Challenge 2 : Meeting the needs of diverse learners

in the classroom

Overview

Attitude
All schools share the mission of helping every student reach his or her full potential. However, teachers often
find students in a class showing much diversity in their needs and interests. Students differ a lot in their
motivation, prior knowledge and skills, learning styles, multiple intelligences, interests and backgrounds. To
tap each student’s potential, teachers need to value each student as an individual capable of making progress.
Embracing learner diversity is therefore an important direction in school-based curriculum development.

Sensitivity
Nevertheless, schools have to realise that there can hardly be a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing
learner diversity. To ensure effective learning for all students in the classroom, teachers need to develop
sensitivity to individual students’ needs and respond to them by flexibly adapting their teaching strategies and
content. Teachers can develop such sensitivity through analysing different sources of information (classroom
observations, assessments, portfolios, learner profiles, etc.) to find out how each student learns and design
an appropriate curriculum for them. With a good grasp of students’ characteristics, teachers can turn learner
diversity into an asset by capitalising on their different talents, interests and backgrounds brought to the
classroom setting. For instance, students can make unique contributions by playing different roles or doing
different tasks inside and outside the classroom. Teachers can then give their students opportunities to develop
their potential.

Expectations
Irrespective of the extent of learner diversity existing in the classroom, to teachers and school leaders, raising
students’ achievement is imperative. Among different students, lower-achievers have presented the biggest
challenge for teachers. By setting low expectations on them and giving them few opportunities to engage
actively in activities requiring higher order thinking or application of language and generic skills (e.g. creativity),
teachers may sabotage the chance of improving their achievement. For more able students, they also need to
stretch their potential. Thus, it is important for schools to set reasonably high expectations on students and
provide the right level of support in order to motivate them to make consistent effort in their learning.

Instruction
To be able to provide the right level of support, teachers’ instruction plays an important role. Quality
instruction is reflected by teachers’ ability to respond appropriately and flexibly to students’ different needs.
Teachers adjust their teaching strategies to support individual students’ learning. For example, they may use co-
operative learning in some tasks and provide multi-sensory stimuli in some other tasks. To exercise such sound
judgements, teachers need to possess rich knowledge and skills in using different strategies and content to
improve every student’s learning and achievement. Such knowledge and skills can help them make professional
decisions on the most appropriate teaching strategies to support students under different circumstances.

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 High Expectations High Support

Catering for Learner Diversity

Quality Instruction

School practices
The three school cases offer different insights into how students’ diverse needs can be met through strategic
curriculum planning, quality instruction and appropriate assessments. In the school cases, clear learning
targets and expectations are set for all students at curriculum level so that students have a clear picture of
where they are heading and how to make progress. Core and extended teaching content is designed with
basic competencies included to ensure that every student can develop essential knowledge and skills and
the potential of more able students can be stretched. Greater variety in learning input and output can be
incorporated into the school-based curriculum to provide more differentiation for students with diverse needs.

The school cases have also included a number of teaching strategies which are flexibly used based on students’
specific needs: explicit teaching of language skills, teachers’ quality demonstrations, use of graphic organisers
(e.g. story map, five senses), adjusting the level of difficulty of input in a progressive manner, multi-sensory
teaching, use of interesting content to engage unmotivated students, experiential learning, differentiated
language tasks, assigning different roles to students with different needs in activities, thinking aloud (e.g. use
of syntax surgery) to understand the thinking process in reading, etc. Teachers’ instruction that attends to
learning styles and the needs of students can remove barriers to learning and support individual students to
achieve more academically. The assessments (use of success criteria, alternative assessments, differentiated
internal examination papers, etc.) illustrated in the school cases are aligned with learning and teaching as a
cycle. They are also examples of how teachers can help each student make improvement through assessment
for learning.

Conclusion
Respecting and valuing individual differences means that autonomy is given to all students so that they
can make choices to pursue their interests and develop their potential. Schools need to be committed to
developing the talent of individual students by providing them with challenging learning opportunities. With a
firm belief that there are different pathways for students, teachers are capable of making a difference in each
student’s learning.

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 Supporting the literacy development of diverse learners:
From theory to practice
Background
Literacy skills enable students to read, write and think with independence, comprehension and fluency and
these skills are essential for students’ success in school and in life. English teachers from Christ College and
PAOC Ka Chi Secondary School are aware of the need to support the literacy development of their students
starting from their junior years of school; however, they encounter difficulties in teaching literacy skills to
students with diverse learning needs. Although students in the junior forms are streamed into different ability
groups, teachers find that students’ English language abilities vary considerably among classes. Apart from
this, students are very diverse in terms of interests, motivations, cognitive abilities, learning styles and readiness
levels. As teachers are faced with learner diversity between classes and within classes, they hope to improve
learning effectiveness of individual students by employing strategies that cater for their diverse needs.

Levels
S1-2

Strategies used and implementation details

When it comes to addressing learner differences, there is no one-size-fits-all approach and strategy. A wide
range of effective strategies supported by valid research evidence indicating that intervention works has been
tried out in the two schools over the past two years to maximise student learning. The following table outlines
some of the strategies adopted by teachers and the reasons why they should be put in place, supplemented
with examples of classroom practices showing how these strategies are implemented in the classroom.

Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

I. Giving students an active role 1. Teaching students how to preview a text

in the pre-reading stage to - Before reading a text, teachers trained students to follow some
promote active engagement steps to read around the text to get a sense of what it would be
Struggling or immature readers about. First, look at the pictures and captions to see what they
are usually passive readers who present. Then, see if there are maps, charts or graphs. Next, look
start reading without preparation at the titles, headings, and sub-headings to get the big ideas.
and read without knowing why After that, read the first and last line of each paragraph for more
and how to approach a text, while information.
effective readers set a purpose
for reading and activate their 2. Using KWL to activate prior knowledge and engage students
schema before reading. Being - In the Unit “Festivals”, before students read the textbook passage,
an active reader is important they were asked to write what they already knew about the two
because prior knowledge can help festivals in the first column (activating prior knowledge).
readers become ready to assimilate - Students were then asked to write down what they wanted to learn
new information, which in turns more about the festivals in the second column (having a purpose
improve the chance of a successful for reading and active engagement).
learning experience and retention - After reading the text, students wrote what they had learned and
(Wendling & Mather, 2009). It is shared their ideas with the whole class (active engagement).

