Curriculum Leadership and
Management for English Language
Education
Enhancing the Interface across Key Stages
8 & 15 November 2013
English Language Education Section
Curriculum Development Institute
Education Bureau
1
Course Objectives
Enhance teachers’ understanding of the challenges
facing S1 and S4 students
Provide suggestions on how to enhance the interface
between the KS2 to KS3 and KS3 to SS in English
Language Education
Discuss ways to facilitate curriculum continuity and
students’ development of metacognitive strategies
Share experience and good practices in planning and
managing the English panel with a focus on
developing effective and efficient language learning
strategies
2
Run-down
14:00 –
14:10
14:10 –
15:50
15:50 –
16:10
16:10 –
16:50
16:50 –
17:00
Registration
Strategies to Enhance the Interface across Key Stages
Break
Developing effective and efficient language learning
strategies – Experience Sharing from Ning Po College
Q&A
3
A survey about your school
• Different schools may be using English as the
medium of instruction at varying degrees to cater
for students of diversity.
• Which of the following measures does your school
adopt in support of the Whole-school Language
Policy?
•
•
•
•
•
(A) adopting English as the MOI for all subjects
(B) adopting different MOIs by class/group
(C) teaching two subjects using EMI
(D) conducting extended learning activities in English
(E) none of the above
4
Concept of Interface
A transition programme is
NEITHER limited to
a summer bridging programme
NOR
an induction programme
A transition programme refers to one that covers the
broad period of time from preparing students to move
from primary schools until their successful settlement
in secondary schools.
5
Galton, M., Gray J & Ruddock J (1999), The Impact of School Transitions and
Transfers on Pupil Progress and Attainment, pp.27-28, Norwich, Crown
Four phases of transition
Preparation
Primary schools start preparing students for secondary education and
make appropriate alignments.
Transfer
Exchange of information and communication between primary and
secondary schools become active, and bridging activities are
conducted.
Induction
Orientation activities and programmes are conducted to get students
familiarised with the new environment and expectations of secondary
schools.
Reinforcement & Extension
“Transition” measures are adopted to strengthen and extend students’
learning based on their prior learning. Measures to prepare students
for the senior secondary English Language curriculum are taken.
Galton, M., Gray J & Ruddock J (1999), The Impact of School Transitions and
Transfers on Pupil Progress and Attainment, pp.27-28, Norwich, Crown
6
Diagrammatic Representation
of
the Four Phases of Transition
Transfer
Preparation
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
Induction
Reinforcement & Extension
7
KS1
KS2
KS3
NSS SS
P1-3
P4-6
S1-3
S4-6S4-6
Further
studies, work
etc
Lifelong
language
learning
8
A continuity of
progression in
English Language
across key stages
8
Key considerations in
enhancing Interface
- Understand students’ previous learning and future
learning needs
- Building on the strengths of students and
considering their future learning needs, plan for a
Junior Secondary English Language curriculum to
gear students towards the learning targets and
objectives in the English Language curriculum
9
Effective strategies to enhance the interface
1. Curriculum Continuity
2. Pedagogical Adjustment
3. Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Learning Experience across key stages
Primary
Junior
Secondary
Senior
Secondary
•Exposure to a range
of text types
•Incorporation of
Reading Workshops
into the School-based
English Language
Curriculum
•Development of basic
language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a wide
range of print and
non-print texts
•Extensive reading
and viewing
•Further development
of language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a widened
range of more complex
text types
•Elective modules
(Language Arts & NonLanguage Arts)
•Comprehension and
production of more
complex messages in
more formal texts
10
Text types Across Different Key stages
Examples of
Text Types
for Key Stage 1
Examples of
Text Types
for Key Stage 2
• Cartoons and
comics
• Fables and fairy
tales
• Rhymes
• Stories
• Charts
• Labels
• Notices
• Personal letters
• Conversations
• Directions
• Instructions
• Posters
• Plays
• Announcements
• Informational
reports
• Maps and legends
• News / Weather
reports
• Pamphlets
• E-mails
• Formal letters
• Discussions
• Telephone
conversations
• Procedures
• Recipes
T
Additional Examples Additional Examples
of Text Types
of Text Types
for Key Stage 3
for SS
More
• Book
• Editorials
Complex
reviews/reports
• • Debates
information
• Film reviews
• Documentaries
• Itineraries
• Essays
• Manuals
• Feature articles
• Newspaper articles • Films
Longer text
• Short novels
• Novels
• Short stories
• Minutes
• Interviews
• Public speeches
• Presentations
• Proposals
• Resumes
More
demanding
in skills
11
More
information
Selection of Reading Texts
12
Effective strategies to enhance the interface
1. Curriculum Continuity
2. Pedagogical Adjustment
3. Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Learning Experience across key stages
Primary
Junior
Secondary
Senior
Secondary
•Exposure to a range
of text types
•Incorporation of
Reading Workshops
into the School-based
English Language
Curriculum
•Development of basic
language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a wide
range of print and
non-print texts
•Extensive reading
and viewing
•Further development
of language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a widened
range of more complex
text types
•Elective modules
(Language Arts & NonLanguage Arts)
•Comprehension and
production of more
complex messages in
more formal texts
13
Curriculum Continuity
Components of a Primary School-based
14
English Language Curriculum
14
Curriculum Continuity
Recommended Strategies for Teaching Reading in Primary Schools
15
Curriculum Continuity
SuggeStion on Strengthening StudentS’
Reading Skills at Junior Secondary Level
Incorporating a reading programme into
the School-based English Language Curriculum
GE Programme
Reading
Programme
16
PRI
JS
Curriculum Continuity
Reading across the Curriculum:
• To promote reading as a means to
help learners seek information,
develop thinking skills, explore
knowledge, gain experience and
enhance language proficiency
• To promote reading as a means to
help learners seek information,
develop thinking skills, enrich
knowledge, broaden perspectives
and enhance language proficiency
• To promote the development of
functional reading skills to help
learners relate English Language
learning to daily life in real world
• To promote the development of
functional reading skills to help
learners relate English Language
learning to daily life in real world
• To encourage extensive reading of
a wide variety of resource
materials with different subject
content to make connections
among ideas and concepts
• To encourage extensive reading of
a wide variety of resource
materials with different subject
content to enhance learning
English Language Education
Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 –
Secondary 3) 2002
17
English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide
(Secondary 4 - 6) 2007
Curriculum Continuity
Consideration in Planning for Reading Programme
at Junior Secondary Level
Related topic
Linkage between texts
Variety of text types and sources
Level of difficulty
•Integrating reading with other language skills in the
context of the selected theme
•Design a range of tasks to require students to react
beyond the factual content to meet different challenge
levels, e.g. applying, analysing, synthesising and
evaluating the reading content
18
Reading across the Curriculum
Topic: Earth
Textbook:
The Beautiful
Planet –
poem and essay
Info. about the Earth
and environment
protection
(An information book)
Participle phrases,
noun phrases
Adjectives to
describe the Earth
Grammar items and
structures,skills
development…
Extended Reading:
The Earth
Text structure of
poem and essay
Discover and
Experience
(A government
pamphlet – Electrical &
Mechanical Services
Department)
Reading Skills
& Strategies
Writing a proposal to your principal to make
suggestions on installing facilities to allow for
generating electricity using alternative energy
sources
Reading across the Curriculum
Topic: Earth
Textbook:
The Beautiful
Planet –
poem and essay
Grammar items and
structures, skills
development…
Info. about the Earth
and environment
protection
Extended Reading:
The Earth
(An information book)
Participle phrases,
noun phrases
Adjectives to
describe the Earth
Text structure of
poem and essay
Discover and
Experience
(A government
pamphlet – Electrical &
Mechanical Services
Department)
Reading Skills
& Strategies
Writing / delivering a speech to encourage fellow
students to opt for alternative energy sources in
everyday living for a low-carbon life
Reading across the Curriculum
Topic: Earth
Textbook:
The Beautiful
Planet –
poem and essay
Grammar items and
structures,skills
development…
Info. about the Earth
and environment
protection
Extended Reading:
The Earth
(An information book)
Participle phrases,
noun phrases
Adjectives to
describe the Earth
Text structure of
poem and essay
Discover and
Experience
(A government
pamphlet – Electrical &
Mechanical Services
Department)
Reading Skills
& Strategies
Writing an argumentative essay/organising a
discussion forum on the pros and cons of using
alternative energy sources for generating electricity
Responding to Text through
Making Connections
• According to Keene and Zimmerman (1997),
students comprehend better when they make
different kinds of connection:
Text-to-self: making connection between a piece of reading
material and their own experience or life
Text-to-text: thinking about how the information they are
reading connects to other familiar texts
Text-to-world: making connection between what they read and
what they learn about things through television, movies,
magazines and newspapers
22
Examples of Guiding Questions to
Help Students Make Connections
e.g. Texts from the module “The Beautiful Planet”
Text-to- • Have you had any experience in using alternative energy sources (solar,
wind & water)?
