PuppeTech

NET Section, CDI, EDB

Using Puppetry and Technology

to Motivate Students with Special Educational Needs

to Learn English and to Enhance Their Learning

Effectiveness

‘Seed’ Project Briefing Session (NT0419)

Aim

The PuppeTech project aims to:

explore the use of puppetry and technology as

instructional tools to motivate students with special

educational needs (SEN) to learn English and to

enhance their learning effectiveness.

Objectives

• To engage English teachers, including the NET, in exploring and developing strategies to

use puppetry and technology to support the development and implementation of a school-

based English curriculum that addresses students with SEN

• To promote personalised learning to cater for students with SEN with respect to English

learning

• To explore and develop effective assessment strategies that gauge students’ learning

progress and make their learning visible

• To integrate elements of values education into the learning process to support the building

of an inclusive learning environment

• To identify and disseminate good practices in motivating students with SEN to learn

English and enhance their learning effectiveness

Research QuestionsTechnology

• What types of technology do we have access to every day that can help students with SEN?

• What capabilities exist in the technology and the tools teachers are already using?

• What kinds of technology can teachers and/or students incorporate to make learning more attainable?

Puppetry

• How does the use of puppetry and language arts help students with SEN develop oral language and help them speak comfortably in front of their peers?

• How does the use of puppetry and language arts provide opportunities for students with SEN to develop their lines of inquiry and reflect on the learning process?

Curriculum Links

ELE KLA Curriculum Guide (2017) Section 4.3.3 Supporting Students with

Special Educational Needs in the Mainstream English Language Education recommends:

• providing clear instructions by using a range of graphic organisers, visual aids, non-verbal gestures, symbols and speaking clearly and succinctly

• helping students in reading and writing by differentiating instruction and

tasks, and providing additional support, such as allowing these students to submit videos and audio assignments

• adjusting assessment arrangements to ensure students have equal

opportunities to demonstrate their learning progress and achievements

Enhance Students’ English Language Learning through Puppetry

“My classmates helped me to use

puppets and the green screen app to

tell my ideas about festivals.” Pearl,

Lutheran School for the Deaf

Innovating on the story!

“We retold the story of The

Enormous Turnip using

Adobe Spark. I could replay

it and hear my voice!”

Kaylee, HKRC JFK Centre

Enhance Students’ English Language Learning through Puppetry

Bringing a script alive!

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Puppetry

Puppetry

• provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively

• enhances creativity and confidence building

• develops reading and communication skills

• suits the needs of visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners

• promotes educational values, such as kindness, caring,

responsibility,honesty, respect and resilience

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Technology

Technology

• enables learning to take place beyond the confines of the classroom and outside school hours

• provides additional learning experiences

• increases motivation by providing immediate feedback

• caters for students’ individual learning needs

• suits the needs of visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners

A video clip about using technology in classroom

Nearpod

Kahoot

EDpuzzle

Plickers

Seesaw

Adobe Spark Video

Funny Movie Maker

Book Creator

Shadow Puppet

Sock Puppets

Bitsboard

Puppet Pals 2

Padlet

ChatterPix

Veescope Live

Enhance Students’ English Language Learning with Technology

Explore Assistive Learning Technology

Lego Story Starter Kit

Cardboard Technology

Technology Puppetry

• Shadow Puppet App provided a simple way for

students to take photos and videos of their work and

puppet creations and combine them with annotations

and voice.

• Word Processing software enabled students to get

instant feedback about their spelling by using spell

checker and to submit writing that is legible for the

teacher to read.

• Multimedia elements, which included text, graphic,

video, sound and animation, created an interactive

learning environment that helped teachers design

lessons for concept development and students to

construct more meaning about the concept.

• Students were motivated to bring their

created puppets alive.

• Students had opportunities to use

different kinds of thinking skills

when they explored, planned,

designed and created their puppets.

• Puppetry skills and performance

opportunities motivated students to

complete their work and share with

their classmates.

PuppeTech Pilot School – HKCS Pui Oi School - Secondary

Secondary School’s AchievementsHighlights of the Learning and Teaching

Technology Puppetry

• 3D printers allowed students to design and create key

props they needed for their characters.

