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Although this approach is intended to be "fun" for students to use, it is based on some very serious research. Working together with the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), HKU researchers analysed some 1,500 "Use of English" essay examinations. So far the project has involved:
•The creation of a computerized database of over 900,000 words
•The systematic marking of all language errors within the database
•The computerized analysis of learner errors
•The design of a special website for teachers to use with their pupils
On the website, students are able to choose an "avatar" or "assistant" to guide them through the exercises. These avatars include "Dr Grammar" (a young male grammar teacher), "Karaoke" (a chic woman guide), "Rock" (a robot-like figure), and "Rap" (a computer nerd).
The more serious features of the website, however, include 24 different sets of exercises on common errors in written English, totaling over 800 questions in all. Students can then work through these exercises in "learning mode" or test themselves in "challenge mode". It is intended that teachers will be able to use the website as supplementary resource for correcting common errors in their students written English.
A unique feature of the website is a pop-up electronic grammar book that is designed both to assist students with their exercises, and also to stimulate their interest in the intricacies of English grammar and basic linguistics.
The website is the brainchild of a team of top researchers at HKU's Department of Linguistics that includes Dr Kang Kwong Luke, Professor Kingsley Bolton, and Dr Gerald Nelson.
"The project is intended to provide a service to language teachers in Hong Kong. Many people have complained about the quality of teachers in the past, but we know that there are many teachers out there doing a great job. We hope that this website will help them to improve the standard of their students' writing," said Dr Luke, Head of the Linguistics Department at HKU.
The Reach out for English website will provide a cost-free resource for all secondary schools in Hong Kong, and is intended mainly for students in Form 4 to Form 7. The design and construction of this website was made possible by a UGC grant in July 2001 for the project (originally entitled 'Outreach for English'), and the co-operation of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), and the Principal of Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College.
If further funding is available, the Linguistics Department hopes to extend the website project and expand its outreach activities in the community. The Linguistics Department was established in 1997, and since then has become the leading institution of its kind in Asia.
Further enquiries, please contact the Research out Team at: ReachoutforEnglish@gmail.com.
NEW ENGLISH WEBSITE TO HELP SECONDARY STUDENTS (Press Release)
30 Mar 2005
A team of researchers based at HKU's Linguistics Department have come up with a new way to interest Hong Kong secondary school students in studying English grammar – through the use of cartoon characters on a specially designed website called "Reach out for English".
Although this approach is intended to be "fun" for students to use, it is based on some very serious research. Working together with the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), HKU researchers analysed some 1,500 "Use of English" essay examinations. So far the project has involved:
•The creation of a computerized database of over 900,000 words
•The systematic marking of all language errors within the database
•The computerized analysis of learner errors
•The design of a special website for teachers to use with their pupils
On the website, students are able to choose an "avatar" or "assistant" to guide them through the exercises. These avatars include "Dr Grammar" (a young male grammar teacher), "Karaoke" (a chic woman guide), "Rock" (a robot-like figure), and "Rap" (a computer nerd).
The more serious features of the website, however, include 24 different sets of exercises on common errors in written English, totaling over 800 questions in all. Students can then work through these exercises in "learning mode" or test themselves in "challenge mode". It is intended that teachers will be able to use the website as supplementary resource for correcting common errors in their students written English.
A unique feature of the website is a pop-up electronic grammar book that is designed both to assist students with their exercises, and also to stimulate their interest in the intricacies of English grammar and basic linguistics.
The website is the brainchild of a team of top researchers at HKU's Department of Linguistics that includes Dr Kang Kwong Luke, Professor Kingsley Bolton, and Dr Gerald Nelson.
"The project is intended to provide a service to language teachers in Hong Kong. Many people have complained about the quality of teachers in the past, but we know that there are many teachers out there doing a great job. We hope that this website will help them to improve the standard of their students' writing," said Dr Luke, Head of the Linguistics Department at HKU.
The Reach out for English website will provide a cost-free resource for all secondary schools in Hong Kong, and is intended mainly for students in Form 4 to Form 7. The design and construction of this website was made possible by a UGC grant in July 2001 for the project (originally entitled 'Outreach for English'), and the co-operation of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), and the Principal of Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College.
If further funding is available, the Linguistics Department hopes to extend the website project and expand its outreach activities in the community. The Linguistics Department was established in 1997, and since then has become the leading institution of its kind in Asia.
Further enquiries, please contact the Research out Team at: ReachoutforEnglish@gmail.com.
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