Implementing Extended
Learning Activities (ELAs) in English to Enhance the English Speaking Ability of Students
Lok Sin Tong Leung Chik Wai Mem Sch Mr Lee Shu Chiu, Panel Head of Science
Ms Fung May Yung, Teacher of English and
Liberal Studies
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Outline of Presentation
1. School Background 2. Video Shows on ELA 3. Rationale
4. Action Research: Plan-Implement-Evaluate (PIE) Framework
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
5. Way Forward
School Background
CMI School
ESR report in 2005/2006
One NSS Class using EMI in Science
– Enhance English Proficiency while capitalize mother-tongue teaching
– Enhance school English-learning environment
Improve students’ proficiency and confidence – Students lack confidence to communicate in
English in lessons
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A Video Show on ELA in Integrated Science
A S1 Integrated Science Lesson
Topic: Energy Changes
What are the
features and
focus of ELA?
Medium of Instruction:
Wholly in English ?
Teachers’
Demonstration on Pair-work
Speaking Activity?
Pronunciation ? Stronger
Students’
Demonstration on Pair-Work
Speaking Activity ?
School-based Students’
Worksheets ?
Features !
Whole Class Pair- Work Speaking
Activity ?
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Features and Focus of ELA
Students’
Speaking Ability
Pronunciation
Teachers’
Demonstration on Pair-work
Speaking Activity
Stronger Students’
Demonstration on Pair-Work
Speaking Activity Whole Class
Pair-Work Speaking
Activity
Focus
Rationale
1. Education Reform – “Every student is provided with the opportunity to develop their English proficiency, which is prerequisite for life-long learning” (Curriculum
Development Council, 2001) (Public Level)
2. Parents’ Expectation - English is a very important language for their children to be successful in the future (Parent Level)
3. ESR Report 2005/2006 - Improve students’ English proficiency and confidence (School Level)
4. Increase English ability of the students promoted to
NSS EMI science class (Subject Level)
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Opportunities
1. “schools adopting Chinese as the MOI at junior secondary levels may, on top of language lessons, choose to allocate not more than 15%, 20% and 25% of the total lesson time at S1, S2 and S3 respectively in a progressive manner for conducting extended learning activities (ELAs) in English.” (Education Commission, 2005, p. 69)
2. Study on Extended Learning Activities Conducted in English in Chinese-medium Schools in Hong Kong from 2007 to 2010 by The Open University of Hon Kong
3. Fine-tuning the Medium of Instruction for
Secondary Schools (2010/2011)
Objectives
1. Improve the students’ English proficiency especially in their speaking skill
2. Boost the confidence of the students of New Senior Secondary EMI classes in
communicating in science lessons
3. Modify the curriculum design and suggest
better pedagogy to suit the needs of the
students
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Action Research: P-I-E Framework
Plan
Implement Evaluate
Objectives
Curriculum design Course work design
Pedagogy
Assessment
Teachers’
Capabilities and Confidence
Integrated Science
Liberal Studies
Mathe- matics
Question- naires
Pre-S1 HKAT
TSA (S3)
HKDSE (S6)
Students’
Learning
Outcomes
Planning – Curriculum Design
Topics
(Integrated Science) Rhetorical Functions
Apparatus
Describing
Bunsen burner
Experimenting (Sequencing), Comparing
Animals
Describing, Classifying
Energy
Energy Changes
Classifying, Defining
States of Matter Change of States
Classifying, Exemplifying Cause and Effect
Air, Tests for Gases
Describing, Classifying, Giving Evidence, Predicting
Circuit Components
Describing
Selected topics – about one period per cycle
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Planning - Motivation Theory
Students’
Self- efficacy* - Confidence
Social factors –
Human Relationship, Environment
Teacher’s
Support Students’
Success
Self-efficacy is an essential belief to drive
one’s willingness to actively take part in
learning. (Stipek, 2002, p.75)
Planning – Course Work Design
Appropriate tasks
Questions with similar language types
Photos
Clear
instruction, appropriate tasks
Guided and progressive learning approach
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Planning – Course Work Design
Features Effects
Content taught in mother tongue
Avoid preprocessing in learning new
subject content reduce anxiety, not to undermine motivation
Clear instruction,
appropriate task Easy to follow reduce anxiety
Pictures and photos Avoid preprocessing in learning new
content in English reduce anxiety, not to undermine motivation
Guided and
progressive learning approach, questions
