Seminar on Catering for Learner Diversity for English

Seminar on Catering for Learner Diversity for English Teachers at Primary Level 3 March, 2006 English Language Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, EDB 1

2 What does it mean by catering for learner diversity?

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How are students different from one another? 4 Learner Diversity A is quiet in class 3. Personality while B is talkative. A can pronounce a word quickly by chunking the 5. Ability syllables while B can finish reading a passage quickly. 6. In face of Intellectual 7. Attitudinal A complains about his group & members while Social B leads a group Maturity discussion. A works hard because she enjoys English 4. Motivation activities while B works hard for high marks. In acquiring new words, A learns through songs 1. whereas Learning Style B learns through doing crossword puzzles. A has got problems with 2. spelling (Learning) while B has needs difficulty pronouncing /l/ and /r/ sounds. A likes animals 8. Interests while B likes car racing. a problem, & A frets about Emotional the problem while B tries Development to solve it.

What is the meaning of Catering for Learner Diversity? X Even out abilities and performances Stretch the potential of all students 5

6 What have you done to cater for learner diversity? – Re-teaching part of a lesson? Giving extended tasks? – Teaching students how to do assignments? – Assigning supplementary/additional exercises to provide more practice (e. g. self-designed, adapted/ taken from resources available on the market)? – Drilling for tests and examinations? – Providing individual help/ coaching? – Conferencing with students? Are they effective?

7 Catering for Learner Diversity Why? We believe there is a need to stretch the potentials of every student. What? How?

8 Catering for Learner Diversity Why? Curriculum Framework We believe there is a need to stretch the potentials of every student. What? Learning Targets and Objectives: • Language forms and functions • Skills and strategies • Attitudes How?

English Language Curriculum Framework English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – Primary 6) (2004) 9

10 to use English to think and communicate to use English to acquire, develop and apply knowledge to use English to respond and give expression to experience v. Text types v. Four language skills v. Vocabulary v. Language items development strategies v. Communicative functions

Catering for Learner Diversity What? Curriculum Framework Why? Learning Targets and Objectives: • Language forms and functions • Skills and strategies • Attitudes 11 How? Curriculum Adaptation: • Learning and Teaching Materials • Learning and Teaching Strategies • Assessment for Learning

12 C. C. C. Heep Woh Primary School (PM) Module: Food and Drink Ms P L Lee, Candy

Food and Drink I Knowing about good & bad food 13 Party time! Objectives Learning Food hunt in fridges & cupboards Helping Piggy & Teddy to eat right Vocabulary: food items, food groups II Surveying, evaluating & improving meals Collective nouns Look at your meals! Determiners: any, some, a lot of, plenty of, Let’s eat right! a little, too many, too much, too little Countable nouns, Uncountable nouns III Reading and responding to Traffic-light Sandwiches Modals: should • Designing & presenting recipes Text types: stories, recipes • Extended tasks An alien’s e-mail * My favorite book - story structure * Another story ending *

How? 14 Curriculum Adaptation Learning and Teaching Materials Divide/ condense units of learning into manageable components • Adapt coursebook materials (amount, range, sequence, varieties, graphics) • Design extended tasks/materials to draw on and expand learners’ existing knowledge and skills • Include specific guidelines to focus attention on concepts Curriculum Framework •

Learning and Teaching Materials Textbook materials e. g. Is/Are there any. . . ? Yes, there is/are some ______. No, there isn’t/aren’t any ______. Cupboard Food items Fridge Food items Find out what is in the cupboard and the fridge. 15

Learning and Teaching Materials Adaptations made to textbook materials Cupboard and Fridge A: Is/Are there any _____? B: Yes, there is/are some ____. No, there isn’t/aren’t = any ____. Supermarket A: Is/Are there any _____ + in the _____ section? B: Yes, there is/are some ____. No, there isn’t/aren’t any ____. Food Hunt in Fridges & Cupboards 16

Learning and Teaching Materials Food Hunt in Fridges & Cupboards Party Time! Food for party Information gap Meaningful context • tomatoes and carrots • cheese and ham • biscuits • noodles • juice and chocolate milk Shopping list • some carrots • . . . Hands-on activities A: Are there any tomatoes and carrots in your fridge? B: Yes, there are some tomatoes, but there aren’t any carrots. A: We need some carrots. We don’t need any ______. 17

Learning and Teaching Materials Textbook materials supplemented Eat a little Target language items introduced Eat some Eat a lot of/ plenty of Eat most Names of food groups introduced 19

