Overview

Programme Aims

The programme aims at enriching / updating teachers’ knowledge and skills in the teaching of English at the primary level. It will focus on areas of English language knowledge and skills relevant to the current needs of teachers in the local school sector with particular emphasis on the implementation of recent updates in the English Language curriculum.

Upon completion of the programme, participants will be able to:

Content Objectives

• Demonstrate an enhanced understanding of different aspects of the English language system;
• Demonstrate an enhanced understanding of different aspects of the English language learning and teaching;
• Demonstrate an understanding of how this enhanced knowledge is applicable within the Hong Kong primary English Language curriculum.

Pedagogical Objectives

• Demonstrate enhanced skills in teaching English to Hong Kong primary students through Reading across the Curriculum (RaC).

Programme Structure

The programme comprises the following course:

Developing a Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) Module in the Primary English Classroom (3 credit points)

To enrich the school-based English Language curriculum, it is important to develop students’ strengths and knowledge base through in “Reading to Learn”. Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) is an approach which helps students connect their learning experiences and provides them with opportunities to integrate and apply knowledge and skills developed in different KLAs (CDC, 2017). It also arouses students’ interest in reading through relating their personal experiences to their learning. This course aims at empowering in-service primary school teachers and middle managers with RaC theories and curriculum mapping strategies, enabling them to plan and implement RaC in the primary English Language curriculum. Teacher participants will be introduced to effective strategies to help students develop the reading skills and strategies necessary for processing and responding to RaC texts; explore practical strategies for connecting students’ RaC experiences with writing across the curriculum; design cross-curricular activities to enhance students’ ability to integrate the knowledge, skills and learning experiences gained in different KLAs so as to deepen and broaden their learning; and assess project-based learning activities/cross-curricular activities when implementing RaC. Practical ideas on curriculum mapping, learning resource development and assessment design will be shared by the course instructor and experienced in-service teachers. With reference to Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, suggestions on how to implement organizational changes and enhance collaboration between different subject coordinators in promoting RaC will be provided.

More detailed course outline can be found in https://www.eduhk.hk/ele/programmes/professional-development-programmes

Medium of Instruction

The medium of instruction is English.

Entrance Requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants should be: 

• in-service primary school English Language teachers in Hong Kong; and
• recommended by school principals.

Award

To be awarded a Certificate of Completion, participants must obtain a pass in all assessment tasks required and successfully fulfill the attendance requirements as stipulated by the programme. 

Other Information

This Government-funded programme is supported by the Education Bureau (EDB). Schools which release teachers to take this programme are eligible for appointing supply teachers, if deemed necessary. Government and aided schools shall contact the EDB for detailed arrangements. Private and DSS schools shall make their own arrangements for the employment of supply teachers. 

Remarks: Each school can recommend more than one teacher.