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

therefore necessary to teach

students to set a purpose for
reading and to bring their prior
knowledge to the reading situation
to aid comprehension. It is also
essential for students to predict
the information to be read as
research shows that when students
make predictions, their interest KWL Prediction Table
in the reading materials and their
3. Using a Prediction Table to encourage students to make
understanding increase (Beers,
predictions
2003).
- After previewing a text but before reading it in depth, students
were asked to look at some sentences about the topic and predict if
they are true or false using their prior knowledge and the clues they
got through previewing the text.
- To sustain their interest and concentration, students were asked to
check if their predictions were right and find evidence from the text
to support their answers after reading each paragraph.

II. Explicit teaching of reading 1. Implementing explicit reading strategy instruction

strategies and strategy - Teachers followed four steps in helping students develop various
training reading skills and strategies in reading lessons:
Research says that students with i. Direct explanation: Teachers explained to students why the
learning difficulties need explicit strategy helps comprehension and when to apply the strategy.
instruction. According to various ii. Modelling: Teachers modelled, or demonstrated, how to apply
studies (National Reading Panel, the strategy, by “thinking aloud” while reading the text that the
2000; Pressley, 2000), explicitly students were using.
teaching students even one iii. Guided practice: It refers to teacher-scaffolded use of the
strategy for comprehending a text strategies. Teachers guided and assisted students as they learned
can improve their comprehension. how and when to apply the strategy.
Thus, it is necessary for teachers iv. Application: Teachers helped students practise the strategy until
to help students with literacy they could apply it independently.
difficulties to learn how to read and - Teachers followed these steps consistently.
improve reading comprehension - Teachers built in opportunities for students to have regular practices
through explicit reading instruction. in lessons to become more independent readers.

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

III. Guiding students to think 1. Developing reading skills and strategies through syntax
when reading through syntax surgery
surgery ﹣ Before the reading lesson, teachers examined the text to be taught
As reading itself is a thinking closely to identify the skills or elements of the text that need to
process, which can be very be emphasised and decided on what reading skills and strategies
complex, think aloud is an effective students could develop through the text.
way for teachers to demonstrate - During the reading lesson, teachers guided students to interact with
to students how to think when the text through lifting text and think-aloud.
reading. However, some students - Teachers shared the thinking processes explicitly with written marks
find it hard just to hear their by identifying connections between ideas and contextual clues like
teacher think through a text and how pronouns were related to nouns and how the context and
they need to see the teacher’s various linguistic clues could be used to work out the meaning of
thinking and how she makes unknown words and make inferences.
connections in the text. Syntax - Apart from modelling, teachers guided students to reason through
surgery can benefit these learners. text by engaging them in oral responses.
It is a way to show learners what - When students couldn’t answer their questions, teachers rephrased
good readers do when interacting their questions and used effective feedback and prompts to guide
with the text through lifting text students to find out clues from the text to answer their questions.
and providing notation during a - When reasoning through text, teachers cleared up misconceptions,
think-aloud. Through using codes clarified ideas and monitored students’ comprehension.
and lifting text, students can see - Teachers engaged students in re-readings with different purposes
and hear the strategies and skills of for enhanced comprehension.
reading as the thinking is mapped - Teachers provided opportunities for students to do syntax surgery
out on the text (Beers, 2003). with a gradual reduction of support from the teacher.
Through constant practice with
the teacher, students can learn
how to think as they read and
they can continue reading with
understanding on their own.

Sample syntax surgery Teacher doing syntax surgery

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

IV. Making meaningful and 1. Moving from text deconstruction to text construction
explicit connections between ﹣ In the Unit “Shopping”, before students wrote a pamphlet of
reading and writing to a shopping mall, teachers guided students to analyse closely a
facilitate learning pamphlet they had read previously in the reading lesson.
One of the ways to teaching ﹣ Students deconstructed the pamphlet by digging out the resources
students how to learn effectively that they could transfer to their writing like the overall organisation
is through making meaningful of the pamphlet, vocabulary, grammar, persuasive language and
connections (Kiewra, 2009) sentence patterns with the help of a handout.
and linking new information
to previously learned concepts
(Wendling & Mather, 2009). As
there is a strong connectedness
between reading and writing,
numerous reading to write and
writing to read activities can be
used to facilitate students to
develop literacy skills (Hirvela, Text deconstruction Framework for writing

2004). To promote reading to ﹣ After all the components were uncovered, teachers reinforced
write, teachers can design activities the teaching of the components and helped students see the
that require students to explore the connections between what they found in the text and what they
meaningful connections between would write.
what they have read and what they ﹣ Students were guided to use the components they had dug out
are going to write. Since reading from the pamphlet to design a new shopping mall with the help of
provides a rich source of linguistic a framework that has the same overall organisation.
and rhetorical input for writing,
2. Learning how to organise and generate ideas to write from
the connection between reading
reading
and writing will enable students to
- Before students wrote a diary, teachers revisited the diary students
acquire vocabulary, grammatical
had previously read.
structures of rhetorical features
- Teachers guided students to find out what the writer did for the
of text and then transfer them to
whole day by completing a diagram in the form of a timeline with
writing.
question prompts like what, who, where, when and how.
- After students completed the diagram,
teachers shared with students they could
use the same organising framework to
plan what they wanted to write in their
diary.
- Students were then guided to organise and
generate their ideas for their writing using
the same timeline with the same prompts.
- Teachers reinforced the teaching of the
past tense and text organisation with the
To writing:
From reading : completed timeline reading input before students wrote.
students’ own timeline

