Articles & Insights
A growing library of 100+ articles on English language teaching, written by Rowena Tam for Goodschool Magazine — a resource for educators across Hong Kong.
Browse Rowena's full article collection ↗Assessment Without Tears: Feedback That Grows Writers
Feedback that students actually use: practical marking strategies that reduce teacher workload and grow confident writers.
Happy English Learning — Primary School Preparation
Using beads and strings as a metaphor for the vocabulary-to-grammar shift, with word-order examples.
Classroom Management for English Lessons: What Actually Works
Routines, entry tasks, and purposeful talk — the classroom management habits that make English lessons run themselves.
Jubilee Terms and Large Number Reading
Decoding English jubilee terms and bridging the Chinese 萬/億 and English million/billion gap.
Differentiated Instruction in the Hong Kong English Classroom
Every class has a range of abilities. Here are three practical strategies for differentiating English lessons without tripling your preparation time.
Do You Understand Number Vocabulary?
Introducing anniversary names in English and words like dozen, fortnight, decade.
The Ever-Changing Uses of "Set"
Showing over twenty uses of "set" as a noun, verb and adjective.
Order in the Chaos
Using the 430 uses of "set" to show English one-word-many-uses, with twelve s/no-s pairs.
Words With and Without s: Very Different Meanings
Listing ten word pairs with and without s, showing how adding s changes meaning.
What Learning Mode is Most Effective?
Using the Wordle craze to reflect on curiosity and learning methods, with Newton, Edison and Einstein.
The Ultimate Use of the Devilish s
Using "chair" to show noun-verb overlap, uncountable nouns, and yours sincerely/faithfully.
The Devil [S] Sequel
Continuing the letter s: noun plurals, verb singulars, and fixed spellings.
English Learning: Think More, Integrate More
Using the etymology of Halloween and Christmas to show how suffixes -ful, com-, be- form new words.
Mastering Tense (Part 2)
Showing that tense also expresses voice and number, using lay/lie to distinguish meanings.
Mastering Tense (Part 1)
Using the multiple meanings of "saw" in a tongue twister to show how tense distinguishes verb meanings.
The Spelling Secret Everyone Must Know
Explaining how single vs double letters change pronunciation, e.g. later/latter, diner/dinner.
One Change to Meet All Changes
Using the word "book" to show how one word carries multiple meanings across parts of speech.
English Expressions for Sports
Explaining sports vocabulary and the correct collocations of play, do and go with different sports.
Drink Water, Remember the Source; Learn Words, Study Their Origins
Using suffixes like -aholic, -athon and -phobia to show how etymology aids vocabulary retention.
Use the Right Method, Learn the Right Grammar
Using -ed and -ing to show how Chinese logic decodes English verb changes.
English Teaching Must Integrate with Learning Thinking
Introducing the Amalgam method as a transformer integrating Chinese and English thinking, via vocabulary and tense comparison.
Output is More Important than Input
Emphasizing the importance of output in English learning, and the tenseless nature of Chinese verbs.
To Master English, Study Tense (Part 2)
A structured, comparative approach to sequencing tense teaching.
Small Learning, Big Application
Using common abbreviations like a.m., p.m. and P.S. to show how prefixes inspire English learning.
To Master English, Study Tense (Part 1)
When to teach tenses and the common difficulties learners face.
To Learn English Well, Focus Correctly (Part 2)
Using look + preposition combinations to show why correct focus matters.
The Art of Word Choice in True English (Part 2)
Using the Chinese zodiac to show how English animal names distinguish gender and age, highlighting the art of synonyms.
The Art of Word Choice in True English
Comparing Chinglish and authentic English word choice, such as cost vs price and income vs revenue.
To Learn English Well, Focus Correctly (Part 1)
Analysing the difference between for and to through a DSE writing prompt.
Must-read for Strengthening Vocabulary Memory
Continuing the twelve essentials of vocabulary learning, focusing on synonyms, antonyms through sentence-making.
How to Speak Fluent English?
Dispelling myths about fluency and focusing on imitation and mouth positioning.
Vocabulary Mastery Tips (Continued)
Explaining three of the twelve essentials of vocabulary learning: pronunciation, definition and spelling.
DSE English Scoring Criteria — Do You Know? (Continued)
Continuing the DSE scoring discussion: sentence structures, grammar and star strategies.
Vocabulary Mastery Tips
Covering parts of speech, collocation and grammar, with tips on nouns, verbs, adjectives and conjunctions.
DSE English Scoring Criteria — Do You Know?
Breaking down DSE English scoring levels and what it takes to achieve top marks.
The Myth of Vocabulary and Reading Ability
Analyzing the relationship between vocabulary size and reading ability, and the importance of word function and collocation.
English Articles — Are You Using Them Correctly? (Continued)
Continuing the discussion of English articles a/an, pronunciation and misuse.
Not a Single Mistake
Improving spelling from the perspective of sound, showing how a single letter changes meaning.
English Articles — Are You Using Them Correctly?
Correct use of the English articles a and an, and common mistakes.
Way of Expression Cannot Be Ignored
Explaining the correct logic of answering Yes/No in English, avoiding Chinglish literal translation.
Improving English Education: Start from Learning
Common Chinglish grammar errors, especially the difference between also/too and either.
Hong Kong-style English
Examining the causes and impact of Hong Kong-style English, with directions for improvement.
Another Blind Spot in English Learning — The Devil Letter [s]
Analyzing the blind spot of the "devil letter [s]", distinguishing noun [s] from verb [s], and the importance of curriculum sequencing.
The Importance of Learning Methods (Part 4): Progress Starts with a Good Method
Reversing the blind spots of popular phonics, introducing the syllable phonics method and the secret of so-called "exceptions".
The Importance of Learning Methods (Part 3): Start by Changing Patterns
Exploring the need to change learning patterns during the pandemic, and reflecting on the blind spots of popular phonics courses.
The Importance of Learning Methods (Part 2): Starting from the Root
Continuing the importance of learning methods, using color theory as a metaphor to understand words from the root.
The Importance of Learning Methods (Part 1): Enough
Starting from the concept of "Enough", explaining the importance of learning methods and a sufficient foundation.
English and Chinese Grammar are Very Different
Comparing English and Chinese grammar, explaining the correct use of "not" and helping verbs.
Breaking Free from Hong Kong-style English
How to break free from Hong Kong-style English by focusing on collocations.
What Makes Students Desire Knowledge? Curiosity
How teaching models cool students' curiosity as they grow, with quotes from Einstein and James Stephens.
The Ten Commandments of English Spelling
Ten spelling rules that help reduce spelling mistakes in English.
Secondary School Preparation Tips: Adjust Your Mindset and Beat Dictation Anxiety
Three areas of preparation for secondary school, plus three tricks to overcome English dictation anxiety.
3 Strategies to Conquer English Dictation Fear
Teacher Rowena Tam shares three fun and effective strategies to help parents and students overcome the fear of English dictation.
The Little-Known Secret of "There is"
This article explores the common grammatical error of using "there have" instead of "there is" and explains the logic behind the correct usage.
Can Although and But Really Not Coexist?
This article explores the common misconception that 'although' and 'but' cannot be used in the same sentence, revealing that their usage depends on the number of clauses involved.
Unlocking the Mystery of Poor English Reading Skills (Part 3)
This article explores how a limited focus on rote vocabulary memorization hampers reading comprehension, emphasizing the importance of understanding idiomatic expressions, cultural context, and sentence structure.
Unlocking the Mystery of Poor English Reading Skills (Part 2)
This article explores how understanding English sentence patterns and phrase structures is more critical for reading comprehension than simply memorizing obscure vocabulary.
Unlocking the Mystery of Poor English Reading Skills (Part 1)
This article explores common misconceptions about improving English reading skills and emphasizes the importance of understanding sentence structures rather than just increasing reading volume.
A Different Approach to Learning Vocabulary (Part 2)
This article explores how understanding the roots and systemic construction of English words, rather than rote memorization, can help students learn vocabulary more effectively.
A Different Way to Learn Vocabulary
This article explores a more effective approach to vocabulary acquisition by focusing on word origins rather than rote memorization, using current events as examples.
Must-Read: Tenses (Part 3)
This article explores how using relatable and well-structured examples is the final key to mastering English tenses effectively.
Must-Know Tenses (Part 2)
This article discusses the importance of teaching English tenses through comparative structures rather than disjointed, year-by-year syllabus models.