https://www.scmp.com/rss/267549/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com It is the middle of the Hong Kong academic year and the mid-year examination season in most schools. Like many of my native English-speaking teacher (NET) colleagues, I am tasting the delights of multiple exam supervision sessions and the marking of scores of papers. NETs help to prepare and will mark all English exams, which run the gamut from heavy grammar content-laden general English papers to listening, composition, dictation and reading skills papers. The English examinations that we NETs... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1677960/native-english-speaking-teachers-know-what-sounds-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1677960/native-english-speaking-teachers-know-what-sounds-right?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2015 09:52:44 +0000 "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser," Socrates said. This quotation is a favourite of a friend of mine who is a native English-speaking teacher (NET) colleague and fellow debating coach. It is a proverbial piece of wisdom which has come to haunt us in Hong Kong in the light of recent civic events. Yet it underscores the importance of debating as a tool of communication, civil discourse and rational argument. The good news is that debating has been taking off as an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1634347/debating-skill-can-be-learned-practice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1634347/debating-skill-can-be-learned-practice?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2014 02:56:30 +0000 It has become symbolic of the "generation gap" that the older generation views the younger generation as being impolite, impatient and less virtuous than it was at the same age. According to this scenario, in the distant, misty past, young people had better moral values while the youth of today are "going to hell in a hand cart". However, this view is anachronistic, especially when applied to Hong Kong. The youth of Hong Kong are not heedless of moral considerations. Rather, the students with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1613690/students-show-their-moral-fibre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1613690/students-show-their-moral-fibre?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2014 08:31:16 +0000 It has been claimed in the past that students and young people in Hong Kong generally have little interest in current affairs. By this reckoning, it follows Hong Kong youth has a minimal understanding of civic and world affairs. This assertion may have had some validity in days gone by, but it is not such a relevant point today. As native English-speaking teachers (NETs), my colleagues and I have been privileged to witness the rise of liberal studies as a subject as part of the new secondary... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1590937/liberal-studies-fires-social-awareness-among-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1590937/liberal-studies-fires-social-awareness-among-students?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:12:07 +0000 Variety is the spice of life, or so the old proverb goes. In my view, variety is the essential ingredient for the successful deployment of Native English-speaking Teachers or NETs as we are, it is hoped, affectionately called. During a debate for the past two months, which has featured in the Letters-to-the-Editor pages of the South China Morning Post, legislator and New People's Party Leader Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has felt that the NET's main role is grammar-based. Ms Ip has argued that NETs... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1574200/perspectives-native-english-speaking-teachers-have-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1574200/perspectives-native-english-speaking-teachers-have-more?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2014 01:30:19 +0000 The age-old debate between the merits of single-sex schools versus co-educational is pertinent in Hong Kong, where there are many prestigious single-sex institutions. The paired Diocesan Boys' and Diocesan Girls' schools spring to mind. Despite the illustrious nature of such Hong Kong institutions, Janet Hyde, from the University of Wisconsin, has shown that the benefits of studying in co-educational schools often outweigh the disadvantages. The principal advantage is that students learn to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1556165/teachers-nod-co-educational-route?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1556165/teachers-nod-co-educational-route?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2014 02:15:30 +0000 Coaches and sportsmen and women will tell you about the value of practice for honing important skills. Top performers spend hours working on areas of their game, and so it is with academic pursuits. Language skills need to be practised to develop fluency and confidence. While students bemoan homework, and are often reluctant to speak in a language that's a challenge, both are viewed by educators as essential practice and preparation for the successful student. Students of the English language in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1537033/perspectives-constant-practice-key-learning-languages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1537033/perspectives-constant-practice-key-learning-languages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Jun 2014 02:36:03 +0000 Having had the privilege of working in Hong Kong schools as a native English-speaking teacher (NET) for nearly 16 years, I have witnessed an upsurge in creativity since electives such as short stories, poetry and songs, drama and popular culture were introduced in Hong Kong secondary schools during the 2009-2010 academic year. School-based Assessment (SBA) was inaugurated at about the same time. I have found that my local English teacher (LET) colleagues have responded well to all these changes... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1518825/perspectives-english-lessons-can-foster-creativity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1518825/perspectives-english-lessons-can-foster-creativity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2014 02:26:45 +0000