Strategic Use of Tasks and Exercises in the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Grammar at Primary Level (EE0315)

Transcription

1 Collaborative Research & Development ( Seed ) Project for Strategic Use of Tasks and Exercises in the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Grammar at Primary Level (EE0315) English Language Education Section Curriculum Development Institute Education Bureau 1

2 Myths about Grammar Learning and Teaching Practice makes perfect. Doing a lot of grammar exercises will help our children improve their English proficiency.? Learning English grammar is difficult and not meaningful to us. We like to learn English through games and activities. 2

3 Effective Grammar Learning and Teaching Grammar should be shown as a means to convey meaning / achieve an outcome rather than merely taught as a set of items and rules. Grammar learning is only meaningful and purposeful if it is used for effective communication rather than for the mastery of individual language forms. English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 6)(CDC, 2004), pp. 160 &163 3

4 Grammar Rules / Terms To teach or not to teach? Accordingtotheage of the learners and their cognitive development, teachers may decide to introduce a small number of useful and not overly complex grammar rules and terms to help them develop a conscious understanding of the language forms they are using. English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 6)(CDC, 2004), p

5 Project Aims: Project Objectives: To explore how to help primary students use appropriate grammar items and structures for meaningful communication through a task-based approach To understand the importance of learning and teaching grammar in context To use different strategies to introduce the target grammar items and structures in meaningful contexts and guide students to discover their forms and functions, meaning and use To design interesting grammar tasks and activities to help students master the use of the target grammar items for purposeful communication To understand the different functions of grammar tasks and exercises and explore effective ways to assess students grammar knowledge and skills To provide support to students in grammar learning and cater for their diverse learning needs and interests by incorporating e- resources in the English classroom 5

6 Project Design: Explore the use of e-resources to provide language samples for students to recognise the forms and use of the target grammar items and structures in context; Inductive Approach Design information gap activities for students to explore the use of the target grammar items and structures in context; Make use of exercises to provide practice and consolidate the language forms and function learnt; Apply the use of the target grammar items and structures for communication through meaningful tasks and activities; and Collect data about students performance against their grammar knowledge through designing relevant assessment activities. 6

7 Collect data about students learning and providing quality feedback for improvement Are there any opportunities for students to apply the grammar items and structures they have learnt in suitable communicative contexts? Does the design of assessment activities connect with daily learning and teaching? Do the questions only focus on assessing the mastery of language forms?

8 Project Title: Strategic Use of Tasks and Exercises in the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Grammar at Primary Level Project Code: EE0315 Duration: September 2015 to August

9 Seed Schools Seed schools are expected to: nominate 1 experienced and committed English teacher to be the project leader and identify a core group of teachers to form a Project Team; build on the school s existing GE programme and identify one primary level for the project tryout; consider how discussion and material development can fit into the level s current mode of collaborative lesson preparation; set aside a period of time in the scheme of work to try out the tasks and activities developed by the project teachers of the same school; and assist in the collection of evidence (covering tryout lessons, classroom observations, interviewing students/teachers) on the processes of change and impact on student learning. 9

10 Project Proposal [Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 12/2015 Staff Interflow Schemes 2015 (Appendix C in duplicate)] Send your application to: EDB Human Resources Management Unit 4/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices 2 Tim Mei Avenue Tamar, Hong Kong. (Application for Staff Interflow Schemes 2014) Deadline for Application: 18 March

11 Enquiries Administrative matters: Mr Paul LEE Professional matters: Ms Isabella HUNG

12 References Barbara Dykes (2007). Grammar for Everyone Practical tools for learning and teaching grammar. Batsone, R. (2004) Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press Beth Herbert (2012) Grammar Games: A Practical Guide to Teaching Grammar in Context ELT Journal, Vol.12, No.1 February 2012 Eli Hinkel & Sandra Fotos (2002). New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms Jennifer Harper & Brenda Stein Dzaldov (2011) Literacy Smarts: Simple Classroom Strategies for Using Interactive Whiteboards to Engage Students Nick Hall & John Shepheard, (1997) The Anti-grammar Grammar Book Rob Batstone (2012) Language form, task-based language teaching, and the classroom context ELT Journal, Vol.66/4 October 2012 Ronald Carter, Rebecca Hughes & Micheal McCarthy (2000) Exploring Grammar in Context. Spada, N. (2011) Beyond form-focused instruction: reflections on past, present and future research Language Learning 52/I: Tony Erben, Ruth Ban & Martha Castaneda (2009) Teaching English Language Learners through Technology 12