innovative english language teaching for students€¦ · presentation by poon ka chun jason the...

Sharing Session on Knowledge Transfer

Innovative English Language Teaching for Students

Presentation by POON Ka Chun Jason

The Education University of Hong Kong

(26th July 2017)

1July 2017 Sharing by J. Poon

Acknowledgement to Dr Jackie Lee, Dr Rebecca Chen, Dr Angel Ma, Ms Janet Jiang and Mr Jason Ma

Knowledge Transfer Projects

• Grammar Teaching in Language Education (2016)

• Innovative English Language Teaching for Primary Students (2017)


Today’s presentation

I. Teaching grammar

II. Teaching readers

III. Experiences in local tryouts and Foshan trips

IV. Reflections



Part I:Teaching grammar

How did I learn grammar?



• My teachers introduced forms and rules organised in tables.


I/You/We/They kickthe ball.

He/She/It kicks

Heis kicking

the ballnow.

kicks every day.



easy

Grammar

Rule 1…Rule 2…Rule 3…Rule 4…

Example: Relative Clauses

• Mrs Carrie Lam was the former

Chief Secretary for Administration.

Mrs Carrie Lam is the first female

Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

• Rewrite the above sentences using a relative clause.


Mrs Carrie Lam, (who was) the former Chief Secretary for Administration,is the first female Chief Executive of

Hong Kong.



Why do I have to

learn these?

How can I use them in my life?

My grammar learning experience

• Overemphasis on forms and rules

• Overlooking of the meaning and use


Teaching grammar


Class, let me tell you…

Teaching grammar

• Most students do not have the same learning style as me.


No more rules, please…

I hate tables!

Teaching grammar


English Language Timetable

Monday General English

Tuesday Listening / Speaking

Wednesday General English

Thursday Reading

Friday Writing

Teaching grammar

• Consider the following:

1. Why do Ss learn grammar?

2. How can we introduce the target forms (and rules) using different ways?

3. What elements and activities can make Ss’ learning more interesting andmeaningful?

4. How is grammar related to the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)?


1. Form, meaning and use

Example: Imperatives

a. Form: a clause begins with a bare infinitive / base form of the verb (e.g. put, shake)

b. Meaning: tell somebody what to do

c. Use: give instructions, directions, orders, advice, etc.


1. Form, meaning and use


Form Meaning

Use

2. Selection of input for introducing a language form

Example I: Imperatives

(Junior Primary)


songs

2. Selection of input for introducing a language form

Example II: Reported Speech

(Junior Secondary)


contextualised input

3. Interesting elements and meaningful activities

Example I: Imperatives

(Senior Secondary)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlUxP4gY7M8

videos

3. Interesting elements and meaningful activities

Example II: Imperatives and

clause types (moods)

(Senior Secondary)


an open-ended writing task

Ss read an online post about a girl who had a quarrel with her parents. They write a reply to the girl to give her advice.

4. Integrate grammar with the four language skills


4. Integrate grammar with the four language skills

Receptive skills:

Reading the conversations between Noby and his mother

Listening to the song Hokey Pokey

Productive skills:

Speaking(e.g. information gap activities)

Writing a reply to the girl who has made an online post



Part II:Teaching readers

EDB literacy programmes

• Primary Literacy Programme –Reading and Writing (PLP-RW)

• Space Town

• Reading workshops (school-based reading curriculum)


EDB literacy programmes


Why teaching readers?

• Clear and meaningful themes

• Memorable characters

• Vivid pictures

• Careful language choices and authentic language use

– Vocabulary words

– Repeated patterns/structures

– Rhyming pairs and alliterations, etc.


Ss’ motivation

Teaching readers: initial thoughts

• Readers help develop students’ reading skills only. Is this true?


Teaching readers: initial thoughts

• Some of the challenges:

i. Selecting appropriate readers

ii. Setting the learning objectives

iii. Using a variety of strategies to help students learn the readers

iv. Designing suitable activities


Some project resources developed for teaching readers

• Number Poems(compiled by John Foster)

– How many? (by Charles Thomson)

– Zoo Dream (by John Foster)(selected for lesson tryout in Foshan)

• The Bike Lesson(written by Stan and Jan Berenstain)


The Bike Lesson(by Stan and Jan Berenstain)


The Bike Lesson

• Number of lessons: 3

• Intended learning outcomes:(By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to)

– demonstrate an understanding of the story;

– identify the rhyming pairs in the text;

– use ‘May I …?’ to ask for permission; and

– use the modal verb ‘should (not)’ to write a list of safety acts on a poster.