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

V. Employing a wide range of 1. Using “KISS” to consolidate and retain vocabulary learned in
activities to cater for multiple multi-sensory channels
intelligences, different - After learning new words, students filled in the table: KISS stands
learning styles and specific for: Key vocabulary; Information; Sound; Shape.
learning needs - Visual aids “O” and “o” and “_ _” help students with stressed and
Gardner (1993) suggests that unstressed sounds and syllabication while pictures students draw
people have eight different themselves help them store and retrieve the words learned.
intelligences such as linguistic
intelligence and bodily kinesthetic
intelligence. While individuals
possess strengths in different KISS – student work
domains, they also have different
learning preferences. For example, 2. Using visual and logical intelligence to plan an itinerary with
auditory learners learn best through a map
hearing, but visual learners learn - In the unit “Nature”, apart from using
effectively through visual displays. a writing frame to plan when to go,
For students with specific learning, where to go, what to see and do in an
multi-sensory teaching is effective itinerary, students were given a map
as the coordination of input from to plan visually where to go first and
all the senses helps them organise w h e re t o g o s e c o n d . T h e m a p a l s o
and retain their learning. As helped them think more logically if the Student’s map

different people learn best in suggested route made sense or not.

different situations, teachers need 3. Presenting ideas through visual and auditory means
to design activities that appeal to - Teachers used songs, movie clips, realia, and powerpoint slides with
students’ different strengths and animation to enhance learning motivation and efficiency.
channel their learning styles to
stimulate learning, sustain interest 4. Using graphic organisers to promote logical intelligence
and foster student success. effectively
- Students were taught how to use various graphic organisers to
summarise or generate ideas in reading and writing lessons.

5. Using group activities to promote interpersonal intelligence

- Students played a betting game where they had to discuss with
their group members and bet on the given sentences being correct
or not.

6. Enhancing kinesthetic learners’ motivation and participation

﹣ Students participated in a jigsaw activity
Student learning how to generate
ideas using a mind map putting different cards in the correct
order to form a notice in the reading
lesson. Students decided on what they
should write in the introduction, body
and conclusion of a notice in the pre-writing lesson by matching the
cards in their hands to the board.

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

VI. Careful selection and 1. Providing a variety of scaffolding activities to prepare

sequence of learning activities students for staging a fashion show
to provide better scaffolding ﹣ In the Unit “Fashion”, teachers explicitly shared the expected
through backward planning learning outcomes with students by showing them a clip of a
Apart from employing a wide fashion show staged by students from another school.
variety of activities, teachers should ﹣ To prepare students for the fashion show, it was interspersed with
ensure the activities selected are pre-task activities which were carefully sequenced to provide a
connected and sequenced in a scaffold for students to progressively build their knowledge and
way that provides a scaffold for skills. Examples are given below:
individual students to acquire the • Learning fashion and
knowledge and skills necessary clothing items through
for achieving the learning reading and listening
outcomes. Scaffolding is of critical • Using organisers to organise
importance as it is one important clothing items and adjectives
principle that enables teachers to with visuals
accommodate individual student • Sounding out and
needs (Kame’enui et.al, 2002). remembering the vocabulary
Backward planning is the first step learned using phonics skills
to scaffolding. Teachers should • Learning the order
first consider the skills that students of adjectives through
need to reach the learning goals kinesthetic activities
and continue to provide scaffolding • Drawing and labelling
to bridge students’ needs with the models using the target
learning goals along their learning vocabulary
process. • Describing their models
using the target sentence
structures and adjectives
• Learning how to write a
fashion script through text
deconstruction and using
what they had previously
learned
• Putting up a mini-fashion
show in class and an inter-
class fashion show contest
in the hall

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

VII. Using assessment data to 1. Making effective use of data to inform instruction and
inform teaching and learning learning
Using assessment data is one of ﹣ A pre-test, developed through the adaptation of TSA past papers,
the keys to implement effective was piloted in S1 and S2 to identify strengths and diagnose
differentiated teaching. With weaknesses of students’ performance in reading, through
clear assessment information triangulation with the internal assessment and observational data.
about students’ strengths and ﹣ After identifying the specific reading skills students in different
weaknesses, teachers can plan classes were weak in, teachers planned accordingly which skills to
accordingly based on what develop and what strategies to use in different classes.
students’ differences are, what
they know and what they can do
and adjust their teaching for their
group of students (James & Brown,
1998).

Apart from using assessment

information for planning, it should Analysis of pre-test data
be used as constructive feedback
to scaffold student learning. - Reading plans were devised with focus questions to help students in

Feedback is most effective when different classes develop the reading skills identified.

it is timely and directly relates to - Quizzes and tests, with a focus on the identified areas of concern,

students’ prior learning. This kind were set to assess students’ progress in reading and to determine if

of quality feedback will motivate re-teaching was necessary.

students to move on, help them 2. Making use of data to give responsive feedback in post-
take more responsibility for their writing
own learning and become more - After marking students’ composition, teachers collated the common
active learners. mistakes found in students’ writing and gave students timely and
specific feedback. They re-taught what students could not master
to help them overcome their specific weaknesses.

Students corrected common mistakes found in their class in post-writing lesson.

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 Strategy used and rationale Example of classroom practice and implementation detail

VIII. Variation in the input, 1. Varying the content to be covered

process and product - When planning the units, teachers varied what students needed to
According to Tomlinson (1999), the learn to match their readiness and abilities. For example, the less
learning, content, process, product able classes were taught one reading text and the core reading skills
can be differentiated to create and vocabulary only while the stronger classes were taught the core
different learning experiences for and extended vocabulary and reading skills and two reading texts.
students with different abilities, - How much grammatical information different classes would
readiness, interests and learning receive was also varied. In the Unit “Fashion”, less able students
preferences. were taught how to put only three different types of adjectives in
a correct order while more able students were taught how to put
To put this in practice, teachers
more than three types of adjectives in a correct order.
need to understand students’
learning needs to vary the learning 2. Varying the teaching and learning process
objectives, expand or reduce i . Varying the instructional materials
the learning content, adjust the - The textbook passages were simplified by reducing the complexity
instructional materials and the of syntactic structures and adding more contextual clues to them.
demands of the expected output - Some worksheets were graded and students could choose the levels
accordingly. of challenge they wanted to work at.

ii. Varying the teaching approaches

- Students sat in groups in reading lessons and competed to answer
questions when the teacher was doing syntax surgery.
- Cooperative learning was used. Each student in a group was given
a number. When the teacher called a number, students having
the same number needed to answer a question or do a task
immediately.

iii. Varying the learning activities and tasks

- Different activities like miming games, information gap activities
were used depending on students’ needs.

