Reading Instruction in the Primary Grades
Instructional Materials
Since Macao is a city with a relatively small student population, there is little scope for publishing businesses to produce local textbooks on a commercially viable basis. In consequence, schools are free to select suitable teaching materials and compile and develop teaching materials to suit their own purposes. Combining the characteristics and needs of schools and teachers in Macao, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (Direcção dos Serviços de Educação e Juventude, or DSEJ) has entrusted organizations to compile and publish junior secondary supplementary teaching materials including Geography of Macao and Literature of Macao.20 The DSEJ published Moral and Civic Education for primary education, and a revised version was provided in the academic year 2016–2017.21 To enrich the teaching resources of various learning areas and to provide adequate support and assistance to schools and teachers to meet their teaching needs, the DSEJ will continue to entrust professional institutions to compile the teaching materials of General Knowledge for primary education and History for secondary education.
Use of Technology
According to The Curriculum Guide, teachers are encouraged to use Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in their teaching to help students develop relevant skills and solve reading problems. The Online Chinese and English Reading Project was launched in 2008. Approximately 44,500 and 49,000 students in Macao participated in the Chinese and English parts of the electronic reading project, respectively, that year.22 Online reading projects in three languages (Chinese, Portuguese, and English) were launched in 2009.23
Second Language Instruction
As mentioned in the Language/Reading Curriculum in the Fourth Grade section, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (Direcção dos Serviços de Educação e Juventude, or DESJ) implemented a new curriculum framework as well as the Requirements of Basic Academic Attainments for primary education in the academic year 2016–2017. Designated curricula for students learning Chinese and Portuguese as a second language also were published.
The rationale of the Primary Chinese Language Curriculum (Second Language) is as follows:24
- Targeting the communicative functions of Chinese and comprehensively developing students’ basic Chinese language literacy
- Helping students understand the Chinese culture and taking this into one’s own daily social life
- Respecting cultural differences between ethnic groups, focusing on the appropriateness of the curriculum used in schools
- Focusing on the application and usage of Chinese language learning and literary practices
- Creating a good environment for learning the Chinese language and improving the effectiveness of learning
The rationale of the Primary Portuguese Language Curriculum (Second Language) is as follows:25
- To value and learn the Portuguese language
- To acquire basic competence in communicating in Portuguese in one’s primary education