Macleod College is a government school which provides education at a variety of different levels: from prep year all the way up to year 12. The students there are mainly Australians and speak English as the first language.
A feature which distinguishes Macleod College from its counterparts is its use of teaching space. Unlike most other institutions, many classrooms in Macleod college are 'open' classrooms, meaning there aren't actually any doors and there are openings which lead to the corridor or to other classrooms. There was also one instance during the visit in which I saw three classes in progress simultaneously in three different corners of one big room.
Such a feature is quite 'revolutionary' to me because the idea of having open classrooms is absent in Hong Kong. I have never seen or experienced such a learning environment, nor have I ever imagined having an open classroom in a school. It is tough to see this type of setting in my hometown because of the assortment of difficulties it may cause: noise from one class may interfere with another class, things going on in the corridor or a neighbouring class may cause students to lose their attention, teachers may be taken out of their comfort zone because they are no longer in a traditional classroom setting and so on and so forth.
However, during the visit, it seemed that the listed problems listed above weren't as serious as I had first anticipated. In the big room with three simultaneous classes, although it was inevitable that students would hear the sounds generated by those of the other two classes, it seemed that the majority of them were still able to concentrate on the task at hand or pay attention to the teacher if he/she is giving instructions. This is because before the teacher issues the instructions, students are gathered in front of the teacher to make sure everyone can hear clearly. Also, as students commence their work, the teacher is not stationary at the front but constantly moving about to ensure the students are on the right track.
Another important factor is that the students have gotten used to such a classroom setting. Since the school offers education from prep year to year 12, many of the students might have been experiencing open classrooms since at a young age. They know what to expect and what is expected of them when attending classes in open classrooms.
In terms of language learning, there are also benefits. Different classes can collaborate to provide opportunities to interact with pupils from other classes in order for them to practice the target language with different people, allowing them to individualise their language learning by discouraging them to keep practice with the same group of people over and over again.
In essence, I believe that if the students can get used to a classroom setting and know what to expect, as well as what is expected of them, implementing open classrooms can also work in Hong Kong.
No comments:
Post a Comment