Learning and Teaching Materials Adaptations made to textbook materials Describing own diets a lot of plenty of some a little = + Describing and evaluating own diets over a week a lot of too many plenty of too much some too little a little Helping Teddy & Piggy to eat right! 20

Learning and Teaching Materials Helping Teddy and Piggy to eat right & Teddy Piggy 22

Breakfast 23 too much + chocolate too much + sweet food Two pieces of chocolate cake Two cartons of chocolate milk Two bars of chocolate

Lunch 24 Vocabulary recycled and extended Four slices of cucumber Two cans of Coke An orange A large pepperoni pizza

25 Tea A packet of crisps A double cheeseburger A can of cream soda

Dinner Two jumbo hotdogs 26 A jug of milk Two double cheeseburgers A plate of boiled vegetables

27 Is it a healthy diet? Piggy eats _______ dairy food. Piggy eats _______ sweet food. Piggy eats _______ cheeseburgers. Piggy eats _______ vegetables. Piggy eats _______ fruit.

Breakfast Tea Lunch Dinner 28

AMOUNT Plenty of A lot of Is an healthy diet. It isit aunhealthy diet? plenty of Piggy eats too much dairy food. _______ dairy food. a much Piggy eats toolot of sweet food. _______ a lot of Piggy eats too many cheeseburgers. _______ cheeseburgers. Highlighting the target language items Some Representing graphically the differences in quantities A little some Piggy eats _______ vegetables. Structuring presentation to highlight concept a little Piggy eats _______fruit. toolittle fruit. 29

Uncountable nouns Countable nouns Piggy eats too much: Piggy eats too many: • chocolate • sweet food • cheeseburgers • hotdogs Piggy drinks too much: • milk Piggy eats too little: • fruit Using colour and layout to compare and contrast 30

Learning and Teaching Materials Helping Teddy and Piggy to Eat Right Homework for consolidation 31

32 Specific guidelines focus attention on application of food pyramid Box helps students decide whether the item is a countable or uncountable noun

Learning and Teaching Materials Look at your meals! Let’s eat right! My Meal Record Breakfast Lunch Dinner Food/Drinks Day 1 Food/Drinks Day 2 33 How healthy is my diet? Too little Too much/ Too many Just Right Fat, oil, salts & sweets Meat, poultry, fish, Eggs Dairy products Fruits Vegetables Grains & cereals Water

Learning and Teaching Materials 34 Look at your meals! Let’s eat right! How healthy is my diet? My Meal Record Breakfast Lunch Fat, oil, salts & sweets A little salt, oil Some candies Meat, poultry, fish, eggs Dairy products Some 6 pieces Some Fruit Vegetables Dinner Too little Too much/ Too many Just right salt, oil Fat, oil, salts & sweets 8 chicken wings Meat, poultry, fish, eggs Dairy products Half an Fruit Some Vegetables Grains & cereals 1 bowl of congee 1 bowl of rice Grains & cereals Water 1 glass Water of pork chop fish soya milk A little apple carrots cabbage Provide appropriate scaffolding

How? 35 Curriculum Adaptation Learning and Teaching Materials Divide/ condense units of learning into manageable components • Adapt coursebook materials (amount, range, sequence, varieties, graphics) • Design extended tasks/materials to draw on and expand learners’ existing knowledge and skills • Include specific guidelines to focus attention on concepts Curriculum Framework •

CHALLENGE My Favorite Book- Story Structure Choose one of your favourite stories. Look for the characters, setting and problem in the Beginning. Describe briefly the events that solve the problem in the Middle. Include the solution in the End. Setting (where and when) Character(s) Problem(s) Event(s) Solution Learners apply knowledge to deepen understanding 36

CHALLENGE My Favorite Book- Story Structure 37

Another Story Ending for Traffic-light Sandwiches 38 Read the new solution to Felix and Flora’s problem and complete the Ending

How? 39 Curriculum Adaptation Learning and Teaching Strategies Assess retention of previous learning and adjust strategies • Structure teacher demonstration before participation • Apply effective questioning techniques Curriculum Framework •

Food and Drink I Knowing about good & bad food 40 Party time! Objectives Learning Food Hunt in Fridges & Cupboards Helping Piggy & Teddy to eat right Vocabulary: food items, food groups II Surveying, evaluating & improving meals Collective nouns Look at your meals! Determiners: any, some, a lot of, plenty of, Let’s eat right! a little, too many, too much, too little Countable nouns, Uncountable nouns III Reading and responding to Traffic-light Sandwiches Modals: should • Designing & presenting recipes Text types: stories, recipes • Extended tasks An alien’s e-mail * My favorite book - Story Structure * Another Story Ending *

