Good English Teaching Practices:
Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School
EMB Consultancy Project
Researchers: Gary Harfitt & Hofan Chau
Our focus today
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Background of the school and what it has
achieved.
Examining and explaining the ‘culture’ of
the school.
Looking at the policies implemented in the
school and how they underpin the culture.
Specific initiatives of relevance to all
schools in HK.
Yuen Long Lutheran
Secondary School
(YLLSS)
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Moved to Tin Shui Wai in 1998 from Yuen
Long
Teaches F.1 – F.7 students
CMI status
Band one intake since 2001
95% of students from Tin Shui Wai public
housing estates
HKCEE results
(English language syllabus B)
Student %
1 0 0
9 0
8 0
7 0
6 0
5 0
4 0
credit
3 0
pass
2 0
1 0
0
1998
1 9 9 9
2 0 0 0
Year
2 0 0 1
2 0 0 2
2 0 0 3
A’ level results (UE paper)
Student %
1 0 0
9 0
8 0
7 0
6 0
credit
5 0
pass
4 0
3 0
2 0
1 0
0
1998
1 9 9 9
2 0 0 0
Year
2 0 0 1
2 0 0 2
2 0 0 3
CULTURE
How is such a positive attitude
towards English cultivated?
VISION
What are theWhat
school
motivates
all this? are
What strategies
policies that underpin teachers
the
using in the
culture?
classroom?
POLICIES
PEDAGOGY
VISION : CULTURE-POLICIES -CLASSROOM
Vision
The principal
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Became the Principal in 1998.
Decided to focus on improving English
results as a way of providing students
with greater opportunities to further
their education at tertiary level
Received support from parents as
results and student intake improved.
The principal’s rationale
“ English is very important. It can help [the
students] find a good job and earn a good
living. You see, if they fail English,
they can’t go to university. They can’t
find a good job. That’s number one…
because the English standard was very
low, only a few students went to
university. Under ten. The teachers knew,
but they couldn’t help.
– 27 October, 2003
The English panel chair
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Taught in the school for
more than 10 years.
Confirms active role of
principal in the changes
at the school since 1998.
Also attributes the
reasons for change to:
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Additional resources
Better teamwork in panel
Process
GOAL
Increase
university
enrolment
IDENTIFY
PROBLEM AREAS
SOLVE
PROBLEMS
TOGETHER
English results
are identified as
a limiting factor
English
becomes
school priority
University entrance
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Students
% Entering
university
% Eligible to enter
university
Actual number of
students entering
university
1999
2000
2001
Year
2002
2003
How is such a positive attitude towards
English in this school cultivated?
−
−
The formal aspect (The classroom)
The informal aspect (English club &
activities)
School Culture
Extra curricular activities
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Crazy Halloween Party (Oct)
S2 Vocabulary competition (Dec)
S1 Storytelling Competition (April)
S2 Drama Competition (May)
S4 Oral Presentation (July)
S3-4 DJ Group Competition
English speaking days
English club parties and carnivals
Exchange trip to Singapore
English network: Lunchtime radio show
Allows language
focus in class
Student interest
& exposure
English
Club
Distinctive
features of the English Club
Distinctive features
of the English club
Student leadership:
•Student empowerment
•Role modeling,
•Peer learning,
GOAL
• Motivate students to use more
English
• Students fear speaking
English
• Begin student motivation at lower
forms.
• Improve English club:
− Activities generate student
interest
− Student organisation structure
provides
peer learning
• Student
enrolment
in English club
increases from 50 to 300 members in
3 years
AREAS OF
IMPROVE
MENT
SOLUTION
?
EFFECTS
The
• Students more confident in speaking
English and
are motivated
to use it in
process
of creating
a culture
the classroom
What are the school policies that underpin
the culture?
