Aspirations for Life - Inspiring Learning and Well-being : Values Education in English Language Education 2024

Ms Vivien LEE  
The Experiential Learning Team, Faculty of Education, HKU

Mindfulness in Experiential Learning

In this session, the speaker will delve into the enriching potential of integrating values education through mindfulness in experiential learning. 

Drawing from the HKU experience in the practical application of the topic, an experience of incorporating mindfulness attitudes to enhance students’ English language learning and leadership. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how mindfulness can not only foster a conducive experiential learning experience but also cultivate essential qualities such as patience, trust, and empathy among students. 

Pui Ching Middle School 

A Holistic Approach to Values in Action: Mindful Experiential Learning to Promote Unity & Togetherness  

How can a single text inspire values education throughout an entire student body? This question will be explored in the plenary session by Pui Ching Middle School teachers. We will demonstrate how students from various year levels explored the meaning of a book, which then acted as a stimulus for students to put the values of unity and togetherness into action, thereby fostering experiential learning beyond the classroom.  In this session, you will hear from some of our teachers as they discuss the positive changes in student behaviour and well-being while highlighting some of the successes and challenges encountered in implementing a whole-school approach to values education. 

Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Primary School 

Puppets in Action – Characters Re-created for Aspiration 

This session will guide you through the journey of reimagining the beloved story “The Little Mermaid” to promote the value of “Love Myself”. Puppetry, classic tales and innovative ideas are combined to provide a unique opportunity to instill positive values in students. 

Emphasis will be placed on the script development process, which involved students in co-writing the story. Participants will have the opportunity to find out how the redefined Ariel embodies the concept of self-love in this engaging session.  

Christian Alliance H.C. Chan Primary School 

Speak, Share, Shine: The Time to Talk Experience! 

In this session, the teachers of the winning team of the Time to Talk (TTT) competition (2023-2024) aim to explore the creative journey that crafts confidence in students. Emphasis will be placed on learning and leading by student example. The important role of relationship dynamics between team members will also be discussed. The presenters will explore all major aspects of the TTT competition, from student selection to speaking on stage. Join us to learn how to give your students the tools to speak, share and shine! 

Hennessy Road Government Primary School (Causeway Bay) 

Cultivating Connection & Transformation: Leading with Love – Finding Your Path through Understanding Yourself 

This session will highlight the connection between the Development of Text Sets (DTS) Programme and the Week of Love and Growth. The Primary 3 unit explores the theme of values education and the core message, “May you see yourself as you truly are”. The presentation aims to showcase the school's efforts to nurture students' social and emotional well-being. Participating teachers will gain insights into the students' journeys of identity formation and self-discovery, emphasising the meaningful impact of the Week of Love and Growth. 

HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Lin Association School  

Motivate, Level Up, Achieve: Gamify Learning for Meaningful Engagement! 

The Multicultural Language Arts (MLA) Team will demonstrate how THINK strategies can boost engagement, motivation and participation by incorporating game-like elements into the English language classroom. This session showcases how real-life scenarios, featuring popular games from around the world, make learning both meaningful and fun. This innovative approach not only captures students' interest but also weaves values education into the lessons. Using the SCAMPER technique, students sharpen their creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills throughout their learning journey. 

The MLA team will unveil the Learning Hub and its rationale. The team will also present a rich array of classroom strategies designed to help teachers connect lessons to global issues, inspiring students to develop the essential qualities of becoming global citizens. 

Kowloon Tong Bishop Walsh Catholic School  

Empowering Students Through Film – Teachers’ Perspectives on the Filmit Competition 

In this session, the presenters will share their experience of the Filmit competition, through which students enhanced their English proficiency and explored filmmaking techniques by creating a short film, The Whisk of Love. The film will be played for participants to discover how the theme of fostering love for family was conveyed.  Participants will also learn about the implementation, teacher development and observable student outcomes, along with the challenges teachers faced and overcame. An interactive Q&A will follow, encouraging discussions on integrating values education and creative expression in English language teaching and filmmaking.  

Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School 

Low Carbon Living: Love Nature – Opportunities for Values Education in English Language Education 

Aiming to promote the adoption of a low carbon living lifestyle in school, the presenter in this session will share his professional journey in encouraging low carbon living in students’ daily lives. Through assemblies, recess games, low carbon calendars and school newsletters, students develop new skills and knowledge about low carbon living. Presenters will also share ideas and resources to help participants to create their very own low carbon living unit for their schools in a fun and interactive way. 

PLK Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School 

Where Speaking Sparks Writing & Love Fuels Growth 

This session will act as an introduction to the Speaking to Writing (S2W) Learning Hub and map out the events planned for 2024/25 s.y. 

Participants will hear from an S2W “Seed” project school about the impact of this innovative approach on students’ and teachers’ love for writing. The session will also look at how values education has been promoted through the adaptation of teaching materials and texts. 

Participants will discover how schools are planning and teaching their own units and how Learning Hub schools will be equipped to do this themselves. 

