Using the Learning Progression Framework to Enhance English Language Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Reading and Listening at Secondary Level 24 November 2011 (Thursday) 2:00 – 5:00 pm English Language Education Section Curriculum Development Institute Education Bureau

Objectives of the Seminar-cum-workshops To introduce the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for English Language with the focuses on reading and listening skills To introduce the use of the LPF as a tool for planning the school-based English Language curriculum To provide suggestions on effective strategies that incorporate the use of the LPF to facilitate the development of reading and listening skills and assessment for learning

2:00 – 2:10Registration 2:10 – 2:30Introduction to the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) 2:30 – 3:35Using the LPF to Enhance the Learning and Teaching of the Reading Skills 3:35 – 3:50Break 3:50 – 4:50Using the LPF to Enhance the Learning and Teaching of the Listening Skills 4:50 – 5:00Q & A Run-down of Today’s Programme

By the end of this seminar… You will have learnt about: the design of the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for English Language the structure of the LPF for Reading and Listening how the LPF can help in – setting learning objectives – identifying suitable texts – designing learning and teaching activities – facilitating assessment for learning in the development of reading and listening skills

? ? We can … We will… Let’s … We are… TSA NSS Work Study Entertainment What should our students know to meet the requirements of the NSS English Language curriculum? How should we better prepare our students for the TSA? How can students develop their ability to use English to communicate with others and to access knowledge? How can we improve our students’ learning?

Strengthening the development of the LANGUAGE SKILLS Building in ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Practical Tips

Which skill should we start with? What can our students do in this skill area currently ? What should we expect our students to be able to do next? How should we help our students to progress further? ?

Through the Use of the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for English Language HOW? WHY?

Introduction to the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for English Language

10 Curriculum Framework, Learning, Teaching and Assessment, and Learning Progression Framework (LPF) Curriculum Framework (What students are expected to learn) Goals (What students can do as a result) Learning Progression Framework Attainment Process

11 Assessment for Learning Curriculum and Assessment Curriculum Framework and Learning Progression Framework Curriculum Framework and Learning Progression Framework Basic Competency Assessment in Schools HKDSE Assessments for Basic Competency TSA (HKEAA)

The Growth of Students across Key Stages ……… Learning Outcomes

……… Level 8 Learning Outcomes helps teachers plan strategically how to enhance English Language learning and teaching. is made up of Learning Outcomes organised under the four language skills and divided into eight levels of attainment; helps teachers better understand and articulate learners’ performance; and The Learning Progression Framework (LPF) represents the growth of learners on a developmental continuum as they work towards the Learning Targets and Objectives of the English Language curriculum; The LPF:

What are the purposes of developing LPF? For identifying students’ strengths and areas for improvement For enhancing learning and teaching  providing quality feedback to students  reviewing expectations of student learning  revising learning content  improving teaching strategies For reflecting on whether opportunities have been provided for students to demonstrate their performance Not for summative assessment Not for benchmarking students

Structure of the LPF Outcome Statements Underlying Principles

language development strategies, generic skills, and positive values and attitudes (all 4 skills) the provision of support and the need to encourage learner independence (all 4 skills) meaningfulness and appropriateness of the texts to the context, purpose and audience (Speaking and Writing) interplay between tasks and texts (Reading and Listening) To elucidate some of the learning objectives which do not readily lend themselves to the description in terms of 8 levels of attainment but are essential to English language learning, e.g.

Speaking Writing ReadingListening Content, Organisation and Communication Strategies Language Pronunciation, Stress, Rhythm and Intonation Content Organisation Language and Style Underlying Principles The outcome statements show the progression in terms of : Depth of processing information, ideas and feelings Text complexity Range and application of strategies Underlying Principles Productive skills Receptive skills

Using the LPF to Enhance the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of the Reading Skills

Activity 1 Imagine you have invited a reading expert to conduct a one- off reading workshop for your S4 students. To help the facilitator prepare the materials and activities, you have to write a short description of the S4 students’ reading ability. Think about the performances of your students in TSA and/or internal assessments. Compare their performances with the findings on student performances from the TSA Report 2011 and do the following: 1. write three points beginning with “My students can…” 2. identify one or two areas that require improvement

Territory-wide System Assessment Reporting: TSA report TSA School report (by skills) TSA School report (by BC descriptors) TSA School report (by sub-papers)

Territory-wide System Assessment Report

Student Performances in Reading in TSA 2011 A high percentage of students could generally use strategies to determine the meaning of texts written on familiar topics and could identify general and specific information. Many students were capable of distinguishing views and attitudes through contextual clues Quite a number of students were able to distinguish fact from opinion. Quite a number of students were able to comprehend and make plausible conclusions of the meaning of unfamiliar expressions using reference skills. More than half of the students were also adept at inference and could also identify main ideas. Only a small number of students could understand language features and correctly identify an example of alliteration and rhyme.