Introducing 2 shops in a pamphlet 3. Varying the demands of the expected output

- In the Unit “Shopping”, students with higher cognitive, linguistic
abilities and motivation were required to include four shops in their
pamphlets while less able students were only required to include
two shops.

Introducing 4 shops in a pamphlet

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 Impact on teaching and learning
With teachers’ concerted effort, students’ learning motivation and learning efficiency have been
enhanced. Teachers noticed that students became more actively involved in class activities. The Unit on
“Fashion” was very well-received in both schools and students were able to demonstrate their learning through
different activities. The inter-class fashion show contest in Christ College was a big success, and teachers were
delighted to see that both the more able and less able students were well prepared for the show. Students
were also more engaged in reading lessons. They participated more actively in oral responses when teachers
asked them to think for the answers during reading, and the more able students were able to look for evidence
to support their answers. Even when students had difficulty in understanding a text, they were more willing to
interact with it and make guesses instead of giving it all up.

With the use of different teaching and learning strategies, students have made improvement in both
reading and writing. From teachers’ observations and internal assessment data, students were able to
master some essential but basic reading strategies that help them improve their reading comprehension, such
as identifying main ideas. Even the weaker learners mastered some basic reading skills like following pronoun
references and locating specific information. From the analysis of students’ writing, their work improved
in terms of content and organisation. Students were able to write longer texts and they showed a better
understanding of the features and organisation of different text types.

Teachers’ repertoire of strategies to cater for learner diversity has expanded. In their reflections,
they shared that they have gained more insights into differentiated instruction. They have also gained more
confidence and experience in using a wider range of teaching strategies to suit the needs of different learners.
Encouraged by students’ positive responses, they are convinced that devoting time to planning a differentiated
curriculum is a worthy endeavor, which will certainly help students move more smoothly on the road to the
senior secondary curriculum.

Teachers have gained a better understanding of how to teach reading skills and strategies explicitly and
they have come to realise the importance of establishing meaningful links between reading and writing to help
students become better writers. The collaboration has also enhanced teachers’ assessment literacy. Teachers
now are more inclined to use different types of data to reflect on teaching and learning and they can design
quality assessment tasks with reference to the Basic Competency (BC) descriptors to inform teaching and
learning.

Facilitating Factors
The principals and panel chairpersons were supportive to the collaborating teachers and space was created
for them to differentiate the school-based curriculum. The collaborative planning periods facilitated
the teachers to plan each unit in detail. With an understanding that teachers should not rush through
the curriculum at the expense of student learning, flexibility was allowed for the teachers to exercise their
professional judgment in varying the learning content, process and product according to students’ needs and
abilities, which brought about more effective teaching and learning.

Collaboration would not have been possible without the involvement of enthusiastic teachers who hold a
firm belief that maximising individual students’ potential is their major responsibility. They devoted
time and effort to planning and implementing a differentiated curriculum, and monitoring and evaluating the
progress of students. The success of the collaboration is also attributed to teachers’ open-mindedness to new

238
teaching strategies, consistent use of the strategies in class and continuous reflections on what could be done
to better cater for students’ diverse learning needs.

The teachers made vigorous use of data at different stages of curriculum planning. They triangulated
the data from the pre-test, internal assessment data and observational data to get an accurate picture of
students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading. With the data obtained, they were able to plan accordingly
which skills they should focus on developing and what strategies should be used to address the problems
identified. This also enabled the teachers to plan the reading curriculum more holistically.

Way forward
The relationship between planning, teaching, and assessment should be seen as a continuous cycle. After
obtaining the internal assessment data from the final examination and the data from the post-test, which
will be conducted in June with an aim to track students’ learning progress, a new cycle of planning,
implementation and evaluation cycle will start. It is hoped that all the information will give teachers more
insights into how to plan the curriculum to better address the issue of learner diversity.

References
Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do. Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. New York: Basic Books.

Hirvela, A. (2004). Connecting Reading and Writing in Second Language Writing Instruction. Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press.

James, F., & Brown, K. (1998). Effective Differentiation. London: Collins.

Kame’enui, E. J., Carnine, D. W., Dixon, R. C., Simmons, D. C., & Coyne, M. D. (2002). Effective Teaching
Strategies That Accommodate Diverse Learners. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Merrill.

Kiewra, K.A. (2009). Teaching How to Learn: The Teacher’s Guide to Student Success. Singapore: Corwin Press.
Mercer, N.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-
based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Pressley, M.(2000). What Should Comprehension Instruction be the Instruction of? In M. L. Kamil, P. B.
Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research, Volume III (pp545-561). Mahwah
NJ: Erlbaum.

Tomlinson, C. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Alexandra, VA:
ASCD.

Wendling, B., & Mather, N.(2009). Essentials of Evidence-based Academic Interventions. New York: Wiley.

Christ College
PAOC Ka Chi Secondary School
Ken CHIANG (Language Support Officer)

239
 Supporting junior secondary students with different
language abilities and needs for the NSS
Background
Teachers of this school have shown much concern about meeting the diverse needs of more able, average and
less able students at junior secondary level and improving their language skills in order to prepare them for
the NSS. They have tried to cater for students’ different needs and help them build a firm foundation through
effective curriculum planning, specific learning and teaching strategies and assessment.