The Bike Lesson


• Reader’s Theatre

– Ss in groups read the assigned part and practise reading the sentences. They then take turns to perform the scene to the class.

The Bike Lesson


• Reader’s Theatre

– The focus is on meaning rather than language forms

– Ss need to understand the story as deeply as they can, and demonstrate their understanding

Rationale

The Bike Lesson


• Identifying the rhyming pairs

Yes. That is what you should not do. So let that be a lesson to you.

Yes it was, Dad.Now I see.That was a very good lesson for me.

The Bike Lesson


• Open-ended task for practice

– Give the scenario, Ss in groups practise making requests using “May I …?”

– They are encouraged to think of more than one possible answer.


You are at your friend’s house. It’s 5 p.m.

so you need to go home. It is raining heavily

now but you don’t have an umbrella.

What will you say to your friend?

May I borrow your umbrella?

May I borrow your raincoat?

May I catch a taxi here?

May I borrow your phone and call my mum first?

The Bike Lesson


• Open-ended task for practice

– Provide Ss with ample opportunities to practise using the target forms

– Allow Ss to use the language meaningfully and authentically

– Promote Ss’ creativity

Rationale

The Bike Lesson

• Extended task for consolidation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkoVxBnnGko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkoVxBnnGko


Cooking

Road crossing

Swimming


Safe _________ tips

should shouldn’t

The Bike Lesson

• Extended task for consolidation

– Relate Ss’ language learning to daily life experiences

– Allow possibilities to transfer and apply their knowledge to generate new learning

– Integrate the language skills for meaningful language use


Rationale


Part III:Experience in local tryouts and Foshan trips

Knowledge transfer experiences

• Trips to Foshan

– Grammar Project Sharing (16th – 18th May 2016)

– Reader Project Lesson Tryouts (16th – 21st April 2017)

• Local School Tryouts

– One secondary school (May 2016) and one primary school (June 2016)


Teaching imperatives (S.4 pupils)



• Video clip watching and guided noticing


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlUxP4gY7M8


• Video clip watching and guided noticing



• Comparing different clause types and writing an online reply


I had the same question too! I think

all the parents dislike children to be [fans].

To solve the problem, you should

[communicate] with your [parents].

Talk about what [you feel about watching]

the Korean band. After that, [hopefully,

your] parents can understand you.

[Furthermore,] why don’t you watch it

on TV [or] YouTube etc.? [You can also]

see your idol and it’s cheaper too!




“Writing, since I can show my [creativity]. I can write what I want to write. It [does not have right] or wrong [answers],” commented a student.

Zoo Dream (by John Foster)


Zoo Dream

• Duration: 80 minutes

• Learning objectives for Lesson 1:(By the end of the lesson, Ss will be able to)

– name the animals in the poem;

– use singular and plural forms of the target animal names;

– use the structure “I can see…” to talk about the number of animals in the zoo;

– demonstrate awareness of alliteration.


Zoo Dream


• Shared reading strategy

– Stage I: Only the number words are covered in the poem

– Stage II: Both the number words and the animal names are covered

– Stage III: Looking into the patterns of alliterations in the poem (Lesson 2)

Zoo Dream


• Self-discovery strategy

Zoo Dream


• Flag raising game

Zoo Dream


• Information gap activity

Zoo Dream



Part IV:Reflections

Professional development

1. My role as an L2 English learner

Become more “knowledgeable” about some of the grammar items

Example: Imperatives

Appropriate and authentic contexts

Functions of different clause types

Accuracy vs. appropriateness



2. Teaching grammar

Contexualisation

Meaning-focussed grammar teaching

3. Teaching readers

Various strategies for teaching readers

Readers as valuable resources for teaching English



4. Lesson planning

Well-defined learning objectives

Design of activities

Do they help Ss achieve the lesson/unit objectives?

Are they practical in real classrooms?

Do Ss have adequate language support to complete the tasks?



4. Lesson planning (cont’d)

Lesson/Unit flow and organisation

Input / Motivation

Scaffolding

Practice opportunities

Extended tasks / Stretched output



5. Materials selection and development

Relate Ss’ learning to their daily life experience

Use interesting and (semi-)authentic resources and materials

Introduce multimedia resources and visual aids and/or body gestures



6. Theory vs. Practice (Implementation)

Use simple and direct classroom language

Maintain interactions with Ss; involve Ss from time to time


Personal development

1. Collaboration & communication skills

Gain insights into teaching ideas

Give constructive feedback

Be open-minded and honest


Personal development

2. Positive attitude

There is NOT the best lesson plan

Different Ss have different needs

Continuous improvement and revision is necessary


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