with similar language types
Strengthen ability through repetition and
practice, provide actual experience
build confidence , raise self-efficacy,
enhance motivation
Planning – Pedagogy
Features Targets of English proficiency
Pronunciation Listening and speaking skills Teachers’ and
stronger students’
demonstration on pair-work speaking
task
Listening skill
Whole class pair- work speaking
activity Listening and speaking skills
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Planning – Assessment
Feature Target
15% allocated in
Test and Exam Students’ performance
Planning – Teachers’ Capabilities and Confidence
Features Effects
Voluntary in conducting a whole lesson completely in
English
Not adversely affected teaching effectiveness
Confidence in conducting a whole lesson completely in
English
Enhance teaching effectiveness
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Implementation - Strategy
“Teachers allocate some of the lesson time for individual content subjects or cross-curricular subjects during which they would use EMI to go through the relevant concepts and contents that have been taught through the mother tongue. The revision can also be supplemented with a variety of illustration or other learning activities.” (Education
Commission, 2005, pp. 71-72)
Implementation - Motivation Theory
Students’
Self- efficacy* - Confidence
Social factors –
Human Relationship,
Environment
Teacher’s
Support Students’
Success
Self-efficacy is an essential belief to drive
one’s willingness to actively take part in
learning. (Stipek, 2002, p.75)
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Implementation – Motivation Theory
Elements of
Motivation Teacher’s Support on
Students Effects
Self-efficacy
Actual experience on pronunciation
Build confidence and raise self-efficacy by
increasing experiences in successes but decreasing experiences in failures Vicarious experiences on
teachers’ and stronger students’ demonstration on
pair-work
Raise self-efficacy by observing tasks
completed successfully by teacher and peers
Social factors
Positive human relationship
Encourage participation through praise and care from teachers and
support from classmates Whole class pair-work Create non-threatening
learning environment to
minimize anxiety
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Implementation
- Another video show on ELA in Liberal Studies
A S1 Liberal Studies Lesson
Topics:
– Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong
– Traditional Villages in the New Territories
Focus:
– Q & A
– Vocabularies – Pronunciation – Grammar
– Pair work
1 2 3
4 5 6 7
8 9 10 ---
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Evaluation
Findings
– By analyzing Pre-S1 HKAT and S3 TSA results, English proficiency was improved and more profound improvement was found for speaking skill (Objective 1)
– About % of the students thought that ELA could raise their confidence in speaking and communicating in English (Objective 2)
– The degree of students’ interest in participation in ELA was diverse.
This provided insight to design worksheet and teaching strategies to cater for the students’ diversity both in English and subject content. For instances, more challenging tasks should be included for the better students while easier and more supportive ones for the weaker.
(Objective 3)
Evaluation
Cohorts: 06/07, 07/08, 08/09
Data Collection and Feedback
– Students’ Questionnaires
– Students’ Pre-Secondary One (Pre-S1) Hong Kong Attainment Tests (HKAT) results
– Secondary Three (S3) Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) results
– Participating Teachers’ Views
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Evaluation
Evaluation Tool – Students’ Questionnaire
Question Performance assessed Response (Likert scale) 1 My learning in English Language
lesson is enhanced. English proficiency 5 = Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree
3 = Neither Agree Nor Disagree
2 = Disagree
1 = Strongly Disagree 2 My English standard is raised.
3 I understand the teaching content.
Listening skill 4 My confidence in answering
teacher’s questions in English orally is increased.
Speaking skill
5 My communication skill in English
is improved. Listening and speaking
skill 6 I actively participate in the
activities in lesson. Interest in participating in ELA
7 ELA should also be implemented in Secondary Two.
8 The teaching time of ELA should be increased.
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Evaluation
Findings about English Proficiency
Questions Range of Average Scores for S1
Strongly
Agree/Agree for S1
Strongly
Disagree/Disagree for S1
06/07 07/08 08/09 06/07 07/08 08/09 06/07 07/08 08/09
My learning in English Language lesson is enhanced.