self
• What was the energy efficiency like?
• Were you satisfied with its/their performances? Why?
Text-to- • Have you read any books/articles or watched any documentaries
related to energy sources? What messages do they convey?
text
• How do you compare the views presented in the above text(s) and the
one you have read?
• Text-to-self
• does
Whatthis
areremind
advantages
• What
me &
ofdisadvantages
in my life? of using renewable/ alternative
energy sources?
Text-to- • Do the texts remind you of any news/current issues related to using
alternative energy sources in Hong Kong/around the world?
world
• How are people’s views similar to/different from the views presented
in this text?
• What alternative energy resources is HK using? How ready is HK
23
technologically and financially for developing further ?
Effective strategies to enhance the interface
1. Curriculum Continuity
2. Pedagogical Adjustment
3. Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Learning Experiences across key stages
Primary
Junior
Secondary
Senior
Secondary
•Exposure to a range
of text types
•Incorporation of
Reading Workshops
into the School-based
English Language
Curriculum
•Development of basic
language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a wide
range of print and
non-print texts
•Extensive reading
and viewing
•Further development
of language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a widened
range of more complex
text types
•Elective modules
(Language Arts & NonLanguage Arts)
•Comprehension and
production of more
complex messages in
more formal texts
24
Curriculum Continuity
Understanding the Progressive Development of the
Four Language Skills across Key Stages
25
Curriculum continuity across key stages
Activity 2
Group Work
Study Reading Texts 1 – 3 and comment
on the text complexity in terms of :
•Abstractness
 Do the texts include mainly factual information?
 Do the texts contain views and opinions from one or
multiple sources?
•Organisation
 Do the texts have a well-defined structure which enables
readers to follow easily?
 Are the events in the texts presented chronologically?
 Are there connective devices that link up sentences /
paragraphs / ideas in the text?
•Density of information
 Are the texts mainly composed of simple sentences?
 Do most of the sentences contain only a single piece of
information / ideas?
26
Complexity of Texts in terms of …
KS2

Text 1
KS3
Text 2
Abstractness  Ideas and information
explicitly stated
 Straightforward & factual
information

SS
Text 3
 Ideas and information
implicitly stated
 Meaning hidden between
lines or beyond lines
Organisation  Well-defined text structure
 Lack of well-defined text
structure, mix of text-types
 Organisation of paragraphs
not following a common
pattern (problem-solution)
 Lack of signposts to facilitate
understanding of texts
Density of
information
 High lexical density – with a
large amount of informationcarrying words
 A wide range of complex
sentence structures and
language
 Organisation of paragraphs
following sequence of events,
logical progression (general to
specific)
 Use of short paragraphs,
subheadings & cohesive
devices
 Most sentences/paragraphs
containing one piece of
information
 Sentence structures and
language largely simple, with
occasional use of complex
structures
27
Progressive Development of Reading Skills
What should I
expect my
students to be
able to do next?
What can my
students do
currently?
Where are my
students along
the continuum
in the
development of
reading skills?
How should I help
my students to
progress further?
28
Progressive Development
of Reading Skills
Depth of Processing
Cognitive processes involved in reading
Understanding
Inferring
Interpreting
- Locating information
- Working out meaning of words
and phrases
- Connecting ideas
- Identifying main ideas and
supporting details
- Distinguishing facts from opinions
- Organising information and ideas
- Inferring feelings
- Deducing information
and ideas
- Comparing information
and ideas
- Working out main ideas
and themes
- Analysing information and
ideas
- Synthesising
- Evaluating
- Justifying
Underlying principles
-
Activating learners’ prior knowledge and experiences
Selection of a wide range of texts of appropriate lengths and different topics
Interplay between texts and tasks
The provision of teacher support and the need to promote learner independence
Abstractness
Text complexity
Organisation
Density of
information
Range and application
of reading strategies
29
Helping Students Learn to Read
Readers are made, not born,
and they are made or
unmade largely at school
West, (1986)
Explicit Teaching of Reading Strategies
30
How can you apply what you have learnt about anaylsing depth of
processing and application of reading strategies to your
curriculum implementation strategies?
• Select reading materials covering a wide range of topics/themes,
text-types with different stylistic elements, information density
and abstractness
• Teach reading strategies explicitly
• Review the reading assessment items (e.g. level of difficulties,
range of reading skills)
• Ask appropriate questions for different pedagogical purposes
• Provide feedback to students on their reading skills
development
31
Curriculum Continuity
Use of Assessment Data to plan / adjust a
school-based curriculum:
Pre-S1 Hong Kong Attainment Test
Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA)
Internal School Assessments
Pre-S1
Hong Kong
Attainment
Test
JS English
Language
curriculum
S3 TSA
32
Internal Assessment Data
Before Assessment
After Assessment
• Setting suitably challenging
reading tasks with:
 reading texts of appropriate
text complexity and different
text-types
 items covering a wide range
of reading skills and strategies
 a range of question types
 items of varying level of
difficulty
• Aligning the assessment with
daily teaching
• Identifying students’ strengths
and weaknesses by analysing
the question intents and
students’ performance
• Guiding students to
understand the assessment
requirements and their current
level of performance
• Providing timely feedback and
suggestions for improvement
• Providing appropriate support
and scaffolding (e.g. bridging
questions, follow-up activities)
to improve students’
performance
33
Effective Use of Assessment Data
Internal assessment data –
quizzes, tests and examinations
 Review with students their reading
performance by identifying the question
intents and demonstrate application of
appropriate reading strategies
 Guide students in reflecting on
their writing performance and identify
their own strengths and weaknesses
 Supporting students in setting personal
learning goals in the development of language
skills and taking practical actions for
improvement
34
Public assessment data - TSA
Public examination data - HKDSE
Effective strategies to enhance the interface
1. Curriculum Continuity
2. Pedagogical Adjustment
3. Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Learning Experiences across key stages
Primary
Junior
Secondary
Senior
Secondary
•Exposure to a range
of text types
•Incorporation of
Reading Workshops
into the School-based
English Language
Curriculum
•Development of basic
language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a wide
range of print and
non-print texts
•Extensive reading
and viewing
•Further development
of language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a widened
range of more complex
text types
•Elective modules
(Language Arts & NonLanguage Arts)
•Comprehension and
production of more
complex messages in
more formal texts
35
Pedagogical Adjustment
Develop a shared understanding of effective learning & teaching
To enhance the progression of reading and writing skills
from KS2 to KS3, we can …
 model the use of reading strategies through thinking aloud
and provide opportunities for learners to apply them during
independent reading
 use a range of guiding questions for scaffolding / prompting
to facilitate meaning making and extend content learning
 vary the amount of teacher support to cater for learner
diversity
36
Pedagogical Adjustment
Develop a shared understanding of effective learning & teaching
To enhance the progression of reading skills from KS2 to KS3, we can …
Strengthen
Language across the
Curriculum
Listening
Reading
Language
across
the
Curriculum
Writing
Raise awareness of language
demands involved in reading
texts
Speaking
Academic
content
Awareness
+
Academic
language
awareness
– Explicit teaching of reading
to be integrated with
teaching the curriculum
– Strengthening reading to
learn:
• the subject matter of
pedagogic texts
• the associated language
patterns
(Martin & Rose, 2005)
37
Activity 3
Study the following three pairs of sentences. Decide whether
they are general English or academic English and explain why.
