Integratingcontents ofothersubjects intoEnglishlearning · M o r al and Civi c E d u c a t i o n C h i n e s e ... Students sharing their point of view on a discussion topic ... approachof

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獲卓越教學獎教師






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▲ Left to right: Mr TOONG, Kevin Michael,Mr DRYSDALE, Matthew James, Ms HOKin-ling, Holly, Ms LUK Ka-yan,Chermaine, Ms WONG Hiu-ching, Rachel

Teaching Philosophy

"English teaching at TWGHs Mrs. Wu YorkYu Memorial College is carefully andpurposely planned, in a way that allowsstudents to learn English while learningother subjects. The English teaching team inthe school has set up a task force toorchestrate the Language across theCurriculum (LaC) initiative, with the objectiveof incorporating English learning acrossdifferent curricular subjects. The core idea isto integrate the content and vocabulariesfrom other subjects into engaging andmotivating English activities, such as dramaand inter-house competitions."

Integrating contentsIntegrating contentsof other subjectsof other subjectsinto English learninginto English learning

▲ Left to right: Ms WONG Kam-man,Mr WONG Kwan-ho and Ms NGYu-kiu.

Subjects taught

English Language (S1-6)

School

TWGHs Mrs. Wu York YuMemorial College

Mr WONG Kwan-ho(Years of Teaching: 21)

Ms NG Yu-kiu(Years of Teaching: 5)

Ms WONG Kam-man(Years of Teaching: 8)

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Subjects taught

English Language (S1-6)

School

TWGHs Mrs. Wu York YuMemorial College

Mr WONG Kwan-ho(Years of Teaching: 21)

Ms WONG Kam-man(Years of Teaching: 8)

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Ms NG Yu-kiu(Years of Teaching: 5)

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English Language Educatio

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Key Learning Area

20142014 // 20152015 行政長官卓越教學獎薈萃行政長官卓越教學獎薈萃Compendium of the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching ExcellenceCompendium of the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence064


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Enhancing students'English Language skillsthrough the positive attributesof "Language across theCurriculum" (LaC)IInn

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藝術講求創意與創

新，教導學生學習藝術，也要

千變萬化，迎合學生的程度與需

求。救恩書院視覺藝術科簡李麗池老師

致力於校園營造別開生面的藝術氛圍，整

個校園都佈滿學生作品，藉互相交流與觀

摩，讓學生彼此增進藝術造詣。她亦以

身作則，每年推出不同類型的視覺藝術

項目讓學生參與，題材層出不窮，

與藝術不斷創新的精神如出一

轍。

教教師師

專專訪訪



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Over recent years, with the collaboration of our

colleagues and the enthusiasm of our students, we

have made a significant change to the teaching and

learning of English at Good Hope School. With

dedication and commitment, we have worked together

to ensure the broad range of co-curricular activities

we provide can, integrate seamlessly into the core

English curriculum to improve the quality of English

learning at our school.

Conclusion

The power of collaborationMr Wong Kwan-ho, the Head of LaC, said that the

collaborative efforts among teachers have providedopportunities for students to apply their knowledgeacquired in other subjects into English learning. Forinstance, S1-3 students are assigned with essay titlesderived from other subjects for their Englishcomposition. "Students can hone their English skillswhen studying or doing homework of other subjects. Itis beneficial to teachers as well, as they can get anoverview of the whole curriculum and a full picture ofwhat students learn in different subject areas," MrWong said. "In fact, the extended learningenvironment can widen students' exposure and theirhorizons in language learning."

Crafting a creative cross-curricularlearning environment

Cross-curricular essay titles, presentations and dramaproductions during assemblies on cross-curricularthemes enable students and teachers to explore Englishand knowledge of different subjects from a widerperspective. "Students will take turns to present whatthey learnt in other subjects in the form of Englishdrama or presentations at assemblies. Every year, wehave about 24 performances presented by differentclasses," Ms Ng said.

