Holistic Planning of the Primary Language Curriculum

1. Holistic Planning of the Primary Language Curriculum Language Learning Support Section 23 January 2013

2. Contents • The future is now – challenges faced in language learning and teaching • Learning from the past – lessons from the implementation of the NSSC • Planning for now and the future – planning the language curricula at senior primary level • Taking action now – role of school leaders

3. The future is now

4. What are the challenges of the 21st century? • Changed mode of economic activities • Changed patterns of work • Changed ways of living • Changed relations between people and nations Fast pace and permanence of change

5. Key features of 21st century labour market • Increasingly difficult to secure a job • Pure manual blue-collar jobs diminishing • Occupational identities are being blurred • Local, national and global work opportunities but fortune favours the ‘educated and skilled mind’ • More intensive human interactions • Self-confidence, self-management, self-learning, self-reflections increasingly important

6. 21st century demands on frontline workers • Ability and willingness to: • adapt to new and changing contexts • take risks • manage self • learn on-the-job, on-demand, just-in-time • look at the big picture • design solutions with creativity • improvise fit for purpose activities • use multiple skills to solve problems • Customer service orientation • Good interpersonal skills knowledge worker

7. 21st century learners are expectedto be able to…

8. Our shared mission : To nurture a new generation of learnerswho can rise with and to the challengesof the 21st century(from basic education reform in 2000 to NAS since 2009)

9. The Learning Reform for whole person development and life-longlearning Recognize roles and responsibilities…and show concern for the society, nation and the world Develop a sense of national identity and multiple identities Basic Education Curriculum Guide Small Class Teaching Develop self-directed learning, independent learning capabilities and personal aspirations Specialised Teaching TSA New Senior Chinese Language SBA Curriculum & Acquire a solid foundation over a broad school curriculum Assessment Guide Curriculum MOI Refinement Develop trilingual and biliterate language proficiency Professional Development English Develop a habit of reading and engaging actively in purpose reading across the curriculum Language School-based support Curriculum Student Focused Curriculum & Learning Reform Funding resources Lead an active and healthy lifestyle

10. What challenges do students & teachers face in language learning and teaching? • Relentless advancement in communication technology • Gap between the different key stages of the enacted curriculum • Positioning of teaching to the target group • Exam-oriented culture and practices

11. Early planning is the key to preparing our students for the future Challenges faced in learning & teaching 21st Century Demands

12. Learning from the past

13. The New Senior Secondary Curriculum English Language

14. Purposes To extend students’ knowledge & experiences of other people’s cultures To help students build a firm English foundation(to interpret, use & produce) for the future for further study and work pleasure rich and varied authentic holistic purposeful interactive active What kind of learning experience does this imply?

15. The Curriculum for English Language S6 Elective Part (25%) Compulsory Part (75%) S5 S4

16. Elective Modules Learning English through … Poems & Songs Debating Popular Culture Sports Communication Social Issues Short Stories Workplace Communication Drama

17. Hong Kong Diploma of Education Examination English Language

18. DSE Exam Framework Public exam Paper 1 Reading 20% 1.5 hrs • To encourage • more exposure to English outside the classroom (extensive reading/viewing English texts) & • reading to learn(formation of a wider knowledge base) Writing Paper 2 2 hrs 25% Listening & integrated skills Paper 3 30% 2 hrs 10% Paper 4 Speaking 20 mins SBA(for school candidates only) 15%

19. To do well in the examination, students need to….. understand the features of a wide range of texts(including literary texts) identify and evaluateinformation, views and attitudes, both explicitly stated and inferred gather informationfrom a variety of sources and use it to createa new text understand the purpose, audience and contextof a written task articulate and communicate their own views and opinions on various issues

20. To do these things they will need…. a widerepertoire of vocabulary sound mastery of the language system knowledge of different styles of writing well-developed thinkingand problem-solving skills knowledge of various situations and purposesrepresented in writing or speaking tasks

21. HKDSE English Language Level Statistics

22. How did they perform? • Identify explicitly stated information • Identify key words • Work with familiar contexts • Give theirown viewsand opinions • Understand main ideas • Infer information, views and attitudes • Support their opinions with evidence • Write with a sense of purpose, audience and context • Work with more academic /literary texts or unfamiliar situations