1. (a) It is hot and wet in Singapore.
(b) All through the year the climate of Singapore is hot and humid with
minimum average temperatures of 23 °C and maximum of 31 °C. The
relative humidity in Singapore lies between 70 to 80 %.
2. (a) The Earth goes round the sun but not in a circle.
(b) The Earth's orbit around the Sun is an ellipse lying in the ecliptic
plane, which means that it is not a perfect circle.
3. (a) Because of its composition, steel is used to make many things.
(b) Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with the latter acting as a
hardening agent. Because of its high tensile strength, steel is
produced in the form of wire, tube, bar and sheet and used to
manufacture domestic appliances, agricultural and industrial products.
How is general English different from academic English?
38
Pedagogical Adjustment
Raise awareness of the language demands in reading and writing texts of
content subjects
Academic English – grammatically complex and lexically dense
 More embedding / subordinate clauses
• The Earth's orbit around the Sun is an ellipse lying in the ecliptic plane,
which means that it is not a perfect circle.
 Longer prepositional phrases
• All through the year the climate of Singapore is hot and humid with
minimum average temperatures of 23 °C and maximum of 31 °C.
 More attributive adjectives and nominalisation
• Because of its high tensile strength, …
 More passive structures
• …, steel is produced in the form of wire, tube, bar and sheet and used to
manufacture domestic appliances, agricultural and industrial products.
 More academic words than grammatical words
e.g. relative humidity, orbit, tensile strength
39
Pedagogical Adjustment
Develop a shared understanding of effective learning & teaching
Raise awareness of the language demands in reading and writing texts of
content subjects
• Highlighting information structure of different text types and
the relevant reading strategies
• Use of graphic organisers to provide visual representation of
the texts
• Adapting appropriate instructional strategies to facilitate
comprehension
•
•
•
•
Text level: genres/text types (information structuring)
Ideas level: graphic organisers, diagrams, tables, pictures
Sentence level: grammar
Word level: vocabulary
40
Pedagogical Adjustment
Highlight information structures of different text types and the relevant
reading and writing strategies
Facilitating comprehension at text level
Text types
How information is structured
Narrative
Orientation  Complication  Resolution Coda
Information
report
General statements  Description
Explanation
Identifying statements  Sequence of explanation
Discussion
Issue  Arguments for / Arguments against
Procedure
Goal (optional)  Materials (optional)  Steps
Recount
Orientation Record of events  Reorientation (optional) Coda
Exposition
Statement of position  Preview of arguments (optional) 
Argument 1 Argument 2 (optional) 
Reinforcement of statement position
(Adapted from Butt, D. Fahey, R. Feez, S. Spinks, S and Yallop, C. (2002). Using functional grammar, p. 13National centre for English Language
Teaching and Research.)
41
Pedagogical Adjustment
Making effective use of graphic organisers
Facilitating reading and writing at idea level
• Graphic organisers help students understand and present how
ideas or concepts relate to one another through the
development of a well-structured mental picture about the
content. (Goldman & Rakestraw, 2000)
• Graphic organisers for different language functions:
• Venn Chart for Comparison and Contrast
• Flow Chart for Sequence
• T-chart for the pros and cons of an issue
42
Pedagogical Adjustment
Unpacking information using graphic organiser s to facilitate reading
An example of classroom activity
Q: What are the types of food substances that we need for sustaining life?
Food substances
Now write down the main ideas in
the table.
What are the types of food
substance's that we need for
sustaining life?
Different food contains different types of
food substances. These food substances
can be classified into primary food
substances, which are essential to life, and
protective food substances, which are
important for keeping our body healthy.
The food substances can be divided into
seven types: carbohydrates, fats, proteins,
water, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
The first four are primary food substances
and the remaining three are protective food
substances.
43
Pedagogical Adjustment
Unpacking information using graphic organiser to facilitate reading
Q: What are the types of food substances that we need for sustaining life?
