Resources in Support of Curriculum Development

• 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.

• EDB One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources — an online platform providing diversified learning activities to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness:

http://minisite.proj.hkedcity.net/edbosp-eng/eng/learning_and_teaching_resources/

index.html

• Assessment Tasks Reference of EDB One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources — an online platform supporting English teachers in designing classroom assessments:

http://www.hkedcity.net/edbatr

• Primary English e-Learning Resources (PEER) — a website providing quality e-learning resources to enrich students’ English learning experience at the upper primary level:

http://peer.edb.hkedcity.net/

• English radio programmes:

- The Sunday Smile (for primary students) http://app1.rthk.org.hk/special/sundaysmile/

- Teen Time (for secondary students)

http://app3.rthk.hk/special/teentime/mainpage.php

• Educational Television (ETV) programmes:

http://www.hkedcity.net/edb/etv/?path=/subject

• HKEdCity website:

http://www.hkedcity.net/

• STAR Platform — an online assessment platform providing a range of assessment items and online assessment data to enhance teachers’ assessment literacy and

improve students’ learning:

https://star.hkedcity.net/en/

6.3.2 Community Resources

Many parties in the community and other stakeholders can make useful contribution to life-wide language learning. Schools and teachers are encouraged to explore learning opportunities available in the community to enrich students’ English learning experience and extend their learning beyond the classroom.

Government Departments and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)

Government departments (e.g. the Leisure and Cultural Services Department) and NGOs (e.g. the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) offer a range of programmes,

services and activities conducted in English, providing good opportunities for meaningful use of English outside the classroom to enrich students’ language learning experiences.

Schools may work in partnership with these departments and organisations and arrange activities (e.g. visiting museums, libraries, film archives and resource centres, watching shows and performances). They may also encourage their students to browse the websites of the Government departments and NGOs for access to various community resources.

A number of community resources have been identified and provided in Appendix 22 for teachers’ reference.

Parents

Parental involvement in their children’s education contributes greatly to the latter’s academic, social and emotional growth. Schools may invite parents to serve as volunteer partners in organising English-related activities or solicit their support for their children’s participation in language learning activities organised by other parties in the community.

Alumni

Schools are encouraged to draw on the alumni’s expertise and resources in supporting students’ language learning by inviting them to give talks, share their language learning experiences or provide services.

Employers

Employers’ support may be sought for sponsoring language activities or funding award and scholarship schemes related to English learning. Some companies have customer service centres with information and resources in English, and some offer English guided tours. Schools are encouraged to make use of these resources to make language learning more interesting, meaningful and authentic.

6.3.3 Collaborative Projects

With a view to encouraging and facilitating school curriculum development, the EDB engages in collaborative projects with schools and teachers. Through such collaboration, valuable experience and knowledge in planning and implementing the school English Language curriculum are generated and disseminated.

Collaborative Research and Development (“Seed”) Projects

Collaborative research and development (“Seed”) projects are geared towards promoting the learning capabilities of students, generating valuable experiences as well as leveraging synergy to facilitate the implementation of the whole-school curriculum in regard to the ongoing renewal of the school curriculum. Curriculum planning and development strategies for learning, teaching and assessment are the major focuses of the

“Seed” projects.

The purpose of “Seed” projects in the English Language Education KLA is to:

• generate useful knowledge, experiences and viable recommendations for the reference of schools, teachers and the community;

• develop teachers as curriculum reform facilitators and curriculum leaders, who would consistently reflect on and improve their teaching so as to strengthen the synergy to promote the key emphases of the ongoing renewal of the school

curriculum; and

• act as an impetus to school curriculum development.

The experience generated from the “Seed” projects will be disseminated through effective channels (e.g. seminars, sharing sessions, reports, learning and teaching resource materials).

School-based Support Services

University-School Support Programmes (USPs)

The EDB invites tertiary institutions to conduct USPs for strengthening English language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools. The programmes aim at providing diversified school-based support services to cater for schools’ development needs through connecting research-based pedagogies with classroom practices. The support services serve as an impetus for schools to develop and sustain their good practices and empower students to develop their language skills.

For details of the recent USPs on the English Language Education KLA and other KLAs, please visit the EDB website at:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/sbps/usp/index.html.

Professional Development Schools (PDS) Scheme

The PDS Scheme initiated by the EDB aims to empower frontline teachers to lead and engage in professional sharing on certain areas of expertise to facilitate interaction and cross-fertilisation of ideas among the partner schools involved in the Scheme. Primary and secondary schools with exemplary practices in English language learning and teaching are designated as PDS under the Scheme. Through inter-school activities such as collaborative lesson planning and observation, teaching experience and resources sharing and joint-school professional development programmes, teachers from the PDS as well as the partner schools can enhance their professional capacity and develop a collaborative culture in the long run.

For details of the recent PDS on the English Language Education KLA and other KLAs, please visit the EDB website at:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/sbps/professional-development-schools-pds-scheme/index.html.

EDB School-based Support Services

On-site school-based support services for English Language are provided by different sections of the EDB, including the Language Learning Support (LLS) Section, Native-speaking English Teachers (NET) Section, and School-based Curriculum Development (Primary) (SBCDP) Section, to help build the expertise of teachers in developing a balanced and coherent curriculum based on the needs and abilities of students. Small-scale research and development projects and school-based tryouts are conducted to explore innovative and effective teaching strategies, develop curriculum resources and address specific issues related to learning and teaching of the participating schools.

Successful experiences and good practices will be disseminated through networking activities and the EDB website.

For details of the support services provided, please visit the following websites:

LLS Section:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/language-learning-support/index.html

NET Section:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/resource-support/net/index.html SBCDP Section:

http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/applicable-to-primary-secondary/sbss/school-based-curriculum-primary/index.html