Speaker: Prof. Chiou-lan Chern, Professor of English at Taiwan Normal University

Date: Friday 23 March 2018

Time: 12:00 – 13:00

Venue: E33-G021, Tin Ka Ping Lecture Hall, Faculty of Education

Language: English

Abstract

English education in Taiwan is turning into a new page with the upcoming implementation of the 12-year Basic Education. In this new curriculum, subject integration is one of the focuses and cooperation between subject teachers has become necessary. This presentation will show how English teachers integrated science into their lesson plans. A small group of English teachers, both from primary and secondary schools, were invited to work with a chemistry team in a lab to familiarize themselves with three topics of science: air pressure, composition of air, and matter. They then turned their lab experiences into learning materials in English before actually conducting the classes to groups of primary and secondary school participants in a science camp. The teachers were interviewed for their experience of planning and integrating science content and English language in their class activities. Their reflections showed that it is important to support English teachers to teach beyond linguistic elements so they can help their students learn content knowledge through English.