Newsletter No. 156

CUHK Newsletter No. 156 19th December 1999 3 Research Focus English Language Teaching in Hong Kong Schools Documenting the Realities Teaching with Cases In No r th American general teacher education programmes, detailed narrative accounts of teachers i n the midst of dilemmas are widely used to give prospective teachers an opportunity to reflect on important pedagogical issues. These problem- based cases are beginning to gain popularity in English language teaching educators. Developing Hong Kong's Own ELT Cases Here at The Chinese University, Prof. Jane Jackson of the Department of English and Prof. Cecilia Chun of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction are developing reality-based teaching cases for use i n teacher education programmes i n Ho ng Kong. These cases w i l l centre on the difficulties routinely faced by English language teachers i n local secondary schools f r om the perspectives of the teachers themselves. The cases w i l l focus on the teaching situations of local English teachers as well as expatriate teachers who are on the NET (Native English Teacher) scheme. The researchers hope that this collection of cases w i l l serve as representative samples of typical classroom events i n the territory. Survey, Observation, Interviews The two-year study, which is supported by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, began in September 1998. To determine the key issues of concern to ELT teachers in Hong Kong, a brief, open-ended questionnaire was administered to secondary school teachers who had been teaching English for at least three years. A focus group discussion was then held w i th some of the teachers to gain a deeper understanding of the views. A n analysis of their responses revealed much agreement about the most troublesome issues (see box above). Visiting classes requires the trust of the teachers concerned and the support of the principals and the English panel heads of the schools. So far, Prof. Jackson and her research assistant, Ms. Venita Lo, have been able to visit 12 teachers —e i ght local and four expatriate, just three shy of her target of 15. There has been a good range of band levels, form levels, skill areas, and geographic locations. Prof. Jackson takes a specially designed classroom observation f o rm w i t h her on every visit. She meets the teacher, sometimes in the company of the panel head, for 30 minutes prior to every observation. She briefs the teacher on what she is going to do and gathers background information about the teacher and the school. The class observation and taping usually last about 40 minutes during wh i ch she records the seating arrangement, visuals used, board work, and interaction as well as her perceptions about the event. After the observation she meets w i t h the teacher again in a follow-up interview to capture the teacher's perspective on the lesson observed. Drafting Cases from Data Collected Based on this database of notes from the interviews, tape transcriptions, and the observation record, the cases are n ow being drafted. The drafts w i l l be reviewed by the teachers and revised, as necessary. For each case, the researchers w i l l also prepare teaching notes to identify the objectives of using the case, highlight the key issues, and provide questions for reflection. The tapes were transcribed during the summer and in autumn; some of the cases were pilot-tested in ELT teacher education programmes on campus. The case discussions were videotaped and carefully From left: Ms. Venita Lo, Prof. Jane Jackson, Prof. Cecilia Chun The most frequently cited troublesome issues were: Pedagogical: poor motivation weak language skills/knowledge of grammar reticence in oral activities multi-level classes passive behaviour large class size Curricular: time constraints due to a tight syllabus too much focus on examinations boring curriculum/materials insufficient culturally appropriate materials Personnel/administrative: insufficient time to develop materials heavy workload analysed, focussing on the questioning techniques and interaction patterns. Feedback was obtained from the lecturers and student teachers by means of a survey, journal entries, and interviews. The feedback helps the researchers revise the case material and offers insight into the design of the remaining cases and teaching notes. By the end of the project, they hope to have enough case material for a casebook, highlighting the most challenging issues facing English language teachers in local secondary schools. ELT Student Teachers to Benefit This study w i l l provide student teachers w i t h context-sensitive, open-ended cases that they can read, discuss, analyse, reflect on, and write about i n their teacher education courses. The researchers believe it w i l l help the students refine their interpersonal, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, as well as connect theory and practice. Another benefit is a closer linkage between researchers and secondary school language teachers. This study is a good example of university-school partnership, a give-and-take relationship. Prof. Chun believes this project is of great value to teacher education classes because teaching is a context-bound enterprise. The researchers believe this collaborative project has the potential to revitalize ELT teacher education programmes i n Ho ng Kong and ensure that critical issues in this context are dealt w i t h i n methodology courses. Piera Chen B i o d a ta Prof. Jackson obtained her Ph.D. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the University of Toronto in 1987. Shejoined CUHK in 1995 and is now an associate professor in the Department of English. Her research interests include case-basedlearning in English language teacher education and English for Specific Purposed (ESP) as well as intercultural communication. Prof. Cecilia Chun is an assistant professor in the Department ofCurriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education at CUHK. Shecoordinates the four-year B.Ed. (Language Education) Programme. Her research interests are in the areas of English language teachereducation, second language reading, and English as a medium of instruction. 中大通訊 CUHK NEWSLETTER 網址 website http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/puo/ 1. 本刊逢四日及十九日出版。 2. 來函或投稿請寄沙田香港中文大學秘書處出版事務處《中大通訊》 編輯部（電話 2609 8584 ，傳真 2603 6864 ，電郵 pub2@uab.msmai. cuhk.edu.hk ) 。 3. 投稿者須附真實姓名、地址及聯絡電話，文章則可用筆名發表。 4. 編輯有權刪改及決定是否刊登來稿，不欲稿件被刪者請預先聲明。 5. 本刊所載文章只反映作者之觀點和意見，並不代表校方或本刊立 場。 6. 所有內容未經編者書面准許，不得轉載。 7. 本刊每期發行三千八百份，免費供校內教職員索閱，部分郵寄本地 教育機構及與大學有關人士。私人索閱，請致函本刊查詢。 1. The Newsletter is published on the 4th and 19th of each month. 2. All contributions and suggestions should be sent to the Editor, CUHK Newsletter, Publication Office, University Secretariat, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (tel. 2609 8584; fax. 2603 6864; e-mail pub2@uab.msmail.cuhk.edu.hk ). 3. Contributions should bear the writer's name and contact telephone number, and may be published under pseudonyms. No anonymous letters will be published. 4. 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Those who wish to be included on the mailing list please contact the Newsletter direct. 截 稿 日 期 Deadlines for Contributions 期數 Issue no. 出版日期 Issue date 截稿日期 Deadline for contributions 157 4.1.2000 15.12.1999 158 19.1.2000 4.1.2000 159 19.2.2000 26.1.2000 160 4.3.2000 17.2.2000 161 19.3.2000 2.3.2000 162 4.4.2000 20.3.2000 163 19.4.2000 30.3.2000 164 4.5.2000 13.4.2000 165 19.5.2000 3.5.2000 166 4.6.2000 18.5.2000 167 19.6.2000 2.6.2000 香港中文大學出版事務處出版 編輯：梁其汝 助理編輯：蔡世彬 李琪 陳偉珠 製作：林綺媚 Published by the Publication Office, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Editor: Amy K.Y. Leung Assistant Editors: Piera Chen, Lawrence Choi Graphic Designer: Ada Lam 印刷：鮑思高印刷有限公司 Printing: Don Bosco Printing Co. Ltd.