Levels
S1-3

Strategies used

Curriculum planning

1. Include language arts and non-language arts elements in the formal and informal curricula to
provide more variety for students with different interests and learning styles

Language arts (LA) and non-language arts (non-LA) elements have been progressively included at junior
secondary level to cater for students with different interests and learning styles and prepare them for the
Elective Part in the NSS. Instead of relying solely on textbook materials, teachers use LA and non-LA text
types and activities to motivate students to learn English inside and outside the classroom. The following
LA and non-LA elements have been included in S1-S3 to provide students with more variety in learning
content and activities:

Level Formal curriculum Informal curriculum

LA Non-LA Non-LA

S1 • Short stories Workplace English (buying Olympics Fair with a focus on buying
& selling) and selling of souvenirs and introducing
• Drama
tourist spots in Hong Kong

S2 • Poems Workplace English (ordering /

goods)
• Fables

S3 • Poems & songs Workplace English (hotel An activity on hotel English

check in)

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2. Include core and extended learning content in S1-S3 curriculum plans to meet students’
different needs and abilities

To stretch every student’s potential, teachers often include differentiated content in every unit at junior
secondary level based on three levels of difficulty - level one (with one asterisk*) for all students, level
two (with two asterisks**) for average students and level three (with three asterisks***) for more able
students. Basic competencies (BCs) for every unit have also been progressively included in the S3 whole-
year plan to ensure that every student can develop important language skills in a step-by-step manner.

BCs included in one of the units Three levels of differentiated content for different
ability groups

Learning and teaching strategy

1. Make use of experiential learning to maximise different students’ potential

In this school, teachers maximise students’ potential through extending their learning outside the
classroom. For example, two large-scale co-curricular activities, “Olympics Fair” and “Places to Stay for
World Travellers” were held in 2007-2008 for S1 students and in 2009-2010 for S3 students. These
activities were based on two extended units covered in the classroom. More able, average and less
able students were given tasks with different cognitive and linguistic demands. Both activities focused
on workplace English and involved all classes at one level. Students with different needs and abilities
benefited differently from such experiential learning. Students with a kinesthetic learning style were very
motivated to learn English through such a hands-on experience. Weak students showed improvement
in their confidence whereas more able and average students could apply their skills in authentic and
complex contexts. Students with different abilities were able to use workplace English in the activities
with different levels of proficiency in order to achieve differentiated learning outcomes.

Two co-curricular activities

“Olympics Fair” (S1) and “Places to
Stay for World Travellers” (S3) on
workplace English have been held.

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 2. Design co-curricular activities with different expectations of students to help them make
progress at their own pace

To prepare for the two co-curricular English activities conducted in 2007 and 2009, “Olympics Fair”
and “Places to Stay for World Travellers”, easier and more difficult training packages were designed for
students with different abilities. Outside the classroom, they were expected to apply language skills
and workplace English with different levels of sophistication. More able and average students had to
take up the role of hotel receptionists, salesmen or tourist guides and perform demanding tasks in a
workplace context. Less able students performed easier tasks. A variety of roles (e.g. ushers, customers,
Olympic ambassadors, little tourist guides and supervisors in the S1 activity, and receptionists, concierges,
customers, bell boys, salespersons and supervisors in the S3 activity) with different levels of challenge were
assigned to students with different language abilities and needs. Awards were also given to students
playing different roles to recognise their achievements in the activities.

Awards to recognise students’

different achievements

3. Design differentiated classroom tasks to meet the needs of students with different starting
points

To help less able students develop very basic skills such as developing an awareness of vowel sounds,
syllables, phrases and clauses in sentences, teachers often use different colours to highlight vowel sounds,
individual syllables in words and different parts (e.g. subject, verb, object, connectives and important
phrases) in sentences. They also use funny pictures to aid their memory and provide them with more
visual stimulation. In helping less able students create fables last year, teachers encouraged them to draw
pictures to plan their stories. More S2 able and average students read poems written from an animal’s
and a master’s point of view. More able students also created their own poems using rhyming words and
personification.

A poem created by a
more able student
S1 Less able students learn vowel sounds through
gestures and pictures.

A fable created by
a less able student

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 Assessment

1. Include differentiation in the examination papers by designing easy and difficult parts as
options for students with different language abilities

In designing examination papers, teachers include a core part for all students and an easier as well as
a more difficult part for different students to choose. The easy and difficult parts carry different marks
similar to the design of some of the papers in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education. With
more differentiation in the examination papers, teachers can cater for the needs of more able, average
and less able students. More able students still find the questions challenging whereas weak students
find them manageable and can obtain a sense of achievement.

2. Provide different success criteria for assessing different students’ performance

Different success criteria were used for students taking up different roles in the co-curricular activities
“Olympic Fair” and “Places to Stay for World Travellers”. S6 students who played the role of supervisors
gave ratings and comments on their subordinates’ performance. Students playing the role of customers
also gave ratings and comments on the services offered to them.

What happened
The following shows an example of a unit with a focus placed on how to cater for learner diversity and
prepare different students for the Elective Part (e.g. the elective module “Learning English through Workplace
Communication”) in the NSS.

Level: S3 (2009-10)

Extended unit of the core unit “World Travellers”: Places to Stay for World Travellers

Purpose Lesson Activity & task done (the shaded box refers to learning outside the classroom)

Know 1-2 • Students learned unit objectives and the success criteria for the extended unit.
the hotel
• Students watched a video clip on hotel reception as a lead-in activity and
context
brainstormed hotel-related vocabulary items in class.

• Students learned names of different jobs in a hotel setting & the proper ways to
serve customers.

How to 2 • Students learned customers' common questions and used some short dialogues for
serve your practice.
customers
• In pairs, students played different roles (more challenging roles such as
receptionists, customers and concierges were assigned to more able & average
students whereas less challenging roles such as security guides and bell boys were
assigned to less able students) using the short dialogues given.

• Students acted out the dialogues in class. Teacher and peers gave feedback.

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 Learn how 2 The following part was learned by strong and average classes:
to check • Students learned check-in procedures.
in & build • In pairs, students practised and acted out the check-in dialogue. They acted out
a positive the dialogue in class.
image for
• Students read the memo sent by the General Manager of the hotel and learned
the hotel
how to improve the quality of their services.
• Students discussed how front office staff members can improve services.
• Students learned the criteria for appraising the performance of receptionists and
concierges.

