Innovative Practice of Primary Chinese Language Teaching under the Philosophy of "Integrating Language and Meaning"—Class Reconstruction Based on the Context of Hong Kong's Bilingual and Trilingual Environment

Lin Weiming  【Hong Kong】

Abstract:

This paper addresses the issues weak cultural identity and fragmented language application scenarios in primary Chinese language teaching in Hong Kong, proposing the "Integrating Language and Meaning" teaching model. This model uses texts as a medium, adopting a dual-track strategy of language training and cultural immersion, and designs a "life-oriented task chain" in the context of Hong Kong's multicultural background achieve deep integration of language skills training and cultural identity cultivation. The research, with three primary schools in Hong Kong as practice bases, has verified the effectiveness of innovative paths such as contextual language transfer and critical thinking immersion, providing a localized practice plan for Chinese language education in Hong Kong.

Keywords: Integrating Language and Meaning; Bilingual and Trilingual Task Chain Design; Cultural Identity; Hong Kong Chinese Language Teaching

1. Introduction: The Real Dilemmas and Breaking Points of Hong Kong's Chinese Language Teaching

 a place where Chinese and Western cultures meet, Chinese language teaching in Hong Kong faces special challenges:

1.1. Complex Language Environment

Students are exposed to Cantonese English, and Mandarin in their daily lives, but the conversion between the three languages can easily lead to fragmented written language expression (Hong Kong Education Bureau, "Survey on Primary School Students' Language Ability", 2023).

1.2. Difficulty in Traditional Chinese Character Writing

Traditional copying training is timeconsuming but has limited effects (Hong Kong Education Bureau, "Survey Report on Primary School Students' Language Ability", 2023).

1.3 Blurred Cultural Identity

The content of traditional culture in textbooks accounts for less than 15%, and there is a lack of connection with local life ("Analysis of Kong Primary School Chinese Textbooks", 2024).

Innovation Direction:

Wu Zhonghao pointed out that Chinese language should shift from "teaching texts" to "teaching Chinese language", emphasizing that teaching should not be limited to specific content of the text but should focus on cultivating students overall Chinese language literacy. Based on this, this paper constructs a dual-track teaching model of "language" (language skills) and "meaning" (cultural connotation). this model, teachers can focus on the improvement of students in language expression, reading comprehension, writing skills, and deep understanding of Chinese traditional culture, literary works, and historical background This teaching method not only helps to improve students' Chinese language abilities but also enhances their sense of identity and pride in Chinese culture, thus achieving the educational goal of all-round development

2. An Innovative Practice Path for the "Meaning and Language" Model

(a) Listic Training in Real Life: Creating a Real Task Chain

Innovation Point: Convert isolated knowledge points into coherent life tasks

Case: Reconstructing the teaching of "H Kong, the Shining Pearl" in Grade 4

Basic Layer (Language):

Task 1: Photographing street signs in Causeway Bay (Survey of Chinese characters): Walk along the bustling streets of Causeway Bay, photographing variously styled street signs, paying special attention to those using traditional Chinese characters in shop names and. Record the design, font, color of these signs, and the cultural atmosphere they convey.

Task 2: Describing the shops on Lygon East and West Streets withall things are available" and "everything is dazzling": Stroll along Lygon East and West Streets, and you will be attracted by the dazzling array of goods, from clothing to traditional handicrafts, all things are available. Each shop is carefully decorated, displaying all kinds of goods, making people dazzled.

Deepening Layer (Meaning

Task 3: Discuss changes through photos of Victoria Harbour past and present, using the "although... but..." sentence pattern: By comparing old photos Victoria Harbour with modern photos, it can be seen that although the skyline of Victoria Harbour has changed dramatically with the rise of high-rise buildings, the traditional fishing village style is preserved, and although the pace of modernization is rapid, the traces of history and culture are still visible.

Task 4: Write "A Proposal for the Protection of Kong's Culture to Tourists": Write a proposal to call on tourists to respect and protect Hong Kong's cultural heritage. The proposal can mention how to keep the environment clean the tour, respect local customs, support local small businesses, and how to promote the inheritance and development of culture through one's own behavior.

