Main menu:
The goal of the English Language Programme at HCI is to develop independent thinkers who can see the connection between language study and its application to life. A holistic educational approach ensures that students are given the freedom to intellectually grasp these relationships and apply them to authentic tasks. A Language Arts approach which integrates the study of language with Literature is used at the lower secondary level while the upper secondary curriculum is geared towards preparing our students for the demands of the General Paper and Knowledge and Inquiry in Years 5 and 6.
As our global knowledge base expands exponentially, we as teachers recognize that we are unable to address this vast body of knowledge within the classroom: we must be purveyors of independent learning and foster an intellectual curiosity that will guarantee lifetime learners. Students are stimulated to build disciplined minds that can work with multiple data, minds that can question and live in harmony in our increasingly diverse and changing world.
Students must feel comfortable in the transition from an education characterized by guided learning at the Primary level to an environment that places emphasis on individual and differentiated learning at the Secondary level. Comprehensive school-wide reading programmes, ACE (Activities for Curriculum Enhancement), Projects Competitions, Library Week activities, field trips and seminars all challenge students to embrace independent learning.
Carefully researched Curricula and Schemes of Work guide students through their learning. The infusion and transference of their language and literature studies to other academic disciplines are constantly reinforced.
However, no matter how theoretically correct and stimulating a curricula might be, the critical element within any school remains its teachers . HCI is proud and fortunate to have a dedicated group of professionals delivering the English Language Programme . The Faculty is ably supported by an administration which ensures its teachers are always pedagogically current. There are many opportunities for teachers to attend in-service workshops, seminars and conferences both locally and internationally to learn about best pedagogical practices and technological advancements for inclusion in the classroom. Regular in-house workshops and weekly professional sharing sessions also provide additional avenues for collaborative learning amongst Faculty members.
Teachers are trained internally in Web 2.0, Live Journal, Wikispaces/Wetpaint, Blogging, Microsoft Office Communicator, Concept-based Instruction, Differentiated Instruction etc. and incorporate these tools to enhance language learning. The school's determination to remain not only current but educationally at the forefront, guarantees that the working environment is always fresh for teachers and students alike.
Most students enter secondary one with little idea of where their studies will take them. By the time they leave HCI, graduates have thematically studied macro concepts such as conflict, identity, change, system, revolution and power as part of their educational odyssey. Inevitably this leads to a deeper understanding of the most important concept—self. This altruistic discovery ultimately enables them to grasp the key to an HCI education; it's not the content that takes precedence in their learning but rather how they come to internalize their language studies to attain self actualization.