41 Learning and Teaching Strategies Reading Traffic-light Sandwiches and understanding story structure

What do we always find in stories? Characters People Beginning Time Setting Place Problem Middle Events Ending Solution 42

Traffic-light Sandwiches Read P. 2 -10. Set questions to enable pupils to understand the characters, setting and problem of this story. Questions of Different Cognitive Complexities Synthesis Create it Evaluation Judge it Analysis Examine it Application Use it Comprehension Understand it Knowledge Know it 43

BEGINNING Characters Who are the main characters in the story? Setting Where were they? When did the story take place? 44

BEGINNING Characters & Problem Who Felix and Flora Let us think. How did Felix and Flora feel? (P. 8) Did Felix and Flora like Hong Kong? How do you know? (P. 9, P. 23) think they would still go Do you to Zorb for their holidays? Why? 45

What do we always find in stories? Characters People Beginning Time Setting Place Problem Middle Events Ending Solution 46

Events 1 2 3 4 How did Felix and Flora solve their problem? Central The Central Café Wan Chai Restaurant Tsuen Wan Tea House Yuen Long Grill 47

48 Let us think. What do the four events tell you about traffic-light sandwiches?

49 Structuring questions to facilitate reading for meaning Knowledge & Comprehension • • What kinds of transport did Felix & Flora use? How many places did they try? How many times did they hear the answer ‘no’? How long did it take? Analysis • Why did they have to look for the traffic-light sandwiches? Evaluation • Do you think they should spend so much time looking for the sandwiches? Application • If they could not find the sandwiches in Central, what could they do? What do the four events tell you about traffic-light sandwiches?

MESSAGE Traffic-light sandwiches are VERY important. 50

How? 51 Curriculum Adaptation Learning and Teaching Strategies Assess retention of previous learning and adjust strategies • Make clearning intentions • Structure teacher demonstration before participation • Use easier/ more challenging examples • Apply effective questioning techniques Curriculum Framework •

How? 52 Curriculum Adaptation Assessment for learning What to focus Assessment of learning For improvement • Identifying learners’ strengths and weaknesses • Setting different targets for different learners • Acknowledging pupils’ efforts and achievements • Providing quality feedback for learners, which entails timely support and enrichment, and helping teachers review the learning objectives, lesson plans and teaching strategies For accountability • Reporting learners’ attainment against the learners’ targets and objectives • Including questions of different difficulty levels in summative assessment papers to cater for different learners Curriculum Framework Assessment for learning

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54 What have you done to cater for learner diversity? – Re-teaching part of a lesson? Giving extended tasks? – Teaching students how to do assignments? – Assigning supplementary/additional exercises to provide more practice (e. g. self-designed, adapted/ taken from resources available on the market)? – Drilling for tests and examinations? – Providing individual help/ coaching? – Conferencing with students? How will you modify the way you cater for learner diversity?

References 55 • Brualdi, Amy C. Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory. ERIC, 1996. ED 410 226. Dickinson, Dee. “Technology that Enhances Multiple Intelligences. ” URL: http: //www. america-tomorrow. com/ati/mi 1. htm (13 Oct. 2004). • Curriculum Development Council. English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 -Prmary 6) 2004 • Curriculum Development Council. (1999) Syllabuses for Secondary Schools English Language secondary 1 -5. • Department of Education, Science and Training, Australian Government. “Scaffolding Learning”. My. Read. URL: http: //www. myread. org/scaffolding. htm (18 Nov. 2005) • Reid, J. M. (ed). Understanding Learning Styles in the Second Language Classroom. Prentice-Hall, Inc. : New Jersey, 1998. • Gregory, G. H. & Chapman, C. (2002). Differentiated instructional Strategies. California: Corwin Press, INC. • Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom. MN: Free Spirit Publishing Inc.

Further Reading 56 • Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. New York: Basic Books Inc. • Gardner, H. , & Hatch, T. (1989). Multiple intelligences go to school: Educational implications of theory of multiple intelligences. Educational Researcher, 18(8), 4 -9. • Curriculum Development Institute, Education and Manpower Bureau. Interim Report on “Study on Strategies to Cope with Individual Differences in Academic Abilities of Primary School Pupils” (個別差異發展及研究報告系列中期報告) URL: http: //cd 1. edb. hkedcity. net/cd/id/index_en. html (2 Dec, 2005)

57 Thank You