On one occasion, the students chose to conveyvarious properties of different metals learnt inChemistry lessons through a drama performance. "Nodoubt, this has greatly enhanced the interest of learningChemistry; it has made it much easier to understand thehard facts about metal," Ms Wong said. "Even thoughI don't have a science background, I find it intriguing."In another collaborative exercise with the unit ofBusiness, Accounting and Financial Studies, a group ofS6 students held a mock auction. During the processthey demonstrated the overwhelming confidence insummoning responses from the floor.

"Competition is a good way of helping students tocombat stage fright and develop their language skills.We encourage students to speak up in real-lifescenarios like job interviews. Speaking English hasbecome a daily experience," said Mr Wong.

Students taking over their own learningThe team of teachers also spends a great deal of

efforts in developing special e-booklets which assiststudents to learn English on their own. The bookletscontain various resources materials ranging frompractical usage of vocabularies, sound tracks onexamination topics etc. They act as useful referencetools for students to prepare for assignments andexaminations. Students can access these resources ontheir own accord.

The implementation of LaC has greatly enhanced thelearning atmosphere in the school. "Students are moreeager to learn in the dynamic and interactiveenvironment and their English has shown improvementduring the learning process. The formula is straightforward: practice makes perfect! The initiative is nowbearing fruits after our determined and repeated efforts,"said Mr Wong with a big smile.

▲ English teacher Wong Kwan Hois revising vocabulary with thestudents

◀ Wong Kwan Ho enjoys interactingwith his students

▲Students sharing their point of view on a discussion topic

Benefits for studentsStudents have developed keen language awareness in

learning content subjects through our cross-curricularapproach. In an S2 writing task for example, studentsare able to use their knowledge of artists andarchitecture in the Renaissance, which they havelearned in History lessons, in writing an Englishcomposition about art. Through the cross-curricularlearning activities, students realise that English learningis not confined to English lessons only, and betterEnglish skills can benefit their learning in other contentsubjects as well. We witness our students adopting aproactive attitude in learning English after we haveimplemented the LaC initiative.

Authentic opportunities for using EnglishWe also provide opportunities for students to obtain

hands-on experience of using English. Throughauthentic tasks like hosting an English radioprogramme and interviewing foreign visitors at scenicspots, students are required to give natural, appropriateresponse to sustain conversational exchanges. Theselife-wide learning activities also help develop students'awareness of English Language in daily life experineces.

Putting textbook knowledge into practice is aneffective way of learning English. An example is thecross-curricular job hunting experience jointly organisedby the English panel and the Careers Unit. It offersstudents a valuable opportunity to demonstrate theircreativity and apply their knowledge acquired from theelective module "Learning English through WorkplaceCommunication" by identifying a suitable post,applying for the post and preparing for simulated jobinterviews.

Student-oriented and fun activitiesExaminations have been made fun. By turning part

of the speaking examination paper into an inter-housecompetition, participants are highly motivated toparticipate in the competition as well as to revise fortheir examinations. The competition boosts students'confidence and helps them learn not only from eachother, but also from teachers of other subjects. Tofurther encourage and facilitate independent learning,we have developed a school-based website calledEnglish iZone, on which multi-media resources andstudents' work have been uploaded for students' easyreference.

English teachers and teachers of other subjects giveshort talks in English during morning assemblies on awide variety of topics including subject-relatedknowledge, current issues, common usage problems andidioms. Throughout the year, every class takes turnputting on a play during assembly, which is goodtraining for scripts-writing and acting. On English

Speaking Days, teachers of other subjectsare invited to engage in

English conversationwith students andgive qualityfeedback to themafterwards.

▲Learning environmental issues through drama

◀Acting out the Last Supper

◀ Students sharing their point ofview on a discussion topicwith their teacher

▲"Can you use English todescribe the current trends onclimate change we learnt in our Geography lesson?"

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and caption

◀ Students engaged incross-curricular writing.

