Featured Author
- Stephen Sayers -
“Teach children values & language skills - enrich their lives!“
Why Happy Hearts Happy Families?
Hi everyone, I’m Stephen. I’ve been teaching English in East Asia for 30 years. Several years ago, I started to question why my university students, after years of English in kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, were still struggling to read and communicate in English. Science tells us the best window for learning languages is early childhood. Government Education Departments highlight the critical need to nurture young children’s well-being as well as their academic skills. To address and integrate these various needs, I drew on my Masters in TESOL and my Masters in Music Composition to research, write songs, develop curriculum, and carry out case studies. Happy Hearts Happy Families is the outcome of all these efforts.
What are the benefits to K3/P1/P2 schools?
I believe there are many benefits. Here are four:
1. Language acquisition. Happy Hearts Happy Families has a strong phonics component that teaches children the 44 ‘sounds’ of English. With songs children listen repeatedly and learn to trust their ability to hear and say these sounds. They soon learn which letters and combination of letters represent these sounds. As a result, their reading and spelling improves. The catchy songs aid language acquisition, they attract children’s interest, aid memory, and pronunciation.
2. Comprehensive Content. Beautiful virtues and vocabulary are found in each song, such as loving relationships, patience, sharing, caring, responsibility, helping at home, and so on. The music and lyrics help children internalise these ideas and vocabulary. Soon they begin to use phrases, like “You go first. I can wait, wait, wait” in their conversations with classmates, teachers, and at home. These themes and language are culturally relevant and highly appreciated by schools and parents in Hong Kong and Macau, where good moral character is emphasised. It creates a meaningful connection between the students' own experiences and the English language.
3. Curriculum Alignment. Happy Hearts Happy Families is aligned with the educational aims of the Hong Kong and Macau Education Departments. The book can easily be used by schools as a supplementary text that supports each school’s desire to provide the best quality education possible for their students. As such, the school-family partnership is also strengthened in pursuit of common learner outcomes. In short, it gives every child the best chance to develop a strong foundation in phonics and language skills, while strengthening their social and emotional well-being.
4. Teacher Empowerment. It is important to orient and accompany teachers to gain an understanding of the nature of Happy Hearts Happy Families, its approach, content, and the progression and continuity of its learner outcomes. Teachers need to feel confident in using Happy Hearts Happy Families with children and explaining its benefits to parents. For schools that commit to purchasing 50+ copies of Happy Hearts Happy Families, a FREE 2-hour online / face to face seminar can be arranged. Email ‘The Project Manager’ Ms. Fok for further details: info.rhpmo@gmail.com
Warm regards, Stephen Sayers.