23. Some food for thought on our current practices Are these practices still good enough for our students? • Teaching them to produce accurate sentences in isolation • Teaching them meaning of new words in textbooks & giving them vocabulary lists &dictations • Having them complete reading/listening exercises &checking the answers with them

24. Some food for thought on our current practices Are these practices still good enough for our students? • Focusing on different skills separately • Targeting at basic comprehension & recall • Covering all the texts in textbooks • Providing step by step guidance to help them complete a task sufficiently

25. Planning for now and the future

26. Curriculum planning Holistic planning of the primary language curriculum Senior primary Junior secondary

27. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Vertical curriculum planning S3 S2 S1 P6 P5 P4 Strengthen language skills & higher-order thinking skills within & across KLAs Further develop language skills & higher-order thinking skills with other KLAs Develop basic language skills & higher-order thinking skills in English KLA Smooth interface between senior primary & junior secondary

28. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Horizontal curriculum planning Vocabulary & forms Skills Tasks Text- types Materials Assessment

29. Curriculum planning Holistic planning of the primary language curriculum Implementation of learning & teaching practices Senior primary Junior secondary

30. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Implementation of learning and teaching practices Social issues Drama Popular cultures Songs & poems Able to think & solve problems Develop critical thinking skills Broaden students’ knowledge base Provide chances for students to read extensively Able to face challenges, be responsible & self-disciplined Promote assessment as learning & independent learning Able to communicate, work & serve in teams, respect differences & be conversant with technology Provide cross-curricular learning opportunities Able to think creatively Develop creativity

31. Curriculum planning Holistic planning of the primary language curriculum Alignment between learning, teaching & assessment (evaluation) Implementation of learning & teaching practices Senior primary Junior secondary

32. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Alignment between learning, teaching and assessment Learning Teaching Assessment WHAT WE EXPECT STUDENTS TO LEARN WHAT WE TEACH &ASSESS

33. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Shared writing & Process writing Homework Etc. Assessments in schools Learning tasks & activities Projects Portfolios Oral presentations Conferencing

34. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Curriculum planning Holistic planning of the primary language curriculum Alignment between learning, teaching & assessment (evaluation) Implementation of learning & teaching practices

35. Continuity of knowledge & skills across subjects & key stages Holistic planning of the primary language curriculum Assessment of knowledge & skills using various meaningful modes Development & enrichment of knowledge & skills through careful scaffolding 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

36. Three-year curriculum plan: Key emphases Broaden students’ knowledge of the world, and enhance their sensitivity to roles and situations through reading extensively Develop students’ higher-order thinking skills through completing tasks (e.g. selection, synthesis & evaluation) Enhance students’ ability to look at the issues from multiple perspectives through designing tasks that require taking on different roles in different social situations

37. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Using integrated skills development as an entry point Higher-order thinking skills Listening Reading Writing Speaking Language skills

38. Progression: Integrated skills at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU synthesise paragraphing

39. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Progression: Critical thinking skills at KS2

40. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Progression: Creativity at KS2

41. Progression : Cater for learner diversity at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

42. Progression : Cross-curricular learning at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

43. Progression : Wide reading at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

44. Progression : Assessment as learning at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

45. Progression : Independent learning at KS2 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

46. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Level Topic Task P4 Write a reply letter to John to describe life of Hong Kong in the past Old Hong Kong Text type Blogs, conversations, letters, self-directed reading materials Vocabulary Items on homes, shops, games, transports Sharing a unit plan Language item • Ask & answer questions with ‘Was’ or ‘Were’ • Talk about past with ‘There was’ or ‘There were’ • Use indefinite pronouns ‘Nobody’ or ‘Everybody’ • to talk about what people had and did in the past • Talk about like and dislike with reasons using • ‘like/ dislike because’

47. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU Responding to the challenges of the 21st century: Strategic planning of the senior primary English curriculum • Use a wider variety of reading and listening materials • Teach reading and listening skills explicitly • Help students identify audience and writing purpose • Require students to evaluate, synthesis and apply • Provide chances for students to integrate skills

48. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

49. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU

50. 230113_EDB_LLSS_PY LO & WL CHU