An interactive workshop conducted by the Equal Opportunities Commission gave sixth formers of SKH Lam Kau Mow Secondary School, Sha Tin, an opportunity to explore ideas not usually discussed in their formal classes.
Native English-speaking teacher (NET) Simon Chaplin, who has been teaching in the school for about two years, decided to combine the English lesson with a discussion of social issues. Mr Chaplin said learning English could be made enjoyable by forging a link with elements of daily life. He hoped the unusual seminar topics had stimulated students' critical thinking.
'During the discussion session, they had to express their opinions in English,' he said.
'Not many of them participate actively in English classes, but when we divided them into small groups, they had more chances to speak English.'
Equal Opportunities Commission special projects manager George Bisas was invited to host the workshop. By encouraging students to participate in games and case study exercises Mr Bisas hoped to illustrate some concepts of equal opportunity in Hong Kong.
He asked students to give him adjectives for different groups of people such as lawyers, men, domestic helpers, homosexuals and newcomers from mainland China. This enabled him to explain something about preconceptions and prejudice.