'Shopping' and
'Eating out'.
E-mail: rechan@ssgc.edu.hk
Meeting and seminar
Contact
rechan@ssgc.edu.hk
This team has worked very collaboratively for three years on task-based student-focused modules since
2001. They have tailored the syllabus to suit their school context as well as different needs and interest of
students, with the three dimensions of learning, i.e. knowledge, experience and interpersonal skills,
addressed.
The team is composed of experienced, dedicated teachers with diversified talents of literature,
computer knowledge, problem-solving and co-ordination who have been working together teaching English
to F.1 for several years. Team members enjoy high team spirit and self-initiation for effective learning and
teaching.
112
Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School
Name of Awarded Teacher : Lee Shui Ching, Kit
Reflective Teaching Practices of a Young Teacher
Introduction
My Reflective Teaching Practices
Viewing language as something central to human communication, I believe that the ultimate goal of language
teachers is to improve the students' language use for communicative purposes. With language being such an
essential and utterly useful tool in our everyday activities, I deem my career as an English language teacher in
Hong Kong very important and conducive to my students' personal competence and long-term development.
Commanding fluency and proficiency in English language can bring them scores of advantages in all aspects of
their life.
In Hong Kong, as a result of inadequate exposure to the target language, students' English language
knowledge has to overwhelmingly depend on their English language teachers. Many teachers are therefore
induced to advocate a sole emphasis on grammatical structures and even promote rote memorization of
prescriptive grammatical rules. Therefore, students may find the lessons monotonous and consequently, they may
even lose interest in learning the language.
To counteract the "under-exposure" situation of my students, instead of giving explanations of grammatical
rules and tedious grammar-translation exercises, I would engage students, especially my junior formers, in tasks
involving meaningful interactions and provide them with more language exposure, focusing on language form as
needed. It is hoped that my students will acquire the language through providing them with comprehensible input
and making them use the language. I believe if students are exposed to the reality of language use, they can be
more motivated by the sense of achievement and involvement they gain from using the language, especially for
communicative purposes.
I deem the traditional "chalk and talk" English lessons, which are teacher-centered, somehow outdated
because the kind of students nurtured with such an education method cannot meet the society's expectations
nowadays. In order to foster students with creativity and spontaneity, two important elements for success, I opt to
adopt a learner-centered approach in my teaching. By using such an approach, I hope to provide my students with
more opportunities to use English for both written and verbal communication purposes, develop their critical
thinking on social issues particularly, and promote values and attitudes that are conducive to independent
learning. With a learner-centered approach, students' chance to use English is maximized. It helps build desirable
language learning experiences for students.
"Hear and forget" is one of the many underlying beliefs I have in my teaching practices. If teachers just talk in
the lessons without using any effective visual teaching materials, students will soon forget what they have learnt.
Thus, I believe both audio and visual learning materials should be provided for students in lessons to facilitate their
understanding and learning process and thus generate more positive learning impacts.
"See and remember" is another belief of mine as shown in my teaching. Therefore, I have my teaching
handouts and materials tailored to the needs of my students in order to help them in their revision. Of course, these
tailor-made handouts and materials not only act as reminders for students' revision, but also cater for the English
learning needs of my students, targeting at their language weaknesses.
In order to produce effective handouts and learning materials for students, I need to evaluate students'
learning progress and effectiveness constantly by giving them carefully-planned tasks, assignments and tests,
113
which also help consolidate what they have learnt in the lessons. I also keep modifying the teaching materials to
cater for different learning capabilities of my students.
Anyone who teaches language should know that learning is a developmental process instead of short-term
memories of knowledge for the learners. However, there is the very real possibility many English language teachers
in Hong Kong simply may have overlooked the fact that knowledge about a language does not necessarily
contribute to the ability to use the language.
In view of this fact, I always remember a simple learning principle "do and understand". By engaging students
in purposeful tasks, I can make students learn and use English in authentic settings. I also believe rote learning will
deprive students of their creativity and motivation to learn. Therefore I often engage students in some meaningful
tasks with specific teaching objectives, which, as I believe, will help them understand better what they have learnt.
Having worked as a language teacher for five years, I have wended my way through classes, which included
grammar translation, the audio-lingual method, and notional functional syllabi and the communicative approach,
which has helped consolidate my belief in language learning and teaching. I am convinced that there are always
alternative teaching methods at our disposal. Therefore, my language teaching belief and practice have been
evolving rather dramatically. I expect that it will keep on changing based on my accumulated knowledge of
language and teaching experience.
Striving towards being recognized as professionals, Hong Kong language teachers have to reflect on their
daily teaching practices, keep on learning and equipping themselves with the latest knowledge on teaching in
order to enhance their professional judgment in regard to the most effective teaching methods for learners with
different needs and learning styles. Thus, a language teacher must be reflective and flexible to change his/her
teaching methods to cater for different learning styles of students.
Teachers play a very important role in the betterment of students' prospect. As an educator, I will keep on
learning new and effective teaching techniques to improve my teaching practices, elevating my level of teaching
professionalism.
Please contact Ms Lee Shui Ching, Kit for further information.
Email, telephone, in-person
Contact
Ms Lee Shui Ching, Kit
E-mail: ms_kit_lee@yahoo.com
There is no doubt that this young teacher demonstrates a number of excellent qualities as a language
teacher, which include whole-hearted devotion to students' growth and well-being, professional
competence and a commitment to elevating the quality of learning for her students.
Her professionalism is clearly reflected not only in her dedication to language teaching and learning but
also in her "reflectiveness" as a teacher. She is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of her strategies and
methods in enhancing students' learning. She is committed to learning new and effective teaching
techniques to improve her teaching practices, elevating her level of teaching professionalism.
114

Aldrich Bay Government Primary School

Transcription

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