Sam Shui Natives Association Huen King Wing School 

Love Learning: The Adventures of Vocabulary – Impressed to Express

Join us to appreciate how the pilot run of some “Love Learning” English language activities, which were designed based on a SOW (Sayings of Wisdom) theme, can be taken further to sustain their impact. This year’s “vocabulary adventure” project, a move from its pilot phase at SOW 4.0, focuses on turning vocabulary learning activities both within and beyond the classroom into adventurous experiences for students. The school identified vocabulary-learning strategies which embody the concept of “Love Learning” and integrated them into both co-curricular activities and lessons through planning, including lesson adaptations for varying abilities. The presenters will deep dive into lesson blocks, illustrating “vocabulary adventures” in connection with textbooks and the English curriculum in school, showcasing creative integrations. Gamified elements to enhance learning motivation and engagement will also be demonstrated. 

Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School 

Sprouting Connections: Use of SEL Stories to Inspire Learning and Well-being 

As a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) “Seed” project school, teachers used SEL-themed stories to promote students’ social and emotional well-being and enhance English language learning. In this session, presenters will highlight how SEL-themed stories are relatable to primary students and explain how character transformations are conveyed in story contexts to inspire students to develop the self-awareness and self-management competencies in support of their own social and emotional well-being. Presenters will also demonstrate the use of objects to convey abstract ideas and share how the school has taken SEL-driven units beyond the classroom. Participants will understand the impact of SEL on students, teachers and parents.   

S.K.H. Kei Oi Primary School 

Cultivating Growth: Embracing Hope, Love and Mindfulness through SOW Activities on English Days 

In this session, the presenters share their comprehensive year-long plan centered around the Sayings of Wisdom (SOW) sub-themes of Love! They meticulously designed engaging learning activities by asking vital questions: What inspires our students? How can we effectively convey the essence of loving self, community and the environment? What real-life examples resonate with them?  

With reference to the learning activity framework by Diana Laurillard, the school crafted a plan that integrates coherently into their school timetable. Presenters will share students’ work, videos and valuable feedback from both teachers and students.  

S.K.H. St. Clement’s Primary School 

Love Nature – Animal Protection: A cross-curricular project-based learning approach to developing positive values and attitudes towards the environment 

This session demonstrates how the use of a collaborative project-based learning approach connects English language learning with other KLAs. Students collaborated in groups of three to five to research endangered animals. Resources were provided and students were encouraged to gather additional information to enhance their projects using online tools, such as Google Slides and Canva. This collaborative approach fostered teamwork and critical thinking. Peer learning and constructive feedback sessions were used to promote active student involvement in their own learning, which was conducive to the development of the 21st century skills. Respect, care and love for the environment was shared in the English Learning Day in support of the Week of Love and Growth campaign.  

TWGHs Ma Kam Chan Memorial Primary School 

Puppets in Action – Characters Created for Inspiration

In achieving the outstanding performance of presenting the theme of love in the puppet show, this school crafted an original story aiming to build a positive emotional connection with the audience. Believing that the key to writing an impactful story lies in its characters, the presenters in this session will delve into techniques for sculpting characters that breathe life into stories. Participants will be guided to explore what makes stock characters so impactful and how to leverage them to bring positive, meaningful messages through a puppet show. The primary medium of this discussion and experience sharing is puppetry, but the lessons are applicable to creative writing, films and many other creative endeavours.  

Buddhist Wong Fung Ling College 

Ideas for Engaging Students in Week of Love & Growth 

The NET, Ms Olga CROUSE, will share the ideas for several activities held during the school English week for S1 – S5 students. These included the school production ‘All in a Day’s Work’, game booths, and a treasure hunt. For the game booths, subject teachers hosted various cross-curricular vocabulary games, while others featured interactive Week-of-Positivity games that supported values education through well-known English sayings. 

Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui College  

Building and Deepening Knowledge by Using Thinking Routines 

Volunteering is so much more than handing out flags on a Saturday. Join us in investigating how to deepen learning by using Thinking Routines. In this interactive session, you will be shown how students were immersed in a Virtual Reality (VR) cave situation.  You will have the opportunity to (i) observe how the teacher created the confines of coffin houses and cage homes; (ii) examine how particular forms of questioning were used to activate more visible learning; (iii) construct housing designs, which then become an ‘Art Gallery’ exhibition; and (iv) discover how students can acquire a clear and authentic understanding of the plight of people less fortunate than themselves, while cultivating empathy throughout the process.  

Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section) 

THINKING ROUTINES: EXPLORING & EXPERIENCING (TREE) in Writing Lessons 

This sharing session showcases Maryknoll Convent School’s successful integration of Thinking Routines into the S2 English curriculum to enhance students’ writing skills. Focusing on a specific module, participants will explore the three Thinking Routines, namely ‘See-Think-Wonder’, ‘Projecting Across Time’ and ‘Step Inside’ through demonstrations and student work samples. You will also have a chance to engage in a ‘Step Inside’ exercise to experience the routine firsthand. Join us to discover how thinking routines can serve as a fertile ground for student growth, nurturing their writing abilities from seed to harvest.
 