Effect: The rate of students sentences decreased by 42%, and the length of the cultural theme writing increased by 200%.

(b) Cultural Immersion in Situationalizedenarios: Developing a Local Cultural Resource Database

Innovative Practice

Textbook Supplement Strategy

Add local texts such as "The Home Letter of Daao Fishing" and "Temple Street Ballads" to let students understand Hong Kong's history and culture more deeply through these literary works with local characteristics. At the same time, increase number of articles describing Hong Kong's natural landscape and urban landscape, such as "The Night Scene of Victoria Harbour" and "The Wind on Victoria Peak", to enrich students reading experience.

Develop "Hong Kong Flavor Word Map": Decoding cultural elements such as herbal tea shops, tong lau, and ding ding cars

Through "Hong Kong Flavor Word Map", combine Hong Kong's unique cultural elements with geographical space to help students understand the cultural significance behind these words. For example, that herbal tea shops are not only the sales points of traditional Chinese herbal tea drinks but also important places for community exchanges; tong lau represents Hong Kong's unique architectural style and changes; ding ding cars are the iconic existence in Hong Kong's public transport system, bearing the memories and emotions of the citizens.

Interdisciplinary:

C. Visualization of thinking training: Development of critical reading tools

Debate scaffolding table

3. Implementation Outcomes and Reflections: From Data Verification to the Reconstruction of Localized Educational Ecology

(1) Empirical Outcomes Multi-dimensional Data Validates the Effectiveness of the Dual-track Model

a. Synergistic Enhancement of Language Ability and Cultural Literacy (203-2025 Three Schools Follow-up)

ypical Case: Students from the experimental class of Wong Tai Sin Catholic Primary School wrote the "Lamma Fishing Village Conservation Plan," successfully using local terms such as "Tanka" and "Salty Water Song," which were adopted by the district council.

b. Structural Changes in Learning Behaviors and Thinking Qualities

High- Thinking Explicitation: 92% of students skillfully used the "Tri-color Annotation Method" to analyze texts, and the number of critical questions increased threefolde.g., "Why was a park built instead of a shopping mall after the demolition of Kowloon Walled City?");

Interdisciplinary Transfer Capability In the "Wetland Ecological Record" task, 83% of students transferred expository writing skills to scientific observation reports;

Proactive Community Participation: In Yau Ma Tei Residents' Association cooperation project, students actively interviewed fruit vendors to complete the "Language Map of the Market," which was included in the Hong Kong Museum of.

c. Radiation Effect of Teachers' Professional Development

(II) Innovative Reflections: Key Breakthroughs in Model Optimization

a. Three Strategies to Resolve the Dualistic Disconnect ofLanguage Training-Cultural Immersion":

Local Genetic Implantation of Task Chains:

Case: Shen Sheng Shi Electronic Market Situational Teaching - Students investigate loopholes in product manuals (with a misused traditional Chinese character rate as high as 34%), write the "Consumer Guide", and achieve integration of language and social responsibility;

Breakthrough: Replace template-based compositions with "Family Portrayals in a Bowl of Clam Chowder", with 17 student compositions for the "Hong Kong Primary School Students' Excellent Works Collection" (only 3 in 2024).

Dynamic Generation Mechanism of Cultural Resources:

DevelopMobile Cultural Supply Stations": Collect oral history from outlying islands and New Territories villages (such as the fishing folklore of Dongpingzhou), and form schoolbased resource packages;

Establish a "Non-heritable Inheritance Bearer-Teacher" Collaborative Network: Cantonese opera performers visit schools to guide aThe Princess and the Peach Blossom" dialogue appreciation class, and the accuracy of students' Cantonese pronunciation is increased to 91%.

b. Reiliation of Contradictions in Local Adaptation

c. Bottlenecks and Countermeasures for Sustainable Promotion

Resource Allocation Dilemma:

ue: Lack of museum resources for island schools → Solution: Establish an "online cultural exhibition hall," develop a VR-less three-dimensional artifact observation tool (-VR technology, actually multi-angle photography reconstruction) in conjunction with the Hong Kong Art Museum;

