Seminar-cum-workshops on Seminar-cum-workshops on Promoting the 3Cs and Quality Interaction Promoting the 3Cs and Quality Interaction

in the Primary English Classroomin the Primary English Classroom

Organised by English Language Education SectionCurriculum Development Institute

Education Bureau

Guest speakers from TELECTeachers of English Language Education Centre

The University of Hong Kong

March 2005

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Aims of Seminar-cum-workshops

To familiarize participants with the resource package ‘Promoting Quality Interaction in the Primary English Classroom’

To introduce effective and flexible ways of using the resource package for a series of school-based facilitator-led workshops

To help participants gain a better understanding of what interaction involves, and to enable them to bring about quality interaction and the development of 3Cs in their classrooms

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Purpose of Package

To support the implementation of the English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (P1-S3) (CDC, 2002) and the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) (CDC, 2004) by

helping teachers of English to gain a better understanding of what interaction involves in their classrooms*

enabling teachers to bring about quality interaction in their classrooms

providing resource materials for promoting quality interaction through school-based workshops and self-access learning

(*For “English for Classroom Interaction”, please refer to Appendix 4 pp. A23 – A26 of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) (CDC, 2004) )

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Contents of Package

• 3 multimedia CD-ROMs containing materials to help teachers generate quality interaction in the English classroom

• A handbook for facilitators (facilitators’ guide and printable handouts for participants)

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Organisation of Sessions in the CD-ROMs

Session 1 – Developing good practices inlanguage teaching and learning

Session 2 – Recognising and selecting appropriateoral activities

Session 3 – Generating interaction in the classroom:the role of the teacher

Session 4 – Analysing student interaction in theclassroom

Session 5 – Improving the quality of classroominteraction

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Components of Sessions

• Each session is divided into three components: A, B & C.

• Component A is designed for facilitator-led whole group sessions.

• Components B & C are designed for self-access use, for individuals or small groups of teachers.

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Components, Options and Time Required

Option 1

[2.5 hours]

Option 2

[5 hours]

Option 3

[7.5 hours]

Session 1 A A+B A+B+C

Session 2 A A+B A+B+C

Session 3 A A+B A+B+C

Session 4 A A+B A+B+C

Session 5 A A+B A+B+C

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Why focus on ‘interaction’?

Language serves a social function for interactive communication in everyday life. (See p.142 of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) (CDC, 2004) )

Students should be given the opportunity to take risks, experiment with language and develop their creativity.

Language output is critical for language development.

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Why do students need to participate in interaction?

When students are using language they are actively involved in the negotiation of meaning. (See Tsui (1996))

Using language enables learners to test hypotheses which they have formed about language. (See Tsui (1996))

Language learners need to have the opportunity to take risks, be creative and experiment with language. (See Rubin & Thompson (1983))

Contributions by students help to create the content of the lesson. (See Katz in Bailey and Nunan (1996))

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Interaction involves ... controlling one’s own language production making decisions and choices on the content of

their interaction and the way to express it using language in order to satisfy particular

demands using language under normal processing conditions having conditions that require participants to

reciprocate the participants in the management of interaction the negotiation of meaning

(Summary based on Bygate

(1987))

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What is quality interaction?

Using the target language to communicate effectively with others in meaningful contexts

Involving a two-way process with feedback Developing ability to clarify meanings during

interaction Communicating with each other for a purpose Developing language and skills that are useful

in real life

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How to promote quality interaction

Teachers should:

provide activities which enable students to develop the skills that will enable them to participate in real-life situations; and

provide a range of activities and task types to help students develop the skills that enable them to manage interaction in and beyond the classroom.

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Promoting the 3Cs Communication Skills

In learning to communicate effectively, learners should learn to… identify purpose and context of communication convey a message in accordance with needs of the audience organize accurate and relevant information for the audience evaluate effectiveness of their communication identify areas of improvement for action(See pp. 73-74 of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) (CDC, 2004) )

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Promoting the 3Cs

Creativity

To develop learners’ creativity, teachers need to…

ask them to go beyond given information allow them time to think strengthen and reward creative efforts encourage problem solving create a climate conducive to creativity (See pp.

75-77 of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) (CDC, 2004) )

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Promoting the 3Cs

Critical Thinking Skills

In learning to think critically, learners should learn to… draw meaning from given data and statements

evaluate accuracy of given statements evaluate and generate arguments question and enquire in order to make judgements

(See pp. 78-79 of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(CDC, 2004) )

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Developing the 3Cs

Activity Communication Skills

Creativity Critical Thinking Skills

A Visit to the Doctor

Have You Got Any Apples?

My New Festival

Visiting Hong Kong

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Evaluating Activities

1. Do these activities help students develop communication skills, creativity and critical thinking skills? If yes, to what extent?

2. What kind of demands do these activities make on students’ speaking skills?

3. What problems do you think upper primary students might have in carrying out these activities?

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A Visit to the Doctor

Teacher shows students a flash card of an ailment and elicits responses by asking ‘What’s the matter?’.

Teacher models the structure and vocabulary, e.g. She’s got a cough.

Students listen and repeat. Teacher asks a question and nominates

student to answer the question.

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Have you got any apples? Students work in groups of four. Each student has a shopping list with six food items. The group leader deals each player six cards with

pictures of food items. Each student must try and obtain the items on

his/her shopping list by asking other students in the group ‘Have you got any …’ [i.e. the target language item]

If a student has the card, he/she must give it to the student who asked the question.

They continue playing the game until someone has all the items on his/her shopping list.

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My New Festival

Students work in groups of four. They brainstorm ideas for a new festival

using headings as prompts for discussion. They organise their ideas as notes under

the headings. They then use their notes and work

collaboratively to write about their new festival.

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Visiting Hong Kong

Students read an email from a cousin in Canada who wants to visit Hong Kong. In the email he wants to ‘visit beautiful places and learn something about Hong Kong’.

Students plan an itinerary for their cousin using a map and some information about things to do in Hong Kong.

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Developing the 3CsActivity Communication

skillsCreativity Critical

thinking skills

A visit to the doctor

Have you got any apples?

My new festival

Visiting Hong Kong

weak

strong strong

strong strong