A summary of the End-of-course Evaluation Forms submitted by
teacher-participants after the completion of the Teaching ESL Students in
Mainstream Classrooms: Language in Learning across the Curriculum
course 2006/2007
All project school participants were asked to fill in an evaluation form after they have
completed the course. They were asked to comment freely on four aspects, including ‘course
content’, ‘course processes’, ‘what follow-up and support would you now like to see put in
place’ and ‘any other comments you wish to make’. Since participants’ feedback was quite
varied, a summary of the main ideas was made as follows.
Course content
Participants who felt positive about the course commented that it was a very comprehensive
and intensive course which was both useful and inspiring. The course was rich with resources
that were relevant and applicable to classroom teaching. After attending the course, they have
become more aware of the needs of ESL students and thus have acquired a new perspective in
preparing their lessons. The ‘Teaching and Learning Cycle’ and the importance of scaffolding
their students were very helpful in achieving the best possible learning outcome. In general,
they found that their horizons have been broadened and they have learnt the pedagogy needed
to improve their classroom practices.
Another group of participants, though seeing the value of the course, found it difficult to
digest the contents in such a short time. The great number of technical terms was one of the
reasons cited and another being the abstract nature of some of the ideas presented. However,
they managed to get round the problem by reading the BMRs (Between Module Readings),
which aided their understanding of the general picture. Those who felt less positive about the
course pointed out that given their already heavy workload, the course should not be set as a
compulsory one since they had a hard time coping with an abundance of knowledge offered
on the course and their routine work schedule.
Course processes
Respondents who enjoyed the workshops remarked that the workshops were systematically
organized. The ideas were clearly presented with many interesting and carefully designed
activities through which they were able to learn and reflect on. The large number of examples
and worksheets provided enabled participants to grasp the concepts easily. There was good
balance between lecture and discussion time, which allowed much sharing of experiences
among teachers of different subjects. A congenial atmosphere was created and they enjoyed
the learning process to a great extent.
Those who thought otherwise found it a tiring process since the workshops were lengthy. It
was difficult for them to take in the theories on the course, especially when workshops were
conducted after school or when 2 workshops were conducted consecutively on the same day.
Follow-up and support participants would like to see put in place
On the school level, participants would like to see a whole school approach be adopted to
achieve objectives common to all with a feasible action plan shared by all staff members. It
was also suggested that support be given to them along the way such as having tutors giving
them advice after lesson observation. Furthermore, they hoped that there could be short
refresher courses afterwards to remind them of the key points of the course. Last but not least,
they were eager to join more practical workshops in which they could learn more strategies to
cater for students in a local context.
With the above-mentioned support, participants stated that they would start putting theory
into practice with focus on explicit teaching and providing students with scaffolding. They
would pay attention to their own use of language in class and try using some of the
assessment methods learnt in addition to conventional ones. They would also use more visual
aids and create more opportunities for student interaction during lessons.
Other comments
An overwhelming majority of participants extended their heart-felt thanks to the hard work
done by the tutors who devoted much of their precious time in delivering the course. Another
common remark was that the workshops should be spaced out so as to give participants
enough time to do the between module activities and reflect on the readings.