Underlying Principles Outcome Statements Components of the LPF for Reading Outcome Statements give a general description of student performance at each level. Learning Outcomes organised into categories

Activity 2 In groups, study the Outcome Statements for three levels of the LPF for Reading; and identify the three aspects in the progression of the Outcome Statements for Reading.

Level 1Level 5Level 8 Progression of the Learning Outcomes for Reading (1) Understanding information and ideas in some short, simple texts, using some reading strategies as appropriate using & integrating a small range of reading strategies as appropriate in a range of texts with some degree of complexity, Understanding, inferring and interpreting information, ideas, feelings and opinions Understanding and inferring information, ideas, feelings and opinions using and integrating a range of reading strategies as appropriate in complex texts,

Level 1Level 5Level 8 Understanding information and ideas in some short, simple texts, using some reading strategies as appropriate using & integrating a small range of reading strategies as appropriate in a range of texts with some degree of complexity, Understanding, inferring and interpreting information, ideas, feelings and opinions Understanding and inferring information, ideas, feelings and opinions using and integrating a range of reading strategies as appropriate Depth of processing Text complexity Range & application of reading strategies Progression of the Learning Outcomes for Reading (2) in complex texts,

Level 1Level 5Level 8 Progression of the Learning Outcomes for Reading (3) Understanding information and ideas in some short simple texts, using some reading strategies as appropriate Understanding and inferring information, ideas, feelings and opinions in a range of texts with some degree of complexity, using & integrating a small range of reading strategies as appropriate Understanding, inferring and interpreting information, ideas, feelings and opinions in complex texts using and integrating a range of reading strategies as appropriate

Outcome Statements in the LPF for Reading Depth of processing Range and application of reading strategies Text complexity Abstractness Organisation Density of information

Relationship between Outcome Statements and Pointers Outcome Statements Pointers Pointers tell what students are able to do at each level.

Activity 3 In groups, work on the partly completed LPF for Reading, which outlines the progression of the learning outcomes and pointers; and insert the pointers in the appropriate columns so that they form a developmental continuum of eight levels.

Use of the LPF – Setting Learning Objectives for Reading LPF Identifying students’ strengths & weaknesses Setting learning objectives

Outcome Statements in the LPF for Reading Depth of processing Range and application of reading strategies Text complexity Abstractness Organisation Density of information

Activity 4 In groups, study the two book reviews and comment on their complexity. 1.Do the texts include mainly factual information? 2.Do the texts contain views and opinions from one or multiple sources? 1.Do the texts have a well-defined structure which enables readers to follow easily? 2. Are the events in the texts presented chronologically? 3. Are there connective devices that link up sentences / paragraphs / ideas in the text? 1.Are the texts mainly composed of simple sentences? 2.Do most of the sentences contain only a single piece of information/ idea? Abstractness Organisation Density of information

Use of the LPF – Designing Reading Activities Setting appropriate questions, conducting reading activities and providing feedback on students’ performance LPF Consolidating and developing students’ reading skills and strategies

Task demand should increase with text complexity. To cater for learner diversity, simple tasks can be included for complex texts to cultivate learners’ confidence, and difficult tasks for simple texts to stretch their abilities. To promote learner independence, the amount of support provided could be gradually reduced. To this end, various effective teaching strategies for reading could be integrated into the reading programme. Interplay between Tasks and Texts Task Demand Text Complexity

Activity 5 Read the two book reviews from Activity 4 again and answer the four questions set for them in the left-hand column. Refer to the four pointers from Levels 4 and 5 in the right-hand column. Reflect on the pointer which best describes the reading skills you applied in answering each of the four questions. Match each question with a pointer it addresses.

Activity 5 A. Are the following statements facts or opinions? B. Does Holly Black believe in Jonathan Sand’s adventure? C. Does Holly Black recommend the book? D. Based on the plot described in the first review, draw a timeline to show the sequence of the following events in the story. 4.2 locate details which support the main ideas from different part of a text 4.5 deduce information and ideas by using semantic and syntactic clues 5.3 organise information and ideas in texts by using knowledge of text structures and some graphic forms 5.4 distinguish facts from opinions by using semantic and syntactic clues Study the questions in the left-hand column, which are set for the two book reviews you have just read. Match each question with a pointer in the right-hand column which it addresses.

Activity 6 Situation: You find that your students have difficulty answering Question C in Activity 5. Discuss with your group members and suggest what you can do to help your students in answering the question.

