The rate of going to university is steadily increasing, mastering English knowledge to connect with the world

TWGHs S. C. Gaw Memorial CollegeThe rate of admission to university has steadily increased in recent years. This year, more than 50% of students were admitted to bachelor's programs in local universities through joint university admissions. The results are encouraging. Principal Jack Wong has always attached great importance to the English development of students, believing that "English is not only a language, but also a culture and way of thinking that will continue to evolve over time." In order to consolidate students' English skills, the school uses various activities and learning experiences to allow students to have a deeper understanding and experience of English, establish a strong English learning atmosphere, and enhance their cultural understanding and thinking skills.

Extend English learning, integrate knowledge, and improve learning efficiency

In order to enable students to master English knowledge related to different subjects, the school implements interdisciplinary English courses to extend English learning to other subjects. Since the first year of high school, science subjects (including physics, chemistry, and biology) and comprehensive humanities subjects (such as history and geography) have been taught in English to help students lay a solid foundation for English learning early, so that they can get twice the result with half the effort in their future studies.

Taking science subjects as an example, specific skills are required when answering exam questions. To this end, in addition to letting students know more science-related English vocabulary, the school will also train their answering skills to help them master the key points of answering questions in high school starting from junior high school. In terms of mathematics, the school integrates English teaching elements to expose students to mathematics-related English vocabulary and conduct exams in English to enhance students' language skills and improve their learning effectiveness in different subjects.

Cross-subject collaboration will also be carried out among various subject groups. For example, foreign teachers will assist in proofreading test papers of other subjects assessed in English, and work together to help students consolidate their English while learning knowledge in other subjects. During the learning process, students can not only develop logical thinking, scientific concepts and humanistic knowledge, but also enrich their English vocabulary and learn the methods and logic of answering in English. Through this, students understand that the English knowledge they have learned can be applied in different subjects, and they can be integrated into each other, improve learning efficiency, and build a strong English atmosphere in the school.

On the other hand, in recent years, the English test papers of the Hong Kong Diploma Examination have often incorporated geography and scientific knowledge. Therefore, allowing students to master science and comprehensive humanities knowledge in English as early as possible will help them become more comfortable when taking the HKDSE and make it easier for them to adapt to university courses taught in English. In addition, arranging group discussions in the classroom can also promote students' internalization of knowledge and strengthen interactive communication among peers in English, allowing students to learn in a pleasant atmosphere.

Make good use of technology to enhance academic achievements and apply subject knowledge across disciplines

"Making good use of technology to enhance students' academic achievements" is one of the school's concerns. Under the framework of interdisciplinary learning, the school hopes that students can use information technology and big data to solve different learning difficulties and become more proficient in mastering the knowledge and concepts of various subjects. To this end, the school has invested resources to open an "AI Science Lab" to allow students to learn skills such as artificial intelligence and big data to help them overcome academic difficulties.

Principal Jack Wong said: “The ‘AI Science Lab’ has advanced scientific equipment to allow students to complete experiments more efficiently.” With the time saved, the school plans to find some scientific knowledge in big data so that students can apply their scientific and English knowledge. In addition, an "AI IT Lab" has been opened to allow students to get in touch with artificial intelligence and try programming languages, so that students can master English and programming languages ​​and prepare for the future.

Diverse learning experiences to discover the fun of English

The school organizes a variety of learning activities to allow students to stimulate their interest in English and broaden their horizons through different experiences. Every year, the school takes all Form 3 students to the cinema to watch a popular English movie. It is hoped that students can take this opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the cinema, accumulate more experiences and themes, and make their English writing more contagious. At the same time, students can also learn more English vocabulary, sentence patterns and pronunciation from movies, and comprehensively strengthen their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

In addition, Principal Jack Wong believes that in addition to learning English vocabulary, it is more necessary for students to understand Western culture. Therefore, the school specially arranges for students to go to Disneyland to deepen their learning content, allowing them to experience a different English learning environment from Western-style animated characters, park facilities and street shops, enhance students' language skills, and enrich their cultural horizons.

Constructing an immersive English context, combining sports and arts with English learning

The school actively builds a good English context for students and gradually improves their language skills in an immersive English learning atmosphere. The school will arrange for students to participate in overseas exchange groups, such as the "Tung Wah Student Ambassadors' Visit to Vancouver", where they can be exposed to a natural English environment. Through interactions with foreigners, they will become accustomed to using English for oral communication and listening, which will help them understand local development and culture, thereby expanding their international horizons and cultivating global citizenship. In addition, the school also carefully arranged the Joint Secondary Schools English Camp 2024, where students have the opportunity to interact with foreign English teachers on a daily basis, learn how to use English flexibly in life, and gain a comprehensive and rich English learning experience.

In addition, the school is very supportive of students' physical and artistic development. Students who have performed well in physical and artistic fields are often invited to participate in foreign competitions, providing them with the opportunity to learn English. Take the Latin dance team as an example. Since its establishment, the team has won many international awards. With its outstanding performance, it has been given the opportunity to represent Hong Kong in foreign competitions, visiting Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Italy and other countries. Recently, the school arranged for students to go to Singapore to participate in the "Merlion Open Dancesport Championships 2024", allowing them to compete on the international stage and learn the English they learned in class.

On the other hand, sports and arts activities can also encourage students to learn more English. Taking the choir as an example, students often need to sing English songs, so they must understand the meaning of the lyrics and the background of the songs in order to better express their emotions and make their singing more infectious, so that the audience can also feel the emotions conveyed by the lyrics through the music. Through two-way interaction, the effect of "listening to music to learn English" can be promoted and the learning atmosphere can be further enhanced.

Welcome life in Form One happily and master the English teaching model

The school uses all classes in English, so for new students from Chinese primary schools, it may take some time to adapt. To this end, the school has specially launched a bridging project to help students become familiar with the English teaching environment. Among them, the one-week English bridging course is designed to help students get used to English instructions and teaching methods in the classroom. In addition, the school also arranges various activities, such as games and dramas, to allow students to experience the extracurricular activities of middle schools, so that they can experience the fun of learning English without feeling intimidated by it. Principal Jack Wong is committed to helping students quickly integrate into middle school life, adapt to class culture, learn happily, and have a positive attitude towards life. He emphasized that studying is not just for exams, but also a learning journey to pursue happiness.