Gaining extensive reading experience

Create a facilitating English language learning environment

The English Department of the school always has its goals set on building an ever-growing language-rich environment that enhances the learning and teaching of the target language, supplementing the formal curriculum in the learning of the four skills. Being well aware of the unique learning contexts that can be built in a school using English as medium of instructions (EMI), we always strive hard to provide assuring opportunities for each student to explore and experience the purposeful use of English with meaning, through which their language ability can be consolidated and stretched. The development of students’ creativity and skills in problemsolving, key to an all-round education, is certainly another significant objective we aim to address in the process of learning and teaching. In this chapter, the strategies on achieving these goals and objectives are depicted with reference to various initiatives we have developed and followed through these years.

Gaining extensive reading experience

Proficiency in reading has always been an influential factor shaping one’s ability to learn, which in turn determines the readiness for life-long learning. Alongside with the development of reading strategies through completing tasks and assignments, we believe that reading must be made part of a student’s everyday life routine, gaining ample experience in learning to read and reading to learn. Our students have thus all been enrolled in an extensive English reading scheme that caters for students’ interest, need and ability on an individual basis. Under the scheme, students are given the autonomy of choosing upon readers and setting reading goals that allow them to progress from one reading level to another, stretching their ability with appropriate amount of challenge. The readers, ranging from fictions to non-fictions of various themes, are also made available through both books on loan and web-based reading for students, allowing them to read wherever and whenever they like. Those making encouraging reading progress or achieving remarkable results in the online book quizzes upon finishing a target book are also awarded gifts for recognition of their keen efforts.