Teacher Cognitive Bias:

Issue: 28% teachers believe "cultural teaching encroaches on language training time" → Solution: Use "1 1 embedded teaching plans" (e.g., explain the history of the Hat Mountain terraced fields while learning the word "continuous");

Assessment Mechanism Lag:

Issue: Current assessments overlook the depth of cultural understanding → Solution: Sub "Proposal for Graded Cultural Literacy Assessment" to the assessment bureau, which was granted permission for trial implementation in 2026.

(III) Deepeningirection: Constructing a New Ecology of Hong Kong Language Education

a. Micro-Classroom Reform: From Instrumental to Humanistic Depth

Cultural Decoding Language Symbols: Analyze the health philosophy of words such as "aftertaste" and "dampness removal" in the "Herbal Tea Shop Sign Research," a connection between the shape and meaning of Chinese characters and cultural metaphors;

Emotional Identification Scene Implantation: Organize students to write "Repair Proposals the Urban Renewal Authority" for Blue House tenement buildings, with 71% of suggestions incorporated into community revitalization plans.

b.Meso-SystemCollaboration:blocking the "School-Community-City" Resource Pulse

A[School] -- Learning Task --> B[Community Cultural Hub]  

B -- Real Data Feedback --> A   

A -- Curriculum Outcome Output --> C[Public Cultural Institution]  

C -- Resource Support --> B -- Social Issue Insight --> D[Government Think Tank]

Case: Cooperate the Hong Kong Palace Museum to develop the "Chinese Characters in Cultural Relics" workshop, with over 6,000 student participants per year.

c. Mac-Regional Linkage: Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Language Education Community

Children's Book Co-Creation Plan: Jointly writeBay Area Childhood Memories" (three-city editions) with students from Guangzhou and Macao, solving empathy barriers caused by cultural differences (e.g., recognition rate of "shophouse" by Hong Kong students dropped from 54% to 9%);

Teacher Training Workshop: Establish a "bi-weekly online preparation circle," sharing 217 localized teaching plans in 2025, reducing inefficient duplicate designs.

4. Reflection Conclusion

The of the "Meaningful Language" model is to reconstruct the cultural gene of Hong Kong language education—when students can record dialect conversations on the Star Ferry and discern the historical of "the race goes on" at the Jockey Club Museum, language education transforms from subject knowledge into the bloodline of cultural identity. In the future, it is necessary to promote policy support (such as including cultural literacy in the secondary school entrance assessment), break resource barriers (establish a resource tilt mechanism for the outlying islands), anden home-school collaboration (develop a cultural adaptation guide for new immigrant families), so that Hong Kong language education can truly become the cornerstone of cultural heritage。

5. Conclusion: Towards Rooted Language Education

Hong Kong's language education should be based on the of "two languages and three dialects" and inject cultural genes into language training:

Micro level: Replace formulaic depictions of kinship with "Kinship in a of Clams", through concrete life scenes and traditional food, allowing students to experience the depth and warmth of kinship in actual experience, thus avoiding hollow expressions.

Mes level: Construct a "School-Community-Museum" learning field, extending the classroom to the community and museums, enabling students to learn Chinese in a real social environment. Through in community activities and visiting museums, students can enhance their sense of identity and understanding of local culture.

Macro level: Establish a joint creation mechanism for children's books the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, promote the sharing of educational resources within the region, encourage students to co-create children's books reflectingiculturalism, cultivate cross-cultural communication skills, and enhance students' creativity and spirit of cooperation.

When students write recommendation letters for the preservation of Blue House, record the conversation the market in Yau Ma Tei Fruit Wharf, Chinese language is no longer a symbol on paper, but the bloodline of cultural heritage. This is the fundamental mission of in Hong Kong's language education. Through these specific practical activities, students can not only improve their language abilities but also deeply experience the cultural connotation behind the language, truly the rooting and inheritance of language education.

References

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