Pui Ching Middle School 

Inspiring Service in Leadership: Cultivating Unity and Togetherness at Pui Ching Middle School  

As an extension of the plenary presentation, teachers and students from Pui Ching Middle School will further explore the implementation of the Pui Ching Amazing Race. You will discover how the whole-school experience inspired service in leadership with an emphasis on peer feedback which fostered collaborative learning between students from various year levels. You will hear how S5 students extended their learning from the text to serve others and develop their younger peers' skills, language and values. By encouraging deeper thinking and an array of 21st century skills, the school hopes to demonstrate how we can all nurture future leaders within our school communities. 

Queen’s College  

Interthinking through Talk: Fostering Values & Effective Communication Skills to Enhance English Language Learning  

In the ‘Read to Speak’ “Seed” Project, teachers explore the concept of ‘interthinking’ (i.e. using talk to think collectively and building knowledge co-constructively) as a pedagogical approach to fostering values and enhancing effective communication skills in English Language learning.  By engaging S3 students in conversational, presentational and exploratory talk, the sharing session highlights the importance of high-quality talk and shared thinking, which not only support language skills development but also cultivate proper values such as respect and empathy.  Integrating ‘interthinking’ into the language learning process can enhance communication skills and enrich the overall learning experience, thereby preparing students for real-life interactions in various contexts.   

Sha Tin Methodist College 

Everyone SHINES: The Magic of Filmmaking 

Step into the world of Sha Tin Methodist College (STMC) and experience the power of student-oriented learning. Delve into our innovative approach that not only lets every student shine but also fosters life-wide learning. Join us as we unveil the transformative impact of the Filmit competition and similar initiatives on promoting self-directed exploration and nurturing a culture of ownership among our students. You are invited to explore the crafting of compelling narratives, both in writing and orally, and to hear firsthand from our passionate students about their reflections on their learning journey. This session promises an enlightening exploration of student success and educational excellence on a whole new level.


 

South Tuen Mun Government Secondary School 

Exploring our Nation: Fostering Students’ National Identity through English Vlogs 

The NET Section collaborated with South Tuen Mun Government Secondary School on a school-based project this year with the objective of organically infusing values education and national security education into the senior form curriculum. This collaborative process inspired students to become vloggers on their journeys within Mainland China and on a local level in Hong Kong. Students developed language and skills which took them far beyond the four walls of the classroom, and the school showcased these success stories in a final vlog competition. Join us to see how you too can develop a stronger sense of national identity through English language vlogs!  

St Stephen’s College 

Learning by Doing, Loving by Experiencing: Imparting Positive Values through Experiential Learning in English 

St Stephen’s College held its ‘Week of Love and Growth’ in March 2024. One of the week's highlights was an experiential learning activity integrating the English Language curriculum, values education, and the sub-themes of the Sayings of Wisdom (SOW) Campaign 2023/24. As part of a unit on ‘Nature and the Environment’, S2 students took part in a visit to Ocean Park Academy, where they appreciated the importance of benevolence and commitment in the domains of cognition, affect and action.  

Stewards Pooi Tun Secondary School  

Enhancing Speaking Lessons through Theme-based Projects 

The focus of the Read to Speak project was to engage S1 students in authentic tasks in their Speaking lessons, and to align the lessons with the English language curriculum. The first term project required students to create podcasts on the topic of food. In the second term, students were asked to research an interesting holiday and present the information with visual support. This presentation aims to explain the decision to engage students in theme-based projects.  Student work will be shown as a reference. Teachers interested in adapting the ideas may need to adjust the projects to the level of their students.  

Tak Oi Secondary School 

Pedagogy Resource Hub: Backwards Planning to Integrate Authentic Learning Experiences into the School’s English Language Curriculum.  

Tak Oi Secondary School participated in the Pedagogy Resource Hub and implemented backwards planning on a unit about the future of entertainment. The teachers will explore this approach and show how it can be time-efficient and meaningful for your students’ learning. They will show you how to promote student agency, allowing your students to communicate with a guest speaker during their English lessons. The school produced a well-structured unit which integrated language, skills and ideas to build students’ understanding and produce effective final products. Join this session to explore the backwards planning approach to unit planning.  

Wah Yan College, Hong Kong 

Voice and Choice: Enhancing the Autonomy of Teachers and Advanced Students through Promoting Public Speaking 

Our team will showcase how public speaking has stretched the potential of advanced students and enhanced autonomy for both teachers and students. We will introduce our school’s philosophy of catering to advanced learners and share how we leverage the Time To Talk Competition as a valuable opportunity. You will also discover how we foster a vibrant public speaking environment across different levels, revealing the magic that happens when students and teachers feel empowered in their choice and voice. To demonstrate our students’ learning outcomes, they will deliver improvised speeches, and you will have the chance to engage with them by asking questions!