Welcome 2 hours • All students listened to the briefing given by supervisors and the General Manager.
customers (S6 students)
arriving at • Students played different roles at Catholic Ming Yuen Hotel. They performed
Catholic different tasks and gave feedback on the services afterwards.
Ming
The different roles played by students:
Yuen
- Supervisors (more able students)
Hotel
- Receptionists (more able students)
- Concierges (more able & average students)
- Customers (more able & average students)
- Bell boys (less able students)
- Security guards (less able students)

Impact
1. More able and average students found the learning content and activities suitably challenging whereas less
able students were able to complete the tasks that had been designed especially for them. It was found that
a greater variety of activities and more differentiation in learning content such as including language arts
and non-language arts elements in the curriculum design could cater for the varied learning styles and needs
of students. Even students with special educational needs could create their own fables with pictures drawn
to show the themes of their written work. More able and average students created very interesting poems
from the point of view of an animal.

2. More able, average and even less able students all participated very actively in the co-curricular activities
“Olympics Fair” and “Places to Stay for World Travellers” to apply workplace English and prepare for
the Elective Part in the NSS. Despite their varied needs and abilities, they found their English learning
experiences very meaningful and enjoyable as they could have a taste of workplace English in authentic
situations.

3. There was much peer learning in the learning process. More able students were able to support weaker
students to develop more confidence in using English in the activities. Students with different abilities could
benefit from English activities by playing different roles assigned to them. Different ability groups also found
the different success criteria manageable and showed confidence in achieving them.

4. Through better curriculum design and more differentiation in teaching strategies, content and assessments,
English teachers developed more confidence in tackling the issue of learning diversity and preparing students
with different language abilities for the NSS.

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Facilitating factors
Teachers’ willingness to make flexible adjustments in curriculum design, teaching strategies and
assessments
Teachers have shown willingness to take a very positive step towards addressing the issue of learner diversity
by extending students’ learning beyond the textbook. Teachers enriched all students’ learning by introducing
a variety of learning materials, activities and authentic experiences related to workplace English; and supported
the learning of different groups by assigning different roles to them, designing different assessment tasks and
setting different success criteria. All these took extra time and efforts.

Making varied cognitive and linguistic demands on students with different starting points to help
them improve and prepare for the NSS
In designing different English tasks and activities, teachers have set different expectations of students by
adjusting the level of difficulty appropriately to suit their linguistic level. Thus, students with different starting
points could make progress at different speeds. This greatly motivated less able students to learn and will
hopefully contribute towards sustaining all students’ interest in learning English at senior secondary levels in
the future.

School’s culture of valuing diversity and students as individuals

Teachers at this school often show much love and patience in teaching less able students, especially those with
special educational needs. They are willing to do a lot of extra work to help them develop basic language skills
and confidence in learning English. Both the Principal and the teachers share a common goal of providing
maximum learning opportunities for every student. Premising on this shared goal, a direction of curriculum
development has been set, i.e. to offer varieties in the learning content and methods; and to set different
expectations and to provide support for different ability groups, including those with special educational needs.

Difficulties and suggestions

At this school, teachers have explored different aspects to cater for learner diversity including curriculum
design, learning and teaching strategies and assessment methods. However, they have found it challenging
to create enough space to work on these different areas at the same time. With some experience gained in
handling the issue of learner diversity, it is expected that they may concentrate more on effective approaches
and modify those approaches that were not so effective in the past. A curriculum review may be conducted at
Key Stage 3 and school-based experiences in catering for learner diversity over the years can be conceptualised
to develop a quality school-based junior secondary English Language curriculum that can support the varied
needs of students and prepare them for the NSS. The next challenge is perhaps how the needs and potential
of the students can be addressed and further stretched at senior secondary levels.

Reference
The Curriculum Development Council. (2002). English Language Education: KLA Curriculum Guide (P1-S3).
HKSAR: The Education Department.

Catholic Ming Yuen Secondary School

Amy POON (Language Support Officer)

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 Catering for learner diversity in the context of the NSS

Background
Learner diversity in the context of the NSS has become an acute issue to be resolved by teachers at senior
secondary level. In the old “3+3+2” system with about a third of students proceeding to the matriculation
level, the ability range was narrower and senior students in general were more motivated. Now that all
students receive six years of secondary education, some teachers are facing a big challenge – addressing
diversity in students’ motivation and ability.

This article shares the experience of two schools in coping with the challenges of learner diversity. STFA
Seaward Woo College focusses on the strategies which the English Department has adopted to stretch the
potential of average and higher ability students. Yuen Long Catholic Secondary School focusses on how
teachers have motivated and improved their students’ English standards.

Levels
S4-5

Strategies used and what happened

Differentiated instruction
Tomlinson (1999) suggests that the key content and skills students learn should remain steady. Trimming
down the curriculum may deprive less proficient students’ right to learn the essentials. Instead, it is necessary
for teachers to differentiate their instruction according to students’ readiness, interest and learning profile to
help them achieve the learning targets. Clear learning targets allow teachers and students to see where the
destination is.

School Case 1: STFA Seaward Woo College

1. Holistic Planning to create space for differentiated instruction
Related components in the Compulsory and Elective Parts were aligned. Elective components were infused
into each module or textbooks to create time and space for teachers to differentiate their instructions.

Compulsory Part Elective Part

1. Reading a sci-fi “The Learning English through Short

Diminisher” (Anthology) Stories
Using the sci-fi “The Diminisher” as
2. Writing a blog entry – Your
the context to introduce
friend was locked in the
• ways of narration
school library and he sent
• functions of dialogues
you a message to ask you
• rules of writing good dialogues
to rescue him

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2. Differentiating instruction flexibility to help individual students achieve different learning targets
Strategy used What happened

• Providing opportunities Pre-writing stage

for students to apply the 1. The writing questions were carefully chosen. Students were able to apply
knowledge and skills the knowledge and skills of the Elective Part which were introduced right
before they were given the writing tasks.
• Teaching in small steps

• Using a variety of 2. Teachers did task analysis and broke the writing tasks into 8 steps.
strategies to help students Teachers demonstrated the steps until the students could eventually pick
tackle the writing them up and use them as routine. As the goal was to develop students
questions into independent learners, teachers gradually removed the amount of
- graphic organisers support given to students. The same steps and graphic organisers (different
- repetition graphic organisers for social issues & short stories) were given to students
- explicit teaching every time they did their writing.

