Diversified teaching, active learning and application, laying a solid foundation for English

S.K.H. Li Ping Secondary School attaches great importance to holistic education. In addition to encouraging students to pursue textbook knowledge, it also inspires students’ potential and cultivates their ability to think critically and critically through different extracurricular activities and other learning experiences. Principal Hung Shu’s educational vision lies in the balanced development of students’ biliteracy and trilingual abilities. Therefore, it attaches great importance to English teaching in the school and is committed to cultivating students’ interest in English and building their confidence in using the language, so as to unleash students’ English potential.

Diversified English activities stimulate interest in learning

Principal Hung Shu believes that English learning should start from improving students’ interest in learning. By organizing diversified English activities, we create a strong English learning atmosphere and allow students to learn English from different levels. For example, organizing English musicals allows students to learn more English vocabulary from scripts and lyrics, improve their reading and writing skills, and develop their confidence in English conversation during performances. Under the guidance of professional tutors, students not only improved their English skills, but also had the courage to express themselves. The learning results of the school's English drama were highly recognized and praised by parents, so the school planned to make the English drama a key performance item in the 40th anniversary performance.

Teacher Li Wancheng, director of the English subject, added: "English does not rely on rote memorization, but on learning through interesting activities, starting from daily life, so that students can take the initiative to learn." Earlier, the school held a snack party called "Li Ping Food Tasting", allowing students to taste Hong Kong-style street snacks while learning English words for snacks such as pot cakes and fish balls. It enriched students' English vocabulary in a relaxed and enjoyable way, and the learning process was lively and lively. The school has also translated familiar aphorisms into English and posted them in different corners of the campus. This will not only deepen students' English literacy, but also allow them to learn the positive values ​​​​of sages and sages.

Construct English context and encourage application of knowledge

The school actively builds a strong English context and organizes various English activities every Thursday, such as allowing students to participate in English morning announcements, including reading the English Lord's Prayer, event announcements, weather forecasts, "one-minute sharing", etc., to encourage students to speak English loudly in front of the entire school's teachers and students. In addition, the school has an "English Speaking Award Scheme" where junior high school students can find English teachers to read English sentences aloud during recess periods to improve their personal English skills and build their confidence in learning English. For students' outstanding performance, the school will give recognition and encouragement in the form of rewards, and provide cooperation in various aspects such as diversified activities, opportunities to use English, learning atmosphere and context creation, etc. to help students lay a solid foundation in Chinese language and apply what they have learned. Secondary three students spontaneously held an "English Fun Day" after the exam, wrote an English plan, introduced it to the principal and organized activities. Principal Hung Shu expressed appreciation for this and encouraged students to use English effectively and improve their cross-cultural communication abilities.

Flexible language teaching arrangements to flexibly incorporate English elements

The school adopts flexible language teaching arrangements to incorporate English elements into different subjects to help students adapt to the English learning environment. In terms of teaching, the school implements the teaching of specific units in English in certain junior high school classes, including mathematics, science, history and geography. In addition, the school participated in the Education Bureau's "School-based Support Programme" last year to integrate and optimize the curriculum in English and other learning areas, promote inter-disciplinary collaboration between English and other subjects, further enhance teachers' professional development, and make the school-based curriculum more comprehensive.

Diversified teaching in the English subject also includes cross-subject collaborative teaching activities, such as arranging festival-related topics in the English subject and intangible cultural heritage topics in the history subject to be taught at the same time. The school will hold cooking workshops to teach students how to make safety bags. By holding an intangible cultural heritage exhibition in the indoor playground, the school hopes that through the above diverse activities, it will not only integrate English into students' lives, but also consolidate students' interdisciplinary understanding, killing two birds with one stone.

Overseas study tour experience inspires independent learning spirit

As a foreign language, English is the best way to learn English outside of Hong Kong. The school takes students on study tours to countries where English is the main language, allowing students to immerse themselves in natural contexts, talk and communicate with foreigners, improve their English conversation skills, and at the same time gain a deeper understanding of the local culture and customs. Since 2015, the school has led students to the UK, Scotland, Australia and other places for in-depth exchanges. Teacher Li Wancheng pointed out: "The program aims to allow students to experience first-hand the practical use of English and understand where they need to improve in language application, thereby promoting them to learn proactively. The school also plans to organize a study tour to New Zealand to enhance students' interest in and application of English through diverse learning experiences."

In addition, the English subject invited teachers from subjects such as mathematics, biology, and physical education to be interviewed by students and jointly produced a short film "Traveling around the world" to introduce the teachers' past travel experiences in English. Last year's "Traveling around the world" included 6 visits, covering Europe, Asia, Africa and other countries. Principal Hung Shu said: "This program can make students understand that teachers who teach different subjects also need to have good English skills, and encourage students to boldly apply their knowledge, such as communicating with foreigners, which will be of great benefit to them in broadening their knowledge when going abroad."

Make good use of electronic teaching mode to create a strong reading atmosphere

The school has always kept pace with the times and catered for the different learning needs of students. In addition to using traditional teaching methods, the school also continuously improves classroom teaching methods and adjusts curriculum packages to cope with the teaching trends of the new generation. For example, the English e-learning platform allows students to upload videos of practicing English conversations. Teachers will grade them through the platform to monitor each student's learning progress and provide appropriate learning support and guidance. At the same time, the school also provides programs such as Wordwall and Quizlet to help students review class content and make English learning more lively and interesting. Last year, the school introduced the Hyread e-reading platform, implemented a dual-track reading policy of e-books and physical books, and planned to add a digital reading area to complement the traditional reading area to create a strong reading atmosphere.

Principal Hung Shu added: "The school is now introducing different e-learning resources to help students learn and apply English better. In today's era, innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality have emerged one after another. We hope to make good use of e-learning platforms to provide students with the most appropriate learning support based on their level and learning progress, lay a solid English foundation, and make academic progress." The school also encourages the English teaching team to learn teaching strategies such as e-learning and independent learning, and share with peers to improve the quality of teaching.

Penetrate value education and practice famous mottos

In response to the "Saying of Wisdom" project of the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Bureau, the school specially arranges teachers to teach famous quotes in English during reading classes. Students can understand the allusions and meanings behind the famous quotes, complete class worksheets, and share their personal feelings with their peers. The project encourages students to use famous quotes in writing to improve their writing skills. At the same time, by learning famous sayings, you can understand the wisdom of overseas sages and master the positive values ​​​​in them, so as to enrich your English literacy.