Quality Textbooks and Other Learning and Teaching Resources

choosing textbooks appropriate to their students’ interests and abilities. It is accessible at: http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/resource-support/textbook-info/

GuidingPrinciples/index.html.

Schools can make reference to the Recommended Textbook List (RTL) and the Recommended e-Textbook List (eRTL) at: https://cd.edb.gov.hk/rtl/search.asp when selecting textbooks for their students. Printed or electronic textbooks placed on the RTL or eRTL are written in line with the curriculum documents issued by the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and deemed acceptable in terms of content, learning and teaching, structure and organisation, and language used.

6.2.2 Choosing Textbooks

When selecting textbooks for the subject of English Language, teachers should take into account:

• what the students already know and what they need to learn;

• what will enhance their motivation and learning effectiveness;

• whether the approach and coverage of the materials facilitate the development of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes promoted in the English Language curriculum;

• the appropriateness of the content;

• the appropriateness of the examples, exercises and illustrations;

• the design and organisation of the tasks or activities;

• the quality of the language used;

• whether independent/self-access learning is encouraged; and

• the strategies to cater for learner diversity.

For printed textbooks, teachers should also consider the following:

• the quality of print — whether the texts and images are clear or not;

• the quality of paper — whether it is durable and can be reused;

• the use and size of examples and illustrations — whether they facilitate learning and whether paper is used economically; and

• the weight of the textbooks.

For electronic textbooks, teachers should also consider the following:

• the e-features for learning, teaching and assessment — whether there is demonstration of reading aloud continuous texts and dialogues, demonstration of pronunciation of key words and illustration of meaning of key words in audio and/or visual formats, and provision of audio scripts for the listening practices;

• the pedagogical use of e-features — whether there is access to an online dictionary for checking the meaning of unfamiliar words and expressions; and

• the provision of the print-on-demand function — whether it can help enhance the development of some learning elements or skills not easily developed by electronic means (e.g. penmanship, proofreading skills).

For more information on quality learning and teaching resources, see Chapter 7 of the Basic Education Curriculum Guide — To Sustain, Deepen and Focus on Learning to Learn (Primary 1 — 6) (2014) and Booklet 10 of the Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (Secondary 1 — 6) (2017).

6.2.3 Using Textbooks

Teachers should exercise their professional judgement and use textbook materials flexibly according to the needs, interests and abilities of their students. Teachers should not feel obliged to use a textbook from cover to cover. They are free to select or adapt relevant parts to suit their teaching purposes. If deemed desirable, parents should be advised on the rationale for this at appropriate meetings.

The following points should be considered when textbooks are used:

• The learning targets and objectives of a key stage are attended to and the focus of each unit is identified.

• The textbook content is matched against the school’s English Language curriculum to ensure that there is a balanced coverage of the learning targets and objectives, not only at a particular year level but also across year levels.

• The textbooks are used selectively and teachers adapt tasks or activities to cater for students’ needs and interests. The more able students may skip the easier parts and the less able students may skip the more difficult parts.

• The textbooks are used flexibly according to students’ needs. The parts that overlap with what has already been taught should be omitted, and the parts that are insufficient should be supplemented with other materials.

• Activities are adapted to make them attractive to students. The interesting activities can be extended to promote further learning, and the less interesting activities can

be modified or removed.

• Extended tasks and projects are designed to help students develop further knowledge and skills through activities such as extensive reading and viewing, and to encourage independent and self-directed learning.

6.2.4 Learning and Teaching Resources Other Than Textbooks

Apart from textbooks, teachers can make use of other resource materials to support learning and teaching during or outside class time. Language arts materials (e.g. short stories, poems, songs, films) can provide students with enjoyable experiences and enhance their cultural awareness and creativity. The use of non-fiction materials (e.g.

documentaries, news, magazine articles) enables students to consider issues from different perspectives. Teachers can also make use of community resources to provide life-wide learning opportunities for students. To encourage active use of non-textbook resources for extended learning outside class time, teachers may:

• promote the use of the school library and public libraries to encourage extensive reading and viewing;

• encourage the use of online resources for project work and other assignments;

• set up a class library, an English room or an English corner to provide a wide variety of learning materials and resources for students’ use during recess time or lunch

hour; and

• organise visits to community facilities (e.g. museums, resource centres) to support project learning.

6.2.5 Choosing Learning and Teaching Resources Other Than Textbooks

Given the variety of resources available on the market, teachers should exercise their professional judgement when choosing resource materials for promoting English learning. The following are some considerations:

• The resources should be relevant to students’ experiences and prior knowledge, and suit their needs, interests and abilities. The content should be interesting and challenging, and the language used should be accurate, authentic and purposeful but not too difficult for students. Resources which involve excessive use of mechanical drills and decontextualised use of English are not beneficial to the learning of English.

• To promote reading to learn, teachers should not confine their choices of reading resources to stories, plays and rhymes. They should ensure that the selection covers a wide range of text types, including information texts appropriate to the level of the students. Teachers can choose reading materials on different themes relevant to the interests and daily experiences of their students. Books on different subjects can also be chosen to help students establish cross-curricular linkage in their learning and promote reading across the curriculum.

• The Internet is a powerful resource for language learning. Teachers should guide students in choosing online materials appropriate to their linguistic and cognitive abilities and develop activities to prepare them adequately for Internet-based tasks.

• Teachers may consider using multimedia resources and IT tools (e.g. e-books, application software (apps), interactive games, activities) to enhance student motivation and promote self-directed learning. However, given the variation in quality, care should be exercised in the choice of these materials. Good multimedia and IT resources should display the following characteristics:

- They involve good models of English use;

- The teaching approach is based on sound pedagogical principles;

- The design is user-friendly, and graphics, sound and animation are used appropriately to increase students’ motivation and support learning;

- The activities promote the integrated use of language skills; and

- The resources promote interactive learning by encouraging student input, allowing students to work at their own pace and providing feedback to them.