Most students in Hong Kong are native Cantonese or Chinese speakers. However, because of the biliterate-trilingual language policy, as a Primary or Secondary school teacher, you may need to use English to teach the disciplinary knowledge, such as Mathematics, Science, IT and etc. Therefore, it is important to know some techniques to ensure your students can understand the lessons and learn the knowledge as expected.

Here are some strategies for teaching subjects in English:

1. Provide scaffolds to support students understanding of problems

Simplify the language of the problem is the first step. Then, you may have students practice picking out key words and talk about what they mean using highlighters or sticky notes. Coloured highlighters have been known to enhance memory performance. Highlighters and sticky notes can also boost student engagement in the lesson you are teaching. One trick is to have students highlight the question they have to answer in the question or use a pen to eliminate unnecessary words.

2. Pre-teach disciplinary vocabulary

Previewing and pre-teaching new disciplinary vocabulary words is an important scaffold necessary to help students understand the concepts. Remember that your students are learning two new languages—English and the language of your subject in English. You can’t expect students to take a list of the vocabulary words from a chapter and look up the words in a dictionary. They require direct instruction of new vocabulary and plenty of practice to develop fluency in the concept.

3. Present problems and concepts visually

Charts, graphs, realia, diagrams, pictures, and graphic organizers are useful visual aids. Word Walls can also be used at all grade levels. Visual aids can help students understand the different meanings of words such as table and how to use them correctly in the context of your subject.

4. Give students opportunities to talk to each other

You should have students speak with each other in small groups or with a partner during whole class discussions. This may make them feel more comfortable trying out new vocabulary without the anxiety of speaking in front of the whole class. They will understand the material better if they explain it to another student either in English or in their home language. Newcomers certainly benefit from hearing the explanation in their first language. Another way to help students talk about the subject is to ask for whole class, choral responses instead of calling on individual students.

5. Allow students to create their own notebook

A notebook dedicated to the vocabulary items can be a boost for students in higher grades. It can be set up to fit the age and needs of the students in your class. Words can include definitions in your students’ own words and/ or in their own language. Choral recitation is also a good way to increase students’ oral participation in a lesson. You can also provide a sentence frame common in your subject, so that students will be able to write down responses and produce them orally.

6. Bridge the gap between the subject and real-world issues

You may want to develop some projects that focus on themes or issues which are relevant to the cultural, racial, and linguistic composition of your classroom. The best way to find a theme that your students will really care about is to ask them. You can then base on your students’ standards to see what concepts would apply to the issue chosen.