• Multi-media apps allowed students to tell facts and is

an active learning strategy for teachers; such as group

discussions.

• Small world creation using cardboard technology

allowed students to create their own sets and bring their

stories alive.

• The creation of films illustrated the relevance of many

concepts for the students.

• Multi-modal texts such as youtube clips aided the

students’ retention of knowledge and motivated their

interest in the subject matter.

• Students felt safe taking risks reading

their script when they knew it was their

puppets being video recorded.

• Puppetry skills showed students

different ways to tell facts or publish

their story.

• Puppetry performances enabled

students to make choices about the

content and/or prioritise the facts they

needed to include.

PuppeTech Pilot School – HK Red Cross JFK Centre - Secondary

Secondary School’s AchievementsHighlights of the Learning and Teaching

Technology Puppetry

● Teachers used Nearpod to create vocabulary building

materials and assessment.

● Teachers created a self-learning platform for students using

Nearpod, where tutorial videos of making puppets were

uploaded.

● Students wrote a self-introduction email and sent it to their

classmates using a tablet.

● Students used Padlet to to take photos and write a short

description of the puppets they had made and published their

work.

● Students work on PPT, Vimeo and Adobe Spark to tell their

knowledge about their chosen festival.

● Students designed and created a nativity scene using

cardboard technology.

● Students created and

designed their own puppets

and used them to tell stories.

● Students used signing

puppets to tell their

knowledge about their

selected festival.

PuppeTech Pilot School – Lutheran School for the Deaf

Primary School’s AchievementsHighlights of the Learning and Teaching

Hong Kong Red Cross John F. Kennedy Centre

Primary School’s AchievementsHighlights of the Learning and Teaching

Technology Puppetry

● Teachers used Interactive Whiteboard software

to create vocabulary building materials and

assessment.

● Teachers created differentiated PPT versions of

The Enormous Turnip to use for the whole class

and individual students.

● Students read and recorded the original story

and their innovated version of the story using

Adobe Spark on a tablet.

● Students used i-pads to take photos and write a

short description of the story they had adapted

and inserted pages into Adobe Spark.

● Students created and designed their own

sock puppets and used them to find

information on a map and calendar.

● Students created character stick puppets

and used them to retell the story for The

Enormous Turnip.

● Students designed and created character

stick puppets to tell their adapted story.

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Puppetry and Technology (PuppeTech)

About the ‘Seed’ Project

PuppeTech for SEN Students

Project Timeline (2019/20)

Jun - Jul 2019

Sep - Nov 2019

Nov 2019 - May 2020

May - Jun 2020

Setting up the support

Professional development + baseline observation and pre-assessment

Co-planning for units of work + implementation

Review + evaluation + data collection

Establishing Critical Success Factors

• Collaborative learning culture with school leadership support

• Flexibility in school-based curriculum design

• Resource management

Collaborative learning culture

• Allocate time for collaborative lesson preparation for all project teachers

• Collaboratively develop, teach and evaluate PuppeTech with ATs and RNCsin the NET Section

• Support data collection, e.g. classroom observation, video recordings ofPuppeTech lessons and interviewing students/teachers

• Attend CPD and cluster meetings to learn and share good PuppeTechpractice

Flexibility in School-based Curriculum Design

• Design individualised education programmes, which can be play-based, theme-based, cross-curricular, etc

• Develop effective assessment strategies

• Integrate elements of values education

Resource Management

• Deploy the NET, if possible

• Deploy committed local English teachers

• Allocate budget for resource acquisition

Personnel Involved in the ‘Seed’ Project

AdvisoryTeachersand/or

Regional NETCoordinators

Project Proposal

Appendix C of the EDB Circular Memorandum No.5/2019

School Application Form to be completed by School Heads and sent to:

EDB Human ResourcesManagement Unit at 4/F,

East Wing,Central Government Offices,

2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar

(Part IV does not need to be completed.)

Deadline for Application:5 March 2019

Enquiries

Primary Schools

Ms Susan BOWDEN

E-mail: bowden@edb.gov.hk

Secondary Schools

Mr William CHENG

E-mail: williamchcheng@edb.gov.hk