Optimizing the school-based English curriculum structure and interdisciplinary learning to promote learning effectiveness

Sau Mau Ping Catholic Primary School By providing students with inspiring and diversified school-based courses, we can ignite learning motivation, thrive in a positive campus life, build a spirit of lifelong learning, and seamlessly connect to the future world. As a pioneer in teaching, Principal Ye Chunyan actively utilizes the ability of innovative technology to provide students with a large number of learning opportunities, enabling them to become future talents in the 21st century and contribute to society. Thanks to the school's comprehensive and meticulous arrangements, this year's graduating class has achieved higher rankings than in the past. More than 90% of students have been assigned to their favorite secondary schools, such as Hua Ying Secondary School, Precious Blood Upper Chi English College, Holy Word Secondary School, Lam Tin St. Paul's Secondary School, Carmel Lord's Grace Secondary School, Kwun Tong Maryknoll College, St. Kitling's Girls' School, Kwun Tong Government Secondary School, etc.

Promote school-based English courses and combine reading to enhance learning interest

Principal Ye believes that every student is unique and that every student can develop their strengths. Therefore, the school actively promotes student-centered school-based curriculum to shape a new generation of learners. Among them, Principal Ye realized as early as 6 years ago that the textbooks on the market could not fully meet the learning needs of all students, so he led the teachers in the English subject group to reorganize the units and strengthen the organization of the content according to the teaching themes, so that students can more easily grasp knowledge points. "In the early stages of development, we have been maintaining close collaboration with the Primary School Curriculum Development Unit of the Education Bureau, and will continue to optimize and adjust the curriculum according to students' learning progress every year to provide English teaching that best meets students' learning needs. After the program has been promoted to the third year, the Primary School Curriculum Development Unit believes that the school-based curriculum development is gradually improving, and schools can rest assured that it will be autonomous Develop and continue to improve the school-based curriculum. "In the past, the school provided top English classes for grades four to six; however, in this school year, as students' abilities have improved, the school has also added top English classes for grades one to three, so that students with better English skills can get more training early and promote mutual learning among peers.

In line with the school-based curriculum, English textbooks are designed and planned by teachers, and extracurricular readings are introduced in each unit for extended teaching. Principal Ye explained: "Reading is one of the indispensable elements for learning Chinese. Therefore, teachers specially select relevant reading materials according to the teaching content. In addition to helping to deepen students' learning, it can also provide an interesting and special perspective to enhance students' interest in English learning." At the same time, the school has introduced the electronic reading platform HyRead to cultivate the habit of students reading anytime and anywhere, and build a reading culture from the school and families together. Through the electronic reading platform, students can read a wide range of reading materials of different types and genres, which helps to broaden their understanding of knowledge in various fields, thereby exploring their hidden interests and conducting more in-depth exploration.

Prepare in advance for transition from kindergarten to primary school to help new students adapt to primary school life

The school attaches great importance to the adjustment period for new students entering primary school. Therefore, the school has provided different adaptation courses after the first-year primary school students have completed their enrollment. "Due to the epidemic in the past, the number of face-to-face classes for kindergarten students has been greatly reduced. Therefore, we have launched the transition of kindergarten courses in May in the past two years. We gradually allow new students to establish relationships with teachers, and then adapt to subjects, such as Chinese, English, sports and arts activities, etc., to help them transition to the adaptation period." Principal Ye said with a smile that parents have welcomed the adaptation courses, and the first-year students have been able to fully immerse themselves in the campus life of the elementary school, with remarkable results.

Improve the electronic teaching model to maximize learning benefits

In line with the new trends in education, the school also attaches great importance to electronic teaching. It has implemented the BYOD (bring your own electronic device) policy in the early years and installed interactive electronic whiteboards throughout the school. It has now entered the application and optimization stage. The school makes good use of the P4E e-learning platform. Students need to complete online exercises 5 minutes before class starts or ends, so that teachers can understand students' learning status, elaborate and explain learning difficulties, and adjust the teaching progress; students can also organize what they have learned and gradually build self-learning abilities. In the classroom, teachers and students can also use tablet computers and interactive electronic whiteboards to enhance students' classroom participation and develop common skills, such as collaboration skills, creative thinking, and study skills.

Principal Ye added: "Technology continues to develop, and now we can know everything about the world without leaving home. In this case, as educators, we should guide students to make good use of electronic resources for information collection, previewing, extracurricular learning, etc., so as to cultivate the spirit of lifelong learning."

In addition, the school has cooperated with external organizations in recent years to introduce English dramas to combine English with culture to broaden students' horizons. During the activity, students in grades three to six will learn drama, speech and other public performance skills under the guidance of professional foreign drama instructors, while also correcting their English pronunciation. After completing the training course, students will work together to produce a musical performance and share their learning results with their peers.

Cross-school "EduVision Study Plan" stimulates learning interest in multiple fields

The establishment of learning interests is the driving force behind students' continuous learning. Therefore, through an interdisciplinary learning model and learning topics that students are interested in, the school naturally develops their English abilities and allows them to deeply understand the importance of English as a communication language. Four years ago, the school cooperated with different tertiary institutions, secondary schools and kindergartens to implement the "EduVision Study Plan", which combines subject knowledge such as Chinese, English, mathematics, general knowledge, visual arts, religion, music, computers, etc., to help students develop knowledge, skills and comprehensive information capabilities in a cross-school and cross-disciplinary manner. The program also provides a communication platform for teachers, allowing teachers from different school backgrounds and cultures to have the opportunity to conduct professional and in-depth exchanges, share valuable teaching experiences with each other, and bring the gains back to their respective teaching fields. "When we discovered that students have a strong interest in the ecological environment, we used this as an entry point and contacted the Singapore Zoo and Hong Kong Ocean Park for exchange and learning. Although we were unable to travel to Singapore due to the epidemic, students were still able to continue communicating through the video network. During the process, students were required to answer questions in English, which virtually built their confidence in using English to communicate."

In addition, the school also promotes a variety of STEM activities, such as the Hong Kong Map Sculpture Festival, Swift Coding Club, etc. Most of the information is written in English, effectively strengthening students' English reading skills. Principal Ye believes that diversified learning activities can not only arouse students' curiosity, but also allow them to discover the necessity of good English proficiency, thereby igniting their learning motivation. "Interdisciplinary learning activities dilute the boundaries between disciplines, allowing learning to occur naturally and reducing students' resistance to learning. In addition, teachers cooperate with the activities to design special studies and reports, blending theory and practice, deepening students' understanding of knowledge, integrating knowledge, and promoting independent learning ” Principal Ye pointed out that in the past, students would be nervous when giving reports in English, but under the interdisciplinary learning model, they have absorbed new vocabulary and accumulated certain knowledge during the preparation process, so they are confident when reporting and build natural English expression skills.