International English learning environment, in line with social development, planning for multiple solutions

TWGHs Lee Ching Dea Memorial CollegeIn recent years, different English enhancement measures have been adopted to improve students’ English writing and oral communication skills, and to help them discover their personal talents and strengths and develop their talents. At present, the school has hired two foreign English teachers to provide more extra-classroom activities for students to participate in in addition to learning and teaching, so as to enhance their interest, self-confidence and application ability in learning English. At the same time, as the only secondary school on Hong Kong Island under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, @TERM1@@ flexibly integrates educational resources. The school’s English education not only focuses on the improvement of language skills, but also emphasizes students’ comprehensive development and practical abilities, laying a solid foundation for students’ future academic and career careers.

Foreign English teachers "combine civil and military skills" to learn and use English in an all-round way

The school is committed to helping students learn and use English in an all-round way. In order to cater for the needs of students of different levels, the school arranged for two foreign teachers to implement different courses and activities in a "combination of civil and military" methods. By creating an interactive learning environment, they can integrate English knowledge in a real language environment, so as to become more confident and competitive in the globalized world.

In terms of "literary", the school offers English enrichment classes, where foreign teachers are responsible for designing the course content and arranging for students to take make-up classes after school. The courses meet the needs of students. Whether they are students with weak English proficiency or new arrivals in Hong Kong who have not adapted to Hong Kong's curriculum, or students with higher English proficiency, there are corresponding "top-up" or "top-notch" courses. Since freshmen come from different primary schools and have different learning backgrounds, their English proficiency varies. In order to help students with lower English proficiency, the school will provide them with after-school tutoring starting from junior high school to lay a solid foundation for students, reduce their academic pressure, and gradually improve students' English scores.

This year, the school has also enriched the course content, from the previous four topics to the current six, an increase of up to 50%. By adding more topics, students can improve the breadth of their English knowledge, and then gradually move from shallower to more advanced topics. At the same time, the topic content has also been changed. The current content will be more in line with students' interests, allowing students to have more fun in the learning process. The course direction of the enrichment class is different from the usual classroom. The foreign teachers are committed to presenting knowledge in a more lively and vivid way, rather than blindly following the course outline. They hope that students can break away from the rote learning mode and use English effectively.

As for "Wu", the school actively promotes the strategy of "English in sports" and arranges for another foreign teacher in the school who is good at sports to be the teacher in charge of the badminton class. When participating in extracurricular activities, students will be more willing to use English to communicate with foreign teachers and train their oral English communication skills through interest. In addition, the school and foreign teachers will organize various sports-related English activities, such as inviting international elite tennis players Yan Zi and Ai Jili to the school to share their knowledge. This not only broadens students' knowledge, but also increases students' opportunities to use English outside the classroom and strengthens their interest in learning.

Create an English learning atmosphere and promote peer communication and interaction

The school's enrollment is diversified, attracting students from different backgrounds and abilities, and creating a rich English learning environment. Through peer communication, the overall English learning atmosphere on campus is promoted. The English proficiency of non-Chinese speaking students is generally better than that of Chinese, and local students will naturally use more English when communicating with them. Through daily communication, local students and non-Chinese speaking students can influence each other and cultivate their interest in language learning.

Students serve as the officers of the English Society on campus, and they are also willing to take the initiative to communicate in English on campus. This shows that local students are increasingly interested in English. While local students' English proficiency is improving, non-Chinese speaking students can also improve their Chinese proficiency, thereby strengthening non-Chinese speaking students' sense of belonging to the school and even Hong Kong, and integrating into the campus and society. The school's staff believe that a happy learning experience is the most important. A good learning atmosphere can enhance students' self-confidence and make students more willing to learn.

Comprehensive development of biliteracy and trilingualism, achieving excellent results in external examinations

The school focuses on cultivating students' biliteracy and trilingual abilities. For students with different situations and levels, the teaching team will adopt different methods to encourage them. For non-Chinese speaking students with weak Chinese proficiency, schools will recommend them to take other examinations, such as the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), which can not only help them practice Chinese-related examination skills, but also enhance their self-confidence.

For local students, the school will also encourage them to take the International English Proficiency Test (IELTS). This year, the school arranged for some Form 5 students to take the IELTS. One student scored an excellent score of 8 points (out of 9 points), and three students also scored a high score of 7.5, preparing for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) in advance. At the same time, the school will also pay attention to and assist students with weaker learning abilities, and actively allocate resources to top students to participate in external examinations, in order to take care of the needs of all students and help them develop in the future.

Promote home-school cooperation and accompany students’ growth

In recent years, with the changes in the school's student resources, the number of students from middle-class families has increased. The most significant change is that the relationship and cooperation between parents and schools have become closer. Middle-class families have a higher socio-economic status, and their social background and resources are relatively superior. More parents have the conditions and willingness to support their children in participating in extracurricular activities. When students actively participate in extracurricular activities and achieve great results repeatedly, it reflects that the school's educational effectiveness is significant, attracting more parents and students to choose to enroll, and also allowing parents to trust the school more, forming a virtuous cycle.

Home-school cooperation is an indispensable part of students' growth and progress. Parents' support and encouragement will have a positive impact on their children. Take the Hong Kong School Recitation Festival as an example. Many students in the school participate in the competition every year. However, due to time and venue constraints, it is difficult for the teacher in charge to lead the team to pick up and drop off every student. After the teacher explained the situation to the parents, the parents expressed their understanding and willingness to bring their children to participate in the competition, share the teacher's work, and support the school and their children's learning with practical actions, which reflected their trust and recognition of the school.

In addition, the school actively establishes a close home-school cooperative relationship with parents, strengthens the contact and communication between parents and the school through measures such as parent-teacher association or "sunshine phone", and provides timely and appropriate support and guidance for students' academic and growth. At the same time, the school will also organize targeted parent-teacher meetings for new students and mainland students so that parents can better understand the campus environment and teaching policies. Through mutual cooperation between home and school, teachers and staff can provide support to students in need.

In line with policies and global trends, plan multiple paths for students

In order to keep up with social changes and global trends, the school adjusts its teaching and activity policies according to the needs of students and parents. With the increase in the number of newly arrived students in Hong Kong, the number of mainland students in schools has also increased in recent years. In order to help newly arrived students adapt to Hong Kong's curriculum and education system, teachers cooperate with each other and use their professional knowledge to provide timely and appropriate support.

The school actively listens to parents’ opinions and supports their needs. Principal Tsang Wing Shan said: "Due to the increase in the number of mainland students and the gradual integration of Hong Kong's education system with the mainland in recent years, when parents consider their children's further education options, they are no longer limited to local and overseas studies as in the past. More and more students and parents are interested in studying in the mainland. In view of this, the school timely updates relevant information about further studies, responds quickly to meet social changes and needs, and provides parents and students with suggestions and guidance for further studies."

In addition, this year's "Policy Address" mentioned that Hong Kong will devote more resources to the development of the sports industry, and will also promote curriculum reform in education and adjust the proportion of physical education subjects. The "Learning English through Exercise" strategy previously implemented and developed by the school echoes the policy of the "Policy Address". It allows students to cultivate their interest in English through extracurricular activities, combine learning with entertainment, and is in line with policies and national development. The sports industry in Hong Kong and around the world is becoming increasingly prosperous, and the development of the sports industry can be said to be a general trend. Students developing in the direction of sports can not only cater to future global needs, but also open up diverse career paths. The sports activities themselves are highly interactive and social, which allows students to naturally exercise their English skills during participation.