Activity 6 Focus students’ attention on the learning objectives.  share the learning intentions with the students Sequence the questions to guide students towards the answers.  ask questions (1) focusing on locating specific information about Jonathan’s encounters with the wild animals; (2) eliciting the main idea that his adventure was unbelievable; (3) inferring the reviewer’s attitude Demonstrate how to answer the questions.  highlight semantic (e.g. silly boy) and syntactic clues (e.g. He tells us that… ) to guide students to infer the reviewer’s attitude Ways to promote assessment for learning in the English classroom:

Steps in Using the LPF to Enhance Students’ Reading Skills 1.Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your students with reference to the LPF for Reading. 2.Select appropriate texts, taking into account the text complexity and the room for designing reading activities. 3.Design activities which can help your students develop the target reading skills and strategies; and progress towards the next higher level. 4. Select appropriate assessment for learning strategies and provide adequate teacher support to help students make progress in the development of reading skills and strategies.

Using the LPF to Enhance the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of the Listening Skills

Underlying Principles Outcome Statements Components of the LPF for Listening Learning Outcomes organised into categories

Level 2Level 5 Level 8 Understanding some information, ideas & feelings in short, simple texts, using some listening strategies as appropriate using & integrating a small range of listening strategies as appropriate in a range of simple texts in complex texts, Understanding, inferring & interpreting information, ideas, feelings and opinions Understanding and inferring information, ideas & feelings using and integrating a range of listening strategies as appropriate Progression of the Learning Outcomes for Listening (1) Depth Of processing Text complexity Range & application of listening strategies

Level 2Level 5Level 8 Progression of the Learning Outcomes for Listening (2) Understanding some information, ideas & feelings in short simple texts, using some listening strategies as appropriate Understanding & inferring information, ideas & feelings in a range of simple texts using & integrating a small range of listening strategies as appropriate Understanding, inferring & interpreting information, ideas, feelings and opinions in complex texts, using and integrating a range of listening strategies as appropriate

Use of the LPF for Listening Setting learning objectives for listening Identifying listening texts Designing listening activities Identifying Ss’ strengths and weaknesses Identifying listening skills and strategies that Ss should develop Setting appropriate questions, conducting listening activities, and providing feedback on Ss’ performance

Outcome Statements in the LPF for Listening Depth of processing Range and application of reading strategies Text complexity Abstractness Organisation Density of information

Use of the LPF - Identifying Listening Texts 1. Does the text focus on facts or opinions? 2. Does the text contain views and opinions from one or multiple sources? 1. Does the text have a well-defined structure (e.g. events presented in chronological order) which enables listeners to follow easily? 2. Are there connective devices that link up ideas or audio clues that signal ideas in the text? 1. Are the ideas or pieces of information clustered together? Are there long or short pauses between idea units? 2. Are the idea units strung together or embedded within other ideas? 3. Does the text contain adequate or little redundancy? Text characteristics to be considered: Abstractness Organisation Density of information

Activity 7 With reference to the LPF for Listening, discuss with your group members why ESL/EFL learners find listening difficult and suggest some challenges specific to listening.

What makes listening difficult? Colloquial language Intonation Natural features of connected speech, e.g. - vowel weakening - linking between words - assimilation - elision Rate of delivery Performance variables, e.g. hesitations, false starts, redundancy Accent

Developing Listening Strategies Top-down strategies Bottom-up strategies - interpreting meaning through the use of background knowledge or previous knowledge of the situation, context, and topic - interpreting meaning through decoding the sounds of a language into words, clauses, sentences, etc. and using one’s knowledge of grammatical or syntactical rules

Activity 8 Listen to a radio interview and: decide which level(s) the listening text can be used for identify the learning objectives and design questions/ activities which aim to - provide opportunities for developing both top-down and bottom-up listening strategies - stretch your students’ listening ability to the next level, taking into consideration the support to be provided

Useful websites for Authentic Listening Materials

Dictogloss Use a short listening text. Play the text. Students are allowed to take notes. Play the text again. Write down the key vocabulary items on the board, if necessary. Groups of students try to reconstruct the entire text word for word. Allow students to discuss to reconstruct the text. developing students’ interactive listening strategies

Assessment for Learning Strategies Assessment for learning strategies: Sharing the learning intentions at the beginning of a lesson and revisiting them from time to time and/or at the end of the lesson to give students a clear focus of learning Breaking learning into stages (e.g. a challenging question broken into manageable parts or a task into sub-tasks) to build in review time for timely feedback Teacher’s modelling/demonstration

Round-up The use of the LPF shifts the focus from the content to its outcomes, which places emphasis on learners provides a common “language” and “tool” for teachers to use in the learning, teaching and assessment process explains what is expected of students in terms of: -where are they now? (existing strengths and weaknesses) -where are they going? (goals) -where to next? (“feed forward”)

Practical Tips: Strengthening the development of the Language Skills Building in Assessment for Learning Using the LPF as a reference tool to understand students’ learning progress plan and review the learning and teaching objectives help students progress along the learning continuum LPF Using the LPF to Enhance Learning and Teaching

LPF-related Professional Development Programme Using the Learning Progression Framework to Enhance English Language Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Writing and Speaking at Secondary Level April - May 2012