• Establishing routines 3. For weaker groups, more scaffolding tasks were given to them to prepare
them for the writing. Each group might have different scaffolding tasks as
• Adjusting teacher support
students’ weaknesses and strengths differed.
according to students’
readiness 4. A Feedback Form (designed by teachers)
• Making use of scaffolding was given to students before they started
tasks which help students writing. Assessment criteria were clearly
who require extra help listed. Elective elements were included.
There were different criteria for writing
• Providing students with
questions on different electives. Students
clear learning targets and
knew that was expected of them and what
clear assessment criteria
they could do to achieve higher levels.

• Providing students with Post-writing stage

vocabulary of different In the feedback session, teachers used the feedback form to give
levels of difficulty constructive feedback. By reading teachers’ rating and comments, students
knew their strengths and weaknesses and the areas they could improve.
• Making use of elective
Bonus marks were given to students who were able to apply the focus
related materials to create
elective components in their writing.
contexts for provoking
thinking with regard to Task 1: Students proofread the verb forms to improve their language (L)
language use • Students were given a table with different categories of common mistakes
• Allowing students to make (verbs) and a piece of writing of their classmates to spot one mistake for
choices to pursue their each category from the writing. More able groups worked individually
own interests whereas average students worked in pairs or groups. OR

• Using students’ work to • Students filled in the blanks with correct forms of verbs. They showed
h e l p t h e m a p p re c i a t e the teachers the answers once they had finished. Teachers told them
good ideas/work and which answers were wrong and they went back to correct the mistakes.
motivate students to make This was done until five students got the answers all correct. (A boring
improvement grammar exercise was turned into a competition/game. Students also got
chances to correct their own mistakes.)

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 • Using a variety of activities Task 2: Replacing words with synonyms to avoid repetition
to cater for students with (i) Students were given a piece of sample writing to read. For weaker
different learning styles groups, the writing was divided into chunks and students were asked to
(visual, auditory and sequence the chunks. (kinesthetic)
kinesthetic)

• Providing students with

clear expectations by
giving different exemplars
of good writing

(ii) The repeated words were highlighted (was locked, mobile, starving, food).
Students replaced them with synonyms. The sophistication of vocabulary
varied according to students’ ability.

Task 3: Using dialogues to improve content (C) and language (L)

(i) Functions of dialogues were revised.
(ii) Students identified the speakers’ tone, feelings and personality in some
dialogues (including some students’ work). (Pre-taught/revised the
adjectives describing tone, feelings and personality if necessary.)
Variation of the task:
• Students were invited to read aloud/act out the dialogue with appropriate
tone and emotions. (kinesthetic)
• The dialogues were recorded and played in class for students to identify
the speakers’ tone, feelings and personality. (auditory)
• Students were asked to visualise the dialogues. (visual)
(iii) Students were asked to select at least one dialogue and inserted it/them
into the sample writing.

Task 4: Working out a surprising Some of the endings:

ending to improve content (C) ~ It was the April Fool’s Day…
~ The library was dark. We could not see
and organisation (O) each other. Suddenly, ‘Surprised!’ shouted
Chris. ‘Happy Birthday, Sam!’ I saw Chris
• Posters with different endings
carrying a birthday cake with candles on
were stuck around the classroom. it. Mary got some drinks. Tom brought
my favourite fried chicken wings. Chris
Students read all the endings was playing a trick on me again. Anyway,
and put a sticker on the poster thank you my friends. I love you all.
~ When I woke up the next day, I received
with their favourite ending. a message from Chris again, ‘A friend in
need is a friend indeed’.
(kinesthetic) OR
~ I was so happy to see Chris in the library.
Suddenly, BANG! The library door closed
• Discussion: Each group came up again with the key staying outside. Both
Chris and I were locked again. Who should
with their favourite ending with we call now?
Dialogues (Students’ work) justification.

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 For weaker classes
Teachers could pick a few endings and polish them with students before
showing them to other students. (E.g. if ideas could be further developed,
teachers could guide the writers to do so; if language was the problem,
teachers could guide the writer to proofread.)

e.g. A student’s work:

"Mary was locked in the library. She found a mobile phone. Sam’s number
was the only number she could find in the phone and so Mary sent him a
message."

The teacher discussed with the student whether the idea was logical and
finally the student came up with the following ending:

“When I arrived at the library, I couldn’t find Chris but Mary, who kept
dating me out in the previous weeks. Have been rejected by me several
times, Mary borrowed my friend Chris’ phone and made up such “a rescue
plan”. Oh! My God! Will anyone save me?”

Extended task for higher ability students

• Using more complex sentence structure: present participle phrases

• Revisiting the knowledge Assignment

and skills to allow students Effective use of assignments can
to learn at their own pace enhance and consolidate classroom
learning and teaching (develop
knowledge, skills and attitudes,
foster students’ ability and self-
discipline to work independently).

Instead of doing newspaper cutting

exercises like writing a summary A social issues worksheet:
headline, using 5W questions to summarise
and feelings about the news and the news, related social issues, causes, effects,
checking meanings for a few new solutions of the issues and reflections

vocabulary items, students completed

the social issues worksheets after
reading the news articles.

Instead of writing book reports,

students completed the short stories
worksheets after reading stories.

If students missed out or were

not ready for some parts, they
A short stories worksheet:
always had a chance to revisit the characters (personality, appearance, character
knowledge and skills when they change); setting (when, where, 5 senses); plot
(climax, ending); message(s); how is the story
were ready. related to me?

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 Facilitating factors and impact
1. The curriculum team worked with concerted efforts in creating curriculum space and time for effective
teaching and learning by aligning related components in the Compulsory and Elective Parts.

2. Each S4 & S5 English teacher took up a part in each module. Their passion and commitment is the key
to cope with the workload brought by differentiated instructions. Collaborative lesson planning lessons
allowed teachers to plan, evaluate the curriculum together and share their teaching strategies to stretch the
students’ potentials. Through lesson observation, teachers were able to see how different strategies worked
on different groups of students.

