Teaching English in Secondary Schools

EDU E363 Teaching English in Secondary Schools is a two-semester, 10 credit higher level course for HKMU learners studying for the Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Secondary Education and the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) programmes. It is designed for practising teachers of English in secondary schools, and all materials, tutorials and assignments will be in English. The course focuses on English language teaching methodology and also provides opportunities for you to reflect on your own teaching.

EDU E363 Teaching English in Secondary Schools aims to:

1. Enhance your understanding of current developments in English language teaching.
2. Enhance your knowledge of the applied linguistic theories which inform language teaching and learning processes.
3. Develop your ability to reflect on and, where necessary, modify your existing professional knowledge and teaching practices.
4. Develop your capability to teach effectively within the context of the secondary English curriculum for Hong Kong.

Upon completion of EDU E363, you should be able to:

1. Discuss the factors influencing English language teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools.
2. Reflect upon your own practice to provide a tool for future support for continued professional development.
3. Analyse the processes of second language acquisition and learning in order to relate theories of language teaching and learning to classroom practice.
4. Evaluate the major approaches to the teaching of English as a second language to reflect on their implications for classroom practice.
5. Explain how meaning is created through the English language system to support effective language learning in the secondary English classroom.
6. Appraise issues related to classroom management to create enhanced opportunities for interaction in English.
7. Apply the principles of an integrated approach to the development of the four language skills to inform classroom practice.
8. Apply the principles of language assessment, evaluation and planning to create and sustain a coherent teaching-learning cycle.

The following table provides an overview of the course and suggests the amount of time to allow for completing each unit. However, we all have our own pace of learning and approaches to study, so this schedule is only a guide. You can adjust it to fit your personal needs more closely. The important factor is to plan your study schedule carefully. The estimated time, on average, that you need to spend on this course is eight hours per week. This estimate includes time for reading the units, studying the Readings and textbook, completing the self-tests, writing your assignments, reviewing the study material, attending the tutorials and preparing for your final examination.

EDU E363 consists of this Course Guide, the study units (Units 1-10), a Readings section and assignments. There is also one textbook which you must obtain yourself. Please ensure that you have all these materials and can identify them. If any of the HKMU-produced materials are missing, contact the Office for Advancement of Learning and Teaching at 2714 3324.

Course Guide

This Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It also gives you some information about tutorials, workshops and assignments. Refer to it throughout the course to help clarify important points about studying with HKMU.

Study units

There are ten study units in EDU E363 Teaching English in Secondary Schools and each unit requires between two and five weeks' work. Each unit includes directions for study, commentaries on the Readings and summaries of the key concepts and issues. There is also a Supplement which outlines the key points in the English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide (CDC and HKEAA 2007)-a document which is concerned with the three-year curriculum implemented in 2009.

The units direct you to work on tasks and exercises related to the required Readings and provide activities for self-study and reflection where appropriate. The activities will test you on the material covered and on the Readings completed, and require you to bring your own experience to bear on issues which allows for enhanced involvement in the course.

The study units follow a common format:

1. An introduction to the unit.
2. Directions to read your textbook or the Readings.
3. Self-tests and activities which are spread throughout the unit. Do each self-test or activity as you come to it in the study unit.
4. A summary.
5. References. These are books and articles that were used to help write the unit. You do not have to read them, but you may find them useful if you want to know more about a particular topic.

Set book

There is one compulsory text book for this course. Nunan, D (1998) Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teachers, Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.

Readings

In addition to the textbook, there are a number of journal articles and extracts from other published materials which cover the course material in greater depth. You will find these in the Readings section of your course materials.

To supplement your course materials, there are ten two-hour tutorials in EDU E363 Teaching English in Secondary Schools. The first tutorial session is an introduction to the course and may take a different form from the others.

We will notify you of the dates, times and location of these tutorials and day schools together with the name and phone number of your tutor as soon as the tutorial groups are confirmed.

Your tutor marks and comments on your assignments and keeps a close watch on your progress. When your assignment is returned, pay close attention to the comments your tutor has written on the assignment form and on the assignment.

Your tutor will also assist you if you have any difficulties during the course. Don't hesitate to telephone him/her if you need help or direction. Contact your tutor if, for example:

• you do not understand any part of the units or the assigned Readings
• you have difficulty with the self-tests
• you are interested in the topic and want to read about it further
• you have a question about the assignments, your tutor's comments on them or the grades you received.

There are two methods of assessing progress: continuous assessment through assignments and an examination to be held at the end of the course. The course is designed to help you move through the study units, set book and Readings to the assignments and examination.