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Structures that promote teamwork
(support group, collaborative planning meetings)
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Initiatives to support teaching
(resources, mentoring, junior/senior form teaching)
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Finding “the right person for the right
job”
(clearly defined roles, Mr. Lo, support group, Jeremy (NET))
Vice- principal
Research team
principal
Panel chair
Support
group
Joe
Panel Structure
Kit
Mr. Lo, the Vice-principal
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“Bridge” between the
Principal and the panel
Administrative and
strategic support
Informs panel with
research (exam results)
Not an English teacher
Mr Lo
Zoe
Vina
Kit
Joe
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Support group
Established to assist panel
head
Meet to discuss school policies
+ new initiatives (e.g., writing
school based textbook,
remedial programs, etc.)
principal
Chat-room
ENGLISH
CLUB
TA
Jeremy
(NET)
Kit
Joe
Panel Structure
(continued)
principal
Research team
TA
Viceprincipal
Chat-room
Panel chair
ENGLISH
CLUB
Jeremy
(NET)
MENTORING
Kit
Joe
Panel Structure
Form Collaboration
meeting
(continued)
Collective Lesson Planning
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Once a cycle, teachers from the same
form meet to discuss their teaching.
Discussion topics that we have
observed include:
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Sharing teaching ideas
Evaluating exams and tests
Delegating duties and tasks
Checking progress of different classes
Critiquing the textbook and planning units
together
Breakdown of CLP topics
(1 unit – 3 meetings)
Teaching
resources
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Discussion of Unit 5
Evaluating school
based grammar book
Sharing information
and materials (EMB
poem)
Difficulties with
reader
Use of reader
Evaluation of reader
Critiquing the
textbook
Deciding what units
to teach from
textbook
Evaluation of
textbook
Adaptation of
textbook
Using school based
grammar book
Teaching skills
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Sharing ideas on class
presentations
Teaching vocabulary
(ideas)
Teaching vocabulary
(dictionary use)
Sharing teaching ideas
on vocabulary
Designing and giving a
syllabus for students
Listening material
Adapting tasks in class
Sharing ideas on writing
task
Integration of lessons
and adapting
presentations
Kit's description of
vocabulary game.
Assessment
evaluation
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Evaluation of uniform
test (difficulty level)
Evaluation of uniform
test (setting up
remedial class)
Reviewing test &
teaching methods
Evaluating marks from
exams
Looking at exam
questions
Using previously
marked exam
questions as a
foundation for teaching
unit
Setting up unit using
exam questions from
recent paper
General teaching/
related issues
Discipline
and attendance of
poetry in movement classes &
remedial arrangements
Getting parents involved in
encouraging English use
Progress of different classes
and a discussion of teaching
across the form
Comparing classes and how
this relates to next year's
teacher
Delegating responsibilities
Whether to cover everything
in textbook
Evaluating VCD and reader,
sharing problems
CLP benefits
CLP• benefits
Provides alternative to
existing forms of
collaboration
• Allow teachers to share
ideas and evaluate the
textbook
• Promotes cooperation in
panel
• Helps to uniform the
teaching approach in
junior forms
GOAL
IDENTIFY
PROBLEM
AREAS
 Research
 •Make
Improve
• Increase
English
• •Some
Poor team
English
diagnoses problem
English
university
school
priority
teachers
results
=
areas
exam
enrolment
unhappy
limiting
 Teachers
discuss
in
results
with
factor
changes
SOLVE
PROBLEMS
TOGETHER
 Share solutions in
Relational
• English
CLP meetings
solutions:
becomes
 Teachers adapt
school
•classes
Mr. Lo
acts
as
accordingly.
bridge
+ adviser
priority
 Cultivate confidence +
Collective Lesson
• Support group helps
Planning meetings interest in lower forms
panel
head
(e.g.
activities)
 Panel evaluation
Collectivesupport
Lesson
 •Remedial
Planning (CLP)
The process on a policy level
Reflection: a crucial element in the
school’s progress
“As teachers, we expect our students to
work hard and improve, but we often fail
to do this ourselves.”
- Kit Lee