Elementary Education
Elementary Education
1. Improve students’ mastery of Mandarin by offering additional lesson time and promoting reading and NIE (Newspaper In Education)
In order to strengthen students’ language proficiency and broaden the breadth of learning, from 2006 onward, every school has added one extra Mandarin lesson per week to their syllabus. Course schedule is adjusted to ensure it is best for students. During the period from 2007 and 2010, the Department plans to propel a 4-year in-depth reading project for school pupils that involves recommendation of a reading list, selection of quality books, planning for annual reading events, and conducting related research on less-privileged students’ reading proficiency. In addition, in order to expand the scope of students’ reading materials so as to improve their reading comprehension and their capacity to make logical judgments, the Department has launched its NIE (Newspaper In Education) program for elementary schools to boost students’ reading and thinking ability in 2008.
2. Emphasize local culture and consolidate dialect education in elementary schools
The Department takes an active stance in the promotion of mother tongue education (i.e. Taiwanese, Hakka and other aboriginal languages), including offering introductory and intermediate training for mother tongue teachers, hosting lesson demonstrations, supervising mother tongue educations at outstanding schools and promoting events such as “Mother Tongue Day”. At the same time, the needs of teachers in their lessons are taken into consideration in the integration of a language proficiency index for revisions on the implementation guidelines, which would then be issued to teachers as teaching references.
3. Promote English learning in elementary schools and establish projects to create a suitable English learning environment in elementary schools to connect to the world
Ever since 2002, the Department has directed that English education be extended downwards to grade one students in elementary schools. In recent years,
the Department has continued to hold events and activities including English Summer/Winter Camps, English books purchase and reading promotion, professional training for English teachers, editing and publishing handbooks for remedial lessons, establishing learning proficiency index for English language and course outlines, hosting English learning assessment trials and organizing international visits and exchanges. In 2008, the Department has chosen two schools for the trial program of creating appropriate English learning environments by hiring native English teachers to give lessons and develop suitable course materials.
4. Implement competence tests for academic subjects (such as Mandarin, mathematics and so forth) to fortify students’ academic performance
In order to assess the status of Mandarin learning for all elementary students in Taipei City, the Department held the very first Mandarin Competence Test for grade six students in elementary schools in 2005. Results of students’ overall performance indicated that the passing rate was over 60% for more than 95% of the examinees. The following years of 2006, 2007 and 2008 witnessed similar competence assessment for subjects including Mandarin and mathematics. The Department plans to include competence test for English in 2009 in order to better understand Taipei City elementary students’ overall English proficiency and notable trends, which could be provided to teachers as a reference to make suitable adjustments in their teaching curriculum.
5. Create an optimal environment by re-engineering general and specific subject classrooms
Improving the facility of general classrooms in elementary schools is in line with major educational reform measures. Taipei City Government has approved a budget of NT$ 400 million for 2005 through 2008 intended for comprehensive improvement of teaching environment in general classrooms in all elementary schools across Taipei to improve the quality of education environment. For the period between 2008 through 2011, the government will allocate a budget of over NT$ 500 million to upgrade elementary schools’ specific subject classrooms to thoroughly improve the environment of education in Taipei City.
6. Implement the “Three-Year Teacher Mentoring Program” to fortify teachers’ professional expertise
In order to strengthen the ongoing efforts of teacher mentoring at every school, the Department has completed its “Three-Year Teacher Mentoring Program” in all elementary schools in Taipei City, which involves the addition of dedicated teacher mentors at elementary schools within a three-year period starting from 2008 through 2010. Teacher mentors will be deployed at elementary schools with more than 49 general classes starting in 2008, which comes to a total of 43 elementary schools; in 2009, the program will cover elementary schools with 30-48 classes (totaling 51 elementary schools) and finally to schools with 6-29 classes in 2010 (totaling 47 elementary schools).
7. Implement life education training activities to teach students to respect and cherish life
In order to consolidate the effort of incorporating innovative
contents of life education in all areas on top of integrating
community resources to create a human-centered living
environment through parenting education, the Department
will plan a series of life education training and exhibitions in hopes of helping students to understand, respect and cherish life through lessons and activities.
8. Plan a rich variety of extracurricular events relating to specific talents to help students cultivate diversified hobbies
The Department shall encourage elementary schools to organize extracurricular clubs based on the needs of the students to enlarge their scope of learning and cultivate diverse abilities/hobbies in order to promote “Education 111”. Apart from “One Specialty Per School” and “No One Neglected”, the ultimate goal is to achieve “One Skill Per Student”, which means the school shall help every student to cultivate at least one special talent, be it sports, arts or musical performance.
●Future Prospects
1. In light of the decreasing birth rate, the Department shall evaluate elementary school teachers’ quota based on actual requirements and propose related plans. In addition, the Department will also encourage schools to develop their specialties to enhance their competitiveness and facilitate long-term development.
2. Enhance teachers’ professional competence and students’ accomplishments through promoting teachers’ training courses, learning evaluation and innovation research.
3. To look after each student through the hand-in-hand and learning potential induction project. Give under-performing students remedial lessons and regular tests to improve their achievements and interest in learning.
4. Plan experimental camps during summer vacations, which cover areas including language proficiency, creativity, problem solving skills and life education to offer students a diverse learning environment and develop students’ key abilities.
5. Make adequate use of idle space’s education functions in schools by instilling elements of environmental protection and touches of art to demonstrate diversified creativity. Unite teachers and students’ recognition for their own school and demonstrate school specialty.
6. Encourage parents to pursue self-development and further education. To source parents’ participation in school development. The Department shall plan and offer volunteer training on topics including human rights, law and order and character education to promote exchange of experience and construct a platform for communication through family education and practical activities relating to education at schools.
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