Assignments

The assignment details for this course will be sent to you as supplementary material. There are five assignments, including a project, for continuous assessment purposes. The assignments give you a chance to apply the knowledge you have gained in the course.

For each of Assignments 1-4 you are required to produce a paper of 1,500 words to demonstrate your understanding of course content, and your ability to reflect on your own teaching and to apply theory to practice. Each assignment has a weighting of 10%, and the best three of these four assignments will constitute 30% of the total course grade.

The project (Assignment 5) requires you to investigate an aspect of classroom teaching and learning. It will typically involve some data collection and analysis and may involve experimentation with an identified pedagogic approach or, alternatively, investigating an aspect of learning or the resourcing of a teaching-learning initiative. You will be required to submit a report of 3,000 words. The project constitutes 20% of the total course grade.

The supplementary material on assignments will contain more details about submitting assignments and suggestions on how to approach them. You will also receive a Study Schedule to remind you when to submit your assignments.

Final examination and grading

The final examination for EDU E363 will last for three hours and has a value of 50% of the total course result. It consists of questions which reflect the type of assignments that you have encountered in the course material.

Use the time between finishing the last assignment and sitting the examination to review the entire course. You might find it useful also to review your assignments and comments on them before the examination.

The final examination covers information from all parts of the course. Do not worry that it will contain 'trick' questions or try to confuse you. The HKMU has a clear, open approach to helping its learners succeed in their studies. You will be provided with a specimen examination paper similar in format to the final examination, although the questions will be different. To earn a pass for this course, you must submit and attain a pass in the continuous assessment (your assignments and project) and on your final examination.

The following is a recommended strategy for working through the course. If you have any problems, phone your tutor at once. Remember that your tutor's job is to help you.

1. Organize a study schedule. Refer to the section 'Course Overview' (p. 4) and to the Study Schedule for more details. Note the minimum amount of time you are expected to spend on each unit and how the assignments relate to the units. You can write your own dates for working on each unit to create your personal study schedule. You have some flexibility as there are 38 weeks of course work spread over a period of 40 weeks. You will receive by mail details of your tutorials, your examination and the date of the first day of the semester. Gather all this information in one place and note the important dates.
   Once you have created your own study schedule, do everything you can to stick to it. The major reason that students fail is that they get behind in their course work. If you get into difficulties with your schedule, let your tutor know before it is too late to help you.
2. Turn to Unit 1 and read the 'Introduction'.
3. Work through the unit. As you work you will be asked to read sections from your textbook or articles in the Readings section. You will also be asked to think about your reading in relation to your own practice, by undertaking activities of various kinds and completing the self-tests.
4. Some of the concepts in this course will be new to you and you may have to make a particular effort to understand them. Keep a note of your problems and discuss them with your tutor as soon as possible. Be specific about the problem so that your tutor can help you more easily.
5. Begin working on the next unit. Proceed through the course in the manner described above and try to pace your study so that you keep yourself on schedule.
6. After completing the last unit, review the course and prepare for the final examination.

EDU E363 Teaching English in Secondary Schools is intended to help you extend your knowledge and understanding of English language teaching in the secondary school and apply what you learn to your teaching. We hope you find it interesting and that you will be able to use the knowledge and skills it provides throughout your career.

We wish you every success in your future endeavours and hope that you enjoy the course!

Chris Green (BA, MEd, DipEd, Dip TESOL) was an Assistant Professor in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's English Department. He has been involved in teaching English as a second language for over 20 years and about half of that time has been spent in Hong Kong; first as a teacher educator at the former Institute of Language in Education and then as a Senior Instructor in the Language Centre at the University of Science and Technology. He has published academic articles in a number of international journals and has also written text books for Hong Kong secondary schools. His main research interests are in written discourse analysis and pedagogic grammar.

Mandy Evans (BA, MA, PGCE) is a lecturer at the Education University of Hong Kong where she specialized in teaching the use of English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong secondary schools. She has served as a lecturer in the Target-Oriented Curriculum Teacher Education section and taught for four years in a secondary school in Hong Kong. She was previously an in-service teacher educator in Malaysia for four years. She has written courses for the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong as well as school-based projects for the Education Department. She was one of the developers of HKMU's EDU E332 Primary School Teaching: English course.

David Carless (BA, MA, PGCE, PhD) was a lecturer at the Education University of Hong Kong. He has worked in Hong Kong since 1988 and has taught English at both tertiary and secondary levels. His main interests are in teacher education and development and the implementation of curriculum innovations. He has presented and published academic papers both locally and internationally.