Whole school approach
Many teachers gathered together to attend a seminar in a seconadry school in Kwun Tong yesterday. The speakers were from Yuen Long Lutheran
Secondary School. It was a wonderful sharing and I am sure all of the teachers there were impressed and would have lots of implications from the
talk.
YLLSS is a band 1 CMI (Chinese medium of instruction)school and it's a 'learning and ever-improving school' with a rating of 7-10 of the value-added indicator
for all subjects. The principal and English panel chair were very generous and shared their key to success with us. There's no short cut, no secret, no
miricles. Rather, they've adopted the whole school approach in ELT.
English should never be treated as merely a subject in the curriculum. Students can't acheive a certain proficiency if they're not immersed in a language-rich
environment. The English panel chairlady and other English teachers have been working hard to organize different language activities outside the classroom.
Like most Hong Kong schools, they organize Halloween party, English speaking day,interviewing visitors etc..
However, it's not the only key to success in their school. Most schools have done all these things including our KHSS. What's wrong with our exisitng teaching and
learning!? As the pricipal said at the beginning of the seminar, there are 3 crucial elements for a successful school: Policies, Padagogy and Curriculum. What's lacking
in our school? Policies!!! It's so sad to admit that it's the biggest weakness in our school. It's pointless to talk about the policies in our school and it's even not
worth wasting my time typing critique on the nonsense issue that nobody can change.
To help myself to remember the fruitful seminar, I would like to summerize what impressed me most. I didn't jot any notes and hope that I won't distore the originality of the content. (start from 1 Nov, they will upload their powerpoint to HK edu city)
1. mission of YLLSS: to help students to climb up the social ladder as education is the only way out for them to get rid of poverty. <-- great! Yuen Long is < br />
one of the most problematic districts in Hong Kong. Family tradegies are common in the society.
2. ELT (English language teaching) is the main concern in their school. I like their rationale of this view and I couldn't agree with it anymore. The common weakness for students from CMI schools is English. Most students are talented for different subjects but failing the English subject result in having no offer from the univisities. School teachers must help the students
to learn English as well as removing their anxiety of English language learning.
3. ELT should be a whole school approach. It's not the only duty for English teachers. Every teacher must highlight the importance of English in their school. Every English teacher must help to organize activities in class and outside the classroom.
4. There must be policies to help the development of ELT. All students must pass the English subject in order to be promoted. <-- what an assertive measure!!!
5. Support. The vice priciple is the other panel chair in the English department. Although the vice priciple is not an English teacher, rather, he is a Maths teacher. To show the support to other English teachers, he is included in the panel. Besides, there's also a mentoring system to help the new teachers adapt to the work place. Indeed, it's also a useful way to mould the new
teachers to match the direction of the school.
6. High expectation on the students. Though there's syllabus A and syllabus B papers for the HKCEE, they avoid any of their students to take the syllabus A paper. They would like to express their
high expectation on the students.
7. Role model. The school make good use of the senior form students and mould them to be role models to the junior form kids. They tries to build up an atomsphere in which junior form kids would admire
their senior students who are good at English. <-- that's true and always effective! like KHSS, I am happy to see that our scout is proud of the venture and rover scouts. It's an invaluable culture and
and once it's started, it continues to grow. Many credits must be given to our beloved great leader~ Fanny.
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(it's quite late right now and just stop here. maybe next time when I read this entry again, I would have more thoughts to add)

