教大推出小學生英語學習平台

EdUHK Launches English Language Learning Platform for Primary School Students

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) today (14 July) held an event to launch a comprehensive online platform, featuring complementary videos, e-books, lesson plans and worksheets, free for primary school teachers and students to use in learning English.

Developed by the Department of English Language Education (ELE) of EdUHK and frontline English teachers from partner schools, the project ‘Learning English with Little Leaf’ aims to create engaging materials for students to learn at school or at home. The project was piloted in five local primary schools, with the EdUHK academic team working closely with local teachers to gather feedback for enhancement.

Today’s release includes six units of content, each covering a topic from the EDB’s primary English curriculum, namely ‘My Sister’s Birthday’, ‘Shopping on Uncle Leaf’s Ship’, ‘Let’s Go to Sunshine Park’, ‘Making Slime: Getting the Things Ready’, ‘Our New Neighbourhood’ and ‘Life Before and During COVID’. The topics are taught through the lives and experiences of Leo the Little Leaf and his sister Lina. 

Each unit in the series consists of three captivating videos, which bring the topics to life. To start with, students can immerse themselves in a Story Video in relatable situations with the highlights of the adventures and experiences of Leo and Lina, helping to create an emotional connection that enhances students’ language comprehension. This is followed by an Activity Video that provides hands-on activities to encourage students to ‘learn by doing’ and reinforce vocabulary acquisition and learning in context. Lastly, students can enjoy a Music Video that adds a light-hearted and melodic touch to language learning, making it a refreshing and memorable experience in language learning.

To complement the video-based learning, each unit also includes two interactive e-books, providing additional reading materials and online activities that allow students to practise and reinforce their language skills. Guidelines and lesson plans, online quizzes that provide instant feedback, and a scoring system are also available on the platform.

At the event, EdUHK President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung said, “The project aims to enrich students’ learning of English in many ways – to reward their curiosity, and eagerness for fun stories and activities while learning the essential subject of English. On one hand, the project materials can easily be integrated into the school-based curriculum to help teachers enrich the learning content and motivate students. On the other hand, they can also be easily adopted by parents to provide a fun way for students to practise, reinforce and apply the English they learn at school.” 
 

Vice President (Academic) and Provost Professor John Lee Chi-Kin said, “Through this project, English Language educators can work together to exchange their experiences and cultivate students' habits and skills in becoming independent, self-guided learners through diversified approaches. We hope the materials can help teachers bring more memorable and enjoyable learning experiences to their students.”

The occasion also featured a keynote speech delivered by Dr Timothy Taylor, the project’s leader and the Associate Head of ELE, followed by a forum co-chaired by ELE Lecturer Mr Denis Wong Ka-ho. During the forum, pilot school representatives – including Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation Fong Shu Chuen Primary School English Panel Ms Chu Po-yiu, The Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad Primary School English teacher Ms Jovan Chan Lai-kit, and Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial Primary School English Panel Mr Kevin So Ka-fai – were invited to share their ideas and comments after implanting the platform in their schools. 

For further information, please visit: https://www.littleleaf.hk/