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Improving Language and Learning in Public-sector Schools (ILLIPS) Seminar: Genre Teaching in Chemistry, Biology & Economics and Experience of Language Bridging in Chemistry

Date: 05/07/2008
Improving Language and Learning in Public-sector Schools (ILLIPS) Seminar: Genre Teaching in Chemistry, Biology & Economics and Experience of Language Bridging in Chemistry
Date: 5 July 2008 (Sat)
Time: 9:30-13:00
Venue: K223, Knowles Building, HKU
Language: Cantonese
Sponsored by the Quality Assurance Division of the Education Bureau, this seminar aimed to disseminate genre teaching strategies developed by the CMI Centre in previous years to help students improve language and learning by demonstrating genre pedagogy in the subjects of Chemistry, Biology and Economics. It also explores the ways to assist students with language bridging in Chemistry.The seminar covered the following areas:
  1. To introduce how to make use of genre teaching strategies to promote learning in Chemistry, Biology and Economics
  2. To share genre teaching designs and materials to promote students’ writing skills in the above subjects
  3. To share a school-based experience in bridging from Chinese to English in Chemistry
The presenters included:
Dr Mark Shum (Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong)
Dr WW Ki (Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong)
Mr WC Lo (SKH Li Ping Secondary School)
Mr WF Chan (Wa Ying College)
Mr KY Chan (TWGHs Mrs Wu York Yu Memorial College)
Mr CY Chan (Ng Yuk Secondary School)
Mr MT Chan (Lutheran Concordia School)
Ms SK Yu (Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College)
Mr YW Lai (Stewards MKMCF Ma Ko Pan Memorial College)
Mr KW Cheung (HHCKLA Buddhist Ma Kam Chan Memorial English Secondary School)
Ms WP Hung (HHCKLA Buddhist Ma Kam Chan Memorial English Secondary School)
The seminar is one of the deliverables of the project entitled ‘Improving Language and Learning in Public-sector Schools (ILLIPS): Improving Language and Learning across the Curriculum through Subject Specific Genre Teacher’. The project outline consisted of two parts. The first part was based on the perspective of teacher-researchers who taught the three key subjects under study, and worked closely with the research team to identify students’ problems encountered in their use of Chinese in performing academic tasks in secondary education. The second part mainly explored effective approaches to assist students with a bridging from mother tongue education to English learning in Chemistry subject. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the above 9 teacher-researchers that the project would not be successfully implemented without their dedicated participation. Besides, a report, which was written mainly in Chinese, was distributed to the attendants to disseminate the outcomes of the project. It includes (1) a discussion of three subjects: Chemistry, Biology, and Economics; (2) Theory: Theories on Systemic Functional Linguistics and subject-specific genres; (3) Pilot teaching: lesson plans, worksheets, students’ assignments, and other learning materials; (4) teaching methodology: the approach of implementing the teaching activities; (5) Integration of genre teaching in subject curriculum: illustrations on the integration; (6) Post-teaching evaluation and summary with comments on students’ answers.
 
 
Opening address by Mr Tony Tang Principal Assistant Secretary, Education Bureau
 
Genre Theory & Teaching Strategy Highlight, presented by Dr Shum Shiu Kee, Mark Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong
 
Near 200 in-service teachers attended the seminar
 
Mr Chan Chai Yuen, Biology Teacher of Ng Yuk Secondary School, conducted one of the parallel sessions. Through the try-out lessons activity, participating teachers could get an idea of how genre teaching strategy could be implemented in their Biology lessons.
 
The inspired feedback from Dr. WW Ki attracted attentions from both audiences and our teacher-researchers. (From left to right: Dr. WW Ki, Mr. WF Chan, Mr. KY Chan, Mr. CY Chan, Mr. MT Chan, Mr. WC Lo, Ms. SK Yu, Mr. KW Cheung.)
 
Students participated actively in the Biology try-out lesson which was conducted by Mr. CY Chan, Ng Yuk Secondary School.
 
 

Shum, M.S.K. and Ki, W.W. (2008). Improving language and learning across the curriculum through subject specific genre teaching. Hong Kong: Education Bureau & the University of Hong Kong, 162