The proliferation of international and English medium of instruction (MOI) schools in Asia is well-known
over recent years. However the teachers and students are often themselves second language speakers
and writers of English. This means that supporting students as they develop academic literacy skills
throughout their school years is critical as they compete for global university places, based, for example,
on competitive IB results.
Many subject teachers using MOI English believe that the dissemination of their content knowledge is
their prime (and sometimes sole) responsibility, however understanding the key role that language plays
in constructing and communicating that knowledge is just as important. How can your students write
extended text if they do not have the understanding and skills to write a good subject knowledge essay?
And how do such texts differ across subjects? How is different disciplinary content construed in writing?
Good school writing practices however do not just happen in the senior years. Studies have found that
introducing primary year students to the richness of genres and allowing regular whole text writing skills
practice prepares them for the challenges of secondary school.
This workshop explores how genre-based pedagogy and functional linguistics (Rose & Martin, 2012;
Gebhard, 2018) combine effectively in enhancing primary and secondary school literacy development.
First there will be an overview of the linguistic and pedagogical principles of the genre-based approach,
and then practical examples of how literacy performance of K-12 students can be enhanced using this
approach.
May 2023 - 21CLBKK
Job Role Applicability:
- Curriculum Director / Coordinator
- English/Language Arts Teacher
- Literacy
Presentation
- Middle School [Age 11 - 13]
- High School [Age 14 - 17]