Food Substances
Matching diagrams with text structure
Food substances
Primary Food
Substances
(essential to life)
Carbohydrates,
fats, proteins,
water
Protective
Food
Substances
(keeping our
body healthy
Different food contains different types of food
substances. These food substances can be
classified into primary food substances, which
are essential to life, and protective food
substances, which are important for keeping our
body healthy.
vitamins,
minerals,
dietary fibre
The food substances can be divided into seven
types: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water,
vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. The first four
are primary food substances and the remaining
three are protective food substances.
44
Pedagogical Adjustment
Repacking information using graphic organisers to facilitate writing
can be classified (passive voice)
• Food substances can be
classified into primary food
substances and protective
food substances, which are
essential to life and keeping
our body healthy.
Food Substances
Primary Food
Substances
Essential to life
which are
(relative clause)
Protective
Food
Substances
Keeping our
body healthy
45
Pedagogical Adjustment
Repacking information using graphic organiser to facilitate writing
Food Substances
Explicitly modelling repacking
Food substances can be classified into
primary food substances and protective
food substances, which are essential to
life and keeping our body healthy.
Primary Food
Substances
essential to life
S
V
can be classified into
Food substances
can be categorised into
can be divided into
O
primary food
substances and
protective food
substances.
Protective Food
Substances
keeping our
body healthy
Embedded clause
which are
essential to life
and keeping our
body healthy.
46
Examples
A multiple-meaning map
A concept map
Source: Whitaker, S. (2008). Building vocabulary across texts and
disciplines. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann , p. 149 & 156
47
Effective strategies to enhance the interface
1. Curriculum Continuity
2. Pedagogical Adjustment
3. Development of Metacognitive
Strategies
Learning Experience across key stages
Primary
Junior
Secondary
Senior
Secondary
•Exposure to a range
of text types
•Incorporation of
Reading Workshops
into the School-based
English Language
Curriculum
•Development of basic
language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a wide
range of print and
non-print texts
•Extensive reading
and viewing
•Further development
of language skills and
strategies
•Exposure to a widened
range of more complex
text types
•Elective modules
(Language Arts & NonLanguage Arts)
•Comprehension and
production of more
complex messages in
more formal texts
48
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
 Developing students’ metacognitive strategies
 Providing opportunities for students to take
charge of their own learning
 Prepare students for the next Learning Stage
and learning content subjects
49
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Dimensions of metacognition
Knowledge of Cognition
- knowledge about ourselves as learners and what influences
our performance
- knowledge about learning strategies
- knowledge about when and why to use a strategy
Regulation of Cognition
- planning: setting goals and activating relevant background
knowledge
- regulation: monitoring and self-testing
- evaluation: appraising the products and regulatory processes
of learning
50
Adapted from Brown (1987). Metacognition, Executive Control, Self-Regulation, and Other More Mysterious
Mechanisms. In F. E. Weinert & R. H. Kluwe (Eds.), Metacognition, motivation, and understanding (pp. 65-116).
Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Explicit Teaching of Metacognitive Strategies
Sample classroom discourse:
- Guide students to try out an
effective strategy and highlight its
application value
Teacher: Circle the phrases / words that help
you figure out the meaning of “host
country”. Write down the meaning of the
“host country”.
Teacher: Yes, the meaning is right. Did you all
use the same contextual cues? There can
be different contextual cues, some closer
to the unfamiliar vocabulary, others
farther. Different contextual cues help to
confirm your understanding of “host
country”.
A Reading Text on Global Migration
“What is the meaning
of “host country”?
A reading text on Global Migration
Source: Pakenham (2004), Making Connections Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, p.137-138.
51
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Explicit Teaching of Metacognitive Strategies
Sample classroom discourse:
- Guide students to try out
an effective strategy and
highlight its application
value
Teacher: Circle a sentence which
tells you the main idea of
Paragraph 6. Find and number
the details that support it.
Teacher: Great. The topic sentence
helps you locate the positive
effects quickly. This is a very
useful strategy.
A Reading Text on Global Migration
“What are the positive
effects of immigration on
the countries involved?”