My English standard is raised.
I understand the teaching content.
– Average score:
– Strongly agree or agree:
– Strongly disagree or disagree:
– This suggested that ELA could improve their English proficiency.
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Evaluation
Findings about communication skill
Questions Level Range of Average Scores
Strongly Agree/Agree
06/07 07/08 08/09 06/07 07/08 08/09
My confidence in orally answering teacher’s question in English is increased.
S1 S2 My communication
skill in English is improved.
S1 S2
– Strongly agree or agree:
– Mean of Strongly disagree or disagree:
– About % of the students thought that ELA could raise their confidence in
speaking and communicating in English.– They will be confidence in learning in science using EMI in a NSS class
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Evaluation
Findings about interest in participation
Questions Level Range of Average Scores
Strongly Agree/Agree
Strongly
Disagree/Disagree
06/07 07/08 08/09 06/07 07/08 08/09 06/07 07/08 08/09
I actively participate in the activities in lesson.
S1 S2 ELA should also be
implemented in Secondary Two.
S1 S2 The teaching time of
ELA should be increased.
S1 S2
– Strongly agree or agree:
– Strongly disagree or disagree:
– The degree of students’ interest in participation in ELA was diverse . This
provided insight to design worksheet and teaching strategies to cater for the
students’ diversity both in English and subject content28
Evaluation
Evaluation Tool – Pre-S1 HKAT and TSA results
Cohort Pre-S1 HKAT Percentile
for English Language S3 TSA % of students achieving Basic Competency for
English Language / Speaking (Individual) /
Speaking (Group) /
S3VA: TSA-
HKAT S6
School
Difference compared
with all students in Hong Kong
School HK
Difference compared
with all students in Hong Kong
HKDSE Passing
%
VA
05/06 (no ELA
implemented) S1* HKAT=
50)/50# (S1- S3* P* TSA = (S3-
P)/P# S3VA=TSA – HKAT#
06/07 (ELA implemented)
# - Equation
* - Numerical data (S1, S3, P)
VA – Value- Addedness
Evaluation
Evaluation Tool – Pre-S1 HKAT and TSA results
Findings about English Proficiency and Speaking Skill:
– S3VA = S3TSA – Pre-S1
– S3VA for 06/07 (with ELA implemented) showed a greater value than that of 05/06 (no ELA
implemented) for English Language, Speaking (Individual) and Speaking (Group) in S3 TSA
– A more significant improvement was obtained for
Speaking for both Individual and Group
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Evaluation
Other Evaluation Tools – S4 and S6 Students’
Questionnaires, S6 HKDSE, S6 Value-addedness (VA)
– A sample of composition of a S6 student’s in 2012 HKDSE Mock Paper (Student Learning Outcome)
Question: You are a member of the school debating club.
Your club is entering a debating contest and the motion is
Nuclear power is the best source of energy for the future .
Decide whether you are for or against the motion and write
your debate speech. The members with the best speeches
will be chosen to represent the school at the competition .
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Evaluation
Discussion
– Confounding factor: English Enhancement Scheme – Critical factors:
Teachers’ English capability and confidence (Implementation)
Panel Chairpersons’ experience in curriculum planning and leadership capacities (Planning and Evaluation)
Teachers’ lifelong learning attitude equip with necessary knowledge and experience through
Professional Development prerequisite for Action
Research (Plan – Implement – Evaluate – Reflect)
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Way forward
Identify problems and/or ways of improvement to start another P-I-E cycle: reading for information, more
emphasis on writing skill, cater diversity - challenging task for more able and peer support for less able, consolidation in NSS classes
Holistic approach Collaborative work across curriculum with English Panel
No quick fixes
Need genuine conversation with and collect views from
different stakeholders such as students, teachers, principal,
parents and external expertise
References
Curriculum Development Council. (2001). Learning to learn: life-long learning and whole-person development . Hong Kong: Printing
Department.
Education Commission. (2005). Report on review of medium of instruction for secondary schools and secondary school places allocation . Hong Kong: Government Logistics Department.
Stipek, D. (2002). Motivation to learn: Integrating theory and
practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
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