3. Students got the direction and entry points (components in the Elective Part) of improving their own
performance by referring to the HKDSE rubrics, marking scheme and the feedback forms designed by
teachers. Most of them knew how to improve a piece of writing by working on three domains: content,
language and organisation. Most students showed improvement in the content and organisation domains.
This was reflected in students’ work, internal assessment results and learning attitude in class.

School Case 2: Yuen Long Catholic Secondary School

1. Selection of elective modules
Based on students’ readiness and interests, elective modules Learning English through Short Stories, Drama
and Workplace Communication were selected following the principles below:
i) Strong links with the Compulsory Part
ii) Alignment with the HKDSE requirements
iii) Relevance to students’ life
iv) Students’ interest
v) Manageable for students

2. Rationale for curriculum and learning/teaching design

The curriculum was designed in a way that adaptations could be made to support struggling learners (with
more scaffolding tasks) and stretch the potential of more able learners (with challenging part). Weaker
ones could also be exempted from some parts. The materials, activities and tasks were designed in a way to
arouse the learners’ interests. The knowledge and skills covered were the essential ones.

Some strategies were adopted:

• Curriculum tailoring: choice of materials of different levels of difficulties
• Systematic instructions
• Breaking down of teaching processes into smaller steps
• Progression of difficulty
• Use of multi-sensory activities and/or resources

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 Some samples:
Learning English through Drama Learning English through Short Stories

videos

The following shows an example of how an elective module was implemented in this school.

Strategy used What happened

• Selecting materials Part I Industries and Companies

related to students’ These are companies which S t u d e n t s l o v e d t h i s a c t i v i t y. Learner
everyday life and students come across in autonomy was involved. Teachers made use
students’ future career their everyday life. Students of this activity to introduce countries, cities,
to cater for individual w e re k e e n o n l e a r n i n g workplaces, jobs, working hours and salary.
students’ interests how to pronounce these
companies’ names.
• Designing activities
and tasks to meet
the needs of students
with different learning
styles (visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, etc.)

• Learning through
activities

• Allowing learner Teachers selected some jobs which

autonomy that could students might take in the future, e.g.
cater for their needs taxi driver, security guard, waiter/
and interests waitress, receptionist and cashier,
and showed students some useful
workplace conversations. Students
found these conversations practical
and were interested to learn some of
them.

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 • Selecting materials Part II Job hunting
related to students’ Students were interested in the job hunting part. They knew that they would
everyday life and have to look for one sooner or later. The following topics were covered:
students’ future career
☛Job advertisements ☛Application forms ☛Cover letters (optional)
to cater for individual
☛Resumes ☛Interviews
needs
Students did not have public exam results, testimonials or work experience. This
• Learning through
made it difficult for them to write their own resumes, cover letters or fill in the
activities
job application forms. Teachers decided to link this activity with Paper 3 in the
• Linking the knowledge Compulsory Part in which students were required to read the data file, locate
and skills covered in and draw relevant information to fill in forms or write letters. They gave the
the Elective Part to students a situation:
those in the Core Part
Your friend, Raymond Lam is going to apply for the job of Customer Service
Assistant at Yuen Long Plaza. Read the information and documents below
and help him fill in the application form and write his CV and cover letter.

The template of ID card, job advertisement, public exam result slip, school
testimonial, certificate and application form looked authentic. Students were
thrilled to read Raymond’s documents and were curious about his background.
They were engaged in reading the documents.

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 • Selecting materials Part III Project (to be implemented in May – September 2011)
related to students’ Part A: Setting up a company
everyday life and ☛company name ☛company logo ☛motto
students’ future career ☛information (telephone number, fax, address, email, website…)
to cater for individual
Part B: Designing a product and packaging
needs
Part C: Preparing promotional materials
• Designing activities ☛poster ☛leaflet
and tasks to meet ☛TV commercial (product: storyboard OR video clip of TV commercial)
the needs of students
Part D: Making sales presentation
with different learning
Each company introduces their company and sells their products.
styles
Students will then “buy” one product. The company which sells the
• Linking the knowledge largest amount of goods is the winner.
and skills covered in Part E: Handling a complaint from customers
the Elective Part to the The product each group “bought” from another company got some
Compulsory Part problems. Students have to write a letter of complaint to the company.
The companies have to respond to the complaints.
• Learning through
activities ★ Teacher provides all students in the class with the same task or exercise but
varies the output or the amount and form of support that he/she gives.
• Allowing learner
autonomy that could
cater for their needs
and interests

Facilitating factors and impact

1. The school used the English Enhancement Grant (EEG) to release the two members of NSS team to design
the school-based curriculum and materials for Elective Parts and try out different strategies to cater for
learner diversity.

2. Even weaker students loved the elective modules. They were engaged in the lessons. Some of them were
more willing to read, write and to speak. They found reading longer texts and writing more manageable
and became less reluctant to read and write. This encouraged the teachers to adopt different strategies to
cater for learner diversity.

3. Teachers rounded up each elective with HKDSE writing questions. They demonstrated how to use the things
learned in the Elective Part to tackle different types of HKDSE Paper 2 questions. The Elective Part and the
Compulsory Part were aligned.

Difficulties and suggestions

Teachers of both schools spent a lot of time on planning the new curriculum. As suggested by Curriculum
Development Council (2007), schools should leave a clear record of how the English Language curriculum has
been adapted in a particular year. The record must be passed on to the teachers in the following years so that
they know the needs of the students, and continuity in the school curriculum can be achieved.

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 Conclusion
Successful teaching requires two elements: students’ understanding and engagement (Tomlinson, 1999). The
two school cases demonstrated using high level of classroom interaction to engage students in active learning
and providing opportunities for students to think about, apply and demonstrate what they have learned
to deepen their understanding of the knowledge and skills. It is advisable for teachers at both schools to
document all the changes made in adapting the school-based curriculum in a systematic manner to sustain the
impact on learning and teaching in the future.

References
The Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. (2007).
English Language Education KLA: English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide (S4-6). HKSARG: The
Education and Manpower Bureau.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction. Education Leadership, 57(1), 12-
16.

STFA Seaward Woo College

Yuen Long Catholic Secondary School
Maria CHAN (Language Support Officer)

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