Our continuous effort on implementing theLaC initiative in school has laid the groundworkfor boosting students' confidence and motivationin learning through English. We have createdample language learning opportunities forstudents to learn and use English in natural andrealistic settings using cross-curricular themes.Our students have developed critical thinkingskills, creativity, free expression, positiveattitudes and independent learning skills throughvarious learning modes.

Teachers'Teachers'SharingSharing

Teaching Philosophy

"Our objective is to establish an approachthat can enable students to truly enjoylearning. Our curriculum is planned on unitsthat are theme-based or project-based. Itfocuses on developing the capabilities ofstudents in using English in an authenticenvironment."

Proactive themeProactive theme--basedbasedapproach ofapproach ofEnglish learningEnglish learning

▲Back row left to right: MrMOHAMMAD, Thair, MrTAO ElvinFront row left to right: MrHO Teck-way, Sam, MsHORGOS, Jennifer Anne,Ms CHAN Yin-yu, Jenny

Subjects taught

English Language(S1-6)

School

HKUGA College

Ms HORGOS, JenniferAnne

(Years of Teaching: 13)

Mr HO Teck-way,Sam


Ms CHAN Yin-yu,Jenny


Mr MOHAMMAD,Thair


Mr TAO Elvin(Years of Teaching: 13)

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Enhancing students'learning outcomes throughan integrated approachbased on language artsand literature

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Promoting students'language proficiency throughthe adoption of theLanguage across the

Curriculum initiative

The awarded teachers believe that creating a richEnglish Language learning environment in the school isthe best way to improve students' English proficiency.To this end, they come up with sustainable and feasiblemeasures that would benefit as many students aspossible. They believe that students should developkeen language awareness in learning content subjects.Based on previous experience in conductingcross-curricular reading and writing projects at school,the teachers believe that a holistic Language across theCurriculum (LaC) approach can raise the Englishstandards of the students as well as enhance theirlearning of other subjects. Hence, a detailed andstructured programme plan with clear objectives is putin place. Close collaboration has enabled the teachersto put their ideas into practice. Cross-curricular writingactivities and oral presentations, enriching co-curricularactivities such as English iZone, Lunch Music VideoTime and English Time are provided. On-linestrategies handbooks, which enable learners to learnmore efficiently and independently in English, areprepared. All these lead to a revamp in the curriculumdesign as well as a change in teaching culture amongteachers at their school. A school culture that bothEnglish and teachers of other subjects play animportant part in helping students develop competencyin English has emerged.

A learner-centred teaching strategy with effectivecross-curricular learning activities relating to the dailylife experiences of learners is adopted. The teachersstrive to create language learning opportunities for

students to learn and use English in natural and realisticsettings. Themes used are cross-curricular in order toconnect the learning experiences in the English lessonsand those of other subjects in school. Students are alsoencouraged to learn through co-curricular activitiesoutside class time. These activities promote learners'interest in learning English and boost their confidencein using English for practical purposes. Various modesof teaching strategies are used to develop students'critical thinking skills, creativity, free expression,positive attitudes and independent learning skills.

The teachers have succeeded in initiating a change inthe school by implementing the LaC initiative. Theinitiative has created a language-rich environment forlearners at school. The teachers are dedicated to theirwork and have demonstrated seamless collaboration increating a motivating learning environment for students.They also contribute to the school and local communityregularly through professional development workshopsto raise the awareness of the importance of holisticlanguage development across the curriculum.

Website:http://www.twghwyyms.edu.hk

Mr WONG Kwan-ho

Tel: 2428 5129

Fax: 2480 3015

Email: [email protected]

Ways to Obtain Informationon the Teaching Practice

Contact

▲An English drama production based on topics learnt in Chemistry lessons

Documents

Integratingcontents ofothersubjects intoEnglishlearning · M o r al and Civi c E d u c a t i o n C h i n e s e ... Students sharing their point of view on a discussion topic ... approachof