Generic Skills

but teachers will need to have variable expectations. Through carrying out extended tasks, learners apply different parts of their language resource in an integrated manner.

Projects involve topic-based study conducted by learners individually or collaboratively, and are designed to foster independence. Although projects share all the five features of tasks, they require learners to take more responsibility for their own learning and work more independently. Projects provide authentic opportunities for learners to develop generic skills and positive attitudes towards learning English.

They also help learners develop the ability to practise the five intertwining ways of learning and using knowledge, i.e. communicating, conceptualizing, inquiring, problem-solving and reasoning. Learners identify a topic of interest, plan their own work and work at their own pace. In the process, they search for and organize information, review and compile it, design a way of presenting the findings, present them, and then evaluate their own work. Projects need not be of a very large scale, nor do they always lead to the production of a piece of written work. The product of a project may be an oral presentation, a simple performance or a displayed item. Learners do not always work entirely on their own in every project. Sometimes they may be involved in group projects and work collaboratively with their peers. It is necessary that teachers provide guidance, check progress and give feedback at different stages of a project. Please refer to Appendix 6 for details.

The nine generic skills are:

• communication skills,

• creativity,

• critical thinking skills,

• collaboration skills,

• study skills,

• self-management skills,

• problem-solving skills,

• information technology skills, and

• numeracy skills.

Amongst these generic skills, the English Language Education KLA provides greater opportunities for learners to develop communication skills, creativity, critical thinking skills, collaboration skills, study skills and problem-solving skills. The CDC recommends that schools give priority to the development of communication skills, creativity and critical thinking skills (3Cs) for the years 2001-2006. To enhance the development of the 3Cs, teachers of English can ask more open-ended and thought-provoking questions in lessons and in assessment. For examples of the six types of questions that can be asked, please refer to Section 4.3.4 and Appendix 5. Teachers need to accept different but reasonable or imaginative answers to strengthen the development of these three generic skills and to foster risk-taking in language learning.

They are also advised to refer to the resource package on promoting quality interaction^∗ for ideas as to how best to enhance communication and collaboration in the English classroom.

Development of Generic Skills through Tasks

A task-based approach infuses the development of generic skills naturally into the learning and teaching process. Teachers need to understand that the purpose and design of the tasks, the use of learning and teaching activities and resources provide different contexts for the

∗The resource package Promoting Quality Interaction in the Primary English Classroom was produced by the English Language Education Section of CDI and distributed to schools in August 2004.

development of the nine generic skills. The following example illustrates the development of generic skills in the process of carrying out a task:

In primary schools, extra-curricular activities (ECAs) may be conducted inside or outside class time. However, the activities are usually selected by the teachers in charge of ECAs. In this task, learners are given a chance to propose some ECAs for themselves. In groups, they find out information about different ECAs which they like in English after looking up reference books and surfing the Internet. Then they give them new names. In order to explain the different activities, each group compiles an information poster with pictures on the front and the English names of the activities on the back of the poster. Then they discuss how to “sell” their ideas to their peers. They practise in groups to improve their pronunciation and intonation, and determine their presentation strategies.

Each group takes a turn to present their proposed activity with the poster and tries to persuade their peers to support their ideas. Then each member of the class casts a ballot (with a written reason) for his or her favourite ECA. The information is collated and the top three to five activities are identified. The learners use the information and write a letter to the teacher in charge of ECAs to propose some new ECAs.

• Learners develop communication skills, collaboration skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, information technology skills, study skills, and creativity when they prepare and present the information posters for the different ECAs.

• Learners develop communication skills, collaboration skills and numeracy skills when they collect and compile the information on the preferences for the various extra-curricular activities.

• Learners develop communication skills, critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration skills and problem-solving skills when they write a letter to the teacher in charge of ECAs.

Development of Generic Skills in the Four Key Tasks in the Curriculum Reform

Engaging learners in the learning of English through the Four Key Tasks identified by the CDC (i.e. Reading to Learn, Project Learning, Information Technology for Interactive Learning and Moral and Civic Education) is also conducive to the development of generic skills.

Well-chosen English reading materials can help learners explore the various themes on moral and civic education, develop different skills in reading to learn, and enhance the development of generic skills. For example, after reading a story about a selfish animal in the jungle, learners may be guided to evaluate its behaviour and suggest ways to help it improve its relationship with the other animals. If the texts are about some endangered species, learners may be asked to find out what they can do to save such animals. In the process, learners also develop generic skills like communication skills, critical thinking skills, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Please make reference to pages 71-88 for more examples illustrating how the English Language Education KLA contributes to the development of generic skills.

4.3 Language Skills