A reading text on Global Migration
Topic sentence:
“This impact can
be positive. …”
52
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Explicit Teaching of Metacognitive Strategies
- Make the processes and strategies of comprehension visible to
students
Comprehension Process
Example of what teachers can say
Identifying confusing parts and
clarifying
I didn’t catch whether …
I need to check back to see.
Figuring out long sentences and
breaking them down into chunks
This basically means that …
Making predictions and inferences;
seeing if they are answered or
confirmed
Because of the subheading, I predict
that the next section will be about …
Connecting text to own life, other texts This reminds me of …
or knowledge of the world.
I have a picture in my mind of …
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Source :Zwiers (2008): Building Academic Language, Jossey-bass Teacher, p.170)
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Help students evaluate their strategies of learning English
The focus shifts from:
“How do you spell the word ‘potassium’?” 
“How do you remember the spelling of ‘potassium’?”
Possible answers:
1.Break the word into syllables “po-tas-si-um”
2.Link it to similar words “potassium” – “sodium”,
“aluminium”
3.Mnemonic: potassium “One tea two sugars”
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Source: http://www.learninginfo.org/spelling-mnemonics.htm
Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Providing opportunities for students to take charge of
their own learning
 Stressing the role of teachers in implementing
independent learning:
 Decide on the appropriate degree and form of support
across levels
Strategically prepare students to plan their study and
assess themselves
• To focus on more specific areas
• To allow deeper reflection
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Development of Metacognitive Strategies
Providing opportunities for students to take charge of their
own learning
Creating an English learning environment that is conducive to
independent learning
• Easy Access of Information
• Setting up resource area in classroom and creating a
need for accessing them
• Stimulating exchange & discussions on topics related to
classroom learning through online conferencing / other
means
• Appropriate use of e-learning resources to broaden
students’ exposure to the language
• Create success:
• Displaying students’ works
• Arranging students to present their works
• Recognising independent learning
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Reference
Brown (1987). Metacognition, Executive Control, Self-Regulation, and Other More
Mysterious Mechanisms. In F. E. Weinert & R. H. Kluwe (Eds.), Metacognition,
motivation, and understanding (pp. 65-116). Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Butt D., Fahey R., Feez S., Spinks S. & Yallop C. (2002). Using functional grammar, p.
13National centre for English Language Teaching and Research
Cheng, K.L. , Fung S. K. (2011). Travelling through History 3A, p.7, Hong Kong: Aristo
Educational Press Ltd.
Cheng, K.L. , Fung S.K., Kan Y. Y. , Lau M.S., (2009). HKDSE History Inquiry Vol. II, p.12,
Hong Kong: Aristo Educational Press Ltd.
Cockayne, G (2010). Learning Academic English, pp1-2.
From http://www.geoffcockayne.org.uk
Galton, M., Gray J & Ruddock J (1999). The Impact of School Transitions and Transfers on
Pupil Progress and Attainment, pp.27-28, Norwich, Crown
Goldman, S.R., & Rakestraw, J.A. (2000). Structural aspects of constructing meaning
from text, Handbook of reading research, (Vol. II, pp. 311-335), Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
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Reference
Hasan, R., Matthiessen C.M.I.M. & Webster J (2005). Designing literacy pedagogy: scaffolding
asymmetries. Continuing Discourse on Language. pp.251-280, London: Equinox.
Nuttall, C (2005). Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, p. 69, Oxford : Heinemann
Pakenham K.J. (2004). Making Connections Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, p.137-138.
Pasquarelli S. L. (2006). Teaching Writing Genres Across the Curriculum Strategies for middle school
teachers (Greenwich, Conn.)
Rose, D. (2010). Reading to learn: Teacher resource books, book 1, p. 8 .
From http://www.readingtolearn.com.au
Wray D. (2006). Teaching literacy across the primary curriculum (p. viii-ix). Exeter : Learning Matters.
Whitaker, S. (2008). Building vocabulary across texts and disciplines. Portsmouth, pp. 149 & 156, NH:
Heinemann
Zwiers, J. (2008). Building academic language: Essential practices for content classrooms, grades 5-12,
pp. 164-187, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Mnemonics: What are Spelling Mnemonics From http://www.learninginfo.org/spelling-mnemonics.htm
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