Bridging Program (2003-04)

Since 1998 the school has adopted Chinese as the medium of instruction in other subjects in the junior forms. Because of this, students have inevitably been given fewer chances to expose to the English learning atmosphere. To cater the needs of our students for their future academic advancement and career prospects, the school has changed the medium of instruction from Chinese into English in the secondary four to seven. The switch from a strong first language (Chinese) to a relatively weak second language (English) as the tool of learning makes a different set of language demand on our students. If the demand is not met effectively and appropriately, what suffer will not only be their language development, but also academic achievement in general. In other words, the school has the responsibility to prepare the students for the change in the medium of instruction before they can start using English as a tool to learn other content subjects in senior secondary levels. To facilitate such a transition and help students to get ready for EMI, the school started a Bridging Program in 2000.

A three-year Bridging Program under the funding of District Based Network started in 2001. We collaborate with Island Munsang College (IMSC) with the assistance and advice given by Dr Cecilia K. W. Chun (Chinese University of Hong Kong). The program is intended to better prepare our students for an English-medium education before they use English as a tool of learning. The program covers six major content subjects, including biology, physics, Chemistry, economics, geography and history. Language support will be provided in the following areas, which are regarded as essential elements for pursuing academic studies of content subjects.

	Vocabulary
	Grammar
	Communicative functions
	Text types and structures
	Language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing)
	Learning skills and strategies

In terms of duration, the program is organised as follows: