With boys as the foundation, inspire potential; with English as the wings, shine with brilliance

Tak Sun School takes "Tak Sun Boys, Shine Bright. Learn English, lead with Might!" as its philosophy of English education, with particular emphasis on the cultivation of listening and speaking skills. Principal Li Yingchao is well aware that Tak Sun School as a boys’ school, the English teaching policy needs to cater to the characteristics and needs of boys. Therefore, the school starts from "Dare to speak, knows how to speak", integrates diverse learning experiences, interdisciplinary learning, values ​​education, etc. into English teaching, and uses technology to assist learning to help boys master English skills, gain opportunities to develop, and achieve all-round personal growth.

Strategic English courses to suit different learning stages

The school plans well-structured English courses based on students' development needs. The English class has a "Show and Tell" speech session, where students give short English speeches around specific topics, share personal interests or experiences, practice speaking skills, and build confidence in expression. At the same time, students can conduct independent exploration in different fields when collecting information and preparing lecture notes, which can help stimulate their curiosity, interest and learning motivation.

In the upper grades, autonomous learning tools such as the Lango AI speaking platform are introduced to facilitate students to practice English conversation and optimize pronunciation at any time. In response to the needs of students in fifth and sixth grade for further studies, the school cooperates with professional institutions to offer the "English Enrichment Course" to consolidate the learning foundation through preparatory courses for Form 1 and prepare for further studies. At the same time, the school also arranged for foreign English teachers to conduct individual interview training for students to enhance their self-confidence.

Dual-teacher cooperative teaching model, multiple interactions and flexible use of English

The school adopts a cooperative teaching model between foreign teachers and local teachers, combining whole-class collective teaching with isolated group teaching of four to eight people to create sufficient opportunities for students to express English and use English naturally through interaction. The dual-teacher matching model brings rich English input. Students can listen to pure English pronunciation, imitate standard intonation, strengthen listening and speaking skills, and build a sense of English language and confidence in expression. At the same time, the cooperative teaching model has a flexible division of labor, takes into account both leading teaching and individual support, and takes care of the diversity of learning. Foreign teachers come from different countries and integrate multicultural elements into the classroom, allowing students to learn English while understanding the cultures of other places and cultivating international vision and cross-cultural communication skills.

Targeting school conditions and boys’ needs to develop reading habits

The school carefully develops English reading strategies based on the characteristics of boys to cultivate students' reading habits. The teacher specially selects stories with boys as the protagonists, and the content revolves around adventure, growth and naughty qualities, such as "Afternoon on the Amazon" for third graders and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" for sixth graders, to resonate with boys and increase their interest in reading.

In addition, the school implements the "tiered reading·electronic reading" model. From the time first-year students enter the school, foreign teachers use the Benchmark Kit (reading ability assessment) to evaluate the students' English reading level and recommend appropriate reading materials based on the level. If the students' English ability improves, the reading level will also be "upgraded", which not only brings students a sense of achievement, but also gradually cultivates their English reading habits.

Create a display platform to ignite learning motivation

The school promotes diversified English activities, builds a display platform for students, and stimulates interest and motivation in English learning. For students with better English proficiency, the school will recommend them to participate in English dramas and English hand puppets, allowing top students with different personalities to use English in performances and develop their creativity and expression skills. English drama allows students who are good at body language to master the rhythm and intonation of English through multi-sensory learning through interpretation; English hand puppets allow students who are fluent in English, but more introverted students also have opportunities to show off. At the same time, the school regularly holds performance activities or arranges students to participate in drama festival competitions, and even recommends students to participate in large-scale government performances, boldly stepping onto the stage to build students' confidence and deepen their enthusiasm for English learning.

In addition, the school organizes in-school English literature activities such as collections of English recitations for junior primary students, literary creations for senior primary English top-notch classes, and school-wide cross-word competitions. It is hoped that through competitions and performances, students can enhance their interest in learning and cultivate self-confidence in a pleasant atmosphere. At the same time, they can develop their appreciation of English literature and culture and creative thinking, and strengthen their English listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Learn English through fun and create an atmosphere. Learn English from life.

The school actively builds an English learning atmosphere, integrates English into every scene of life, and encourages students to learn, apply and boldly try. For example, Echo Zone, a special English activity on campus, is held every day. This activity is led by English ambassadors and leads students to participate in games such as emergency commands in English. Each Echo Zone theme is carefully arranged to closely follow the seasons, school celebrations and religious festivals, such as learning English vocabulary related to the manger and singing Christmas carols during Christmas.

For English ambassadors, they can use their English talents to stimulate creativity and leadership, and cultivate problem-solving skills and a sense of responsibility in the process of preparing and hosting activities. For ordinary students, Echo Zone allows them to communicate in English naturally, enhance learning motivation through games, and promote an English atmosphere on campus.

In addition, the school has Fun Lunch activities, where foreign teachers accompany students to have lunch and guide students to communicate in English in a relaxed atmosphere. The activities extend English learning from the classroom to daily life, constructing an immersive context, allowing students to listen more and speak more during interaction, and learn English from life.

Linking STEAM activities to use English in practice

The English subject team carries out STEAM activities through cross-subject collaboration, arranging activities such as building paper bridges for lower grade students. After the end, they are required to summarize in English to understand scientific principles in a simple and easy-to-understand way. It also allows students to easily use English in a joyful experience and improve their expression skills. Last year, the sixth grade started with the theme of environmental protection and taught students to use environmentally friendly materials to make soap and paper bags. Not only did they learn relevant English vocabulary, but they also prepared for entering middle schools that teach all English.

Launched the Class Pet program to integrate values education

The school combines English learning and values education and launches the Class Pet interdisciplinary project. Students are arranged into groups to take turns taking care of Class Pets - classroom pets. They upload photos, audio recordings or videos through electronic platforms to record the care process and describe the pet's condition in the form of an English diary. This not only allows them to apply their English knowledge, but also cultivates values such as care and respect for life. At the same time, students can also like and leave messages through the platform to promote positive communication among peers.

Make good use of e-learning tools, taking into account both fun and effectiveness

The school makes full use of electronic learning tools to support English teaching and cater to students’ interests and learning needs. For example, through Padlet, students can upload English writing and picture works and conduct online comments and interactions, transforming writing from a single task into an interactive learning experience. Boys like to show off their learning achievements, and this kind of interaction allows them to feel the fun of learning English during communication.

In addition, the school has introduced the Lango AI speaking platform to provide multi-scenario simulated conversations to help students who are more introverted or not good at English conversation practice their pronunciation without pressure, while also creating more practice opportunities for students who are good at conversation. The school also makes good use of Google Forms to allow students to preview and answer questions online before class, while teachers accurately focus on teaching key points based on data.

What's more worth mentioning is that the school provides tools to assist English learning and arranges fourth grade students to use Book Creator to create English storybooks, allowing them to gain a sense of accomplishment through interaction and affirmation, and become a driving force for progress. At the same time, electronic tools also facilitate teachers to track and analyze students' learning difficulties, provide targeted support, and improve the effectiveness of English teaching.

Intimate connection plan provides precise support

The school offers summer bridging classes for prospective Primary 1 students, with exclusive booklets to provide bridging support including English. At the beginning of the semester, the school will pay special attention to students with less advanced skills and arrange separate basic English tutoring for them to teach them study skills. In terms of testing, there will be no exams in the Primary One stage. Instead, there will be game-based learning and fun assessments in the "Primary One Playground" to reduce students' stress and simultaneously monitor learning progress to provide precise support.